"And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised." 2 Samuel 7:25
God has given us untold promises and each is a promise he has promised to keep. How clearly and wonderfully he assures us, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3). He has given us promises for guidance and instruction. He has given rest for the weary, compassion, tenderness and above all, the blessing of communion with him. Each is wrapped up in the Bible and may be found through simply opening and reading the Book.
David went into the presence of the Lord for a special time with him. He came in humility and lowliness. He thanked God for the promise he had kept and recounted the things which God had done for him and revealed to him. He poured out his heart: "How great you are, O sovereign Lord. There is no one like you, and there is no god but you, as we have heard with our own ears" (vs. 22). He gave dave the glory for everything, then continued, "Do as you promised" (vs. 25).
God always does what he says. His promises are never broken. This is one of life's few certainties. Our promises to him are sometimes broken, but not his to us. They are immutable.
God will not be poorer for giving you the riches he has promised. He is ready and willing to give, and give, and give again!
By Sarah Jepson Coleman, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Leave It To God
"Roll on Jehovah thy way" (Ps. 37:6, margin).
Whatever it is that presses thee, go tell the Father; put the whole matter over into His hand, and so shalt thou be freed from that dividing, perplexing care that the world is full of. When thou art either to do or suffer anything, when thou art about any purpose or business, go tell God of it, and acquaint Him with it; yes, burden Him with it, and thou hast done for matter of caring; no more care, but quiet, sweet, diligence in thy duty, and dependence on Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll thy cares, and thyself with them, as one burden, all on thy God. - R. Leighton
Build a little fence of trust
Around today;
Fill the space with loving work
And therein stay.
Look not through the sheltering bars
Upon tomorrow;
God will help thee bear what comes
Of joy or sorrow.
Mary Butts
We shall find it impossible to commit our way unto the Lord, unless it be a way that He approves. It is only by faith that a man can commit his way unto the Lord; if there be the slightest doubt in the heart that "our way" is not a good one, faith will refuse to have anything to do with it. This committing of our way must be a continuous, not a single act. However extraordinary and unexpected may seem to be His guidance, however near the precipice He may take you, you are not to snatch the guiding reins out of His hands. Are we willing to have all our ways submitted to God, for Him to pronounce judgment on them? There is nothing a Christian needs to be more scrutinizing about than about his confirmed habits and views. He is too apt to take for granted the Divine approbation of them. Why are some Christians so anxious, so fearful? Evidently because they have not left their way with the Lord. They took it to Him, but brought it away with them again. - Selected
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Whatever it is that presses thee, go tell the Father; put the whole matter over into His hand, and so shalt thou be freed from that dividing, perplexing care that the world is full of. When thou art either to do or suffer anything, when thou art about any purpose or business, go tell God of it, and acquaint Him with it; yes, burden Him with it, and thou hast done for matter of caring; no more care, but quiet, sweet, diligence in thy duty, and dependence on Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll thy cares, and thyself with them, as one burden, all on thy God. - R. Leighton
Build a little fence of trust
Around today;
Fill the space with loving work
And therein stay.
Look not through the sheltering bars
Upon tomorrow;
God will help thee bear what comes
Of joy or sorrow.
Mary Butts
We shall find it impossible to commit our way unto the Lord, unless it be a way that He approves. It is only by faith that a man can commit his way unto the Lord; if there be the slightest doubt in the heart that "our way" is not a good one, faith will refuse to have anything to do with it. This committing of our way must be a continuous, not a single act. However extraordinary and unexpected may seem to be His guidance, however near the precipice He may take you, you are not to snatch the guiding reins out of His hands. Are we willing to have all our ways submitted to God, for Him to pronounce judgment on them? There is nothing a Christian needs to be more scrutinizing about than about his confirmed habits and views. He is too apt to take for granted the Divine approbation of them. Why are some Christians so anxious, so fearful? Evidently because they have not left their way with the Lord. They took it to Him, but brought it away with them again. - Selected
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Rekindle
Our lives can sometimes feel as if nothing is happening. We wake, get dressed, go to work and take care of responsibilities. We fix meals, pick up dry cleaning and pay bills. Life is so daily. Trying to measure the depth of my relationship with God or the growth in my life is like trying to watch the snow melt - an unfulfilled exercise in futility.
Monitoring our spiritual or personal growth isn't up to us. This process, this daily living our faith, is a gradual (and as wonderful) as spring emerging. And like spring, the results aren't up to us. Our job is to be willing to let God be God, and to trust him with the results.
By Debra Klingsporn, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Monitoring our spiritual or personal growth isn't up to us. This process, this daily living our faith, is a gradual (and as wonderful) as spring emerging. And like spring, the results aren't up to us. Our job is to be willing to let God be God, and to trust him with the results.
