Simeon: a double blessing

Saturday, November 13, 2021
    Feast of Charles Simeon, Pastor, Teacher, 1836
Meditation:
    And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
    —2 Timothy 2:24-26 (KJV)
Quotation:
    In this state of things I saw no remedy but faith and patience. The passage of Scripture which subdued and controlled my mind was this, “The servant of the Lord must not strive.” It was painful indeed to see the church, with the exception of the aisles, almost forsaken; but I thought that if God would only give a double blessing to the congregation that did attend, there would on the whole be as much good done, as if the congregation were doubled and the blessing limited to only half the amount. This comforted me many, many times, when, without such a reflection, I should have sunk under my burden.
    ... Charles Simeon (1759-1836), Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. Charles Simeon, Pittsburgh: R. Carter, 1847, p. 26 (see the book)
    See also 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Isa. 40:11; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:22-23; 1 Thess. 2:6-7; Tit. 1:9; 3:2; 1 Pet. 3:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I leave the concern of numbers in Your hands. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Struther: Lord of all hopefulness

Friday, November 12, 2021
Meditation:
In vain you rise early
    and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
    for he grants sleep to those he loves.
    —Psalm 127:2 (NIV)
Quotation:
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
    ... Jan Struther (1901-1953), first published in Songs of Praise, enl. ed., Ralph Vaughan Williams, et al., ed., Oxford University Press, 1931, n. 564, p. 164 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 127:2; 1:1-3; 96:1,2; Matt. 6:25; 2 Cor. 9:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord Who grants rest, Your love sends me gracious sleep.

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Brooks: Christianity is Christ

Thursday, November 11, 2021
    Feast of Martin, Monk, Bishop of Tours, 397
Meditation:
    May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
    —Galatians 6:14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Our religion is not a system of ideas about Christ. It is Christ.
    ... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), The Light of the World, and Other Sermons, New York: E. P. Dutton, 1904, p. 23 (see the book)
    See also Isa. 53:6; 1 Cor. 1:22-23; 2 Cor. 4:4-5; Gal. 6:14; Col. 2:8; 2 Pet. 1:16
Quiet time reflection:
    By Your Spirit, we praise You, Lord Jesus. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Phillips: tragic idealist?

Wednesday, November 10, 2021
    Feast of Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, 461
Meditation:
    Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
    They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
    “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
    Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
    —Luke 9:18-20 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It is easy to criticise the many failings of the Church; it is all too easy to criticise the lives of those who profess and call themselves Christians; but I should say that it is almost impossible to read the Gospels thoroughly with adult, serious attention and then dismiss the central Figure as a mere human prophet or a tragic idealist. The reaction to such a study may indeed prove to be conversion or open hostility, but it would at least mean the end of childish and ill-informed attacks upon what is supposed to be the Christian religion.
    ... J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), New Testament Christianity, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1956, chapt. i, p. 12 (see the book)
    See also Jer. 9:3; Matt. 16:13-17; Luke 9:18-20
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, help Your church to show forth the truth of Christ. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Erasmus: food for the soul

Tuesday, November 9, 2021
    Commemoration of Margery Kempe, Mystic, after 1433
Meditation:
    Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
    —Colossians 4:15-16 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Let [the student of Scripture] approach the New Testament, not with an unholy curiosity, but with reverence; bearing in mind that his first and only aim and object should be that he may catch and be changed into the spirit of what he there learns. It is the food of the soul; and to be of use, must not rest only in the memory or sink into the stomach, but must pierce through the very depths of the heart and mind.
    ... Desiderius Erasmus (1466?-1536), quoted from the introduction to his Greek New Testament, in “The Reformers of 1498”, ch. VI, by Frederic Seebohm, The Fortnightly Review, v. VI, George Henry Lewes, ed., London: Chapman and Hall, 1866, p. 185 (see the book)
    See also Neh. 8:5-6; Ps. 1:2; 119; Matt. 22:42-43; Rom. 1:1-2; 3:2; 2 Cor. 4:2; Eph. 6:17; Col. 4:15-16; Heb. 4:12
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me a spirit to receive Your holy word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Calvin: the honor of beauty

Monday, November 8, 2021
    Feast of Saints & Martyrs of England
Meditation:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they display knowledge.
    —Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It is no small honour that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be spectators of this beauteous theatre, but also enjoy the multiplied abundance and variety of good things which are presented to us in it. Our gratitude in yielding to God the praise which is his due, is regarded by him as a singular recompense.
    ... John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on the Book of Psalms, v. IV, Ediburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1847, p. 169 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 19:1-5; 30:1; 104:31; Matt. 6:28-29; John 10:10
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I thank You for the great abundance of Your world. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Fenelon: a right spirit

Sunday, November 7, 2021
    Feast of Willibrord of York, Archbishop of Utrecht, Apostle of Frisia, 739
Meditation:
    Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
    —1 Corinthians 1:20-21 (NIV)
Quotation:
    There is a great difference between a lofty spirit and a right spirit. A lofty spirit excites admiration by its profoundness; but only a right spirit achieves salvation and happiness by its stability and integrity.
    Do not conform your ideas to those of the world. Scorn the “intellectual” as much as the world esteems it. What men consider intellectual is a certain facility to produce brilliant thoughts. Nothing is more vain. We make an idol of our intellect as a woman who believes herself beautiful worships her face. We take pride in our own thoughts. We must reject not only human cleverness, but also human prudence, which seems so important and so profitable. Then we may enter—like little children, with candor and innocence of worldly ways—into the simplicity of faith; and with humility and a horror of sin we may enter into the holy passion of the cross.
    ... François Fénelon (1651-1715), paraphrased, Selections from the Writings of Fenelon, Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little, and Wilkins, 1829, p. 246-247 (see the book)
    See also Hab. 2:4; Luke 11:13; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 1:20-21
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I lean not on my own understanding, but seek to know Your mind. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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