Quotes from Elizabeth Prentiss

I hope these quotes from Elizabeth Prentiss, (1818 – 1878), challenge, bless and encourage you, as they do for me.  

The longer I live, the more conscious I am of my human frailty—and of the constant, overwhelming need I have of God's grace.

Dying grace is not usually given until it is needed. Death, to the disciple of Jesus, is only stepping from one room to another and far better room of our Father's house. And how little all the sorrows of the way will seem to us, when we get to our home above.

You never will be really happy—until Christ becomes your dearest and most intimate friend.

Seek God—not joy.

God delights to try our faith by the conditions in which He places us.

What are trials, but angels to beckon us nearer to Him.

What does it matter, after all, from what point of time or space, that we go to our eternal home. O how we shall smile after we get there—that we ever gave it one moment's thought.

In proportion to your devotion to the Savior—will be the blessedness of your life.

I am persuaded that real humility dwells deep within the heart, and that it is only to be gained by communion with our blessed Savior—who, when He was reviled, reviled not again.

The greatest saint on earth has got to reach Heaven on the same terms as the greatest sinner—unworthy, unfit, good-for-nothing; but saved through grace.

In proportion to our love to Christ—will be the agony of terror lest we should sin and fall, and so grieve and weary Him.

One minute of nearness to the Lord Jesus, contains more delight than years spent in communion with any earthly friend.

The more we love Him—the more we see how sinful sin is, and the more sorry we are to have been guilty of it.

I entreat you to turn your eyes away from self and from man—and look to Christ.

Let us never allow anything to come between our hearts and our God.

It is sweet to be in the sunshine of the Master's smile—but I believe our souls need winter, as well as summer. We need night, as well as day.

Let us take our lot in life just as it comes, courageously, patiently, and faithfully, never wondering at anything the Master does.

Some of God's children must go into the furnace, to testify that the Son of God is there with them.

Not until I was shut up to prayer and to the study of God's word by the loss of earthly joys—sickness destroying the flavor of them all—did I begin to penetrate the mystery that is learned under the cross. And wondrous as it is, how simple is this mystery! To love Christ, and to know that I love Him—this is all.

We must be wise taskmasters and not require of ourselves what we cannot possibly perform. Recreation we must have. Otherwise, the strings of our soul, wound up to an unnatural tension, will break.

Ah, what a life is theirs who live in Christ! How vast the mystery! Reaching in height to Heaven—and in its depth, the unfathomed sea!

To love Christ more is my deepest need, and the constant cry of my soul!

Much of my experience of life has cost me a great price—and I wish to use it for strengthening and comforting other souls.

I am a wayward, foolish child—but He loves me! I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand times—but He loves me! I have lost faith in some of my dearest friends and am very desolate—but He loves me! I do not love Him much—but He loves me!

O my crucified Master, Redeemer, God—take what I cannot give—my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength, nights, days—and spend them in Your service. Oh, let not these be mere words! Whom have I in the Heaven, but You? And there is no one upon earth that I desire in comparison to You. My heart is athirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

The best convent for a woman, is the seclusion of her own home. There she may find her vocation and fight her battles, and there she may learn the reality and the earnestness of life.

It sweetens every bit of work—to think that I am doing it in humble, yet real imitation of Jesus.

No truth can be said to be seen as it is—until it is seen in its relation to all other truths.

If you could once make up your mind never to undertake more work than you can carry on calmly, quietly, without hurry or flurry; and if the instant you feel yourself growing nervous and out of breath, you would stop and take a breath—you would find this simple common-sense rule doing for you what no prayers or tears could ever accomplish.

O happy life! life hid with Christ in God! So making me at home and by the wayside and abroad—alone with You.

The question is not whether you ever gave yourself to God—but whether you are His now.

There is certainly enough in our Savior, if we only open our eyes that we may see it, to solve every doubt and satisfy every longing of the heart; and He is willing to give it in full measure. If a glimpse of our Savior here on earth can be so refreshing, so delightful, what will it be in Heaven?

When my mind strives to grasp this love of Christ, it seems to struggle in vain with its own littleness, and falls back weary and exhausted, to wonder again at the heights and depths which surpass its comprehension.

