He Cares 4 U

2021 February 10 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves" (Rom_12:19). There are seasons when to be still demands immeasurably higher strength than to act. Composure is often the highest result of power. To the vilest and most deadly charges Jesus responded with deep, unbroken silence, such as excited the wonder of the judge and the spectators. To the grossest insults, the most violent ill-treatment and mockery that might well bring indignation into the feeblest heart, He responded with voiceless complacent calmness. Those who are unjustly accused, and causelessly ill-treated know what tremendous strength is necessary to keep silence to God. "Men may misjudge thy aim, Think they have cause to blame, Say, thou art wrong; Keep on thy quiet way, Christ is the Judge, not they, Fear not, be strong." St. Paul said, "None of these things move me." He did not say, none of these things hurt me. It is one thing to be hurt, and quite another to be moved. St. Paul had a very tender heart. We do not read of any apostle who cried as St. Paul did. It takes a strong man to cry. Jesus wept, and He was the manliest Man that ever lived. So it does not say, none of these things hurt me. But the apostle had determined not to move from what he believed was right. He did not count as we are apt to count; he did not care for ease; he did not care for this mortal life. He cared for only one thing, and that was to be loyal to Christ, to have His smile. To St. Paul, more than to any other man, His work was his wages, His smile was Heaven. -- Margaret Bottome

Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness

2021 February 09 "He answered her not a word" (Mat_15:23). "He will be silent in his love" (Zep_3:17). It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master’s voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you -- "He answered her not a word." God’s tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes. The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you. "Why art thou cast down, O?soul?" Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them. As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music. Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed bead, and gave her one look of loving approval. The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance. The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look. "I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?" As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said: "O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall. "The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do. "The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service. "She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel;-- because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter. "I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth." He "will do marvels" if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver. -- Selected

Do Not Become Hasty

Be Not Hasty 

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Be Not Hasty_ _ _!

Be Not Hasty (Maluti Mountains Lesotho  April 2018)

Be Not Hasty

Scriptures

The LORD has borne His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart! Depart! Go out from there! Touch not the unclean. Go out of her midst; purify yourself, you who bear the vessels of the LORD, For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

(Isa 52:10-12 AFV)

2021 February 5

(Streams in the Dessert)

Reference

"Ye shall not go out with haste" (Isa_52:12).

I do not believe that we have begun to understand the marvelous power there is in stillness. We are in such a hurry-- we must be doing-- so that we are in danger of not giving God a chance to work. You may depend upon it, God never says to us, "Stand still," or "Sit still," or "Be still," unless He is going to do something.

This is our trouble in regard to our Christian life; we want to do something to be Christians when we need to let Him work in us. Do you know how still you have to be when your likeness is being taken?

Now God has one eternal purpose concerning us, and that is that we should be like His Son; and in order that this may be so, we must be passive. We hear so much about activity, maybe we need to know what it is to be quiet. -- Crumbs

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!

Nor deem these days-- these waiting days-- as ill!

The One who loves thee best, who plans thy way,

Hath not forgotten thy great need today!

And, if He waits, ’tis sure He waits to prove

To thee, His tender child, His heart’s deep love.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!

Thou longest much to know thy dear Lord’s will!

While anxious thoughts would almost steal their way

Corrodingly within, because of His delay

Persuade thyself in simple faith to rest

He, who knows and loves, will do the best.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!

Nor move one step, not even one, until

His way hath opened. Then, ah then, how sweet!

How glad thy heart, and then how swift thy feet

Thy inner being then, ah then, how strong!

And waiting days not counted then too long.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!

What higher service could 'st thou for Him fill?

’Tis hard! ah yes! But choicest things must cost!

For lack of losing all how much is lost!

’Tis hard, ’tis true! But then-- He giveth grace

To count the hardest spot the sweetest place.

-- J. D. Smith