What Kind of Service is Most Acceptable to God?
God accepts that service which is prompted entirely out of love to Him with greater pleasure than any other. If we obey our parents and serve God only with a view of being praised by men, He does not accept our service, and we may be compared with the scribes and Pharisees washing the outside of the platter and of the cup, but leaving the inside unclean. Jesus says, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess" (Matt. xxiii. 25). Jesus means by this that the scribes and Pharisees gave heed to all the outward ceremonies of religion, and were, to all appearance, good and upright; but they did not really love God in their hearts. God looks upon the motive which prompts any little kindness to any one. He does not look so much at the action. He says, even a cup of cold water, if given for Jesus' sake, will be remembered and rewarded (Matt. x. 42; Mark ix. 41). Jesus says that even the widow who put her farthing into the treasury, gave more than the scribes and Pharisees, who put in large sums of money. He means by this that the widow put in all she had. She must have had great love to God to give her last farthing for the use of God's house, and the Pharisees were really prompted to put in their large sums of money because of the praise of man. In obeying our parents, and in whatever we do, we should do it as unto the Lord.
Paul says, "Not with eye-service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men" (Eph. vi. 6, 7).
"Only a kindly action,
Done to a child of God;
Not done to cause attraction,
But as unto Christ the Lord."
When Mary poured the precious box of ointment on Jesus' head, and anointed His feet, and wiped them with her hair, she did it out of love to Him, and Jesus accepted her service; and when some were angry at what they termed the woman's waste of ointment, Jesus reproved them, and said, "She hath done what she could."
Oh, that we may have our sins forgiven through the blood of Jesus, and be enabled to serve Him acceptably, so that we may have the joy of hearing Him say, at the last day, "Come, thou blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. xxv. 34).
"Search me, O God, is my desire,
Nor let me from Thy ways depart;
To love and serve Thee I aspire,
Enriched with Mary's better part."
Mabel Ellen Denly
(Aged 11 years).
197, High Street, Hounslow.
[We have received several good Essays this month, especially those from E. B. Knocker, Jane Bell, Margaret Creasey, L. Rush, and P. Rackham. We hope all of them, as well as the very young friend who wrote the above, will feel encouraged to persevere.]
[The writer of the above Essay receives a copy of The Sower for 1887.
The subject for April will be, "Who are they that will Stand Perfect in the Day of Judgment?" and the prize to be given for the best Essay on that subject, a copy of "The Life of John Newton." All competitors must give a guarantee that they are under fifteen years of age, and that the Essay is their own composition, or the papers will be passed over, as the Editor cannot undertake to write for this necessary information. Papers must be sent direct to the Editor, Mr. T. Hull, 117, High Street, Hastings, by the first of March.]