Robertson: the source of comfort

Saturday, November 29, 2014
Meditation:
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
    —Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The mistake we make is to look for a source of comfort in ourselves: self-contemplation, instead of gazing upon God. In other words, we look for comfort precisely where comfort never can be.
    ... Frederick W. Robertson (1816-1853), Sermons Preached at Trinity Chapel, Brighton, v. II, Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1859, p. 147 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 121:1-2; 42:1-3; 63:1-2; 84:2; 143:6; Isa. 26:9; Matt. 5:4; John 7:37-39; 16:20-22; 2 Cor. 1:3-7; Rev. 21:4
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lift my eyes to You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Thomas a Kempis: reading humbly

Friday, November 28, 2014
Meditation:
    And all the people came early in the morning to hear [Jesus] at the temple.
    —Luke 21:38 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Our own curiosity often hindereth us in the reading of holy writings, when we seek to understand and discuss, where we should pass simply on. If thou wouldst profit by thy reading, read humbly, simply, honestly, and not desiring to win a character [i.e., reputation] for learning.
    ... Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ [1418], Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1877, I.v.2, p. 37 (see the book)
    See also Luke 21:38; Ps. 19:7; 116:6; 119:130; Matt. 11:25; 18:2-3; 23:8; Luke 24:44-45; Rom. 12:8; 16:19; 1 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 1:12; 11:3
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may my thoughts conform to Your word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Cowan: the Christian environment

Thursday, November 27, 2014
    Thanksgiving (U.S.)
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”
    —Matthew 13:20-21 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The most difficult task facing us today is to persuade the person who is enjoying Christian culture and Christian standards that these do not survive of themselves.
    ... Godfrey Cowan
    See also Matt. 13:20-21; Judg. 2:18-19; Ps. 36:1-3; 106:12-13; Hos. 6:4; Rom. 2:7; Phil. 1:4-6; 2 Pet. 2:20-21
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, only You can save us. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Watts: Our God, our help in ages past

Wednesday, November 26, 2014
    Commemoration of Isaac Watts, Hymnwriter, 1748
Meditation:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
    or you brought forth the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn men back to dust,
    saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by,
    or like a watch in the night.
    —Psalm 90:1-4 (NIV)
Quotation:
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of thy throne,
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth receiv’d her frame;
From everlasting thou art God;
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages, in thy sight,
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night,
Before the rising sun.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
    ... Isaac Watts (1674-1748), Psalms of David Imitated [1719], in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, ed. Samuel Melanchthon Worcester, Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1834, Ps. 90, first part, p. 186-187 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 90:1-4; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 46:1; 71:3; 91:1; Isa. 8:13-14; Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8; 2 Pet. 3:8; 1 John 4:16; Rev. 1:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I seek the safety of Your shelter.

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Yelchaninov: another miracle?

Tuesday, November 25, 2014
    Commemoration of Katherine of Alexandria, Martyr, 4th century
Meditation:
    The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.
    He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.”
    —Mark 8:11-12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    To expect, to demand, miracles is not only wrong, inasmuch as it shows a lack of trust in God; it is also senseless, for we count millions of accomplished miracles, and if none of them has convinced us, why should we be convinced by this one miracle?
    ... Alexander Yelchaninov (1881-1934), Fragments of a Diary: 1881-1934, in A Treasury of Russian Spirituality, Georgii Petrovich Fedotov, ed., Nordland, 1975, p. 443 (see the book)
    See also Mark 8:11-12; Matt. 11:2-5; 12:38-39; 16:1-4; Luke 11:29; 23:8; John 2:18-19; 6:30; 20:30-31; 1 Cor. 1:22-23; Heb. 2:4
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your miracle is within me. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Cassels: the storehouse of grace

Monday, November 24, 2014
Meditation:
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and I will give thanks to him in song.
    —Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
Quotation:
    If [God] wants you to do something, he’ll make it possible for you to do it, but the grace he provides comes only with the task and cannot be stockpiled beforehand. We are dependent on him from hour to hour, and the greater our awareness of this fact, the less likely we are to faint or fail in a crisis.
    ... Louis Cassels (1922-1974), Christian Primer, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964, p. 102 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 28:7; 112:9; 118:14; Jonah 2:2,8-9; 1 Cor. 10:13; 15:10; 2 Cor. 9:8-10; Eph. 1:11-12; 3:16; 4:7; 1 Pet. 2:1-3; 4:10; 5:10
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your strength overcomes all difficulties. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Guder: church a place or what?

Sunday, November 23, 2014
    Commemoration of Clement, Bishop of Rome, Martyr, c.100
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
    —Matthew 18:20 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The grammar commonly used to refer to or ask about the church still carries heavy baggage of being a “place where certain things happen.” We ask, for instance, “Where do you go to church?” “Where is your church?” “Did you go to church last Sunday?” Indeed, even when not referring to a tangible building, we tend to relate “church” to a meeting or activity, a set of programs, or an organizational structure. Only with awkwardness would one talk about being “part of a church.”
    In North America, this “place where” orientation manifests itself in a particular form. Both members and those outside the church expect the church to be a vendor of religious services and goods.
    ... Darrell L. Guder, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998, p. 83-84 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 18:20; Ps. 139:7-10; Jer. 23:24; Matt. 12:28; 28:19-20; Luke 17:20-21; Acts 17:27-28; Rom. 14:17; Col. 1:17,27; Rev. 21:3
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, release us from our enslavement to personal comfort. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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