Daily Strength for Daily Needs, Mary W. Tileston [good book recommendations .TXT] 📗

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 God_?--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.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

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 À KEMPIS.

May 15

My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.--EX. xxxiii. 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 God? 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 God's faithful servants have drunk deeply of it under the daily burden of a weary life,--dull, commonplace, painful, or desolate. All that God has been to them He is ready to be to you. The heart once fairly given to God, 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.

JEAN NICOLAS GROU.

May 16

_Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might_.--EPH. vi. 10.

No man can serve two masters.--MATT. vi. 24.

Oh, there are heavenly heights to reach In many a fearful place, Where the poor timid heir of God Lies blindly on his face; Lies languishing for grace divine That he shall never see Till he go forward at Thy sign, And trust himself to Thee.

A. L. WARING.

Reservations lie latent in the mind concerning some unhallowed sentiments or habits in the present, some possibly impending temptations in the future; and thus do we cheat ourselves of inward and outward joys together. We give up many an indulgence for conscience' sake, but stop short at that point of entire faithfulness wherein conscience could reward us. If we would but give ourselves wholly to God,--give up, for the present and the future, every act, and, above all, every thought and every feeling, to be all purified to the uttermost, and rendered the best, noblest, holiest we can conceive,--then would sacrifice bear with it a peace rendering itself, I truly believe, far easier than before.

F. P. COBBE.

May 17

_Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do_.--I THESS. v. 11.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.--MATT. xix. 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.

May 18

_We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren_.--I JOHN iii. 14.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.--I JOHN iv. 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.

C 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.

May 19

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.--PS. xxxvii. 7.

Trust in Him at all times.--PS. lxii. 8.

Dost thou ask when comes His hour? Then, when it shall aid thee best. Trust His faithfulness and power, Trust in Him, and quiet rest.

ANON.

I had found [communion with God] to consist, not only in the silencing of the outward man, but in the silencing also of every thought, and in the concentration of the soul and all its powers into a simple, quiet watching and waiting for the food which its heavenly Father might see fit either to give or to withhold. In no case could it be sent empty away; for, if comfort, light, or joy were withheld, the act of humble waiting at the gate of heavenly wisdom could not but work patience in it, and thus render it, by humility and obedience, more "meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light," and also more blessed in itself.

M. A. KELTY.

"REST IN THE LORD; WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM." In Hebrew, "be silent to God, and let Him mould thee." Keep still, and He will mould thee to the right shape.

MARTIN LUTHER.

May 20

To be spiritually minded is life and peace.--ROM. viii. 6.

Stilled now be every anxious care; See God's great goodness everywhere; Leave all to Him in perfect rest: He will do all things for the best.

FROM THE GERMAN.

We should all endeavor and labor for a calmer spirit, that we may the better serve God in praying to Him and praising Him; and serve one another in love, that we may be fitted to do and receive good; that we may make our passage to heaven more easy and cheerful, without drooping and hanging the wing. So much as we are quiet and cheerful upon good ground, so much we live, and are, as it were, in heaven.

R. SIBBES.

Possess yourself as much as you possibly can in peace; not by any effort, but by letting all things fall to the ground which trouble or excite you. This is no work, but is, as it were, a setting down a fluid to settle that has become turbid through agitation.

MADAME GUYON.

May 21

_The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long_.--DEUT. xxxiii. 12.

Whate'er events betide, Thy will they all perform; Safe in Thy breast my head I hide, Nor fear the coming storm.

H. F. LYTE.

I have seemed to see a need of everything God gives me, and want nothing that He denies me. There is no dispensation, though afflictive, but either in it, or after it, I find that I could not be without it. Whether it be taken from or not given me, sooner or later God quiets me in Himself without it. I cast all my concerns on the Lord, and live securely on the care and wisdom of my heavenly Father. My ways, you know, are, in a sense, hedged up with thorns, and grow darker and darker daily; but yet I distrust not my good God in the least, and live more quietly in the absence of all by faith, than I should do, I am persuaded, if I possessed them.

JOSEPH ELIOT, 1664.

May 22

_He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty_.--PS. xci. I.

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.

ANON.

It is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of God.

S. RUTHERFORD.

MAY 23

Be content with such things as ye have.--HEB. xiii. 5.

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.--PHIL. iv. 11 ( R. V.).

No longer forward nor behind I look in hope or fear; But, grateful, take the good I find, The best of now and here.

J. G. WHITTIER.

If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:--

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.

2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.

3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.

4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.

5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to