| The Glory of the Common Life |
Chapter 5 |
Page 5 |
Never leave God out in making your plans. Never be discouraged when you are faithfully following Christ, though all things seem to be against you. In the darkest hour be of good cheer. God’s plan for your life includes these very things which so discourage you, take them in as part of his thought, and not one of them can mar the perfectness or the beauty of your life when it is finished. Let us meet all the hard things as parts of God’s plan. Plots against us shall fail to harm us. This is our Father’s world, and there is no power in it which ever gets out of his hand. Everywhere standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.
His assassins thought they were absolutely sure of St. Paul’s death next morning, but they had not thought about God. The business man said that India could not be made Christian in ten thousand years. But he had not thought about God. You are dreading something today – the passing of some dream that is most dear, the losing of some joy that appears to be slipping away from you. But you have not though about God. You have left him out, forgetting his might, his love, his wisdom, his power. He can protect you from the danger you are dreading. He can keep for you the joy you fear losing, if this is his purpose for you. He can do for you the things you long to have done. In the silence, unseen, stands God.
You are facing some duty which you feel you ought to do, but when you think of it, it seems so stupendous, so difficult to require such ability, such wisdom, such self sacrifice, that you say, “I cannot do it. It is impossible for me. I have not the strength for it. I am not wise enough.” You are forgetting about God. With him nothing is impossible.
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