Daily Strength for Daily Needs

Mary Wilder Tileston

Daily Strength for Daily Needs

e-artnow, 2020

Contact: [email protected]

EAN 4064066060664

Table of Contents

PREFACE

MAY 23

AUGUST 11

PREFACE

Table of Contents

This little book of brief selections in prose and verse, with accompanying texts of Scripture, is intended for a daily companion and counsellor. These words of the goodly fellowship of wise and holy men of many times, it is hoped may help to strengthen the reader to perform the duties and to bear the burdens of each day with cheerfulness and courage.

MARY WILDER TILESTON.

January 1

They go from strength to strength.—PS. lxxxiv. 7.

First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.—MARK. iv. 28.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

As the swift seasons roll!

Leave thy low-vaulted past!

Let each new temple, nobler than the last,

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

Till thou at length art free,

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

O. W. HOLMES.

High hearts are never long without hearing some new call, some distant clarion of God, even in their dreams; and soon they are observed to break up the camp of ease, and start on some fresh march of faithful service. And, looking higher still, we find those who never wait till their moral work accumulates, and who reward resolution with no rest; with whom, therefore, the alternation is instantaneous and constant; who do the good only to see the better, and see the better only to achieve it; who are too meek for transport, too faithful for remorse, too earnest for repose; whose worship is action, and whose action ceaseless aspiration.

J. MARTINEAU.

January 2

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.—PS. cxxi. 8.

Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.—PS. xc. 1.

With grateful hearts the past we own;

The future, all to us unknown,

We to Thy guardian care commit,

And peaceful leave before Thy feet.

P. DODDRIDGE.

We are like to Him with whom there is no past or future, with whom a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, when we do our work in the great present, leaving both past and future to Him to whom they are ever present, and fearing nothing, because He is in our future as much as He is in our past, as much as, and far more than we can feel Him to be, in our present. Partakers thus of the divine nature, resting in that perfect All-in-all in whom our nature is eternal too, we walk without fear, full of hope and courage and strength to do His will, waiting for the endless good which He is always giving as fast as He can get us able to take it in.

G. MACDONALD.

January 3

As thy days, so shall thy strength be.—DEUT. xxxiii. 25.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.—MATT. vi. 34.

Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear

The burden of to-morrow?

Sufficient for to-day, its care,

Its evil and its sorrow;

God imparteth by the way

Strength sufficient for the day.

J. E. SAXBY.

He that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with sorrow and peevishness, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little handful of thorns. Enjoy the blessings of this day, if God sends them; and the evils of it bear patiently and sweetly: for this day only is ours, we are dead to yesterday, and we are not yet born to the morrow. But if we look abroad, and bring into one day's thoughts the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable.

JEREMY TAYLOR.

January 4

If we sin, we are Thine, knowing Thy power: but—we will not sin, knowing that we are counted Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: yea, to know Thy power is the root of immortality.—WISDOM OF SOLOMON xv. 2, 3.

Oh, empty us of self, the world, and sin,

And then in all Thy fulness enter in;

Take full possession, Lord, and let each thought

Into obedience unto Thee be brought;

Thine is the power, and Thine the will, that we

Be wholly sanctified, O Lord, to Thee.

C. E. J.

Take steadily some one sin, which seems to stand out before thee, to root it out, by God's grace, and every fibre of it. Purpose strongly, by the grace and strength of God, wholly to sacrifice this sin or sinful inclination to the love of God, to spare it not, until thou leave of it none remaining, neither root nor branch.

Fix, by God's help, not only to root out this sin, but to set thyself to gain, by that same help, the opposite grace. If thou art tempted to be angry, try hard, by God's grace, to be very meek; if to be proud, seek to be very humble.

E. B. PUSEY.

January 5

That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.—EPH. v. 27.

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.—I PETER ii. 5.

One holy Church of God appears

Through every age and race,

Unwasted by the lapse of years,

Unchanged by changing place.

S. LONGFELLOW.

A temple there has been upon earth, a spiritual Temple, made up of living stones; a Temple, as I may say, composed of souls; a Temple with God for its light, and Christ for the high priest; with wings of angels for its arches, with saints and teachers for its pillars, and with worshippers for its pavement. Wherever there is faith and love, this Temple is.

J. H. NEWMAN.

To whatever worlds He carries our souls when they shall pass out of these imprisoning bodies, in those worlds these souls of ours shall find themselves part of the same great Temple; for it belongs not to this earth alone. There can be no end of the universe where God is, to which that growing Temple does not reach—the Temple of a creation to be wrought at last into a perfect utterance of God by a perfect obedience to God.

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

January 6

In all ages entering into holy souls, she [Wisdom] maketh them friends of God, and prophets.—WISDOM OF SOLOMON vii. 27.

Meanwhile with every son and saint of Thine

Along the glorious line,

Sitting by turns beneath Thy sacred feet

We 'll hold communion sweet,

Know them by look and voice, and thank them all

For helping us in thrall,

For words of hope, and bright examples given

To shew through moonless skies that there is light in heaven.

