CQOD: 06/11/06 -- Davidman: the withering of morality

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 11, 2006

Trinity SundayFeast of Barnabas the Apostle

Meditation:
    The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
        They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
        there is none who does good.
    The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
        to see if there are any who understand,
        who seek after God.
    They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
        there is none who does good,
        not even one.
        -- Psalm 14:1-3 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    The essential amorality of all atheist doctrines is often hidden from us by an irrelevant personal argument. We see that many articulate secularists are well-meaning and law-abiding men; we see them go into righteous indignation over injustice and often devote their lives to good works. So we conclude that “he can’t be wrong whose life is in the right”—that their philosophies are just as good guides to action as Christianity. What we don’t see is that they are not acting on their philosophies. They are acting, out of habit or sentiment, on an inherited Christian ethic which they still take for granted though they have rejected the creed from which it sprang. Their children will inherit some what less of it.
    ... Joy Davidman (1915-1960), Smoke on the Mountain [1955]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I not be silent before atheism, but speak the Gospel.

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CQOD: 06/10/06 -- Babcock: no substitutes accepted

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 10, 2006Meditation:
    Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
    -- John 15:4-6 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    Christianity is not a voice in the wilderness, but a life in the world. It is not an idea in the air but feet on the ground going God’s way. It is not an exotic to be kept under glass, but a hardy plant to bear twelve months of fruits in all kinds of weather. Fidelity to duty is its root and branch. Nothing we can say to the Lord, no calling Him by great or dear names, can take the place of the plain doing of His will. We may cry out about the beauty of eating bread with Him in His kingdom, but it is wasted breath and a rootless hope unless we plow and plant in His kingdom here and now. To remember Him at His table and to forget Him at ours, is to have invested in bad securities. There is no substitute for plain, every-day goodness.
    ... Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I never forget my debt to You.

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CQOD: 06/09/06 -- Owen: being disciples of Christ

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 9, 2006

Feast of Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597
Commemoration of Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Hymnographer, Teacher, 373

Meditation:
    If ye love me, keep my commandments.
    -- John 14:15

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Quotation:
    Then are we servants of God, then are we the disciples of Christ, when we do what is commanded us and because it is commanded us.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lead me to see that pleasing You in all things is my only path to happiness.

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CQOD: 06/08/06 -- Gossip: the waste of misdirection

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 8, 2006

Feast of Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath & Wells, Hymnographer, 1711

Meditation:
    And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
    -- Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    When we look at the history of the Church, at the reckless fashion in which we have squandered our strength and time in fratricidal struggles between sect and sect, in embittered bickerings over matters often of secondary moment, while the world about us lies unwon, and the Church’s great commission remains plainly unfulfilled, surely we can understand that outburst of Erasmus, when he cried that he wished that we would cease from our disputings altogether, and put all that energy and zeal that we are wasting upon them into the carrying of the Gospel to the heathen! Or recall the infinite pains that have been taken, down the centuries, to preserve minute orthodoxy in all points of mental belief while ugly evils flaunt along the streets and are accepted meekly as part of the makeup of things! Or recollect how easy it is to assume that we, ourselves, are Christian people. Why? Oh, well, just the usual reasons: we say our prayers, when we are not too sleepy; and we come to church, when there is nothing much to do; and so, of course, there is no doubt of it, although our tempers may remain uncurbed, and our characters are not the least like Jesus Christ’s, nor growing any nearer it! Do we not need that solemn warning that Christ gives us when He tells us bluntly that many people lose their lives and souls, because they are always laying the emphasis and stress on the wrong points?
    ... A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), The Galilean Accent [1926]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lead me to use Your gifts to Your glory and to the benefit of Your church.

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CQOD Compilation Copyright 2006, Robert McAnally Adams, Curator
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CQOD: 06/07/06 -- Bonhoeffer: Christ's yoke is easy

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 7, 2006Meditation:
    Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
    -- Matthew 11:29-30 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    When the Bible speaks of “following Jesus,” it is proclaiming a discipleship which will liberate mankind from all man-made dogma, from every burden and oppression, from every anxiety and torture which afflicts the conscience. If they follow Jesus, men escape from the hard yoke of their own laws, and submit to the kindly yoke of Jesus Christ. But does this mean that we can ignore the seriousness of His command? Far from it! We can only achieve perfect liberty and enjoy fellowship with Jesus when His command, His call to absolute discipleship, is appreciated in its entirety. Only the man who follows the command of Jesus without reserve, and submits unresistingly to His yoke, finds his burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way. The command of Jesus is hard—unutterably hard—for those who try to resist it.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), The Cost of Discipleship [1964]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I cast away my last reluctance in following You.

