Daily Strength for Daily Needs Part 24

MARY MOODY EMERSON.

May 11

_Shall we receive good at the hand of G.o.d, and shall we not receive evil_?--JOB ii. 10.

_Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word_.--PS. cxix. 65.

Whatsoe'er our lot may be, Calmly in this thought we'll rest,-- Could we see as Thou dost see, We should choose it as the best.

WM. GASKELL.

It is a proverbial saying, that every one makes his own destiny; and this is usually interpreted, that every one, by his wise or unwise conduct, prepares good or evil for himself: but we may also understand it, that whatever it be that he receives from the hand of Providence, he may so accommodate himself to it, that he will find his lot good for him, however much may seem to others to be wanting.

WM. VON HUMBOLDT.

Evil, once manfully fronted, ceases to be evil; there is generous battle-hope in place of dead, pa.s.sive misery; the evil itself has become a kind of good.

T. CARLYLE.

May 12

_Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:... ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life_.--REV. ii. 10.

Then, O my soul, be ne'er afraid, On Him who thee and all things made Do thou all calmly rest; Whate'er may come, where'er we go, Our Father in the heavens must know In all things what is best.

PAUL FLEMMING.

Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquillity of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy divinest will and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chastis.e.m.e.nts and fatherly correction. Amen.

JEREMY TAYLOR.

Thou art never at any time nearer to G.o.d than when under tribulation; which He permits for the purification and beautifying of thy soul.

M. DE MOLINOS.

Prize inward exercises, griefs, and troubles; and let faith and patience have their perfect work in them.

I. PENINGTON.

May 13

_I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil_.--JOHN xvii. 15.

In busy mart and crowded street, No less than in the still retreat, Thou, Lord, art near, our souls to bless, With all a Father's tenderness.

I. WILLIAMS.

Only the individual conscience, and He who is greater than the conscience, can tell where worldliness prevails. Each heart must answer for itself, and at its own risk. That our souls are committed to our own keeping, at our own peril, in a world so mixed as this, is the last reason we should slumber over the charge, or betray the trust. If only that outlet to the Infinite is kept open, the inner bond with eternal life preserved, while not one movement of this world's business is interfered with, nor one pulse-beat of its happiness repressed, with all natural a.s.sociations dear and cherished, with all human sympathies fresh and warm, we shall yet be near to the kingdom of heaven, within the order of the Kosmos of G.o.d--in the world, but not of the world--not taken out of it, but kept from its evil.

J. H. THOM.

May 14

_And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G.o.d_?--MICAH vi. 8.

_Put on therefore... kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering_.--COL. iii. 12.

Plant in us an humble mind, Patient, pitiful, and kind; Meek and lowly let us be, Full of goodness, full of Thee.

C. WESLEY.

There is no true and constant gentleness without humility; while we are so fond of ourselves, we are easily offended with others. Let us be persuaded that nothing is due to us, and then nothing will disturb us. Let us often think of our own infirmities, and we shall become indulgent towards those of others.

FRANcOIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON.

Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for that thyself also hast many failings which must be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thyself such an one as thou wouldest, how canst thou expect to have another in all things to thy liking?

THOMAS a KEMPIS.

May 15

_My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest_.--EX. x.x.xiii.

14.

_Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore_.--PS. xvi. 11.

Thy presence fills my mind with peace, Brightens the thoughts so dark erewhile, Bids cares and sad forebodings cease, Makes all things smile.

CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT.

How shall we rest in G.o.d? By giving ourselves wholly to Him. If you give yourself by halves, you cannot find full rest; there will ever be a lurking disquiet in that half which is withheld. Martyrs, confessors, and saints have tasted this rest, and "counted themselves happy in that they endured."

A countless host of G.o.d's faithful servants have drunk deeply of it under the daily burden of a weary life,--dull, commonplace, painful, or desolate.

All that G.o.d has been to them He is ready to be to you. The heart once fairly given to G.o.d, with a clear conscience, a fitting rule of life, and a steadfast purpose of obedience, you will find a wonderful sense of rest coming over you.