Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
The author of two of our Pure Gold Classics, A.W. Tozer, wrote these stirring words about joy: "George Mueller would not preach until his heart was happy in the grace of God; Jan Ruysbroeck would not write while his feelings were low, but would retire to a quiet place and wait on God till he felt the spirit of inspiration. It is well known that the elevated spirits of a group of Moravians convinced John Wesley of the reality of their religion, and helped to bring him a short time later to a state of true conversion.
"The Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful."
What an amazing concept--to be supernaturally joyful. Such joy comes from God, and in such joy we can experience His presence.
May you be filled with joy today.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Everlasting Love
One of our Pure Gold Classics is The Confessions of St. Augustine. He said many profound things, as demonstrated by the following quote:
"Too late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient and so new, too late have I loved You! Behold, You were within me, while I was outside: it was there that I sought You, and a deformed creature, rushed headlong upon these things of beauty which You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. They kept me far from You, those fair things which, if they were not in You, would not exist at all. You have called to me, and have cried out, and have shattered me, and You have put my blindness to flight! You have sent forth fragrance, and I have drawn in my breath, and I pant after You. I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst after You. You have touched me, and I have burned for Your peace."
The Kingdom of God is within you and so is the King!
"Too late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient and so new, too late have I loved You! Behold, You were within me, while I was outside: it was there that I sought You, and a deformed creature, rushed headlong upon these things of beauty which You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. They kept me far from You, those fair things which, if they were not in You, would not exist at all. You have called to me, and have cried out, and have shattered me, and You have put my blindness to flight! You have sent forth fragrance, and I have drawn in my breath, and I pant after You. I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst after You. You have touched me, and I have burned for Your peace."
The Kingdom of God is within you and so is the King!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Contentment
The Scripture says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). I believe this with all my heart.
George MacDonald put it this way, "I am content to be and have what in Thy heart I am meant to be and have" (From Diary of an Old Soul).
"From the greatest of all gifts, salvation in Christ, to the material blessings of any ordinary day (hot water, a pair of lets that work, a cup of coffee, a job to do and strength to do it), every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Every one of them is to be received gladly and, like gifts people give us, with thanks.
"Sometimes we want things we were not meant to have. Because He loves us, the Father says no. Faith trusts that no. Faith is willing not to have what God is not willing to give. Furthermore, faith does not insist upon an explanation. It is enough to know His promise to give what is good--He knows so much more about that than we do" (Elizabeth Elliott).
Now that is contentment.
George MacDonald put it this way, "I am content to be and have what in Thy heart I am meant to be and have" (From Diary of an Old Soul).
"From the greatest of all gifts, salvation in Christ, to the material blessings of any ordinary day (hot water, a pair of lets that work, a cup of coffee, a job to do and strength to do it), every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Every one of them is to be received gladly and, like gifts people give us, with thanks.
"Sometimes we want things we were not meant to have. Because He loves us, the Father says no. Faith trusts that no. Faith is willing not to have what God is not willing to give. Furthermore, faith does not insist upon an explanation. It is enough to know His promise to give what is good--He knows so much more about that than we do" (Elizabeth Elliott).
Now that is contentment.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Peace and Tranquility
A few years ago, I edited one of our Pure Gold Classics--Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. It was a most interesting project from which I learned a great deal.
St. John wrote, "Keep your heart in peace; let nothing in this world disturb it: all things have an end.
"In all circumstances, however hard they may be, we should rejoice, rather than be cast down, that we may not lose the greatest good, the peace and tranquility of our souls.
"If the whole world and all that is in it were thrown into confusion [this may have already happened], disquietude on that account would be vanity, because that disquietude would do more harm than good.
"To endure all things with an equable and peaceful mind, not only brings with it many blessings to the soul, but also enables us, in the midst of our difficulties, to have a clear judgment about them, and to minister the fitting remedy for them."
Thank you for these words of wisdom, St. John.
St. John wrote, "Keep your heart in peace; let nothing in this world disturb it: all things have an end.
"In all circumstances, however hard they may be, we should rejoice, rather than be cast down, that we may not lose the greatest good, the peace and tranquility of our souls.
"If the whole world and all that is in it were thrown into confusion [this may have already happened], disquietude on that account would be vanity, because that disquietude would do more harm than good.
"To endure all things with an equable and peaceful mind, not only brings with it many blessings to the soul, but also enables us, in the midst of our difficulties, to have a clear judgment about them, and to minister the fitting remedy for them."
Thank you for these words of wisdom, St. John.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Effects of the Love of God
In his book The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis, wrote, "Love is a great and good thing, and alone makes heavy burdens light and bears in equal balance things pleasing and displeasing. Love bears a heavy burden and does not feel it, and love makes bitter things tasteful and sweet. The noble love of Jesus perfectly imprinted in man's soul makes a man do great things, and stirs him always to desire perfection and to grow more and more in grace and goodness.
