“Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart;
for God now acepteth thy works.” Ecclesiastes 9:7
My soul, here is a sweet subject for your hourly thoughts. Are you “accepted” in the Beloved? Have you accepted Jesus, and God accepted you in Jesus?
Well may you then eat of the bread of common providences,70 and drink of the sweet of all sanctified mercies, for everything is blessed in Jesus, and Jesus is blessing you in everything. Surely, an accepted soul is a blessed soul, for he is blessed in his basket71 and in his store;72 blessed in his laying down and blessed in his rising up; blessed in his going out and blessed in his coming home; yea, blessed in time and blessed to all eternity. Yes, blessed source of all my blessedness, precious Jesus, I will go my way, for You are my way (Joh. 14:6). I will eat my bread with joy, for You are my bread of life (Joh 6:35). I will drink the wine which You have mingled73 for me, for Your love is better than wine (Song. 1:2).
And as God my Father accepts me in You, this forms an everlasting cause of everlasting joy: joy in what I have; joy in what I expect; joy in even what I want,74 for those very wants will lead me the closer and the nearer to You. Joy in what I fear, for my fear will keep me depending upon You; joy in what I suffer, for my sufferings are sweetly blessed when they afford a renewed occasion for my Jesus to sooth me under them and, in His time, to deliver me out of them. And joy in all I lose, for lose what I may, I cannot lose You-I cannot lose God’s Christ; I cannot lose His love, His favour, His grace, His Spirit, the efficacy of His blood, and the merits of His righteousness. Oh precious security, precious salvation in the Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 33:16)! Shall I not live up to this heritage, and live under its influence, in the thankful, joyful use of it from day to day? God your way, my souls, go in Jesus as your Way. Every day, and all the day, eat your bread with joy. Eye Jesus as your spiritual food and always present at your table. Drink hourly of His cup of salvation with a cheerful heart, for you are accepted in the Beloved.
70. Providence-works of God in preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions.
71. basket-contents of a basket, as in harvesting-as much as it can hold.
72. Store-storehouse, as of harvested food.
73. Mingled-mixed (possibly with water, as a common practice).
74. Want-lack.