By Debra Klingsporn, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Monday, May 28, 2007
Facing Forever What We Have Lost
"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter." Ruth 1:20
Widows. Suddenly we have joined a select community, one we had never thought to enter. We are sisters of sorrow, daughters of the void. Suddenly our identity is linked to what we have lost: husband, marriage, father of our children, friend, provider. After years of bounty, suddenly we are the empty ones. How can this be? Why is the steady current of a life that was years in the making so utterly destroyed? Why is tomorrow so hostile and insecure? We absorb the meaning of forever slowly as days pass like beads on a ring, until we have trotted up so many that we begin to understand - he is not coming back.
Tomorrow the sun rises, and tomorrow and tomorrow. Day by day, we go on. We laugh again; we may even love again. But it is a different life, a new love. The first is not "recovered from," not "gotten over." When our sons and daughters marry, when a certain musical refrain wafts into consciousness, when our grandchildren's eyes have just that shade of blue, we will remember. And the old scar will pinch.
Some of us become adults within this relationship. Its soft tension bent on our attitudes and framed our values . . . We did not know the weight of love until its release.
By Kate Convissor, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Widows. Suddenly we have joined a select community, one we had never thought to enter. We are sisters of sorrow, daughters of the void. Suddenly our identity is linked to what we have lost: husband, marriage, father of our children, friend, provider. After years of bounty, suddenly we are the empty ones. How can this be? Why is the steady current of a life that was years in the making so utterly destroyed? Why is tomorrow so hostile and insecure? We absorb the meaning of forever slowly as days pass like beads on a ring, until we have trotted up so many that we begin to understand - he is not coming back.
Tomorrow the sun rises, and tomorrow and tomorrow. Day by day, we go on. We laugh again; we may even love again. But it is a different life, a new love. The first is not "recovered from," not "gotten over." When our sons and daughters marry, when a certain musical refrain wafts into consciousness, when our grandchildren's eyes have just that shade of blue, we will remember. And the old scar will pinch.
Some of us become adults within this relationship. Its soft tension bent on our attitudes and framed our values . . . We did not know the weight of love until its release.
By Kate Convissor, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Friday, May 25, 2007
Loving Others
"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." I THESS. 5:11
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." MATT. 19:19
So others shall
Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand,
From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer,
And God's grace fructify through thee to all.
The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dewdrop with another near.
E. B. BROWNING
What is meant by our neighbor we cannot doubt; it is every one with whom we
are brought into contact. First of all, he is literally our neighbor who
is next to us in our own family and household; husband to wife, wife to
husband, parent to child, brother to sister, master to servant, servant to
master. Then it is he who is close to us in our own neighborhood, in our
own town, in our own parish, in our own street. With these all true charity
begins. To love and be kind to these is the very beginning of all true
religion. But, besides these, as our Lord teaches, it is every one who
is thrown across our path by the changes and chances of life; he or she,
whosoever it be, whom we have any means of helping,--the unfortunate
stranger whom we may meet in travelling, the deserted friend whom no one
else cares to look after.
A. P. STANLEY
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." MATT. 19:19
So others shall
Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand,
From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer,
And God's grace fructify through thee to all.
The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dewdrop with another near.
E. B. BROWNING
What is meant by our neighbor we cannot doubt; it is every one with whom we
are brought into contact. First of all, he is literally our neighbor who
is next to us in our own family and household; husband to wife, wife to
husband, parent to child, brother to sister, master to servant, servant to
master. Then it is he who is close to us in our own neighborhood, in our
own town, in our own parish, in our own street. With these all true charity
begins. To love and be kind to these is the very beginning of all true
religion. But, besides these, as our Lord teaches, it is every one who
is thrown across our path by the changes and chances of life; he or she,
whosoever it be, whom we have any means of helping,--the unfortunate
stranger whom we may meet in travelling, the deserted friend whom no one
else cares to look after.
A. P. STANLEY
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Under the Shadow of the Almighty
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1
They who on the Lord rely,
Safely dwell though danger's nigh;
Lo! His sheltering wings are spread
O'er each faithful servant's head.
When they wake, or when they sleep,
Angel guards their vigils keep;
Death and danger may be near,
Faith and love have nought to fear.
Harriet Auber
"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling," is a promise to the fullest extent verified in the case of all "who dwell in the secret place of the Most High." To them sorrows are not "evils," sicknesses are not "plagues;" the shadow of the Almighty extending far around those who abide under it, alters the character of all things which come within its influence. - Anonymous
It is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of God. - Samuel Rutherford
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
They who on the Lord rely,
Safely dwell though danger's nigh;
Lo! His sheltering wings are spread
O'er each faithful servant's head.
When they wake, or when they sleep,
Angel guards their vigils keep;
Death and danger may be near,
Faith and love have nought to fear.
Harriet Auber
"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling," is a promise to the fullest extent verified in the case of all "who dwell in the secret place of the Most High." To them sorrows are not "evils," sicknesses are not "plagues;" the shadow of the Almighty extending far around those who abide under it, alters the character of all things which come within its influence. - Anonymous
It is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of God. - Samuel Rutherford
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
How To Wait
"Blessed is he that waiteth" (Dan. 12:12).
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still.
There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?
No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid.
Wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him. Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come, and shall not tarry.
