Finished

 

   I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

The New Jerusalem Bible (New York: Doubleday, 1985)

        John 17:4

Was the work of the Master indeed done? Was not its heaviest task yet to come? He had not yet met the dread hour of death. Why did He say that His work was done? It was because He knew that, when the will is given, the battle is ended. He was only in the shadows of the garden; but to conquer these shadows was already to conquer all. He who has willed to die has already triumphed over death. All that remains to Him is but the outer husk, the shell.

The cup which our Father giveth us to drink is a cup for the will. It is easy for the lips to drain it when once the heart has accepted it. Not on the heights of Calvary, but in the shadows of Gethsemane is the cup presented; the act is easy after the choice. The real battlefield is in the silence of the spirit. Conquer there, and thou art crowned.

George Matheson

Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997).

Our spirit is the defining of our place in heaven.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

In Memory

 

 More than all else, keep watch over your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life.

Proverbs 4:23

The New Jerusalem Bible (New York: Doubleday, 1985)

It is a sadness of heart on this holiday, more than joy, for the loss of so many to the horrors of war, evil actions, public service or sickness. Pray for them, that they were not lost in vain. I cannot but wonder what the world would be like had they lived a full life, giving all they had and enjoyed what the good Lord graced them with. Life lost is a loss for the world in what could have been a benefit for the world. There is a hole left behind where that life was, a piece of the fabric of life cut short. The only repair is the memory of their existence in those who knew them and will continue to remember them throughout their life. Remember those who gave their all so that we could enjoy our life 

May the good Lord bless you and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Positive?

 

  See then that ye walk circumspectly

        Eph. 5:15

There is no such thing as negative influence. We are all positive in the place we occupy, making the world better or making it worse.

T. DeWitt Talmage

Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997).

Influence is always positive whether the outcome is good or bad, no matter our position (place) in life. We move positively regardless of how we influence the world around us. 

May the good Lord Bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Orphaned Not (John 14:18)

 

  Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you

        Matt. 6:33

We need have only one care, that we put the first thing first—faithfulness to God. Then all else we need for both worlds will be supplied. God will never fail us; but we forget, sometimes, in our rejoicing over such an assurance, that we must fulfill our part if we would claim the divine promise.

It will not always be easy. Tomorrow it may mean a distasteful task, a disagreeable duty, a costly sacrifice for one who does not seem worthy. Life is full of sore testings of our willingness to follow the Good Shepherd. We have not the slightest right to claim this assurance unless we have taken Christ as the guide of our life.

J. R. Miller

Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997)

There are often times when we are awed by the eloquence of speech from someone well educated. We would do well to remember that the gospel of the Lord was taught by the humblest of mankind in Jesus's day, fishermen, the simplest of humankind. Education may inform the mind but it is faith that goes beyond what the mind cannot see. The opening lines of J. R. Miller are true to what the calling of the Lord is about.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Grudging Assent

 

  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send

        Exod. 4:13

It was a very grudging assent. It was as much as to say, “Since Thou art determined to send me and I must undertake the mission, then let it be so; but I would that it might have been another, and I go because I am compelled.” So often do we shrink back from the sacrifice or obligation to which God calls us, that we think we are going to our doom. We seek every reason for evading the divine will, little realizing that He is forcing us out from our quiet homes into a career which includes, among other things, the song of victory on the banks of the Red Sea; the two lonely sojourns for forty days in converse with God; the shining face; the vision of glory; the burial by the hand of Michael; and the supreme honor of standing beside the Lord on the Transfiguration mountain.

F. B. Meyer

Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997).

How often we resist the urging of the Lord to do a task only to begrudgingly agree. This is often the case in scripture of the ones chosen to be His voice, prophet or emissary. The thanks for the mission is not always from those of earth but from a loving God with grace, blessings and eternal life.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Alms (Special reminder)

 

“Alms-deeds,” says St. Augustine, “comprise every kind of service rendered to our neighbor who needs such assistance. He who supports a lame man bestows an alms on him with his feet; he who guides a blind man does him a charity with his eyes; he who carries an invalid or an old man upon his shoulders imparts to him an alms of his strength. Hence none are so poor but they may bestow an alms on the wealthiest man in the world.”

John Gilmary Shea, Pictorial Lives of the Saints (New York; Cincinnati; Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1887), 220.

Alms is more than financial giving. Kindness of every kind is also alms. This kind of giving is bringing treasure to the heavenly bank to be deposited in your account.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Paths

 

  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake

        Ps. 23:3

He always has a purpose in His leading. He knows where the bits of green pasture are, and He would lead His flock to these. The way may be rough, but it is the right way to the pasture. “Paths of righteousness” may not be straight paths; but they are paths that lead somewhere—to the right place. Many desert paths are illusive. They start out clear and plain, but soon they are lost in the sands. They go nowhere. But the paths of righteousness have a goal to which they unerringly lead.

J. R. Miller

Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997).

The way is not always what we think, the result is not always as we wish. The plan of the Lord is always as he wishes. The way may appear crooked, but the destination is where we are destined. It is not a mistake but a blessing.

May the good Lord Bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."