Morning “I will be their God.” / Jeremiah 31:33

Christian! here is all thou canst require. To make thee happy thou wantest

something that shall satisfy thee; and is not this enough? If thou canst pour

this promise into thy cup, wilt thou not say, with David, “My cup runneth

over; I have more than heart can wish”? When this is fulfilled, “I am thy

God”, art thou not possessor of all things? Desire is insatiable as death, but

he who filleth all in all can fill it. The capacity of our wishes who can

measure? But the immeasurable wealth of God can more than overflow it. I ask

thee if thou art not complete when God is thine? Dost thou want anything but

God? Is not his all-sufficiency enough to satisfy thee if all else should

fail? But thou wantest more than quiet satisfaction; thou desirest rapturous

delight. Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in this thy portion, for God

is the Maker of Heaven. Not all the music blown from sweet instruments, or

drawn from living strings, can yield such melody as this sweet promise, “I

will be their God.” Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of delight;

come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou shalt find no shore; dive

throughout eternity, and thou shalt find no bottom. “I will be their God.” If

this do not make thine eyes sparkle, and thy heart beat high with bliss, then

assuredly thy soul is not in a healthy state. But thou wantest more than

present delights–thou cravest something concerning which thou mayest exercise

hope; and what more canst thou hope for than the fulfilment of this great

promise, “I will be their God”? This is the masterpiece of all the promises;

its enjoyment makes a heaven below, and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the

light of thy Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with his love. Get out

the marrow and fatness which this portion yields thee. Live up to thy

privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.

 

Evening “Serve the Lord with gladness.” / Psalm 100:2

Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a

sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving

him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God

requires no slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of love,

and would have his servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God

serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in

their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the

Lord looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from force, and

not because we love him, he will reject our offering. Service coupled with

cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful

willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his

sincerity. If a man be driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches

into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, “It is sweet for

one’s country to die,” proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism.

Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we

strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil

is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot,

and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our

wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in

his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing,

“Make me to walk in thy commands,

‘Tis a delightful road.”

Reader, let us put this question–do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us

show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it

is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good

Master.