"That is not the right way of putting it. The Lord does not demand that, nor desire it; but that we should seek first the kingdom of God. You may remember too that the spirit of our life, if we are Christians, must be the same as Christ's; for 'if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.' Now the motto of His life was, 'My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.' And that, Miss Flora, must make pleasing God the great pleasure of a child of God."
"That is what I think," said Meredith.
"Then are we to have no pleasure?" Flora repeated. "I mean, no pleasure of our own?"
"I have been trying to explain that. I do not know any pleasure much sweeter than pleasing some one that we dearly love; do you?"
Flora looked very gloomy.
"Put out of your head any notion of bondage or hard lines of action. 'I delight to do Thy will, O God!'—is the true way of stating it. And that is the only sort of service, I think, that the Lord really is pleased with."
"Well, does He want us to do like those people, and give literally all we have got, for the heathen, or the poor?"
"The Bible rule is, 'Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give.' If His heart will be satisfied with nothing less than all, you would not forbid Him?"
Meredith's eyes sparkled, and he looked at Flora, but she would not meet him.
"It may be and often is the case, that the Lord's best service requires some of a man's money to be spent on things that seem personal; still, if he loves God best, all will be really for God. Education, accomplishments, knowledge, arts, sciences, recreation, travel, books—provided only that in everything and everywhere the man is doing the very best he can for the service of his Master and the stewardship of his goods. That does not shut out but increases his delight in these things."