Wesley: pray and read

Saturday, July 18, 2015
Meditation:
    Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
    —1 Peter 2:2-3 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Constantly add the private means of grace, particularly prayer and reading. Most of you have been greatly wanting in this; and, without this, you can never grow in grace. You may as well expect a child to grow without food, as a soul without private prayer; and reading is an excellent help to this. I advise you to read, in particular, constantly and carefully, the New Testament.
    ... John Wesley (1703-1791), “To the Societies at Bristol”, The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley, v. IV, The Epworth Press, 1931, p. 272 (see the book)
    See also 1 Pet. 2:2-3; Ps. 1:2; 84:5-7; 119:15,48; Phil. 1:4-6,9-11; Col. 1:10-11; Heb. 6:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:18
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your word leads me to You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Calvin: the suffering of Christ

Friday, July 17, 2015
Meditation:
    And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
    —Mark 15:34 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The Creed sets forth what Christ suffered in the sight of men, and then appositely speaks of that invisible and incomprehensible judgment which he underwent in the sight of God in order that we might know not only that Christ’s body was given as the price of our redemption, but that he paid a greater and more excellent price in suffering in his soul the terrible torments of a condemned and forsaken man.
    ... John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, v. I [1559], tr. John Allen, Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1921, II.xvi.11, p. 465 (see the book)
    See also Mark 15:34; Ps. 22:1; Isa. 53:5; Matt. 27:46; Acts 2:24; 1 Pet. 3:19
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have suffered for my sake. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Shoemaker: discipline in the disciple

Thursday, July 16, 2015
    Commemoration of Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, 1099
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
    —John 14:15 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The surest symbol of a heart not yet fully subdued to God and His will is going to be found in the areas of money, sex, and power; in wanting these things for ourselves. The surest symbol of spiritual earnestness will be the checkbook, the affections, and the ego-drive surrendered to Him. A disciple must have discipline. He must not be afraid of being asked by God for some of the time, the money, and the pleasure he has been in the habit of calling his “own.” This does not mean that there will not be time for the family, and time for some healthy diversion. But it does mean that we are never—on vacation, or wherever we may be—exempt from our primary commitment to Him.
    ... Samuel M. Shoemaker (1893-1963), The Experiment of Faith, New York: Harper, 1957, p. 37-38 (see the book)
    See also John 14:15-17; Matt. 10:32-33; Luke 14:33; Rom. 8:12-13; Gal. 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are my first commitment. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Murray: effort does not avail

Wednesday, July 15, 2015
    Commemoration of Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c.862
    Commemoration of Bonaventure, Franciscan Friar, Bishop, Peacemaker, 1274
Meditation:
    For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
    —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Do not try to stir and arouse faith from within. How often I have tried to do that, and made a fool of myself! You cannot stir up faith from the depths of your heart. Leave your heart, and look into the face of Christ, and listen to what He tells you about how He will keep you.
    ... Andrew Murray (1828-1917), Absolute Surrender, Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1897, p. 108 (see the book)
    See also Eph. 2:8-9; Isa. 31:1; John 1:17,29; Rom. 3:22-24; Heb. 12:1-2; 1 John 1:1-3
Quiet time reflection:
    True faith comes only from You, Lord. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Keble: Sun of my Soul

Tuesday, July 14, 2015
    Feast of John Keble, Priest, Poet, Tractarian, 1866
Meditation:
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
    the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.
    —Psalm 84:11 (NIV)
Quotation:
Sun of my soul! Thou Saviour dear,
    It is not night if Thou be near;
O may no earth-born cloud arise
    To hide Thee from thy servant’s eyes.
    ... John Keble (1792-1866), The Christian Year [1827], G. W. Doane, ed., Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1842, p. 20 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 84:11; Mal. 4:2; Eph. 5:8; 1 John 2:8; Rev. 1:16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, shine on my heart. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Flavel: humility

Monday, July 13, 2015
Meditation:
    He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
    —Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    They that know God will be humble. And they that know themselves, cannot be proud.
    ... John Flavel (1628-1691), Sermon XXIXThe Whole Works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel, v. I, Paisley: A. Weir and A. McLean, 1770, p. 394 (see the book)
    See also 2 Chr. 7:14; Pr. 15:33; 29:23; Isa. 6:5; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 5:3; Rom. 7:9; Col. 3:12; 1 Pet. 5:5
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I prostrate myself before You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Fuller: daily forgiveness

Sunday, July 12, 2015
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
    —Matthew 6:11-12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Consider what two petitions Christ couples together in His prayer: when my body, which every day is hungry, can live without God’s giving it daily bread, then and no sooner shall I believe that my soul, which daily sinneth, can spiritually live without God’s forgiving it its trespasses.
    ... Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), The Cause and Cure of a Wounded Conscience [1655], “Dialogue VI” (see the book)
    See also Matt. 6:11-12; Deut. 8:3; Neh. 9:20; Ps. 78:23-25; Matt. 26:27-28; John 6:27,35,48-58; Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 10:3-4;
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your daily forgiveness is my food. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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