Daily Strength for Daily Needs - Mary W. Tileston (latest novels to read .txt) 📗
- Author: Mary W. Tileston
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a distance, like the Priest, or we come upon them suddenly, like the Levite; our business, our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is troubled by the delay; what are our feelings, what our actions towards them? "Who is thy neighbor?" It is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou hearest the cry of distress, wherever thou seest any one brought across thy path by the chances and changes of life (that is, by the Providence of God), whom it is in thy power to help,--he, stranger or enemy though he be,--he is thy neighbor.
A. P. STANLEY.
August 30
_Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--EPH. iv. 1, 2.
Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear Each other's faults, to suffer with true meekness; Help us each other's joys and griefs to share, But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness.
ANON.
You should make a special point of asking God every morning to give you, before all else, that true spirit of meekness which He would have His children possess. You must also make a firm resolution to practise yourself in this virtue, especially in your intercourse with those persons to whom you chiefly owe it. You must make it your main object to conquer yourself in this matter; call it to mind a hundred times during the day, commending your efforts to God. It seems to me that no more than this is needed in order to subject your soul entirely to His will, and then you will become more gentle day by day, trusting wholly in His goodness. You will be very happy, my dearest child, if you can do this, for God will dwell in your heart; and where He reigns all is peace. But if you should fail, and commit some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, but rise up and go on again, as though you had not fallen.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
August 31
_Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee_.--2 ESDRAS x. 15.
Go, bury thy sorrow, The world hath its share; Go, bury it deeply, Go, hide it with care. Go, bury thy sorrow, Let others be blest; Go, give them the sunshine, And tell God the rest.
ANON.
Our veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] brings for us, if we will accept it, the boon of fortitude, patience, self-control, wisdom, sympathy, faith. If we reject that, then we find in our hands the other gift,--cowardice, weakness, isolation, despair. If your trouble seems to have in it no other possibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it like a man. Let none of its weight come on other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one shall even see it. Though your heart be sad within, let cheer go out from you to others. Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate words, helpful acts.
G. S. MERRIAM.
September 1
_Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator_.--I PETER iv. 19.
The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.--JAMES v. 11.
On Thy compassion I repose In weakness and distress: I will not ask for greater ease, Lest I should love Thee less; Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me To need Thy tenderness.
A. L. WARING.
Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how great soever; but look from them, look off them, look beyond them, to the Deliverer! whose power is over them, and whose loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee good by them. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the right way, and keep thy mind stayed upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the belief of His love and hope in His mercy, when thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy head above the billows.
ISAAC PENINGTON
September 2
_Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God_.--MATT. v. 6.
Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling, As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet; Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling, From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet.
E. SCUDDER.
O God, who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who hast taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet to us forever. Amen.
GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 492.
Have you ever thought seriously of the meaning of that blessing given to the peacemakers? People are always expecting to get peace in heaven; but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making of peace they can be blest for, must be on the earth here: not the taking of arms against, but the building of nests amidst, its "sea of troubles" [like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you think? Perhaps so, but I do not see that any of us try. We complain of the want of many things--we want votes, we want liberty, we want amusement, we want money. Which of us feels or knows that he wants peace?
J. RUSKIN.
September 3
_The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season_.--PS. cxlv. 15.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.--PS. lvi. 3.
Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall: "Dear child, there is no need to weep at all! Why go about to grieve and to despair? Why weep now through thy Future's eyes, and bear In vain to-day to-morrow's load of care?"
H. S. SUTTON.
The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of God in them when it is laid upon us. But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the dispensation of God; we see them without grace to bear them; we see them indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. Let us throw self aside; no more self-interest, and then God's will, unfolding every moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline.
FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.
September 4
_His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.--PS. i. 2, 3.
The wind that blows can never kill The tree God plants; It bloweth east; it bloweth west; The tender leaves have little rest, But any wind that blows is best. The tree God plants Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will Meets all its wants.
LILLIE E. BARR.
It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we cannot be holy except on the condition of a situation and circumstances in life such as shall suit ourselves. It is one of the first principles of holiness to leave our times and our places, our going out and our coming; in, our wasted and our goodly heritage entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, and we will glorify Thee here!
