Woolman: God moves the heart

Saturday, September 1, 2012
    Commemoration of Giles of Provence, Hermit, c.710
Meditation:
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD:
    let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
    —Psalm 40:11 (KJV)
Quotation:
    The Lord (whose tender mercies are over all his works, and whose ear is open to the cries and groans of the oppressed) is graciously moving on the hearts of people, to draw them off from the desire of wealth, and bring them into such a humble, lowly way of living, that they may see their way clearly to repair to the standard of true righteousness; and not only break the yoke of oppression, but know him to be their strength and support in a time of outward affliction.
    ... John Woolman (1720-1772), The Works of John Woolman, Philadelphia: Benjamin & Jacob Johnson, 1800, p. 198 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You will lift all oppression off Your people. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bunyan: starting the day right

Friday, August 31, 2012
    Feast of Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651
    Commemoration of Cuthburga, Founding Abbess of Wimborne, c.725
    Commemoration of John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688
Meditation:
    [Jesus] will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    —1 Corinthians 1:8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    For thee, who professest the name of Christ, do thou depart from all these things; do thou make conscience of reading and practising; do thou follow after righteousness; do thou make conscience of beginning the day with God; for he that begins it not with him will hardly end it with him; he that runs from God in the morning will hardly find him at the close of the day; nor will he that begins with the world and the vanities thereof, in the first place, be very capable of walking with God all the day after. It is he that finds God in his closet that will carry the savour of him into his house, his shop, and his more open conversation.
    ... John Bunyan (1628-1688), The Whole Works of John Bunyan, v. II, London: Blackie, 1862, p. 537 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I seek You in the morning. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Rutherford: the lost heart

Thursday, August 30, 2012
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
    —Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Since He looked upon me my heart is not my own. He hath run away to heaven with it.
    ... Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664), Letters of Samuel Rutherford, Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1848, letter, June 16, 1637, p. 346 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, my heart is Yours. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bounds: the center

Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
    —Matthew 17:21 (NIV)
Quotation:
    God’s true preachers have been distinguished by one great feature: they were men of prayer. Differing often in many things, they have always had a common center. They may have started from different points, and traveled by different roads, but they converged to one point: they were one in prayer. God to them was the center of attraction, and prayer was the path that led to God.
    ... E. M. Bounds (1835-1913), Preacher and Prayer, Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South, Dallas, Tex., 1907, p. 41 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, fill my heart with the prayer that pleases You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Augustine: building the house

Tuesday, August 28, 2012
    Feast of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher, 430
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
    —Matthew 23:12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    If you think to build a high house of virtues, lay first a deep foundation of humility.
    ... St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Sermon LXIX.1.2 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, remove my sinful pride. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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MacDonald: coming out of his sins

Monday, August 27, 2012
    Feast of Monica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
Meditation:
    Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
    “No one, sir,” she said.
    “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
    —John 8:10-11 (NIV)
Quotation:
    I believe that no man is ever condemned for any sin except one—that he will not leave his sins and come out of them, and be the child of him who is his father.
    ... George MacDonald (1824-1905), “Justice”, in Unspoken Sermons, Third Series, London: Longmans, Green, 1889, p. 154-155 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I abandon my sins. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Schaeffer: the right to judge

Sunday, August 26, 2012
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
    —John 13:34-35 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The church is to be a loving church in a dying culture. How, then, is the dying culture going to consider us? Jesus says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” In the midst of the world, in the midst of our present dying culture, Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon his authority he gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians.
    ... Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984), The Mark of the Christian, Inter-Varsity Press, 1976, p. 12 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, let the light of Your church shine forth. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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