Wait in quiet patience. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses. Accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities; but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower." - Morning by Morning
Wait patiently wait,
God never is late;
Thy budding plans are in Thy Father's holding,
And only wait His grand divine unfolding.
Then wait, wait,
Patiently wait.
Trust, hopefully trust,
That God will adjust
Thy tangled life; and from its dark concealings,
Will bring His will, in all its bright revealings.
Then trust, trust,
Hopefully trust.
Rest, peacefully rest
On thy Saviour's breast;
Breathe in His ear thy sacred high ambition,
And He will bring it forth in blest fruition.
Then rest, rest,
Peacefully rest!
Mercy A. Gladwin
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still.
There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?
No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid.
Wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him. Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come, and shall not tarry.
Wait in quiet patience. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses. Accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities; but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower." - Morning by Morning
Wait patiently wait,
God never is late;
Thy budding plans are in Thy Father's holding,
And only wait His grand divine unfolding.
Then wait, wait,
Patiently wait.
Trust, hopefully trust,
That God will adjust
Thy tangled life; and from its dark concealings,
Will bring His will, in all its bright revealings.
Then trust, trust,
Hopefully trust.
Rest, peacefully rest
On thy Saviour's breast;
Breathe in His ear thy sacred high ambition,
And He will bring it forth in blest fruition.
Then rest, rest,
Peacefully rest!
Mercy A. Gladwin
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
God is Love
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." I JOHN 3:14
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love". I JOHN 4:8
Mutual love the token be,
Lord, that we belong to Thee;
Love, Thine image, love impart;
Stamp it on our face and heart;
Only love to us be given;
Lord, we ask no other heaven.
CHARLES WESLEY
Oh, how many times we can most of us remember when we would gladly have
made any compromise with our consciences, would gladly have made the most
costly sacrifices to God, if He would only have excused us from this duty
of loving, of which our nature seemed utterly incapable. It is far easier
to feel kindly, to act kindly, toward those with whom we are seldom brought
into contact, whose tempers and prejudices do not rub against ours, whose
interests do not clash with ours, than to keep up an habitual, steady,
self-sacrificing love towards those whose weaknesses and faults are always
forcing themselves upon us, and are stirring up our own. A man may pass
good muster as a philanthropist who makes but a poor master to his
servants, or father to his children.
F. D. MAURICE
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love". I JOHN 4:8
Mutual love the token be,
Lord, that we belong to Thee;
Love, Thine image, love impart;
Stamp it on our face and heart;
Only love to us be given;
Lord, we ask no other heaven.
CHARLES WESLEY
Oh, how many times we can most of us remember when we would gladly have
made any compromise with our consciences, would gladly have made the most
costly sacrifices to God, if He would only have excused us from this duty
of loving, of which our nature seemed utterly incapable. It is far easier
to feel kindly, to act kindly, toward those with whom we are seldom brought
into contact, whose tempers and prejudices do not rub against ours, whose
interests do not clash with ours, than to keep up an habitual, steady,
self-sacrificing love towards those whose weaknesses and faults are always
forcing themselves upon us, and are stirring up our own. A man may pass
good muster as a philanthropist who makes but a poor master to his
servants, or father to his children.
F. D. MAURICE
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Monday, May 21, 2007
Accepting God's Peace
The above words may be familiar because this blessing is still pronounced in many churches today. But do you grasp its full magnitude? Do you realize who is speaking? It is the Lord, the Creator. His very name and character guarantee that he can give the promised peace. He graciously wants to bestow this on us.
but everything has its price. Peace is no exception. It cannot be bought with money, yet a high prices was paid for it. It cost Someone his life! The Son of God died on a cross in order that there would be peace between God and people He died to reconcile people one with another and with themselves.
So peace is a gift. It is given to those who want to accept it and who meet its conditions. Peace can never be separated from a personal relationship with God. It branches out to all aspects of our lives.
The offer of peace can be trusted. God is its guarantee. Wether we personally enjoy this peace is entirely in our own hands. God extends the offer. The acceptance depends on us.
By Gien Karssen, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
but everything has its price. Peace is no exception. It cannot be bought with money, yet a high prices was paid for it. It cost Someone his life! The Son of God died on a cross in order that there would be peace between God and people He died to reconcile people one with another and with themselves.
So peace is a gift. It is given to those who want to accept it and who meet its conditions. Peace can never be separated from a personal relationship with God. It branches out to all aspects of our lives.
The offer of peace can be trusted. God is its guarantee. Wether we personally enjoy this peace is entirely in our own hands. God extends the offer. The acceptance depends on us.
By Gien Karssen, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Friday, May 18, 2007
You Are Precious
As a teacher teaches best by sparking curiosity, so a friend encourages best by kindling self-worth.
Recently a dear friend was talking with me about her struggle to realize her own worth.
"The other day," she said, "I was so frustrated with my slow progress, wondering if I would ever rally learn to be kind to myself. Then I thought of you and another friend who have affirmed me for so many years, believing in me even when I didn't honor my own opinions and feelings, and making me feel special when I didn't place much value on myself. And I suddenly understood something that's helping me be more patient with myself.
