You must learn to make your evils your great good and to spin comforts, peace, joy, communion with Christ, out of your troubles.  They are Christ’s wooers, sent to speak on your behalf to himself.

Samuel Rutherford

The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

2 Chronicles 7:6
The New International Version

A little Swedish girl was walking with her father one night under the starry sky, intently meditating on the glories of heaven.  At last, looking up to the sky, she said, “Father, I have been thinking that if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what will the right side be?”

Unknown

He brought light out of darkness, not out of a lesser light; he can bring your summer out of winter, though you have no spring; though in the ways of fortune, or understanding, or conscience, you have been benighted until now, wintered and frozen, clouded and eclipsed, damped and benumbed, smothered and stupefied till now, now God comes to you, not as in the dawning of the day, not as in the bud of the spring, but as the sun at noon.

John Donne

Thou hast put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Psalm 4:7
The Revised Standard Version

There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.

William Law

But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”  For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”  And they did so, and had them all sit down.  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.      And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Luke 9:13-17
The English Standard Version

The music of the Gospel leads us home.

Frederick W. Faber

I suppose when we wake on January 1 the world will look the same.  But there is a reminder of the Resurrection at the start of each new year, each new decade.  That’s why I also like sunrises, Mondays, and new seasons.  God seems to be saying, “With me you can always start afresh.”

Ada Lum

That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1 Timothy 6:18-19
The King James Version

We were chaff, now we are wheat;
we were dross, now we are gold;
we were ravens, now we are doves;
we were goats, now we are sheep;
we were thorns, now we are grapes;
we were thistles, now we are lilies;
we were strangers, now we are citizens;
we were harlots, now we are virgins;
hell was our inheritance, now heaven is our possession;
we were children of wrath, now we are sons of mercy;
we were bondslaves to Satan, now we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ.

James Bisse

But grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory and splendid honor, both now and forevermore. Good-bye.

2 Peter 3:18
The Living Bible

Men give advice; God gives guidance.

Leonard Ravenhill

If we are willing to take hours on end to learn to play a piano, or operate a computer, or fly an airplane, it is sheer nonsense for us to imagine that we can learn the high art of getting guidance through communion with the Lord without being willing to set aside time for it.  It is no accident that the Bible speaks of prayer as a form of waiting on God.

Paul S. Rees

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16
The Revised Standard Version

It is distrust of God to be troubled about what is to come; impatience against God to be troubled with what is present; and anger at God to be troubled for what is past.

Simon Patrick

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Ephesians 2:17
The English Standard Version

Hezekiah took his morning mail, with its bad news, and forwarded it to God.

William Vander Hovenv

A Christmas Prayer

O God, our loving Father, help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men.  May the Christmas morning make us happy to be your children and the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Robert Louis Stevenson

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.  So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7
The New King James Version