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See Believer's Desktop Companion 2004
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CQOD Compilation Copyright 2006, Robert McAnally Adams, Curator
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CQOD: 06/06/06 -- Henry: the meaning of affliction

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 6, 2006

Commemoration of Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945

Meditation:
    Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
    -- Job 5:17,18 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.
    ... Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, send Your healing to my broken life.

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See Believer's Desktop Companion 2004
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CQOD: 06/05/06 -- Law on the limits of the flesh

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 5, 2006

Feast of Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, Archbishop of Mainz, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754

Meditation:
    I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
    -- John 6:51 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    The separate creaturely life, as opposed to life in union with God, is only a life of various appetites, hungers, and wants, and cannot possibly be anything else. God Himself cannot make a creature to be in itself, or in its own nature, anything else but a state of emptiness. The highest life that is natural and creaturely can go no higher than this: it can only be a bare capacity for goodness and cannot possibly be a good and happy life but by the life of God dwelling in it and in union with it. And this is the two-fold life that, of all necessity, must be united in every good and happy and perfect creature.
    ... William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life [1728]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, implant Your life in me.

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Pray your rage away

    No one is exempt, apart from those who remain indoors all the time, from the growing rudeness and spitefulness on the streets and highways, which the newspapers have called “road rage.” It is a phenomenon not only of our growth, but of our growing vulgarity and decreasing sensitivity towards fellow man. It has the power to turn calm, respectable citizens into monsters of selfishness.

    Whether we engage in it or not, we are all almost daily witnesses to road rage and the related foolishness that comes from it. Signal lights too long, someone cutting into one’s lane too close, a sudden bad decision, an ill-advised attempt to gain an advantage in traffic—these are all very common motivators to strong feeling.

    In America, we have a keen sense for our rights, which we are taught (correctly or not) from birth. The smallest incursion on those rights starts the outrage reaction in us as reliably as the bell starts Pavlov’s dogs to drooling.

    I want to suggest a strategy for dealing with and managing road rage. It is highly effective, has long-term benefits, and can be taught at an early age: it is prayer. Praying can bring aid instantly. Praying focuses beneficial attention on the ethics of driving and other public conduct. Prayer is heard, and it comes with the highest possible recommendation.

    What should one pray, then? Well, for those who need a little help in articulating an appropriate prayer, let me suggest the following.

    For another driver overcome by impatience: “Lord, restore that driver to foresight and forbearance, so that all travelers may arrive at their destinations safely. Amen.”

    For someone who cuts into one’s lane injudiciously: “Lord, send me a calm spirit to deal with road conditions promptly and safely, and grant that driver wisdom and perspicacity in the balance of his journey. Amen.”

    For a driver behaving recklessly: “Lord, I ask that You immediately restore that driver to prudence. Grant that he and I shall be neither the victim nor the cause of any traveler’s misfortune. Amen.” (I am happy to provide further examples of prayer for more circumstances as needed.)

    In view of the recent Global Day of Prayer, June 4, I urge prayer not merely for prayer’s sake. Though often therapeutic, prayer is not therapy. By prayer I mean only prayer to the One True God, the God of Scripture, Who alone is fit and powerful to answer prayer, and without Whom prayer is idle chatter. This definition may seem unnecessarily narrow, but I suggest that since there are at least 100 million people in the U.S. who profess belief in the God of Scripture (many of whom reside in my city, Dallas), it is an excellent starting point in the struggle against road rage. And what if everyone began praying on the road? So many people offering heart-felt prayer to God on an important issue could well be the start of Something Else.

    Meanwhile, one final piece of advice: when you are driving on the expressway, by all means, pray; just don’t close your eyes.

CQOD: 06/04/06 -- Pusey: the grace of patience

Christian Quotation of the Day

June 4, 2006

Pentecost

Meditation:
    May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
    -- Colossians 1:11,12 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    We have need of patience with ourselves and with others; with those below and those above us, and with our own equals; with those who love us and those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against sudden inroads of trouble, and under daily burdens; against disappointments as to the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the weariness of the body, or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others’ failure towards us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay of old age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in heaviness of the heart, or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these things, from childhood’s little troubles to the martyr’s sufferings, patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God.
    ... Edward B. Pusey (1800-1882)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me more patience, through Yout Spirit.

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See Believer's Desktop Companion 2004
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CQOD Compilation Copyright 2006, Robert McAnally Adams, Curator
CQOD Home Page:    http://www.cqod.com/
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