J. KEBLE.

If we cannot live at once and alone with Him, we may at least live with those who have lived with Him; and find, in our admiring love for their purity, their truth, their goodness, an intercession with His pity on our behalf. To study the lives, to meditate the sorrows, to commune with the thoughts, of the great and holy men and women of this rich world, is a sacred discipline, which deserves at least to rank as the forecourt of the temple of true worship, and may train the tastes, ere we pass the very gate, of heaven. We forfeit the chief source of dignity and sweetness in life, next to the direct communion with God, if we do not seek converse with the greater minds that have left their vestiges on the world.

J. MARTINEAU.

Do not think it wasted time to submit yourself to any influence which may bring upon you any noble feeling.

J. RUSKIN.

January 7

The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.—EPH. i. 19.

The lives which seem so poor, so low,

The hearts which are so cramped and dull,

The baffled hopes, the impulse slow,

Thou takest, touchest all, and lo!

They blossom to the beautiful.

SUSAN COOLIDGE.

A root set in the finest soil, in the best climate, and blessed with all that sun and air and rain can do for it, is not in so sure a way of its growth to perfection, as every man may be, whose spirit aspires after all that which God is ready and infinitely desirous to give him. For the sun meets not the springing bud that stretches towards him with half that certainty, as God, the source of all good, communicates Himself to the soul that longs to partake of Him.

WM. LAW.

If we stand in the openings of the present moment, with all the length and breadth of our faculties unselfishly adjusted to what it reveals, we are in the best condition to receive what God is always ready to communicate.

T. C. UPHAM.

January 8

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.—GAL. vi. 10.

Let brotherly love continue.—HEB. xiii. 1.

I Ask Thee for a thoughtful love,

Through constant watching wise,

To meet the glad with joyful smiles,

And to wipe the weeping eyes,

And a heart at leisure from itself,

To soothe and sympathize.

A. L. WARING.

Surely none are so full of cares, or so poor in gifts, that to them also, waiting patiently and trustfully on God for His daily commands, He will not give direct ministry for Him, increasing according to their strength and their desire. There is so much to be set right in the world, there are so many to be led and helped and comforted, that we must continually come in contact with such in our daily life. Let us only take care, that, by the glance being turned inward, or strained onward, or lost in vacant reverie, we do not miss our turn of service, and pass by those to whom we might have been sent on an errand straight from God.

ELIZABETH CHARLES.

Look up and not down; look forward and not back; look out and not in; and lend a hand.

EDWARD E. HALE.

January 9

And in every work that be began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.—2 CHRON. xxxi. 21.

What, shall we do, that we might work the works of God?—JOHN vi. 28.

Give me within the work which calls to-day,

To see Thy finger gently beckoning on;

So struggle grows to freedom, work to play,

And toils begun from Thee to Thee are done.

J. F. CLARKE.

God is a kind Father. He sets us all in the places where He wishes us to be employed; and that employment is truly our Father's business. He chooses work for every creature which will be delightful to them, if they do it simply and humbly. He gives us always strength enough, and sense enough, for what He wants us to do; if we either tire ourselves or puzzle ourselves, it is our own fault. And we may always be sure, whatever we are doing, that we cannot be pleasing Him, if we are not happy ourselves.

J. RUSKIN.

January 10

Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.—PS. lxiii. 3.

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.—LUKE xvii. 33.

O Lord! my best desires fulfil,

And help me to resign

Life, health, and comfort, to Thy will,

And make Thy pleasure mine.

WM. COWPER.

What do our heavy hearts prove but that other things are sweeter to us than His will, that we have not attained to the full mastery of our true freedom, the full perception of its power, that our sonship is yet but faintly realized, and its blessedness not yet proved and known? Our consent would turn all our trials into obedience. By consenting we make them our own, and offer them with ourselves again to Him.

H. E. MANNING.

Nothing is intolerable that is necessary. Now God hath bound thy trouble upon thee, with a design to try thee, and with purposes to reward and crown thee. These cords thou canst not break; and therefore lie thou down gently, and suffer the hand of God to do what He please.

JEREMY TAYLOR.

January 11

I will be glad, and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities.—PS. xxxi. 7.

Nay, all by Thee is ordered, chosen, planned;

Each drop that fills my daily cup Thy hand

Prescribes, for ills none else can understand:

All, all is known to Thee.

A. L. NEWTON.

God knows us through and through. Not the most secret thought, which we most hide from ourselves, is hidden from Him. As then we come to know ourselves through and through, we come to see ourselves more as God sees us, and then we catch some little glimpse of His designs with us, how each ordering of His Providence, each check to our desires, each failure of our hopes, is just fitted for us, and for something in our own spiritual state, which others know not of, and which, till then, we knew not. Until we come to this knowledge, we must take all in faith, believing, though we know not, the goodness of God towards us. As we know ourselves, we, thus far, know God.

E. B. PUSEY.

January 12

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.—PS. xix. 14.

The thoughts that in our hearts keep place,

Lord, make a holy, heavenly throng,

And steep in innocence and grace

The issue of each guarded tongue.