"I realized that you've loved me a lot longer then I've loved myself, so you're better at it! I know where that kind of love comes from. And I know that in time, I'll get better at it too."
WHat a privilege God has given us to love one another! When the apostle Paul instructed us to observe whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), he handed us a delightful set of tools to carve self-wroth into the lives of others. And we see and affirm these positive qualities in our friends, our friends begin to see the source of all that is true and excellent and praiseworthy. And soon they begin praising their lovely Creator by becoming all he meant for them to be.
By Susan Lenzkes, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Recently a dear friend was talking with me about her struggle to realize her own worth.
"The other day," she said, "I was so frustrated with my slow progress, wondering if I would ever rally learn to be kind to myself. Then I thought of you and another friend who have affirmed me for so many years, believing in me even when I didn't honor my own opinions and feelings, and making me feel special when I didn't place much value on myself. And I suddenly understood something that's helping me be more patient with myself.
"I realized that you've loved me a lot longer then I've loved myself, so you're better at it! I know where that kind of love comes from. And I know that in time, I'll get better at it too."
WHat a privilege God has given us to love one another! When the apostle Paul instructed us to observe whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), he handed us a delightful set of tools to carve self-wroth into the lives of others. And we see and affirm these positive qualities in our friends, our friends begin to see the source of all that is true and excellent and praiseworthy. And soon they begin praising their lovely Creator by becoming all he meant for them to be.
By Susan Lenzkes, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"
Thursday, May 17, 2007
'Love One Another'
". . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love." 2 Peter 1:5, 7
Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26 ). Initially, when "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" ( Romans 5:5 ), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.
The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, ". . . love one another as I have loved you" ( John 15:12 ). He is saying, "I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you." This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.
"The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish . . ." ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.
By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26 ). Initially, when "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" ( Romans 5:5 ), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.
The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, ". . . love one another as I have loved you" ( John 15:12 ). He is saying, "I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you." This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.
"The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish . . ." ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.
By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Wait for the Finals
"Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last." Genesis 49:19
Some of us have been like the tribe of Gad. Our adversaries for a while were too many for us; they came upon us like a troop. Yes, and for the moment they overcame us; and they exulted greatly because of their temporary victory. Thus they only proved the first part of the family heritage to be really ours, for Christ's people, like Dan, shall have a troop overcoming them. This being overcome is very painful, and we should have despaired if we had not by faith believed the second line of our father's benediction, "He shall overcome at the last." "All's well that ends well," said the world's poet; and he spoke the truth. A war is to be judged, not by first success or defeats, but by that which happens "at the last." The LORD will give to truth and righteousness victory "at the last"; and, as Mr. Bunyan says, that means forever, for nothing can come after the last.
What we need is patient perseverance in well-doing, calm confidence in our glorious Captain. Christ, our LORD Jesus, would teach us His holy art of setting the face like a flint to go through with work or suffering till we can say, "It is finished." Hallelujah. Victory! Victory! We believe the promise. "He shall overcome at the last."
By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Some of us have been like the tribe of Gad. Our adversaries for a while were too many for us; they came upon us like a troop. Yes, and for the moment they overcame us; and they exulted greatly because of their temporary victory. Thus they only proved the first part of the family heritage to be really ours, for Christ's people, like Dan, shall have a troop overcoming them. This being overcome is very painful, and we should have despaired if we had not by faith believed the second line of our father's benediction, "He shall overcome at the last." "All's well that ends well," said the world's poet; and he spoke the truth. A war is to be judged, not by first success or defeats, but by that which happens "at the last." The LORD will give to truth and righteousness victory "at the last"; and, as Mr. Bunyan says, that means forever, for nothing can come after the last.
What we need is patient perseverance in well-doing, calm confidence in our glorious Captain. Christ, our LORD Jesus, would teach us His holy art of setting the face like a flint to go through with work or suffering till we can say, "It is finished." Hallelujah. Victory! Victory! We believe the promise. "He shall overcome at the last."
By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Pain
"There was given to me a thorn in the flesh." 2 Corinthians 12:7
Pain has a great mission. While God does not send pain, He lets it stay, though He might intervene and take it away. While as a rule, with possibly rare exceptions, it comes through sin, it remains through the deliberate purpose of God. God has a great purpose of love in pain. He uses it as His teacher. It is the greatest of all His great teachers. It charges the very highest rates, insists upon the severest discipline, will tolerate nothing short of the highest ideal, needs our sympathetic help in working, and produces the very finest results. - D. S. Gordon
O Christ of Calvary, this Lent
Has brought Thee strangely near;
Perhaps it is because I too
Have borne a cross this year.
I did not climb Golgotha's brow
Nor in Thy sufferings share;
But knowing Thee has made my cross
Much easier to bear.
It somehow granted me a part
In Thy great sacrifice;
Thus sorrow has its recompense
Where joy cannot suffice.
O Christ, dear Christ of Calvary,
In gratitude I bow;
Thy resurrection day will dawn
With deeper meaning now.
