This last week I have been needing motivation and encouragement for my "journey," as I like to call life. This morning I pulled a new-to-me book from my book self, one I had not had the time nor desire to venture into until now. I was pleased to find that there was an assigned passage for each day of the year and after reading the short preface flipped to the reading for today. Below I have quoted the message that I know God knew I needed today. I could have not decided to pick up this book until tomorrow, and then I would have missed it. Again God has been faithful, giving me just the food for thought that I so needed at just the right time. I hope that it may speak to the hearts of you, my readers as well.
"I have often noticed that any one, who has been asked to do a difficult thing for the sake of the Lord Jesus, does it and does it heartily, that one seems almost at once to gain a new power of joy and a wonderful new liberty. Sometimes a shy reserve that covered the soul like a thin sheet of ice melts, and there is a freedom to share things and help others; sometimes a dullness that was there before just disappears. To see it do so is like watching a mist dissolve in sunlight. In my reading this morning I came upon the reason for this happy fact. 'Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows' (Psalm 45:7). Our Lord Jesus did the will of His Father with delight, He hated that iniquity which so often tries to dominate us--selfishness, surrender to the easy, and so on. Therefore He was the gladdest of all the sons of men. The same law applies to His followers. Who among us can be counted on for happiness? It is those who never take self into consideration at all. By the grace of the Lord they honestly hate iniquity even the iniquity of self-pleasing, and delight to do the will of their God. They are the happy ones of the family." ~ Amy Carmichael Edges of His Ways
No comments:
Post a Comment