God never places us in any position in which we cannot grow. We may imagine that He does. We may fear we are so impeded by fretting petty cares that we are gaining nothing; but when we are not sending any branches upward, we may be sending roots downward. Perhaps in the time of our humiliation, when everything seems a failure, we are making the best kind of progress. Look on and look up. Lay hold on Christ with both your poor, empty hands. Let Him do with you what seems good to Him. Though He slay you, still trust in Him, and I dare in His name to promise you a sweeter, better life than you could have ever known, had He left you to drink of the full dangerous cups of unmingled prosperity.

O if the unseen presence of Jesus can make the heart to sing for joy in the midst of its sorrow and sin here—then what will it be to dwell with Him forever!

We never know, or begin to know, the great Heart that loves us best, until we throw ourselves upon it in the hour of our despair. Friends say and do all they can for us, but they do not know what we suffer or what we need; but Christ who formed, has penetrated the depths of the crushed heart. He pours in the oil that no human hand possesses, and "as one whom his mother comforts, so will He comfort you."

Lay down this principle as a law: God does nothing arbitrary. If He takes away your health, for instance, it is because He has some reason for doing so. This is true of everything you value, and if you have real faith in Him, you will not insist on knowing the reason.

All your tears will soon be wiped away. You will see the King in His beauty. You will see Christ your Redeemer, and realize all He is, and all He has done for you. As I think of these things my soul is in haste to be gone. I long to be set free from sin and self, and to go to the fellowship of those who are done with them forever, and are perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

She is at home; she is well, she is happy, she will never know a bereavement or a day's illness, or the infirmities and trials of old age. She has the secret of perpetual youth! The only real comfort is that God never makes mistakes, and that He would not have snatched her from us if He had not had a reason that would satisfy us if we knew it. Next to dying and going home one's self, it must be sweet to accompany a Christian friend down to the very banks of the river. Isn't it strange that after such experiences we can ever again have a worldly thought, or ever lose the sense of the reality of divine things!

How transcendently good He is, when He brings me down to that low place, and there shows me that that self-renouncing, self-despairing spot is just the one where He will stoop to meet me.

Those words, "daily nearer God," have an inexpressible charm for me. I long for such nearness to Him that all other objects shall fade into comparative insignificance; so that to have a thought, a wish, a pleasure apart from Him, shall be impossible.

I am not sure that it is best for us, once safe and secure on the Rock of Ages, to ask ourselves too closely, what this and that experience may signify. Is it not better to be thinking of the Rock, not of the feet that stand upon it? It seems to me that we ought to be unconscious of ourselves, and that the nearer we get to Christ the more we shall be taken up with Him. We shall be like a sick man who, after he gets well, forgets all the symptoms he used to think so much of, and stops feeling his pulse, and just enjoys his health, only pointing out his physician to all who are diseased.

REST! What an infinite sweetness in the word. How perfectly sure I feel that my soul can never rest in itself, nor in anything of earth. If I find peace, it must be in the bosom of God. I know myself to be perfectly helpless. I cannot promise to do, or to be, anything; but I do want to put everything else aside, and to devote myself entirely to the service of Christ.

A cup of cold water given in Christ's name, if that is all one can give, is just as acceptable as the richest offering; and so is a teaspoonful, if one has no more to give. Christ loves to be loved, and the smallest testimony of real love is most pleasing to Him, and love shown to one of His suffering disciples, He regards as love to Himself. So a little child carrying a flower to some poor invalid, may thus do Christ honor and become more endeared to Him.

Let my life be an all-day looking to Jesus. Let my love to God be so deep, earnest, and all-pervading, that I cannot have even the passing emotion of rebellion to suppress. There is such a thing as an implicit faith in, and consequent submission to, Christ. Let me never rest until they are freely mine.

I believe that there is no happiness on earth, as there is none in Heaven—to be compared with that of losing all things to possess Christ.

2 Acrostics...

 

Thank You Heavenly Father for Your amazing Love for Your people. 

"The Agnostic and the Oranges" or one account of the faithfulness of the Heavenly Father to provide for His children

 A friend lent me a very encouraging booklet. Here's one of the many true accounts I read in it today. I hope you are also encouraged by it. 