Alice Hansche Mortenson
Taken from "Manna in the Morning"
Pain has a great mission. While God does not send pain, He lets it stay, though He might intervene and take it away. While as a rule, with possibly rare exceptions, it comes through sin, it remains through the deliberate purpose of God. God has a great purpose of love in pain. He uses it as His teacher. It is the greatest of all His great teachers. It charges the very highest rates, insists upon the severest discipline, will tolerate nothing short of the highest ideal, needs our sympathetic help in working, and produces the very finest results. - D. S. Gordon
O Christ of Calvary, this Lent
Has brought Thee strangely near;
Perhaps it is because I too
Have borne a cross this year.
I did not climb Golgotha's brow
Nor in Thy sufferings share;
But knowing Thee has made my cross
Much easier to bear.
It somehow granted me a part
In Thy great sacrifice;
Thus sorrow has its recompense
Where joy cannot suffice.
O Christ, dear Christ of Calvary,
In gratitude I bow;
Thy resurrection day will dawn
With deeper meaning now.
Alice Hansche Mortenson
Taken from "Manna in the Morning"
Monday, May 14, 2007
Praise Always
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." JOB 1:21
What Thou hast given, Thou canst take,
And when Thou wilt new gifts can make.
All flows from Thee alone;
When Thou didst give it, it was Thine;
When Thou retook'st it, 't was not mine.
Thy will in all be done.
JOHN AUSTIN
We are ready to praise when all shines fair; but when life is overcast, when all things seem to be against us, when we are in fear for some cherished happiness, or in the depths of sorrow, or in the solitude of life which has no visible support, or in a season of sickness, and with the shadow of death approaching,--then to praise God; then to say, This fear, loneliness, affliction, pain, and trembling awe are as sure tokens of love, as life, health, joy, and the gifts of home: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;" on either side it is He, and all is love alike; "blessed be the name of the Lord,"--this is the true sacrifice of praise. What can come amiss to a soul which is so in accord with God? What can make so much as one jarring tone in all its harmony? In all the changes of this fitful life, it ever dwells in praise. - H. E. MANNING
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
What Thou hast given, Thou canst take,
And when Thou wilt new gifts can make.
All flows from Thee alone;
When Thou didst give it, it was Thine;
When Thou retook'st it, 't was not mine.
Thy will in all be done.
JOHN AUSTIN
We are ready to praise when all shines fair; but when life is overcast, when all things seem to be against us, when we are in fear for some cherished happiness, or in the depths of sorrow, or in the solitude of life which has no visible support, or in a season of sickness, and with the shadow of death approaching,--then to praise God; then to say, This fear, loneliness, affliction, pain, and trembling awe are as sure tokens of love, as life, health, joy, and the gifts of home: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;" on either side it is He, and all is love alike; "blessed be the name of the Lord,"--this is the true sacrifice of praise. What can come amiss to a soul which is so in accord with God? What can make so much as one jarring tone in all its harmony? In all the changes of this fitful life, it ever dwells in praise. - H. E. MANNING
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Friday, May 11, 2007
Listen for the Signal
"And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines" (2 Samuel 5:24).
There are signs of the LORD's moving which should move us. The Spirit of God blows where He listeth, and we hear the sound thereof. Then is the time for us to be more than ever astir. We must seize the golden opportunity and make the most we can of it. It is ours to fight the Philistines at all times; but when the LORD Himself goes out before us, then we should be specially valiant in the war.
The breeze stirred the tops of the trees, and David and his men took this for the signal for an onslaught, and at their advance the LORD Himself smote the Philistines. Oh, that this day the LORD may give us an opening to speak for Him with many of our friends! Let us be on the watch to avail ourselves of the hopeful opening when it comes. Who knows but this may be a day of good tidings; a season of soul-winning. Let us keep our ear open to hear the rustle of the wind and our minds ready to obey the signal. Is not this promise, "Then shall the LORD go out before thee," a sufficient encouragement to play the man? Since the LORD goes before us, we dare not hold back.
By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
There are signs of the LORD's moving which should move us. The Spirit of God blows where He listeth, and we hear the sound thereof. Then is the time for us to be more than ever astir. We must seize the golden opportunity and make the most we can of it. It is ours to fight the Philistines at all times; but when the LORD Himself goes out before us, then we should be specially valiant in the war.
The breeze stirred the tops of the trees, and David and his men took this for the signal for an onslaught, and at their advance the LORD Himself smote the Philistines. Oh, that this day the LORD may give us an opening to speak for Him with many of our friends! Let us be on the watch to avail ourselves of the hopeful opening when it comes. Who knows but this may be a day of good tidings; a season of soul-winning. Let us keep our ear open to hear the rustle of the wind and our minds ready to obey the signal. Is not this promise, "Then shall the LORD go out before thee," a sufficient encouragement to play the man? Since the LORD goes before us, we dare not hold back.
By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Run With Patience
"Let us run with patience" (Heb. 12:1).
