CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11684, 13 July 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

devotional. BE STRONG. Tlie little sharp vexations, . ' And' the briars that caxch and rret; Why not take all to the Helper - AVho lias never failed: us yet. Tell-Him about the heartache. And tell Him the longings too ; , Tell Him the baffled: purpose, When we scarce know t>o. .do? - Then leaving all our weakness - Witli the One divinely strong, * Forget that we bore the'burden-, And carry away the song. <- —l\ Brooks:MEDITATION. "Thera are many times'in my truest and deepest life, when .all my safety ,s to stand; still and see the salvation of the Lord. 1 must do so when lam face to face with spiritual antagonists. The unholy thoughts which torment me; the ■inconsistent words which escape my lips; the old habits which -are -always coming back to annoy and befoul m-e —they will never be overcome by my strenuous ef-forts-alone. Daily I must turn; to, daily I musti receive from my God's inexliaus•tibk> treasury of grace, if- l.um to have power and: prevail. I must, do so, tod, when I am in- diarkness of mind! and Spul. Doubts may overspread, my sky—doubts as to whether my- God is really mine. I cannot carve my-own-way out of these j>eriods of glooni. I must, even, when He seems to have withdrawn His and life-giving presence, 0011tiniue to look up - to Him- in •my • loneliness lamdl waiting till Ho have mercy, upon me. It is.He rwho will cause my midnight to-flee away, and . will'restored the sunshine and. the summer. "1 must . again -w:hen I ,am . concerned sbout the salvaitSon 7of : others. I .can., indeed-,, speak;:-to them. I can, indeed pray for them on bended' knees, in- the, secret place. I can- warn them ' night and day with tears. But when aIT has been tried that my wisdlom and love can suggest, I must recognise .the limits of my power. lam helpless to redeem my brothers. I must, leave God! to give the increase. Thus, along the whole of my .Christian' coarse, from, the. 'moment of l birth to the moment of coronation, the balkl# is notmine, but God's." . PRAYER.' Halp us, 0 Lord, to answer with ouripoor love to Thy great love. And do Thou melt our hearts, and mould our wills, and fill our whole selves with the sweet greatness of that-love which spared not its well-bsloved .Son, / and _gave Him to the death-for us all. AVe .would yield to the sweet constraint of ■Thy-.: great mercy,., and rejoice that I Thou dost draw us with cords of -love, i We pray that more-and-more our inmost selves-may . be influenced by Thy. great manifestation of Thyself to us in Jesus ■ Christ, Thy Incarnate Love.Grant, we pray Thee, that, all .the wavering of our ininds; the wandering of our desires, may be checked and drawn to Thyself, ,and that, .the-cold-ness and indifference which has char-acterised-us may be changed into fervor of devotion and*calmness. of : consecrated obedience. \Through. Jesus Christ- our Lord. Amenl • ,- •/' ■■■■ . QUIET THOUGHTS. .

Love is the highest word—it is the synonym of God. A religion : without its mysteries, is atemple without a God. - - Misfortune is never mournful to the soul that 'accepts it; "for such."always sees that every cloud is an, angel-s face. Every individual has :a\place .to fill in the world, -and.is important in some respects, whether he" chooses- to ,T>e so or not. Sin is like a weed which outgrows the field where it-first found root, and rums- other fields not ofe the same property. c - ' J. « T The idol is th's measure of the worshipper. ~ ■> ' f „

True patriotism consists in discovering the way in which Go<l is going, and getting tilings out of the way for Him. There is no immunity from the consequences of sin; punishment is swift and sure to one .and all.

No one: perfectly loves God who does uot perfectly love ■ some one of His. creatures.

Discouragement can never be to the man of faith a permanent condition. - Our seasons of discouragement are but wasrted time on • tlio road.