Watching Point 271

271 — WATCH lest you seek to “marry” God for His money. When a girl is going to marry a rich man, if she is being prompted more by the desire for his money than by a love for him, the world considers that her motivation is blameworthy. If you could imagine being given your choice between having God or health, which would you choose? Many a student fancies that he is seeking God when he is really seeking relief from error. Mrs. Eddy once wrote, “God, good, is ‘jealous’ in our sense of the word. It admits of nothing unlike simple honesty, goodness, truth and love to be put into good’s foundation or superstructure. This I have seen proven beyond cavil over a half century.” If God is jealous, then He permits nothing to come ahead of Him in man’s procession, not even the blessings He bestows upon His children.

When we seek to establish our unity with God, we should ask ourselves which we desire most, God, or the rewards God bestows for faithfulness. We will find that it is necessary often to rededicate our love for Him as being first, and to know that no error can tempt us to put anything ahead of Him in our affections.