January 27

“I am often struck by seeing how the loftiness of the life of Jesus altogether escaped the perplexity of many of the questions with which our lives are troubled, as the eagle flying through the sky is not worried how to cross the rivers. We debate whether self-culture or our brethren’s service is the true purpose of our life. We vacillate aimlessly. Now we shut ourselves up and meditate, and try to grow. Now we rush forth and make the wide world ring with what we call our work. The two so often have no connection with each other. We are so apt to live two lives. But Jesus knows but one. All culture of His soul is part of our salvation. All doing of His work is ripening His nature. . . . Not until the apostle of self-culture knows that no man can come to his best by selfishness, and the apostle of usefulness knows that no man can do much for other men who is not much himself; not until then shall men have fairly started on the broad road to the completeness of God their Father in the footsteps of the Son of Man.”

PHILLIPS BROOKS

“We must be more; and to be more we must more often think of our Ideal.”

A. S. BARNET