"IF YE LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS." Our Lord speaks thus to us today. We are prone to attach too much importance to ceremonies. Israel did so. Thousands do so now to a very fearful extent. But obedience to moral precepts, out of love to God, while depending for life and peace on the finished work of Christ alone, is what pleases God. To obey is better than to sacrifice. The obedience intended, requires the surrender of the judgment, the acquiescence of the conscience, the concurrence of the will, and the submission of the whole man to the authority of God. Such obedience pleases God better than any sacrifice which we can offer, because it is an acknowledgement of his wisdom and goodness in requiring, and it is a hearty compliance with his will. But in order that our obedience might be acceptable, it must be scriptural, sincere, humble, uniform, and constant. Then it is better than any gifts which we can present, than any sufferings we can endure. We must obey God as a Sovereign, while we love Him as a Father. Our obedience must be that of children, of children living under the smile of a father's love. Our obedience is not to be considered a price paid for blessings, but as the proof of love.

For Meditation:
My God, with heavenly wisdom bless,
And teach me how Thyself to please:
Work in me both to will and do,
That I Thy glory may pursue.