T. H. GILL.

There is another kind of silence to be cultivated, besides that of the tongue as regards others. I mean silence as regards one's self—restraining the imagination, not permitting it to dwell overmuch on what we have heard or said, not indulging in the phantasmagoria of picture-thoughts, whether of the past or future. Be sure that you have made no small progress in the spiritual life, when you can control your imagination, so as to fix it on the duty and occupation actually existing, to the exclusion of the crowd of thoughts which are perpetually sweeping across the mind. No doubt, you cannot prevent those thoughts from arising, but you can prevent yourself from dwelling on them; you can put them aside, you can check the self-complacency, or irritation, or earthly longings which feed them, and by the practice of such control of your thoughts you will attain that spirit of inward silence which draws the soul into a close intercourse with God.

JEAN N. GROU.

January 13

Speak not evil one of another, brethren.—JAMES iv. 11.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.—EPH. iv. 31.

If aught good thou canst not say

Of thy brother, foe, or friend,

Take thou, then, the silent way,

Lest in word thou shouldst offend.

ANON.

If there is any person to whom you feel dislike, that is the person of whom you ought never to speak.

R. CECIL.

To recognize with delight all high and generous and beautiful actions; to find a joy even in seeing the good qualities of your bitterest opponents, and to admire those qualities even in those with whom you have least sympathy, this is the only spirit which can heal the love of slander and of calumny.

F. W. ROBERTSON.

January 14

Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.—2 SAM. xv. 15.

I love to think that God appoints

My portion day by day;

Events of life are in His hand,

And I would only say,

Appoint them in Thine own good time,

And in Thine own best way.

A. L. WARING.

If we are really, and always, and equally ready to do whatsoever the King appoints, all the trials and vexations arising from any change in His appointments, great or small, simply do not exist. If He appoints me to work there, shall I lament that I am not to work here? If He appoints me to wait in-doors to-day, am I to be annoyed because I am not to work out-of-doors? If I meant to write His messages this morning, shall I grumble because He sends interrupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I am to speak them, or show kindness for His sake, or at least obey His command, Be courteous? If all my members are really at His disposal, why should I be put out if to-day's appointment is some simple work for my hands or errands for my feet, instead of some seemingly more important doing of head or tongue?

F. R. HAVERGAL.

January 15

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.—I THESS. iv. 3.

Between us and Thyself remove

Whatever hindrances may be,

That so our inmost heart may prove

A holy temple, meet for Thee.

LATIN MSS. OF 15TH CENTURY.

Bear, in the presence of God, to know thyself. Then seek to know for what God sent thee into the world; how thou hast fulfilled it; art thou yet what God willed thee to be; what yet lacketh unto thee; what is God's will for thee now; what thing thou mayest now do, by His grace, to obtain His favor, and approve thyself unto Him. Say to Him, Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God, and He will say unto thy soul, Fear not; I am thy salvation. He will speak peace unto thy soul; He will set thee in the way; He will bear thee above things of sense, and praise of man, and things which perish in thy grasp, and give thee, if but afar off, some glimpse of His own, unfading, unsetting, unperishing brightness and bliss and love.

E. B. PUSEY.

January 16

Now our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.—2 THESS. ii. 16, 17.

When sorrow all our heart would ask,

We need not shun our daily task,

And hide ourselves for calm;

The herbs we seek to heal our woe

Familiar by our pathway grow,

Our common air is balm.

J. KEBLE.

Oh, when we turn away from some duty or some fellow-creature, saying that our hearts are too sick and sore with some great yearning of our own, we may often sever the line on which a divine message was coming to us. We shut out the man, and we shut out the angel who had sent him on to open the door. There is a plan working in our lives; and if we keep our hearts quiet and our eyes open, it all works together; and, if we don't, it all rights together, and goes on fighting till it comes right, somehow, somewhere.

ANNIE KEARY.

January 17

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings.—I PETER iv. 12, 13.

We take with solemn thankfulness

Our burden up, nor ask it less,

And count it joy that even we

May suffer, serve, or wait for Thee,

Whose will be done!

J. G. WHITTIER.

Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with thy self-denying, suffering Saviour. Look at no inward or outward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought about it; and then every kind of trial and distress will become the blessed day of thy prosperity. That state is best, which exerciseth the highest faith in, and fullest resignation to God.

WM. LAW.

January 18

Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee.—DEUT. XXVI. 11.

Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks.—I THESS. v. 16, 18.

Grave on thy heart each past red-letter day!

Forget not all the sunshine of the way

By which the Lord hath led thee; answered prayers,

And joys unasked, strange blessings, lifted cares,

Grand promise-echoes! Thus thy life shall be

One record of His love and faithfulness to thee.

F. R. HAVERGAL.

Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the particulars of our state, and to the multitude of God's gifts, taken one by one. It fills us with a consciousness that God loves and cares for us, even to the least event and smallest need of life. It is a blessed thought, that from our childhood God has been laying His fatherly hands upon us, and always in benediction; that even the strokes of His hands are blessings, and among the chiefest we have ever received. When this feeling is awakened, the heart beats with a pulse of thankfulness. Every gift has its return of praise. It awakens an unceasing daily converse with our Father—He speaking to us by the descent of blessings, we to Him by