"Dr. F. B. Meyer was once crossing the Atlantic. The captain asked him to preach in the saloon on Sunday morning. He spoke on “answered prayer” and gave a number of illustrations. An agnostic was present and someone said to him, “What do you think of Meyer’s sermon?”

“Oh,” he said, “I don’t believe a word of it.”

Dr. Meyer was speaking that afternoon to the passengers in the steerage (second-class) end of the ship. The agnostic picked up two oranges, put them in his pocket and walked over to the meeting.

As he threaded his way in and out amongst the steerage folk, he came across an old lady with silvery hair, her eyes closed in sleep, her head back and her hands open on her lap. He took the two oranges out of his pocket and placed them in her hands, and went on to the meeting. When he came back the old lady was eating one of the oranges. He said to her: “You seem to be enjoying your orange!”

“Yes,” she said, “my Father is very good.”

“Your what? Your father cannot be living.”

“Oh,” she said, “He is very much alive.” He asked what she meant.

“Well,” she replied, “I have been seasick for five days. This morning I longed for an orange. I knew there were some in the saloon, but I wondered how we could get them in the steerage. As I sat here I asked the Lord to send me an orange. I suppose I must have fallen off to sleep, and would you believe it, sir, when I opened my eyes, He had not only sent me one, but He sent me two!”

“Why,” he said, “is that true?”

“Absolutely true,” she said.

The bottom fell out of his agnosticism on the spot. The whole circumstances passed human explanation. God does answer prayer, and He sometimes uses infidels to carry the answer…"

 

Wise words of hope from a dear friend

 

A very simple song

 https://youtu.be/qdYbdW_NIN8?si=2fSlXazbwf-QhcqS

I wrote the first verse and chorus of this song back when I was 9 or 10.

I hope you are blessed as you watch/listen. 

Excerpt from “The Illimitable Love of God” 1st chapter in Jowett’s book, Things that Matter Most.

“God’s love is deeper than human sorrow, and how deep that is my appointed lot gives me daily and deepening experience. But drop your plummet-line into the deepest sea of sorrow, and at the end of all your soundings “underneath are the everlasting arms.” God’s love is deeper than death, and there are multitudes who know how deep grim death can be. “Just twelve months ago,” said a near friend of mine a week or two ago, “I dug a deep grave!” Aye, and I know it was deep enough. But the grave-digger’s spade cannot get beneath our Father’s love. God’s love is deeper than the deepest grave ever dug! “And entering into the sepulchre they saw an angel,” and you can never dig into any dreary, dreary dwelling of death which is beyond the reach of those white-robed messengers of eternal love. Yes, God’s love is deeper than death. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

And God’s love is deeper than sin, One night, when I was recently crossing the Atlantic, an officer of our boat told me that we had just passed over the spot where the Titanic went down. And I thought of the great bed of the deep sea, with all its held treasure, too far down for man to reach and restore. “Too far down!” And then I thought of all the human wreckage engulfed and sunk in oceanic depths of nameless sin. Too far gone! For what? Too far down! For what? Not too far down for the love of God! Listen to this: “He descended into hell,” and He will descend again if you are there. “If I make my bed in hell, Thou art there.” “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” “He bore our sin”; then He got beneath it; down to it and beneath it; and there is no human wreckage, lying in the ooze of the deepest sea of iniquity, that His deep love cannot reach and redeem. What a Gospel! However far down, God’s love can get beneath it!”

No rights...

I heard this poem earlier today. 

While I knew the premise years ago, it was good to have this powerful reminder. 

"He had no rights:

No right to a soft bed, and a well-laid table;

No right to a home of His own, a place where His own pleasure might be sought;

No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who could understand Him and sympathize with Him;

No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner paths;

No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love;

No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the One who meant more than all to Him.

His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows; to take His place as a sinner at the dock; to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.

He had no rights. And I?

A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.

A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.

A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.

A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.

A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.

A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.

All that He takes I will give;

All that He gives will I take;

He, my only right!

He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness.

I have full right to Him;

Oh, may He have full right to me!"

By Mabel Williamson

Further thoughts: As the Almighty Sovereign, and the Creator of the Heavens and the earth, He would have had every right to do whatever He pleased... But He chose to lay down all His rights because of His great love for His people. He was willing to become so humble so we, the sinners who caused Him such agony, could be reconciled with the Holy God.

