The Christian Quotation of the Day

Coleridge: Eternal transformation

2026-10-23T23:00:37.517-05:00

Saturday, October 24, 2026
Meditation:
    Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
    —Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)
Quotation:
God’s child in Christ adopted—Christ my all—
What that earth boasts were not lost cheaply, rather
Than forfeit that blest name, by which I call
The Holy One, the Almighty God, my Father?—
Father! in Christ we live, and Christ in Thee—
Eternal Thou and everlasting we.
The heir of heaven, henceforth I fear not death:
In Christ I live! in Christ I draw the breath
Of the true life!—let then earth, sea, and sky
Make war against me! On my heart I show
Their mighty Master’s seal. In vain they try
To end my life, that can but end its woe.—
Is that a death-bed where a Christian lies?
Yes, but not his—’tis Death itself there dies.
    ... Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, v. II, London: W. Pickering, 1835, p. 151 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 8:1-2; Matt. 5:44-45; Luke 20:35-36; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:51-57; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, release me from the fear of death. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Rutherford: the furnace

2026-10-22T23:00:53.459-05:00

Friday, October 23, 2026
Meditation:
    Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
    —Romans 8:17 (NIV)
Quotation:
    I am glad ye have been acquainted from your youth with the wrestlings of God, being cast from furnace to furnace, knowing if you were not dear to God, and if your health did not require so much of him, he would not spend so much physic upon you. All the brethren and sisters of Christ must be conformed to his image in suffering, Rom. 8:17, and some do more clearly resemble the copy than others.
    ... Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664), Letters of Samuel Rutherford, Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1848, letter, Jan. 15, 1629, p. 8 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 8:17; Deut. 4:20; Isa. 48:10; Mal. 3:2; Matt. 16:24; Luke 24:26; Acts 14:21-22; Phil. 1:29-30; 2 Tim. 2:10-14
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have transformed my misfortunes into blessings, as only You can. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Trueblood: new temple, old idol

2026-10-21T23:00:52.574-05:00

Thursday, October 22, 2026
Meditation:
    [Paul to the Athenians:] “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
    —Acts 17:24-25 (ESV)
Quotation:
    In some communities there remains, as a vestige of a false conception of the church building, a resistance to the sale and purchase of books on a table... anywhere on the premises. When this position is expressed, it must be attacked directly and unapologetically, because it represents a genuine evil, ... the idolatry of bricks and mortar, a heresy specifically undermined by the Apostle Paul in Athens when he said, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man” (Acts 17:24). The notion that it is perfectly all right to sell a New Testament in the department store on Monday, but that it is wrong to sell it in the meetinghouse on Sunday, represents a confusion so great that it is truly appalling.
    As Christians, we believe in the Real Presence, but it is a severe denial of the divine power to claim that this Presence is limited geographically. If, in a building dedicated to worship, a seeker buys a book on Sunday morning and his life is deepened in consequence, the only important thing to say is that the Gospel has thereby been preached, and this is one of the major tasks of the Church.
    ... Elton Trueblood (1900-1994), The Incendiary Fellowship, New York: Harper, 1967, p. 64-65 (see the book)
    See also Acts 17:24-25; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chr. 2:6; 6:18; John 4:22-23; Acts 7:48-50
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, send Your Spirit to remind me of Your Presence in all things. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Gossip: the waste of misdirection