T. C. UPHAM.
It is not by change of circumstances, but by fitting our spirits to the circumstances in which God has placed us, that we can be reconciled to life and duty.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
September 5
O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me.--ISA. xxxviii. 14.
Being perplexed, I say, Lord, make it right! Night is as day to Thee, Darkness is light. I am afraid to touch Things that involve so much;-- My trembling hand may shake, My skill-less hand may break: Thine can make no mistake.
ANNA B. WARNER.
The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience, and kindness. Keep this ever before you, and remember constantly that God's loving eyes are upon you amid all these little worries and vexations, watching whether you take them as He would desire. Offer up all such occasions to Him, and if sometimes you are put out, and give way to impatience, do not be discouraged, but make haste to regain your lost composure.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
September 6
_If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me_.--LUKE ix. 23.
There lies thy cross; beneath it meekly bow; It fits thy stature now; Who scornful pass it with averted eye, 'Twill crush them by and by.
J. KEBLE.
To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us.
J. H. NEWMAN.
On one occasion an intimate friend of his was fretting somewhat at not being able to put a cross on the grave of a relation, because the rest of the family disliked it. "Don't you see," he said to her, "that by giving up your own way, you will be virtually putting a cross on the grave? You 'll have it in its effect. The one is but a stone cross, the other is a true spiritual cross."
LIFE OF JAMES HINTON.
I would have you, one by one, ask yourselves, Wherein do I take up the cross daily?
E. B. PUSEY.
Every morning, receive thine own special cross from the hands of thy heavenly Father.
L. SCUPOLI.
September 7
_Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world_.--JAMES i. 27.
Not to ease and aimless quiet Doth that inward answer tend, But to works of love and duty As our being's end.
J. G. WHITTIER.
It is surprising how practical duty enriches the fancy and the heart, and action clears and deepens the affections. Indeed, no one can have a true idea of right, until he does it; any genuine reverence for it, till he has done it often and with cost; any peace ineffable in it, till he does it always and with alacrity. Does any one complain, that the best affections are transient visitors with him, and the heavenly spirit a stranger to his heart? Oh, let him not go forth, on any strained wing of thought, in distant quest of them; but rather stay at home, and set his house in the true order of conscience; and of their own accord the divinest guests will enter.
J. MARTINEAU.
September 8
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.--COL. iv. 2.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.--I COR. xvi. 13.
We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power. Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others--that we are not always strong, That we are ever overborne with care, That we should ever weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, And joy and strength and courage are with
A. P. STANLEY.
August 30
_Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--EPH. iv. 1, 2.
Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear Each other's faults, to suffer with true meekness; Help us each other's joys and griefs to share, But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness.
ANON.
You should make a special point of asking God every morning to give you, before all else, that true spirit of meekness which He would have His children possess. You must also make a firm resolution to practise yourself in this virtue, especially in your intercourse with those persons to whom you chiefly owe it. You must make it your main object to conquer yourself in this matter; call it to mind a hundred times during the day, commending your efforts to God. It seems to me that no more than this is needed in order to subject your soul entirely to His will, and then you will become more gentle day by day, trusting wholly in His goodness. You will be very happy, my dearest child, if you can do this, for God will dwell in your heart; and where He reigns all is peace. But if you should fail, and commit some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, but rise up and go on again, as though you had not fallen.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
August 31
_Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee_.--2 ESDRAS x. 15.
Go, bury thy sorrow, The world hath its share; Go, bury it deeply, Go, hide it with care. Go, bury thy sorrow, Let others be blest; Go, give them the sunshine, And tell God the rest.
ANON.
Our veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] brings for us, if we will accept it, the boon of fortitude, patience, self-control, wisdom, sympathy, faith. If we reject that, then we find in our hands the other gift,--cowardice, weakness, isolation, despair. If your trouble seems to have in it no other possibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it like a man. Let none of its weight come on other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one shall even see it. Though your heart be sad within, let cheer go out from you to others. Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate words, helpful acts.
G. S. MERRIAM.
September 1
_Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator_.--I PETER iv. 19.
The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.--JAMES v. 11.
On Thy compassion I repose In weakness and distress: I will not ask for greater ease, Lest I should love Thee less; Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me To need Thy tenderness.