O run with patience is a very difficult thing. Running is apt to suggest the absence of patience, the eagerness to reach the goal. We commonly associate patience with lying down. We think of it as the angel that guards the couch of the invalid. Yet, I do not think the invalid's patience the hardest to achieve.
There is a patience which I believe to be harder—he patience that can run. To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies a great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: It is the power to work under a stroke; to have a great weight at your heart and still to run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily task. It is a Christlike thing!
Many of us would nurse our grief without crying if we were allowed to nurse it. The hard thing is that most of us are called to exercise our patience, not in bed, but in the street. We are called to bury our sorrows, not in lethargic quiescence, but in active service--in the exchange, in the workshop, in the hour of social intercourse, in the contribution to another's joy. There is no burial of sorrow so difficult as that; it is the "running with patience."
This was Thy patience, O Son of man! It was at once a waiting and a running--a waiting for the goal, and a doing of the lesser work meantime. I see Thee at Cana turning the water into wine lest the marriage feast should be clouded. I see Thee in the desert feeding a multitude with bread just to relieve a temporary want. All, all the time, Thou wert bearing a mighty grief, unshared, unspoken. Men ask for a rainbow in the cloud; but I would ask more from Thee. I would be, in my cloud, myself a rainbow — a minister to others' joy. My patience will be perfect when it can work in the vineyard. - George Matheson
"When all our hopes are gone,
'Tis well our hands must keep toiling on
For others' sake:
For strength to bear is found in duty done;
And he is best indeed who learns to make
The joy of others cure his own heartache."
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, Taken from "Streams in the Desert"
O run with patience is a very difficult thing. Running is apt to suggest the absence of patience, the eagerness to reach the goal. We commonly associate patience with lying down. We think of it as the angel that guards the couch of the invalid. Yet, I do not think the invalid's patience the hardest to achieve.
There is a patience which I believe to be harder—he patience that can run. To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies a great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: It is the power to work under a stroke; to have a great weight at your heart and still to run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily task. It is a Christlike thing!
Many of us would nurse our grief without crying if we were allowed to nurse it. The hard thing is that most of us are called to exercise our patience, not in bed, but in the street. We are called to bury our sorrows, not in lethargic quiescence, but in active service--in the exchange, in the workshop, in the hour of social intercourse, in the contribution to another's joy. There is no burial of sorrow so difficult as that; it is the "running with patience."
This was Thy patience, O Son of man! It was at once a waiting and a running--a waiting for the goal, and a doing of the lesser work meantime. I see Thee at Cana turning the water into wine lest the marriage feast should be clouded. I see Thee in the desert feeding a multitude with bread just to relieve a temporary want. All, all the time, Thou wert bearing a mighty grief, unshared, unspoken. Men ask for a rainbow in the cloud; but I would ask more from Thee. I would be, in my cloud, myself a rainbow — a minister to others' joy. My patience will be perfect when it can work in the vineyard. - George Matheson
"When all our hopes are gone,
'Tis well our hands must keep toiling on
For others' sake:
For strength to bear is found in duty done;
And he is best indeed who learns to make
The joy of others cure his own heartache."
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, Taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Trust is the Answer
"Who is among you that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." ISAIAH 1:10
THE heart that yet can hope and trust,
And cry to Thee, though from the dust,
Is all unconquered still.
PAUL GERHARDT
PRESS this upon thy soul, for there is not such another charm for all its fears and disquiet; therefore repeat it still with David, sing this till it be stilled, and chide thy distrustful heart into believing: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him." Though I am all out of tune for the present, never a right thing in my soul, yet He will put forth His hand and redress all, and I shall yet once again praise, and therefore, even now, I will hope.
ROBERT LEIGHTON
Oh, that we could breathe out new hope, and new submission, every day. Our waters are but ebb, and come neither to our chin, nor to the stopping of our breath. I may see (if I would borrow eyes from Christ) dry land, and that near: why then should we not laugh at adversity, and scorn our short-born and soon-dying temptations?
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD
By Mary Wilder Tileston, taken from, "Joy and Strength"
THE heart that yet can hope and trust,
And cry to Thee, though from the dust,
Is all unconquered still.
PAUL GERHARDT
PRESS this upon thy soul, for there is not such another charm for all its fears and disquiet; therefore repeat it still with David, sing this till it be stilled, and chide thy distrustful heart into believing: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him." Though I am all out of tune for the present, never a right thing in my soul, yet He will put forth His hand and redress all, and I shall yet once again praise, and therefore, even now, I will hope.
ROBERT LEIGHTON
Oh, that we could breathe out new hope, and new submission, every day. Our waters are but ebb, and come neither to our chin, nor to the stopping of our breath. I may see (if I would borrow eyes from Christ) dry land, and that near: why then should we not laugh at adversity, and scorn our short-born and soon-dying temptations?
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD
By Mary Wilder Tileston, taken from, "Joy and Strength"
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Trouble? Which way will you go?
"And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." John 4:50
The narrative of the nobleman and his sick son beautifully illustrates the beginning of faith and its rapid progress in the human soul. It is one thing to hear about the conversation of someone else but it is another to experience this great salvation personally, and to appropriate it by saving faith. This same living Christ is ever ready to help in time of great need, as He helped this nobleman.