2026-10-20T23:00:08.675-05:00

Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Meditation:
    And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
    —Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)
Quotation:
    When we look at the history of the Church, at the reckless fashion in which we have squandered our strength and time in fratricidal struggles between sect and sect, in embittered bickerings over matters often of secondary moment, while the world about us lies unwon, and the Church’s great commission remains plainly unfulfilled, surely we can understand that outburst of Erasmus, when he cried that he wished that we would cease from our disputings altogether, and put all that energy and zeal that we are wasting upon them into the carrying of the Gospel to the heathen! Or recall the infinite pains that have been taken, down the centuries, to preserve minute orthodoxy in all points of mental belief while ugly evils flaunt along the streets and are accepted meekly as part of the makeup of things! Or recollect how easy it is to assume that we, ourselves, are Christian people. Why? Oh, well, just the usual reasons: we say our prayers, when we are not too sleepy; and we come to church, when there is nothing much to do; and so, of course, there is no doubt of it, although our tempers may remain uncurbed, and our characters are not the least like Jesus Christ’s, nor growing any nearer it! Do we not need that solemn warning that Christ gives us when He tells us bluntly that many people lose their lives and souls, because they are always laying the emphasis and stress on the wrong points?
    ... A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), The Galilean Accent, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1926, p. 236-237 (see the book)
    See also Phil. 1:9-11; Matt. 23:13; Rom. 2:17-21; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 2:14,16; 4:3-4; Tit. 1:13-14; 2 Pet. 1:16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lead me to use Your gifts to Your glory and to the benefit of Your church. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Kraemer: the Church belongs to Christ

2026-10-19T23:00:54.296-05:00

Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Meditation:
    ... for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.
    —Acts 20:27-31 (ESV)
Quotation:
    By God’s grace we live in a time of rediscovery of the Church and of the wholeness of the Church. We see more clearly than often has been the case that ecclesiology and christology are one. The ekklesia, the community of believers, has as its first and foremost qualification that it is that community which, as community, belongs to Christ and is in Christ, and as such is the sphere of God’s salvation, redemption and reconciliation and of Christ’s rulership. This is the archetypal reality of the Church. To see and seize this essential point is a great blessing. This blessing, however, could as well become a curse, if it remained a theme of theological meditation and self-contemplation. This new knowledge is not real knowledge, if it is not accompanied by a horror about the alienation of the empirical Church from its own fundamental reality and by a deep longing for a tangible manifestation of the Church’s true na ture. This horror and this longing are the deeper motives which are operating in many of the events and passionate discussions around the place and responsibility of the laity as an organic part of the Church.
    ... Hendrik Kraemer (1888-1965), A Theology of the Laity, London: Lutterworth Press, 1958, p. 100 (see the book)
    See also Acts 20:27-31; Isa. 46:9-11; Matt. 28:19-20; John 15:15; 2 Cor. 5:17; 11:3; Rev. 3:1-2,14-16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, quicken Your church. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Newbigin: knowing the Spirit

2026-10-18T23:00:41.767-05:00

Monday, October 19, 2026
    Feast of Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India & Persia, 1812
Meditation:
    And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.
    —Acts 19:1-7 (ESV)
Quotation:
    The apostle asked the converts of Apollos one question: “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” and got a plain answer. His modern successors are more inclined to ask either “Did you believe exactly what we teach?” or “Were the hands that were laid on you our hands?” and—if the answer is satisfactory—to assure the converts that they have received the Holy Spirit even if they don’t know it.
    ... Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998), The Household of God, London, SCM Press, 1953, New York: Friendship Press, 1954, p. 104 (see the book)
    See also Acts 19:1-7; Joel 2:28; Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-48; Gal. 3:2-5
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, turn our eyes from the forms to the reality of Your Presence. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Cogdell: Jesus, the pioneer of faith

2026-10-17T23:00:33.447-05:00

Sunday, October 18, 2026
    Feast of Luke the Evangelist
Meditation:
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
    —Psalm 34:4 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Jesus ventured to trust God far beyond the degree that any other man had trusted God. Abraham, Moses, and David were valiant believers, but compared to Jesus they were timid souls. Consider the human disappointments Jesus endured: rejected in his home town, harassed and persecuted by the religious leaders of his nation, misunderstood by his own family, betrayed with a kiss and abandoned by all his followers. Yet through it all Jesus never complained or rebelled against God; he trusted God even on the cross. Psalm 34 sets forth Jesus’ pioneering discovery of God’s faithfulness and delivering power. Thus Jesus was “delivered from all his fears” (v 4), “saved ... out of all his troubles” (v 6), “delivered out of all his afflictions” (v 19).
    Certainly Jesus is our primary teacher and example in trusting God. If David could teach his followers to trust in God, how much more Jesus. As we see the steadfast faith of our Lord through weariness, disappointment, rejection, and even death on a cross, we cannot but be encouraged to believe that God can deliver us through our small trials. That is why we should run the race set before us looking unto Jesus.
    ... John R. Cogdell, “The humanity of Jesus Christ, as revealed in certain Psalms”, section II (see the book)
    See also Ps. 34; Isa. 53:7; Matt. 5:11-12; Mark 15:2-5; Acts 20:24; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17-18; Heb. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:6-7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, keep my eyes on You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Owen: temptation