A. L. WARING.
Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how great soever; but look from them, look off them, look beyond them, to the Deliverer! whose power is over them, and whose loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee good by them. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the right way, and keep thy mind stayed upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the belief of His love and hope in His mercy, when thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy head above the billows.
ISAAC PENINGTON
September 2
_Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God_.--MATT. v. 6.
Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling, As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet; Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling, From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet.
E. SCUDDER.
O God, who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who hast taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet to us forever. Amen.
GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 492.
Have you ever thought seriously of the meaning of that blessing given to the peacemakers? People are always expecting to get peace in heaven; but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making of peace they can be blest for, must be on the earth here: not the taking of arms against, but the building of nests amidst, its "sea of troubles" [like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you think? Perhaps so, but I do not see that any of us try. We complain of the want of many things--we want votes, we want liberty, we want amusement, we want money. Which of us feels or knows that he wants peace?
J. RUSKIN.
September 3
_The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season_.--PS. cxlv. 15.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.--PS. lvi. 3.
Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall: "Dear child, there is no need to weep at all! Why go about to grieve and to despair? Why weep now through thy Future's eyes, and bear In vain to-day to-morrow's load of care?"
H. S. SUTTON.
The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of God in them when it is laid upon us. But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the dispensation of God; we see them without grace to bear them; we see them indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. Let us throw self aside; no more self-interest, and then God's will, unfolding every moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline.
FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.
September 4
_His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.--PS. i. 2, 3.
The wind that blows can never kill The tree God plants; It bloweth east; it bloweth west; The tender leaves have little rest, But any wind that blows is best. The tree God plants Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will Meets all its wants.
LILLIE E. BARR.
It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we cannot be holy except on the condition of a situation and circumstances in life such as shall suit ourselves. It is one of the first principles of holiness to leave our times and our places, our going out and our coming; in, our wasted and our goodly heritage entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, and we will glorify Thee here!
T. C. UPHAM.
It is not by change of circumstances, but by fitting our spirits to the circumstances in which God has placed us, that we can be reconciled to life and duty.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
September 5
O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me.--ISA. xxxviii. 14.
Being perplexed, I say, Lord, make it right! Night is as day to Thee, Darkness is light. I am afraid to touch Things that involve so much;-- My trembling hand may shake, My skill-less hand may break: Thine can make no mistake.
ANNA B. WARNER.
The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience, and kindness. Keep this ever before you, and remember constantly that God's loving eyes are upon you amid all these little worries and vexations, watching whether you take them as He would desire. Offer up all such occasions to Him, and if sometimes you are put out, and give way to impatience, do not be discouraged, but make haste to regain your lost composure.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
September 6
_If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me_.--LUKE ix. 23.
There lies thy cross; beneath it meekly bow; It fits thy stature now; Who scornful pass it with averted eye, 'Twill crush them by and by.
J. KEBLE.
To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us.
J. H. NEWMAN.
On one occasion an intimate friend of his was fretting somewhat at not being able to put a cross on the grave of a relation, because the rest of the family disliked it. "Don't you see," he said to her, "that by giving up your own way, you will be virtually putting a cross on the grave? You 'll have it in its effect. The one is but a stone cross, the other is a true spiritual cross."
LIFE OF JAMES HINTON.
I would have you, one by one, ask yourselves, Wherein do I take up the cross daily?
E. B. PUSEY.
Every morning, receive thine own special cross from the hands of thy heavenly Father.
L. SCUPOLI.
September 7
_Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world_.--JAMES i. 27.
Not to ease and aimless quiet Doth that inward answer tend, But to works of love and duty As our being's end.
J. G. WHITTIER.
It is surprising how practical duty enriches the fancy and the heart, and action clears and deepens the affections. Indeed, no one can have a true idea of right, until he does it; any genuine reverence for it, till he has done it often and with cost; any peace ineffable in it, till he does it always and with alacrity. Does any one complain, that the best affections are transient visitors with him, and the heavenly spirit a stranger to his heart? Oh, let him not go forth, on any strained wing of thought, in distant quest of them; but rather stay at home, and set his house in the true order of conscience; and of their own accord the divinest guests will enter.
J. MARTINEAU.
September 8
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.--COL. iv. 2.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.--I COR. xvi. 13.
We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power. Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others--that we are not always strong, That we are ever overborne with care, That we should ever weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, And joy and strength and courage are with
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