Trouble led this man to Jesus, had it not been for this severe trail he might have lived on, never knowing the Saviour. Listen! trouble will do one of two things for you. It will either drive you to the place of refuge, shelter, and safety or it will cause your heart to become hard and rebellious. Pharaoh was made bitter, stiff-necked and hard.
When the nobleman heard that Jesus was passing that way he went to Him. That was the evidence that there was within his heart a spark of faith. Faith without works is dead. He "went and besought Him." And he continued to beseech until the assurance of the answer was given him. That is your privilege and mine, also. - Charles E. Fuller
Just one touch as He moves along,
Push'd and press'd by the jostling throng;
Just one touch and the weak was strong,
Cured by the Healer divine.
Just one touch and He makes me whole,
Speaks sweet peace to my sin-sick soul;
At His feet all my burdens roll, -
Cured by the Healer divine.
Just one touch! and He turns to me,
O the love in His eyes I see!
I am His for He hears my plea,
Cured by the Healer divine.
Birdie Bell
Taken from "Manna in the Morning"
The narrative of the nobleman and his sick son beautifully illustrates the beginning of faith and its rapid progress in the human soul. It is one thing to hear about the conversation of someone else but it is another to experience this great salvation personally, and to appropriate it by saving faith. This same living Christ is ever ready to help in time of great need, as He helped this nobleman.
Trouble led this man to Jesus, had it not been for this severe trail he might have lived on, never knowing the Saviour. Listen! trouble will do one of two things for you. It will either drive you to the place of refuge, shelter, and safety or it will cause your heart to become hard and rebellious. Pharaoh was made bitter, stiff-necked and hard.
When the nobleman heard that Jesus was passing that way he went to Him. That was the evidence that there was within his heart a spark of faith. Faith without works is dead. He "went and besought Him." And he continued to beseech until the assurance of the answer was given him. That is your privilege and mine, also. - Charles E. Fuller
Just one touch as He moves along,
Push'd and press'd by the jostling throng;
Just one touch and the weak was strong,
Cured by the Healer divine.
Just one touch and He makes me whole,
Speaks sweet peace to my sin-sick soul;
At His feet all my burdens roll, -
Cured by the Healer divine.
Just one touch! and He turns to me,
O the love in His eyes I see!
I am His for He hears my plea,
Cured by the Healer divine.
Birdie Bell
Taken from "Manna in the Morning"
Monday, May 07, 2007
Simple Love
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." I Peter 1:8
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.
F. W. FABER
What would it be to love absolutely a Being absolutely lovely,--to be able to give our whole existence, every thought, every act, every desire, to that adored One,--to know that He accepts it all, and loves us in return as God alone can love? This happiness grows forever. The larger our natures become, the wider our scope of thought, the stronger our will, the more fervent our affections, the deeper must be the rapture of such God-granted prayer. Every sacrifice _resolved on_ opens wide the gate; every sacrifice _accomplished_ is a step towards the paradise within. Soon it will be no transitory glimpse, no rapture of a day, to be followed by clouds and coldness. Let us but labor, and pray, and wait, and the intervals of human frailty shall grow shorter and less dark, the days of our delight in God longer and brighter, till at last life shall be nought but His love, our eyes shall never grow dim, His smile never turn away. F. B. COBBE
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.
F. W. FABER
What would it be to love absolutely a Being absolutely lovely,--to be able to give our whole existence, every thought, every act, every desire, to that adored One,--to know that He accepts it all, and loves us in return as God alone can love? This happiness grows forever. The larger our natures become, the wider our scope of thought, the stronger our will, the more fervent our affections, the deeper must be the rapture of such God-granted prayer. Every sacrifice _resolved on_ opens wide the gate; every sacrifice _accomplished_ is a step towards the paradise within. Soon it will be no transitory glimpse, no rapture of a day, to be followed by clouds and coldness. Let us but labor, and pray, and wait, and the intervals of human frailty shall grow shorter and less dark, the days of our delight in God longer and brighter, till at last life shall be nought but His love, our eyes shall never grow dim, His smile never turn away. F. B. COBBE
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Friday, May 04, 2007
For His Work
"These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work." I Chronicles 4:23
A lowlier task on them is laid,
With love to make the labor light;
And there their beauty they must shed
On quiet homes, and lost to sight.
Changed are their visions high and fair,
Yet, calm and still, they labor there.
HYMNS OF THE AGES
Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the King for His work." We may be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the King around us; it may be among hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all directions; it may be, furthermore, with our hands full of all manner of pottery for our daily task. No matter! The King who placed us "there" will come and dwell there with us; the hedges are all right, or He would soon do away with them; and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly what He has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it is, for the present, "His work." - F. R. HAVERGAL
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
A lowlier task on them is laid,
With love to make the labor light;
And there their beauty they must shed
On quiet homes, and lost to sight.
Changed are their visions high and fair,
Yet, calm and still, they labor there.
