Joy And Strength

[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Isaiah 30:19

The Divine Shepherd Hears His Sheep

He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.
ISAIAH 30:19

THAT Was the Shepherd of the flock; He knew
The distant voice of one poor sheep astray;
It had forsaken Him, but He was true,
And listened for its bleating night and day.

And thou, fallen soul, afraid to live or die
In the deep pit that will not set thee free,
Lift up to Him the helpless homeward cry,
For all that tender love is seeking thee.
ANNA L. WARING

OUR Divine Shepherd followed after His lost sheep for three and thirty years, in a way so painful and so thorny that He spilt His heart's blood and left His life there. The poor sheep now follows Him through obedience to His commands, or through a desire (though at times but faint) to obey Him, calling upon Him and beseeching Him earnestly for help; is it possible that He should now refuse to turn upon it His life-giving look? Will He not give ear to it, and lay it upon His divine shoulders, rejoicing over it with all His friends and with the angels of Heaven? For if our Lord ceased not to search most diligently and lovingly for the blind and deaf sinner, the lost drachma of the Gospel, till He found it, how is it possible that He should abandon him who, as a lost sheep, cries and calls upon his Shepherd?
LORENZO SCUPOLI

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Ephesians 5:1-2

God is Good

Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God.
EPHESIANS 5:1,2

O JOY supreme! I know the Voice,
Like none beside on earth or sea;
Yea, more, 0 soul of mine, rejoice,
By all that He requires of me,
I know what God Himself must be.
JOHN G. WHITTIER

EITHER there is a God supremely good, One whom His children may love and trust to the very uttermost point without the slightest fear of the reality falling short of the heart's desire, or else there is no God, no love, no forgiveness, no redress. God is wholly good, if good at all, and those who hope in Him will be wiser if they hope with all their hearts than if they hope with only half their hearts.
WILLIAM R. HUNTINGTON

As mighty and as wise as God is to save man, as willing He is. For Christ Himself is the ground of all the laws of Christian men; and He taught us to do good against evil. Here we may see that He is Himself this charity, and doth to us as He teacheth us to do: for He willeth that we be like Him in fullness of endless love.
MOTHER JULIANA

We know what God is like because we know the character of Jesus Christ.
GEORGE HODGES

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Matthew 2:11

Open Your Treasures and Give

And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
MATTHEW 2:11

GIVE yourselves anew to God and to God's service, and He will give you the desire and the power to open your treasures; to give to Him, it may be wealth, it may be time, it may be personal service, it may be life itself. In His store there is a place for all, for the tears of the penitent, the barley loaves of the child, the two mites of the widow, the savings of the Philippians' "deep poverty," as well as for Mary's ointment, for the land of Barnabas, for the gold and incense and myrrh of these Eastern sages. And if the vision of Christ be before his eyes, and the love of Christ be in his heart, the man of wealth will give his large offering, the man of learning his dear-bought knowledge, the man of business his hard-earned leisure, for the glory of God, for the benefit of his fellow-men, for the Church or for the poor; to feed the hungry, or to teach the ignorant, to help the struggling, or to guide the erring; and each gift will be welcomed by Him who gave Himself for us all, and who asks in return for ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him.

JOHN ELLERTON

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Hebrews 10:24 Romans 15:2

Helping Our Neighbor

Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good.
ROMANS 15:2

Let us consider one another.
HEBREWS 10:24

LOOK around you, first in your own family, then among your friends and neighbors, and see whether there be not some one whose little burden you can lighten, whose little cares you may lessen, whose little pleasures you can promote, whose little wants and wishes you can gratify. Giving up cheerfully our own occupations to attend to others, is one of the little kindnesses and self-denials. Doing little things that nobody likes to do, but which must be done by some one, is another. It may seem to many, that if they avoid little unkindnesses, they must necessarily be doing all that is right to their family and friends; but it is not enough to abstain from sharp words, sneering tones, petty contradiction, or daily little selfish cares; we must be active and earnest in kindness, not merely passive and inoffensive.

LITTLE THINGS, 1852

The labor of the baking was the hardest part of the sacrifice of her hospitality. To many it is easy to give what they have, but the offering of weariness and pain is never easy. They are indeed a true salt to salt sacrifices withal.

