This was because they loved their king. They watched him, not as the wicked Pharisees watched the Lord Jesus that they might find something against Him; but with the watching of admiration and love, taking notice of the kind and gracious things he did and said. Do you thus take notice of what your King does? Does it please you to hear and read of what He has done and what He is doing? It must be so if He really is your King.
But the "whatsoever" is a little harder; and yet, if it is once really learnt, it makes everything easy. For if we learn to be pleased with _whatsoever_ our King Jesus does, nothing can come wrong to us.
Suppose something comes to-day which is not quite what you would have liked; heavy rain, for instance, when you wanted to go out,--recollect that your King Jesus has done it, and that will hush the little murmur, and make you quite content. Ask Him this morning to make you so loving and loyal to Him, that _whatsoever_ He does, all day long, may please you, because it has pleased Him to do it. I think He loves us so much, that He always gives us as much happiness as He can possibly trust us with, and does what is pleasantest for His dear children whenever He sees it will not hurt them; so, when He does something which at first does not seem so pleasant, we may still trust our beloved King, and learn by His grace to be pleased with _whatsoever_ He does.
"I hear a sweet voice ringing clear, 'All is well!' It is my Father's voice I hear, All is well! Where'er I walk that voice is heard, It is my God, my Father's word-- 'Fear not, but trust; I am the Lord, All is well!'"
14. Fourteenth Day.
The New Heart.
"A new heart also will I give you."--Ezek. xxxvi. 26.
Why does God promise this? Because our old hearts are so evil that they can not be made any better; and so nothing will do any good but giving us a quite new heart.
Because we can not make a new heart for ourselves; the more we try, the more we shall find we can not do it; so God, in His great pity and kindness, says He will give it us.
Because unless we have a new heart we can not enter the kingdom of God, we can not even see it! Without this gift we must be left outside in the terrible darkness when "the door is shut."
What is the difference? The old heart _likes_ to be naughty in some way or other; either it likes to be idle, or it likes to let out sharp words, or to go on being sulky or fretful instead of clearing up and saying, "I am sorry!" The new heart _wants_ to be good; and is grieved when a temptation comes, and does not wish to yield to it; and would like to be always pleasing the Saviour.
The old heart is afraid of God, and does not love Him, and would much rather He were not always seeing us. And it does not care to hear about Jesus, but would rather be just let alone. The new heart loves God and trusts what He says, and likes to know that He is always watching it. And it is glad to hear about Jesus, and wants to come closer to Him.
The old heart is a little slave of Satan, taking his orders, and doing what he wishes. The new heart is a happy little servant of Christ, listening to His orders, and doing what He wishes.
Oh how happy and blessed to have this new heart! All God's own children receive it, for He has said, "I will give them one heart;" that is, all the same new heart. Do you not want to have it too? Then "ask, and you _shall_ receive;" for He hath said, "A new heart also _will_ I give you!"
"Oh for a heart to praise my God, A heart from sin set free! A heart that always feels Thy blood, So freely shed for me.
"A heart resigned, submissive, meek, My dear Redeemer's throne; Where only Christ is heard to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone."
15. Fifteenth Day.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit.
"I will put my Spirit within you."--Ezek. xxxvi. 27.