OUR GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD. He requires the devotion of the heart, the consecration of the powers, and we cannot enjoy His salvation without these. Persons who try to unite God and the world, the service of sin and the service of God, cannot be happy. We must be very clear and decisive: who is to be God today? Who is to have our heart, our talents, our affections, today? Is material gain, carnal pleasure, or worldly company, to be the idol today? Or, is Jesus to have our thoughts, our desires, and our talents? Shall we seek His glory, and aim at His honour? Or, shall we say to some worthless bramble, "Come thou, and reign over us?" Choose you! Whom will you serve? Attempt not to reconcile opposing claims, but let God or mammon have the whole. Surely, you are ready to cry out, "Thine am I, Lord Jesus; and Thee only will I ser ve!" But you can only ser ve Him acceptably, as you ser ve Him with the grace He imparts; He has provided, He has promised, and He invites you to receive it. Let us therefore have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. Serving God in the spirit of adoption is true happiness.

For Meditation:
O let Thy love my soul inflame!
And to Thy service sweetly bind;
Infuse it through my inmost frame,
And mould me wholly to Thy mind.