This is one of the sentences that dropped from the lips of Christ,which let us into his personal spiritual life and in some measure laybare his mind. To be permitted thus to share his confidence is one ofour greatest privileges. Viewing him from a distance, we may admire hischaracter; viewing him in history, we may confess his incomparablepower; viewing him when convincing us of our own sin, we may adore himas our Saviour; but we desire, and may have, a still more intimateacquaintance. He tells us about himself. He describes here and therehis personal inner life. He permits us to share his secrets, and allthat we otherwise feel of reverence, admiration, and gratitude givesnew value to these disclosures of the spiritual life of the God in man.Now, in the words before us, Christ describes his joy in the service ofthe Father. They reveal a devotion so complete as to entirely controlhis mind. They reveal a soul so absorbed in doing the Divine will as tobe insensible for the time to ordinary physical needs. They reveal aself-consecration which is absolute, and yet which is so spontaneousand glad as to be self-sustaining; so that Christ needed no othersupport in serving the Father than simply the opportunity of suchservice. We, on the contrary, require support to enable us to serve. Wemust be rewarded for our work, must be encouraged by sympathy, must befed with promises and spiritual gifts, in order to be strong enough todo our duty. Christ found duty its own reward, service itself joy,obedience a source of renewed strength. His will was one with theFather's; and thus he discloses the, to us, marvelous spectacle of onewho could truly say, Not my desire or my duty, or my purpose is, but mymeat--my food--my source itself of life and strength--is to do the willof God, and to finish his work. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.