January 26

“What we have to learn therefore is proportion; the finding for everything its relative place and fitness in the kingdom of God. How much of your life should be taken up with religious duties, or other duties, is a matter of counsel; but a general harmony should exist between the natural side of your life and the spiritual, leaving neither side undeveloped. This will come from a true view of the Holy Spirit’s work in creation, and of the work which He has to do in us; taking of the glory of Christ, which He has poured out in creation, and shewing it unto us; revealing to us something of the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. We have to be so much on our guard in these days against that divorce between the religious and the secular life, which is one of the greatest dangers of the church. See to the true centre of your life; its unity first, and then its proportion.”

Bishop WEBB

“Who keeps one end in view makes all things serve.”

BROWNING

January 25

“As regard the two lives, I do not think you would be the better for withdrawing from all society; another set of temptations would arise, and perhaps what are quite as dangerous though more subtle. But what we all have to do in our vocation, whatever it is, is to be quite sure we stand on God’s side, - and doing this will always cause us to use God’s gifts without abusing them and as for His Glory. How rightly to mix in this world’s life, even in a moderate degree, needs much inward self-discipline and self-restraint, much watchfulness to be true to god, and a fixed rule as to what one will or will not do, all this needs a very true conscientious dealing with oneself . . . I am far from thinking it is possible to serve God and the world, but living in the world is not serving the world.”

H. MONSELL

“It has been too much the fashion to divide the service of God from the work on the world, to call on men to leave all to follow Christ, as if Christ meant, when he called Peter and Matthew away for a special missionary work, that no one should remain to do the needful works of life and that no one who did not leave these works could follow Him. By this mistaking of a special call of special men to a particular work, for a universal law for all men, the fatal division was made of sacred and profane work. The true lesson of His teaching was that all work was given to man by God, and was to be done divinely with love and faith and joy.”

STOPFORD BROOKE

January 24

“We are always tempted to break up life into little fractions; and separate routine and effort; and contrast secular and spiritual; to assign thispart to the duties of the world, and that to the service of God. But such a division is faithless and vain. As the body is one so also is the life . . .

“The same spirit which leads us to isolate parts of our life as alone religious, leads us also to construct one type of religious work, so that all action which does not fall within this narrow boundary is left out of account.”

Bishop WESTCOTT

“Surely the truth must be, that whatsoever in our daily life is lawful and right for us to be engaged in, is in itself a part of our obedience to God; a part, that is, of our very religion. Whensoever we hear people complaining of obstructions and hindrances put by the duties of life in the way of devoting themselves to God, we may be sure they are under some false view or other.
“They do not look upon their daily work as the task God has set them, and as obedience due to him. We may go farther; and say, not only that the duties of life, be they never so toilsome and distracting, are no obstructions to a life of any degree of inward holiness; but that they are even direct means, when rightly used, to promote our sanctification.”

H. E. MANNING