Detraction

There is a temptation which we all face from time to time in our conversations. When someone mentions a third party to us, many memories surface about that person. Some of these memories are good memories, and some are not. It is often easy to share these memories, since they are true.

Forgiveness

“If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” If we do not love those who trespass against us, we will not be in a forgiving spirit. If we do not want their return to the right way we will not be loving them with a true love. There is a difference between bearing no ill will toward any and maintaining a forgiving spirit in our hearts, and that presumptuous spirit which would attempt to forgive others’ sins without divine directions. Oh, this is a subtle snare some have fallen into and one which we all need to guard against.

Fruits of the Spirit

The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, tells us the fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Meekness, Temperance; and he says of them, that against such there is no law. Let us examine into the character of these Christian graces, and then let us examine ourselves, and see if we are so bearing them in our daily lives as that we may be known of all men to be truly and really the followers of Christ.

How Grace Works

The story of the pilgrimage of a soul in its Godward journey from the start to the goal is of perennial interest. It illustrates the way in which Divine grace works. Now we dare not assume that grace always works in the same way with all in every particular. Differences in temperament, in intellectual, and religious background have to be taken into account. God certainly fulfils Himself in many ways. But just as the multitude of human faces we look upon daily differ from each other, yet possess certain common characteristics, so it is in the spiritual realm. The operations of grace in the human soul have certain universal marks which are their evidence and credentials.

How to Become Happy

When we do anything which we feel to be wrong, a feeling of reproof arises in our minds which destroys our peace and comfort. It makes us uneasy and unhappy. This feeling comes not only to men and women, but to children also. When we are tempted to be angry with our companions, to say what is not true, to take what belongs to another, or to do anything that is wicked, we feel that these things are wrong, and that we ought not to act in such a manner. If we obey this feeling, which would restrain us from evil, we are rewarded by a feeling of peace; but if we yield to the temptation to do evil, a sense of condemnation follows, which destroys for a time our happiness. That which comforts us when we do right, and reproves us when we do wrong, is the Spirit of the Lord who created us. He is very merciful and kind to us, and He designs that we should be happy in this life, and that after death our spirits should forever be happy with Him. But He is a pure and holy being, and we cannot be happy in His presence unless we also be made pure and holy. Therefore He warns us against everything which is wrong and sinful, and encourages us in those things which are right and good, so that He may prepare us to enjoy eternal happiness.

In the Will of God, Stand

There’s a moment in the life of a Christian when you finally yield fully to God. This perfect surrender, this change of heart, can be wrought by divine grace without any preliminary touches. But such cases are rare. Usually, a series of events lead up to the final moment.

Inner Peace and the Right Use of Media: Reflections on Thomas Shillitoe’s Advice

In 1820, British Friend Thomas Shillitoe* wrote a lengthy general epistle to Friends in Great Britain and Ireland. Among many pieces of advice, he says “Endeavor to keep that ear closed, which will be itching to hear the news of the day, and what is going forward in political circles…”

Obedience and Patience

When the mind is impressed with the belief of the power and goodness of God, and brought under the influence of that love and fear which we owe to Him, obedience to the manifestations of His will becomes the necessary result of this impression and influence. Simple obedience to the Divine will is an indispensable obligation: “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Silence

THIS is the only way to know God. ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ ‘God is in His Holy Temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.’

The Christian’s Joy

There is a peace and a joy “which passeth all understanding:” – “which the world can neither give nor take away.” It dwells with the pure in heart – with the meek and lowly followers of a crucified and risen Lord – with “those who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality.” It is not to be found in the halls of revelry, nor in the pomp of earth: they are transient, it is eternal; they are earthly, it is heavenly – a joy that overleaps the barriers of time and looks beyond the confines of the tomb, into the rest prepared for the people of God. The discord of earth may not mar its harmony, nor the storms of time tarnish its brightness. He who has yielded in childlike faith and simple obedience to the requirements of his Heavenly Father, as made known in the secret of the heart, can testify to the preciousness of this joy: and though his dedication may cost him the smiles of the world, yet, conscious that he has in their place, the approving smile of Him who rules the universe, with his face heavenward he presses on, counting all as naught and dross, that he might win Christ.

The Sealed Epistle of George Fox

This is for all the Children of God in all places in the world, who are led by His Spirit and walk in His Light, in which they have life, unity, and fellowship with the Father, the Son, and one with another.