Are we willing to lay aside our rights so He can have an available instrument, through whom others may come to see their great need of the Saviour?

I've found it rather challenging. 

I don't know if this is a true account, but I cried when I heard it

"There was a school with a class of students that no teacher had been able to handle. Two or three teachers had been run off from this school in one year by the unruly students.

A young man, just out of college, heard about the class and applied to the school. The principal asked the young man, “Do you know what you are asking for? No one else has been able to handle these students. You are just asking for a terrible beating.”

After a few moments of silent prayer, the young man looked at the principal and said, “Sir, with your consent I accept the challenge. Just give me a trial basis.”

The next morning the young man stood before the class He said to the class, “Young people, I came here today to conduct school. But I realize I can’t do it by myself. I must have your help.”

One big boy, they called Big Tom, in the back of the room whispered to his buddies, “I won’t need any help. I can lick that little bird all by myself.”

The young teacher told the class that if they were to have school, there would have to be some rules to go by. But he also added that he would allow the students to make up the rules and that he would list them on the blackboard.

This was certainly different, the students thought! One young man suggested “NO STEALING.” Another one shouted, “BE ON TIME FOR CLASS.”

Pretty soon they had 10 rules listed on the board. The teacher then asked the class what the punishment should be for breaking these rules. 

Someone in the class suggested that if the rules were broken, they should receive 10 licks with a rod across their back with their coat off. The teacher thought that this is pretty harsh, so he asked the class if they would stand by this punishment. The class agreed. Everything went along pretty good for two or three days.

Then Big Tom came in one day very upset. He declared that someone had stolen his lunch. After talking with the students, they came to the conclusion that little Timmy had stolen Big Tom’s lunch. Someone had seen little Timmy with Big Tom’s lunch!

The teacher called little Timmy up to the front of the classroom. Little Timmy admitted he had taken Big Tom’s lunch. So, the teacher asked him, “Do you know the punishment?”

Little Tim nodded that he did. “You must remove your coat,” the teacher instructed. The little fellow had come with a great big coat on. Little Timmy said to the teacher, “I am guilty, and I am willing to take my punishment, but please don’t make me take off my coat?”

The teacher reminded little Timmy of the rules and punishments and again told him he must remove his coat and take his punishment.

The little fellow started to unbutton that old coat. As he did so, the teacher saw he did not have a shirt on under the coat. And even worse, he saw a frail and bony frame hidden beneath that coat. The teacher asked little Timmy why he had come to school without a shirt on. Little Timmy replied, “I only have one shirt and my mother is washing it today. I wore my big brother’s coat so that I could keep warm.”

That young teacher stood and looked at the frail back with the spine protruding against the skin, and his ribs sticking out. He wondered how he could lay a rod on that little back and without even a shirt on. Still, he knew he must enforce the punishment, or the children would not obey the rules. So, he drew back to strike little Timmy. Just then Big Tom stood up and came down the aisle.

He asked, “Is there anything that says that I can’t take little Timmy’s whipping for him?” The teacher thought about it and agreed. With that, Big Tom ripped his coat off and bent over little Timmy at the desk. Hesitatingly the teacher began to lay the rod on that big back. But for some strange reason after only five licks that old rod broke. 

The young teacher buried his face in his hands and began to sob. He heard a commotion and looked up to find not even one dry eye in the classroom. Little Timmy had turned and grabbed Big Tom around the neck apologizing to him for stealing his lunch. Little Timmy begged Big Tom to forgive him. He told Big Tom that he would love him till the day he died for taking his whipping for him."

Likewise, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, took our punishment for us! He shed His precious blood on Calvary so that you and I can have eternal life in Glory with Him. 

We are utterly unworthy of the price He paid for us, but because of His great love He was willing to die for us!

 Truly we should love Him forever. 

Heavenly Father, please remind us again and again to keep our focus on Jesus and Eternity.

God shall all your need supply

 

https://youtu.be/fs68XkjorjY?si=u9DVmQmyK9DBGrNh

I wonder if you ever came across this Frances Ridley Havergal poem /hymn before? I couldn't find anyone else singing it so I "borrowed" this tune. I think they're great words.