2026-10-16T23:00:07.718-05:00

Saturday, October 17, 2026
    Feast of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c.107
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
    —Luke 22:31-32 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Steadfastness in believing doth not exclude all temptations from without. When we say a tree is firmly rooted, we do not say the wind never blows upon it.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683), Works of John Owen, v. IX, New York: R. Carter, 1851, Serm. I, p. 27 (see the book)
    See also Luke 22:31-32, Ps. 1:1-3; 46:1; John 14:1; Rom. 4:20; Jas. 1:5-6
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your strength is my only hope. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Calvin: no reliance on good works

2026-10-15T23:00:08.752-05:00

Friday, October 16, 2026
    Commemoration of the Oxford Martyrs, Hugh Latimer, Nicolas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, bishops and martyrs, 1555
Meditation:
    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
    —Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Justification is withdrawn from works, not that no good works may be done, or that what is done may be denied to be good, but that we may not rely upon them, glory in them, or ascribe salvation to them.
    ... John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, v. II, tr. John Allen, Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1921, III.xvii.1, p. 34 (see the book)
    See also Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:20-24,28; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:11,24
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I cannot save myself. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Teresa: prayer

2026-10-14T23:00:07.847-05:00

Thursday, October 15, 2026
    Feast of Teresa of Avila, Mystic, Teacher, 1582
Meditation:
    And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
    —Luke 22:45-46 (ESV)
Quotation:
    We must not content ourselves with the gift of prayer, or with liberty and consolation and gust in prayer. We must come out from prayer the most rapturous and sweet, only to do harder and ever harder works for God and our neighbors. Otherwise the prayer is not good, and the gusts are not from God.
    ... Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Santa Teresa, an Appreciation, Alexander Whyte, ed., London: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, 1897, p. 72 (see the book)
    See also Luke 22:45-46; Ps. 17:1; 34:4; Luke 18:1-7; Rom. 12:12; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2; 1 Pet. 4:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You strengthen me in prayer. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Hammarskjold: the everyday commitment

2026-10-13T23:00:06.763-05:00

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Meditation:
    Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
    —Philippians 3:17 (ESV)
Quotation:
    The “great” commitment is so much easier than the ordinary, everyday one—and can all too easily shut our hearts to the latter. A willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice can be associated with, and even produce, a great hardness of heart.
    ... Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961), Markings, tr. Leif Sjöberg & W. H. Auden, (q.v.), New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964 (post.), p. 131 (see the book)
    See also Phil. 3:17-19; Jer. 6:16; 1 Cor. 10:32-33; 11:1; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2 Thess. 3:9; Heb. 12:1; 13:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, open my eyes to the small services You call me to do. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Brother Lawrence: dealing with our sins

2026-10-12T23:00:26.524-05:00

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
    Feast of Edward the Confessor, 1066
Meditation:
    ... let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
    —Isaiah 55:7 (ESV)
Quotation:
    [He said:] That all possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the love of God, could not efface a single sin. That we ought, without anxiety, to expect the pardon of our sins from the blood of Jesus Christ, only endeavoring to love Him with all our hearts. That GOD seemed to have granted the greatest favors to the greatest sinners, as more signal monuments of His mercy.
    ... Brother Lawrence (c.1605-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God, New York, Revell, 1895, Second Conversation, p. 12-13 (see the book)
    See also Isa. 55:7; Matt. 10:37-38; Luke 7:41-47; John 21:15-17; Gal. 5:6; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 John 4:19
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I rely on Your mercy more than ever. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Hebert: the admiring disbelievers