GEORGE MACDONALD

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Psalms 107:29-30

Resting Our Sorrows in the Love of God

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven.
PSALMS 107:29,30

AS thou learnest this lesson, to carry all thy sorrows to God, and lie at thy Saviour's feet, and spread thy grief before Him, thou wilt find a calm come over thee, thou knowest not whence; thou wilt see through the clouds a bright opening, small perhaps and quickly closed, but telling of eternal rest, and everlasting day, and of the depth of the Love of God. Thy heart will still rise and sink, but it will rise and sink, not restlessly, nor waywardly, not in violent gusts of passion; but resting in stillness on the bosom of the ocean of the Love of God. Then shalt thou learn, not to endure only patiently, but, in everything against thy will, humbly and quickly to see and to love the loving Will of God. Thy faith and thy love and thy hope will grow, the more thou seest the work of God with thee; thou wilt joy in thy sorrow, and thy sorrow will be turned into joy.
EDWARD B. PUSEY

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Philippians 4:6-7

God's Peace for Our Anxieties

In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6,7 (RV)

JUST think of having His wonderful peace guarding one's heart and one's thoughts all day long. But it is only on condition that we fulfil the sixth verse, "In nothing be anxious,"--this is a distinct command, and, if we fail to fulfil it, we shall not get the blessing. Sorrow even is anxiety, and should be laid upon our blessed Lord. Then in prayer and supplication we must not forget that thanksgiving is also distinctly commanded; we must praise God for His dealings with us, even though we cannot make them out at times. Pray God to make you cease from anxiety about yourself and your plans; just be willing to do the work our dear Father gives you at the time.
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE

Oh, how great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.
THOMAS À KEMPIS

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Jeremiah 29:11 Isaiah 45:5

God Has Good Plans For You

I girded thee, though thou hast not known me.
ISAIAH 14:5

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
JEREMIAH 29:11

THOU knowest,--oh, the precious truth
That bids my soul be strong!
The care, the never-weary care
That cannot lead me wrong!
There is a blessed end for me,
Whereon thine eyes are set;
Thou hast a comfort in Thy love,
Too great to show me yet.
ANNA L. WARING

NO room for a discouraged or depressed feeling is left you. If your sphere is outwardly humble, if it even appears to be quite insignificant, God understands it better than you do, and it is a part of His wisdom to bring out great sentiments in humble conditions, great principles in works that are outwardly trivial, great characters under great adversities and heavy loads of encumbrance. Let it fill you with cheerfulness and exalted feeling, however deep in obscurity your lot may be, that God is leading you on, girding you for a work, preparing you for a good that is worthy of His divine magnificence. If God is really preparing us all to become that which is the very highest and best thing possible, there ought never to be a discouraged or uncheerful being in the world.
HORACE BUSHNELL

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Psalms 25:14

Peace in God's Daily Presence

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.
PSALMS 25:14

THEN shall my days be Thine,
And all my heart be love;
And joy and peace be mine,
Such as are known above.
Come, Holy Spirit, quickly come,
And make my heart Thy lasting home.
ANDREW REED

IT is a sign that the soul is living in God, if it maintain calmness within through the consciousness of His Presence, while working for Him in active ministrations. Such restfulness will show itself in the commonest ways, in doing common duties at the right time, in preserving a sweetness and evenness of temper in the midst of ordinary interruptions and disturbances, in walking to and fro quietly on the day's varied errands, in speaking gentle words, in sweetly meeting unexpected calls. A calm, restful temper grows as self is learning to lose itself in God. Such grace tells gradually on the daily life; even the minutest detail may be brought under the power of God, and carried out in union with Him.
T. T. CARTER

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[Willowbirch]

I have really enjoyed this thread.

[nChrist]

I have really enjoyed this thread.

Hello Willowbirch,

Sister, I'm glad to hear that. I also enjoy it and get many good ideas for my personal Bible study. This world is getting more difficult by the day for Christians, but God's storehouse contains more than sufficient Grace, love, joy, and strength for all of us. This is just another reason to give thanks each day.

Love in Christ,
Tom

Psalms 103:13 NASB  Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference 2 Chronicles 24:5

Just Do It!