"Love knows no measure, but is fervent without measure. It feels no burden; it regards no labor; it desires more than it can obtain. It complains of no impossibility, for it thinks all things that can be done for its Beloved are possible and lawful. So, love does many great things and brings them to completion--things in which he who is no lover faints and fails.
"Love wakes much and sleeps little and, in sleeping, does not sleep. It faints and is not weary; it is restricted in its liberty and is in great freedom. It sees reasons to fear and does not fear, but, like an ember or a spark of fire, flames always upward, by the fervor of its love, toward God, and through the special help of grace is delivered from all perils and dangers."
Do I know anything of a love such as this?
"Love knows no measure, but is fervent without measure. It feels no burden; it regards no labor; it desires more than it can obtain. It complains of no impossibility, for it thinks all things that can be done for its Beloved are possible and lawful. So, love does many great things and brings them to completion--things in which he who is no lover faints and fails.
"Love wakes much and sleeps little and, in sleeping, does not sleep. It faints and is not weary; it is restricted in its liberty and is in great freedom. It sees reasons to fear and does not fear, but, like an ember or a spark of fire, flames always upward, by the fervor of its love, toward God, and through the special help of grace is delivered from all perils and dangers."
Do I know anything of a love such as this?
Monday, May 23, 2011
Doomsday of the Best Day?
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly, until he knows that every day is Doomsday."
I used to listen to Harold Camping on Family Radio almost every evening. He was known as the Bible answer man, and he did, indeed, have many answers to intriguing questions. However, we now know that he did not have the right answer concerning the timing of Judgement Day.
For some people, though, it was the end of the world. The people who died as a result of the Joplin tornado had no more time to live. This, it seems to me, is the key to life--to live each day and each moment as if they are our last ones.
When St. Francis of Assissi was asked what he would do if he knew that a given day was the end of the world, he answered, "I just keep hoeing my garden." I like that. We must capture each moment and live it to the full. It truly may be our last.
To get caught up in speculations regarding the end of the world and the last days is a waste of time. It is this day--this moment--that counts.
I used to listen to Harold Camping on Family Radio almost every evening. He was known as the Bible answer man, and he did, indeed, have many answers to intriguing questions. However, we now know that he did not have the right answer concerning the timing of Judgement Day.
For some people, though, it was the end of the world. The people who died as a result of the Joplin tornado had no more time to live. This, it seems to me, is the key to life--to live each day and each moment as if they are our last ones.
When St. Francis of Assissi was asked what he would do if he knew that a given day was the end of the world, he answered, "I just keep hoeing my garden." I like that. We must capture each moment and live it to the full. It truly may be our last.
To get caught up in speculations regarding the end of the world and the last days is a waste of time. It is this day--this moment--that counts.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sources of Irritation
How do you handle sources of irritation in your life? Sometimes they come from situations in life; at other times they come from other people, and I guess they even come from ourselves sometimes.
What do you do when a person "gets under your skin" The Bible says we are to forgive, but forgiveness sometimes is not that easy.
It begins with a choice. To choose to forgive another is to follow God's will. Paul J. Meyer in his excellent book, Forgiveness--the Ultimate Miracle, writes, "To forgive those who have hurt you, apply the same 10 steps we discussed earlier:
1. Decide on the hurt
2. Be real, be honest
3. State what you want
4. Choose to forgive
5. Verbalize your forgiveness
6. Cover the offense
7. Show love
8. Pray for them
9. Look for reconciliation if possible
10. Move on."
This list is sound advice. Meyer goes on, "That is what it takes to forgive those who have hurt you. One step might take longer than another, and that's fine. You might even want to 'start over' with the steps as you are working to forgive some people, but the process of forgiveness has started. You can be confident in that."
This is good teaching. The Bible says, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn nhot, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." These are the words of Jesus, the most-forgiving of all men.
God bless you with the grace to forgive those who wrong you.
What do you do when a person "gets under your skin" The Bible says we are to forgive, but forgiveness sometimes is not that easy.
It begins with a choice. To choose to forgive another is to follow God's will. Paul J. Meyer in his excellent book, Forgiveness--the Ultimate Miracle, writes, "To forgive those who have hurt you, apply the same 10 steps we discussed earlier:
1. Decide on the hurt
2. Be real, be honest
3. State what you want
4. Choose to forgive
5. Verbalize your forgiveness
6. Cover the offense
7. Show love
8. Pray for them
9. Look for reconciliation if possible
10. Move on."
This list is sound advice. Meyer goes on, "That is what it takes to forgive those who have hurt you. One step might take longer than another, and that's fine. You might even want to 'start over' with the steps as you are working to forgive some people, but the process of forgiveness has started. You can be confident in that."
This is good teaching. The Bible says, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn nhot, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." These are the words of Jesus, the most-forgiving of all men.
God bless you with the grace to forgive those who wrong you.
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