David Given Schwarm

Brother Lawrence said that he was always guided by love. He was never influenced by any other interest, including whether or not he was saved. He was content doing the smallest chore if he could do it purely for the love of God. He even found himself quite well off, which he attributed to the fact that he sought only God and not His gifts. He believed that God is much greater than any of the simple gifts He gives us. Rather than desiring them from Him, he chose to look beyond the gifts, hoping to learn more about God Himself. Sometimes he even wished that he could avoid receiving his reward so that he would have the pleasure of doing something solely for God.

For some years, Brother Lawrence had been quite disturbed because he wasn’t certain that he was saved. Even so, he maintained the attitude that he had become a Christian because he loved the Lord, and so he would continue to love Him, whether he was certain of his salvation or not. That way, he would at least have the early pleasure of doing everything he could for the love of God. (Later, this uncertainty about his relationship with God left Brother Lawrence).