I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. 2 Corinthians 12:15.
However trying their labor, the true workers do not regard it as drudgery. They are ready to spend and to be spent; but it is a cheerful work, done with a glad heart. Joy in God is expressed through Jesus Christ. Their joy is the joy set before Christ—“to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” They are in co-operation with the Lord of glory. This thought sweetens all toil, it braces the will, it nerves the spirit for whatever may befall. Working with unselfish heart, ennobled by being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, sharing His sympathies, and co-operating with Him in His labor, they help to swell the tide of His joy, and bring honor and praise to His exalted name.
This is the spirit of all true service for God.... And however short our service or humble our work, if in simple faith we follow Christ, we shall not be disappointed of the reward.... Blessed will be the recompense of grace to those who have wrought for God in the simplicity of faith and love.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 402-404.
From Radiant Religion - Page 190
Radiant Religion