See that ye hasten the matter.
2 CHRONICLES 24:5

AND grant me, Lord, to do,
With ready heart and willing,
Whate'er Thou shalt command,
My calling here fulfilling;
And do it when I ought,
With all my strength, and bless
The work I thus have wrought,
For Thou must give success.
JOHANN HEERMANN

NO unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquillity, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.
ALEXANDER MACLAREN

She constantly yielded to that kind of selfishness which makes the writing, or not writing, a letter depend upon the inclination of the moment.
SARAH W. STEPHEN

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Romans 14:13

Keep Your Judgements in Check

Let us not therefore judge one another any more.
ROMANS 14:13

TELL not abroad another's faults
Till thou hast cured thine own;
Nor whisper of thy neighbor's sin
Till thou art perfect grown:
Then, when thy soul is pure enough
To bear My searching eye
Unshrinking, then may come the time
Thy brother to decry.
"Jesu, Saviour, pitying be;
Parce mihi, Domine!"

LYRA MYSTICA

THE habit of judging is so nearly incurable, and its cure is such an almost interminable process, that we must concentrate ourselves for a long while on keeping it in check, and this check is to be found in kind interpretations. We must come to esteem very lightly our sharp eye for evil, on which perhaps we once prided ourselves as cleverness. We must look at our talent for analysis of character as a dreadful possibility of huge uncharitableness. We are sure to continue to say clever things, so long as we continue to indulge in this analysis; and clever things are equally sure to be sharp and acid. We must grow to something higher, and something truer, than a quickness in detecting evil.

FREDERICK WM. FABER

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Psalms 85:8

Listening For God's Voice

I will hear what God the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people.
PSALMS 85:8

Now, O my God,
My comfort, portion, rest!
Thou, none but Thou, shalt reign within my breast.
Call me to Thee! call me Thyself--oh, speak,
And bind my heart to Thee, whom most I seek!

GERHARD TERSTEEGEN

JUST as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and we must learn to be very attentive, in order to bear God speaking in His ordinary tone without any special accent. A man must not stop listening any more than praying when he rises from his knees. No one questions the need of times of formal address to God, but few admit in any practical way the need of quiet waiting upon God, gazing into His face, feeling for His hand, listening for His voice. "I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me." God has special confidences for each soul. Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation.

CHARLES H. BRENT

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Philemon 27:14

Wait on the Lord

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.
PSALMS 27:14

WITH smile of trust and folded hands,
The passive soul in waiting stands
To feel, as flowers in the sun and dew,
The One true Life its own renew.
JOHN G. WHITTIER

THE whole duty and blessedness of waiting on God has its root in this, that He is such a blessed Being, full, to overflowing, of goodness and power and life and joy, that we, however wretched, cannot for any time come into contact with Him, without that life and power secretly, silently, beginning to enter into us and blessing us. God is Love! God's love is just His delight to impart Himself and His blessedness to His children. Come, and however feeble you feel, just wait in His presence. As a feeble invalid is brought out into the sunshine to let its warmth go through him, come with all that is dark and cold in you into the sunshine of God's holy, omnipotent love, and sit and wait there, with the one thought: Here I am, in the sunshine of His love. As the sun does its work in the weak one who seeks its rays, God will do His work in you.
ANDREW MURRAY

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[nChrist]

Author: Mary Wilder Tileston
Source: Joy and Strength
Scripture Reference Matthew 10:30 Psalms 71:16

Seeing the Will of God in Daily Events

The very hairs of your head are all numbered.
MATTHEW 10:30

I will go in the strength of the Lord God.
PSALMS 71:16

NO trouble is too small wherein to see the will of God for thee. Great troubles come but seldom. Daily fretting trials, that is, what of thyself would fret thee, may often, in God's hands, conform thee more to His gracious will. They are the daily touches, whereby He traces on thee the likeness of His divine will. There is nothing too slight wherein to practice oneness with the will of God. By daily practice in slight crosses of our own will, do we learn the lesson our Lord taught, "Not as I will, but as Thou." All the things whereof men daily complain may perfect thee in the will of God. The changes of the seasons, bodily discomforts or ailments, rude words, petty slights, little jealousies, unevenness of temper in those with whom thou livest, misunderstandings, censures of thy faith or practice, severe judgments, thanklessness of those thou wouldest benefit, interruptions in what thou wouldest do, oppressiveness or distraction of thy labors,--whatever thou canst think of, wherein others fret themselves, and, still more, thyself; therein thou seest how to be of one will with God.
EDWARD B. PUSEY

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