"Fret Not Thyself"

OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD

Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so?”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”
 

~ Elizabeth Cheney ~

~Brittany

Peace Instead of Weakness

Do not begin to be anxious (Phil. 4:6, PBV).
Not a few Christians live in a state of unbroken anxiety, and others fret and fume terribly. To be perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use of worrying? It never made anybody strong; never helped anybody to do God's will; never made a way of escape for anyone out of perplexity. Worry spoils lives which would otherwise be useful and beautiful. Restlessness, anxiety, and care are absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said: "Take no thought," that is, no anxious thought, "saying what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed?" He does not mean that we are not to take forethought and that our life is to be without plan or method; but that we are not to worry about these things.
People know you live in the realm of anxious care by the lines on your face, the tones of your voice, the minor key in your life, and the lack of joy in your spirit. Scale the heights of a life abandoned to God, then you will look down on the clouds beneath your feet.
--Rev. Darlow Sargeant
It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mistrusting. Can we gain anything by it? Do we not unfit ourselves for action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith.
Oh, for grace to be quiet! Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. We may be sure that every word of His will stand, though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in. Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus.
--Selected
Peace thy inmost soul shall fill
Lying still!
-Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, October 8th
~Brittany

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,

because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;

therefore will I hope in him.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him,

to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait

for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

~ Lamentations 3:22-27 ~

"How much strength each man hath is best proved

by occasions of adversity:

for such occasions do not make a man frail,

but show of what temper he is."

- Thomas a' Kempis -

"He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow,

but labors joyfully and with a great heart.

"For he giveth His beloved, as in sleep."

They must work and watch,

yet never be careful or anxious,

but commit all to Him,

and live in serene tranquility;

and with a quiet heart,

as one who sleeps safely and quietly."

- Martin Luther -

~Brittany