Pain, Suffering & Grief

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This Day’s Thought-Wednesday

This Day's Thought

Holiness appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature; which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and ravishment to the soul. In other words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers.

Jonathan Edwards

This Day's Verse

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5
The New King James Version

This Day's Smile

Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.

Thomas Moore

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This Day’s Thought-Tuesday

This Day's Thought

You know better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. Keep my mind from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O God, the grace to tell them.

Unknown

This Day's Verse

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2
The New American Standard Bible

This Day's Reprise

When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.

Billy Graham

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This Day’s Thought-Thursday

This Day's Thought

Sorrow is divine. Sorrow is reigning on all the thrones of the universe, and the crown of all crowns has been one of thorns. There have been many books that treat of the sympathy of sorrow, but only one that bids us glory in tribulation, and count it all joy when we fall into divers afflictions, that so we may be associated with that great fellowship of suffering of which the incarnate Son of God is the head, and through which He is carrying a redemptive conflict to a glorious victory over evil. If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

This Day's Verse

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:17
The New King James Version

This Day's Reprise

Never lose sight of the fact that old age needs so little but needs that little so much.

Margaret Willour

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This Day’s Thought-Tuesday

This Day's Thought

Suffering accepted and vanquished, will give you a serenity which may well prove the most exquisite fruit of your life.

Désiré-Joseph Mercier

This Day's Verse

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James 1:19-20
The New King James Version

This Day's Reprise

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear.
And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

Edgar Guest

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This Day’s Thought-Wednesday

This Day's Thought

Sorrow is only one of the lower notes in the oratorio of our blessedness.

Adoniram J. Gordon

This Day's Verse

“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’”

Acts 7:48-50
The New King James Version

This Day's Smile

Of eight things a little is good and much is evil: travel, mating, wealth, work, wine, sleep, spiced drinks, medicine.

The Talmud

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This Day’s Thought-Tuesday

This Day's Thought

The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlights of affliction.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

This Day's Verse

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:33-37
The Revised Standard Version

This Day's Reprise

You are not a reservoir with a limited amount of resources; you are a channel attached to unlimited divine resources.

Unknown

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This Day’s Thought-Monday

This Day's Thought

No shelter can be imaged at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah’s own shadow. The Almighty himself is where his shadow is, and hence those who dwell in his secret place are shielded by himself.

Charles Spurgeon

This Day's Verse

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:15-17
The King James Version

This Day's Smile

Much like our lives, which start out as a blank canvas, we face trials and tribulations along the journey…Through these experiences, whether joyful or difficult, God adds color and texture along our paths to create a beautiful masterpiece.

Anne Neilson

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This Day’s Thought-Thursday

This Day's Thought

When your grief presses you to the very dust, worship there.

C. H. Spurgeon

This Day's Verse

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;

Lamentations 3:40
The New King James Version

This Day's Reprise

Our five-year-old Jeanie took to rising at 5:30 each morning and puttering around just long enough to wake the rest of us before climbing back into bed. Her reason was always the same—she had to see if there was a surprise. Finally we told her firmly that she must stop and that there wouldn’t be any surprises until Christmas, which was months away. “I wasn’t talking about living-room surprises,” she said through her tears. “I was talking about like yesterday morning it was raining, and this morning real summer’s here, and tomorrow morning I’ll probably find some pink in the rosebuds.” Jeanie still gets up each morning at 5:30.

Mrs. Roy F. Carter

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This Day’s Thought-Tuesday

This Day's Thought

Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear.

Charles Stanley

This Day's Verse

But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 94:22
The Revised Standard Version

This Day's Reprise

You can’t tell what a man is like or what he is thinking when you are looking at him. You must get around behind him and see what he has been looking at.

Will Rogers

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This Day’s Thought-Thursday

This Day's Thought

If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want to pray is important, but what God wants us to pray. The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This Day's Verse

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

Matthew 9:35
The New International Version

This Day's Reprise

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.

John Shedd

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