HYMNS OF THE AGES
Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the King for His work." We may be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the King around us; it may be among hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all directions; it may be, furthermore, with our hands full of all manner of pottery for our daily task. No matter! The King who placed us "there" will come and dwell there with us; the hedges are all right, or He would soon do away with them; and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly what He has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it is, for the present, "His work." - F. R. HAVERGAL
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Bear One Another's Burdens
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2
Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?
Rise and share it with another,
And through all the years of famine,
It shall serve thee and thy brother.
Is thy burden hard and heavy?
Do thy steps drag heavily?
Help to bear thy brother's burden;
God will bear both it and thee.
ELIZABETH CHARLES.
However perplexed you may at any hour become about some question of truth, one refuge and resource is always at hand: you can do something for some one besides yourself. When your own burden is heaviest, you can always lighten a little some other burden. At the times when you cannot see God, there is still open to you this sacred possibility, to _show_ God; for it is the love and kindness of human hearts through which the divine reality comes home to men, whether they name it or not. Let this thought, then, stay with you: there may be times when you cannot find help, but there is no time when you cannot give help. - GEORGE S. MERRIAM.
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?
Rise and share it with another,
And through all the years of famine,
It shall serve thee and thy brother.
Is thy burden hard and heavy?
Do thy steps drag heavily?
Help to bear thy brother's burden;
God will bear both it and thee.
ELIZABETH CHARLES.
However perplexed you may at any hour become about some question of truth, one refuge and resource is always at hand: you can do something for some one besides yourself. When your own burden is heaviest, you can always lighten a little some other burden. At the times when you cannot see God, there is still open to you this sacred possibility, to _show_ God; for it is the love and kindness of human hearts through which the divine reality comes home to men, whether they name it or not. Let this thought, then, stay with you: there may be times when you cannot find help, but there is no time when you cannot give help. - GEORGE S. MERRIAM.
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Write on me
It's been so long since I've seen a burning bush
Some seasons I see them in every desert wash
The magnificence, the miracle . . . "burning and not being consumed."
Yet who do I fool?
Moses paid dearly for his burning bush - sweaty desert miles and exhausted, sweaty tears -
All for the dubious blessing of talking with God.
What claim have I to a burning bush? (or to God?)
I have not yet even learned to remove my shoes!
I've learned so much of me.
Every inch of it has hurt . . .
to see honestly and at length . . .
because at first all I could see were the wounds of humanity.
I looked for cool, unflawed marble of deity but found only a heart of flesh . .
but hearts of flesh are all that God can write on.
Write on me, Father, Write on me.
Barbara Francken Kelley
Taken from "Holy Sweat" by Tim Hansel
Note: I'm not sure what the title of the poem is. The one I used is not the original title.
Some seasons I see them in every desert wash
The magnificence, the miracle . . . "burning and not being consumed."
Yet who do I fool?
Moses paid dearly for his burning bush - sweaty desert miles and exhausted, sweaty tears -
All for the dubious blessing of talking with God.
What claim have I to a burning bush? (or to God?)
I have not yet even learned to remove my shoes!
I've learned so much of me.
Every inch of it has hurt . . .
to see honestly and at length . . .
because at first all I could see were the wounds of humanity.
I looked for cool, unflawed marble of deity but found only a heart of flesh . .
but hearts of flesh are all that God can write on.
Write on me, Father, Write on me.
Barbara Francken Kelley
Taken from "Holy Sweat" by Tim Hansel
Note: I'm not sure what the title of the poem is. The one I used is not the original title.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Tranquil Day
"Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust." Psalm 40:4
"That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life." I Timothy 2:2
Just to let thy Father do
What He will;
Just to know that He is true,
And be still;
Just to trust Him, this is all!
Then the day will surely be
Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall,
Bright and blessed, calm and free.
Frances Ridley Havergal
Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day, and all through it be careful often to recall your resolution, and bring yourself back to it. so to say. If something discomposes you, do not be upset, or trouble; but having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently before god, and try to bring your mind into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself, "Well, I have made a false step; now I must go more carefully and watchfully." Do this each time, however frequently you fall. When you are at peace, use it profitably, making constant acts of meekness, and seeking to be calm even in the most trifling things. Above all, do not be discouraged; be patient, wait; strive to attain a calm, gentle spirit. - Francis De Sales
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
"That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life." I Timothy 2:2
Just to let thy Father do
What He will;
Just to know that He is true,
And be still;
Just to trust Him, this is all!
Then the day will surely be
Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall,
Bright and blessed, calm and free.
Frances Ridley Havergal
Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day, and all through it be careful often to recall your resolution, and bring yourself back to it. so to say. If something discomposes you, do not be upset, or trouble; but having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently before god, and try to bring your mind into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself, "Well, I have made a false step; now I must go more carefully and watchfully." Do this each time, however frequently you fall. When you are at peace, use it profitably, making constant acts of meekness, and seeking to be calm even in the most trifling things. Above all, do not be discouraged; be patient, wait; strive to attain a calm, gentle spirit. - Francis De Sales
Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"
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