Quote by George Matheson

Am I to thank God for everything?

Am I to thank Him for bereavement, for pain, for poverty, for toil?

. . . . . Be still, my soul: thou hast missed the message. It is not to give thanks for everything, but to give thanks in everything.

Poem by Unknown — Farther On

I hear it singing, singing sweetly,

Softly in an undertone,

Singing as if God had taught it,

“It is better farther on!”

Night and day it brings the message,

Sings it while I sit alone;

Sings so that the heart may hear it,

“It is better farther on!”

Sits upon the grave and sings it,

Sings it when the heart would groan,

Sings it when the shadows darken,

“It is better farther on!”

Farther on?  Oh! How much farther?

Count the mile-stones one by one.

No! No counting ---- only trusting

“It is better farther on!”

Quote by Henry Ward Beecher

When you cry out for God, He will cry out for you. There was never a heart homesick for heaven, that heaven was not homesick for it.  Never did a soul long for God, that God did not long for that soul.

Quote by Henry Van Dyke

Is there anything that pleases you more than to be trusted, --- to have even a little child look up into your face, and put out its hand to meet yours, and come to you completely?  By so much as God is better than you are, by so much more does He love to be trusted . . . there is a hand stretched out to you, --- a hand with a wound in the palm of it. Reach out the hand of your faith to clasp it, and cling to it, for without faith it is impossible to please God.

Poem by Aubrey De Vere — Odds and Ends

Our lives are full of odds and ends;

First one and then another ----

And though we know not how or when,

They’re deftly wove together.

The weaver has a master’s skill,

And proves it by this token, ---

No loop is dropped, no strand is missed,

And not a thread is broken.

Not e’en a shred is thrown aside,

So careful is the weaver,

Who joining all with wondrous skill,

 Weaves odds and ends together.

Poem by Unknown — His Word

This Bread will make the hungry whole;

This Honey will satisfy the soul;

This Milk is growth to all who drink;

This Meat is strength to all who think.

This Book rewards with priceless wealth;

This Book imparts a godly health;

This Friend delights the soul with joy;

This Teacher will our thoughts employ.

This Hammer breaks the stubborn hearts;

This Fire wondrous warmth imparts;

This Table for all a feast doth spread;

This Covenant exalts Christ as Head.

This Word shows men as gone astray;

This Word declares salvation’s Way;

This Lamp to sinners gives the Light;

This Physician restores their sight.

This Rock is the foundation sure;

This Medicine for sin’s the cure;

This Treasure teems with wealth indeed;

This Vow by God is guaranteed.

This Sword discerns the hearts of all;

This Guide relates the Shepherd’s call;

This Ttruth exalts the Savior’s blood;

This Bible is the Word of God.

Acrostic by Unknown — Alpha and Omega

To the artist He is the Altogether Lovely one.

To the builder He is the Chief Cornerstone.

To the chef He is the Bread of Life.

To the doctor He is the Chief Physician.

To the educator He is the Chief Teacher.

To the florist He is the Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley.

To the geologist He is the Rock of Ages.

To the horticulturist He is the True Vine.

To the intellect He is the Wisdom of God.

To the jeweler He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the king He is the Lord of Glory.

To the lawyer He is the Judge of All the Earth.

To the manufacturer He is the Great Creator.

To the newsman He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the oculist He is the Light of the World.

To the philanthropist He is the Gift of God,

To the queen He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

To the rabbi He is the Messiah.

To the scholar He is the Truth.

To the theologian He is the Author and Finisher of Our Faith.

To the undertaker He is the Resurrection.

To the visionary He is the Revelation of Deity.

To the wrecker He is the Restorer of All Things.

To the X-ray technician He is the Word, before Whom “all things are naked and opened” Heb 4:13.

To the youth He is the Life.

To the zealot He is the Lamb of God.

Poem by Robert Murray McCheyne — How Much I Owe

When this passing world is done,

When has sunk yon glowing sun,

When we stand with Christ in glory,

Looking o’er life’s finished story.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know ---

Not till then --- how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,

Dressed in beauty not my own,

When I see Thee as Thou art,

Love Thee with unsinning heart,

Then, Lord, shall I fully know ---

Not till then --- how much I owe.

When the praise of heaven I hear,

Loud as thunder to the ear,

Loud as many water’s noise,

Sweet as harp‘s melodious voice,

Then, Lord, shall I fully know ---

Not till then --- how much I owe.

Even on earth, as through a glass

Darkly, let Thy glory pass,

Make forgiveness feel so sweet,

Make Thy Spirit’s help to meet

Even on earth, Lord, make me know

Something of how much I owe.