2026-10-11T23:00:52.514-05:00

Monday, October 12, 2026
    Commemoration of Wilfrid, Abbot of Ripon, Bishop of York, Missionary, 709
    Commemoration of Elizabeth Fry, Prison Reformer, 1845
Meditation:
    [Paul:] “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
    —Acts 17:30-32 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Finally, what do we mean by the word “true?” How do we distinguish real Truth from human notions and ideas and opinions and doctrines? We are compelled to say that the word “true” means “grounded in reality, based on the real nature of things, on the basic facts which underlie the universe.” Hence, if people say, as many have said, that the moral ideals set out in the gospels are high and noble ideals, and express admiration for the moral character of Jesus, and stop there, not daring to affirm more than that, the answer they are giving to the Question [Is the Gospel true?] is “No”.
    ... Gabriel Hebert (1886-1963), The Christ of Faith and the Jesus of History, London: SCM Press, 1962, p. 102 (see the book)
    See also Acts 17:30-32; John 3:16; Acts 2:36; Rom. 8:3-4; Gal. 4:4-6
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your word is truth. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Donne: faith's reasons and choices

2026-10-10T23:00:07.072-05:00

Sunday, October 11, 2026
    Commemoration of Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking, 675
Meditation:
    After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.
    —Acts 24:24-26 (ESV)
Quotation:
    We may search so far, and reason so long of faith and grace, as that we may lose not only them, but even our reason too, and sooner become mad than good. Not that we are bound to believe anything against reason, that is, to believe, we know not why. It is but a slack opinion, it is not Belief, that is not grounded upon Reason... It is true, we have not a Demonstration; not such an Evidence as that one and two are three, to prove these to be Scriptures of God; God hath not proceeded in that manner, to drive our reason into a pound, and to force it by a peremptory necessity to accept these for Scriptures, for then, here had been no exercise of our will, and our assent, if we could not have resisted.
    ... John Donne (1573-1631), Works of John Donne, vol. V, London: John W. Parker, 1839, Sermon CXVII, p. 55-57 (see the book)
    See also Acts 24:24-26; Matt. 21:32; Luke 22:67-69; 24:36-43; John 3:12; 5:37-40,46-47; 7:5; 10:25-26; Rom. 3:1-2; 2 Tim. 3:16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I believe, and I am nourished by Your Word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Fox: understanding the Scriptures

2026-10-09T23:00:52.862-05:00

Saturday, October 10, 2026
    Feast of Paulinus, Bishop of York, Missionary, 644
Meditation:
    When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
    —John 16:13 (ESV)
Quotation:
    It be a certain truth, that none can understand [the prophets’ and apostles’] writings aright, without the same Spirit by which they were written.
    ... George Fox (1624-1691), Journal, v. I, Philadelphia: B. & T. Kite, 1808, p. 110 (see the book)
    See also John 16:13; Rom. 8:16; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 John 5:6
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant that I may hear and respond the Spirit’s prompting in Scripture. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Augustine: the yoke is light

2026-10-08T23:00:07.731-05:00

Friday, October 9, 2026
    Commemoration of Denys, Bishop of Paris, & his Companions, Martyrs, 258
    Commemoration of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, Philosopher, Scientist, 1253
Meditation:
    Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
    —2 Timothy 2:20-22 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Thou knowest how far Thou hast already changed me, who first healed me of the lust of vindicating myself, that so Thou mightest forgive all the rest of my iniquities, and heal all my infirmities, and redeem my life from corruption, and crown me with mercy and pity, and satisfy my desire with good things; who didst curb my pride with Thy fear, and tame my neck to Thy yoke. And now I bear it and it is light unto me, because so hast Thou promised, and hast made it; and verily it was so, and I knew it not, when I feared to take it.
    ... St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Confessions [397], Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1886, X.xxxvi, p. 278 (see the book)
    See also 2 Tim. 2:20-22; Matt. 7:24; 11:29-30; John 13:17; 14:21-24; 15:10-14; Heb. 5:8-9
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I rejoice to be in Your service. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Thomas a Kempis: the spirit of understanding

2026-10-07T23:00:28.165-05:00

Thursday, October 8, 2026
Meditation:
    At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
    —Matthew 18:1-4 (ESV)
Quotation:
    The more a man hath unity and simplicity in himself, the more things and the deeper things he understandeth; and that without labour, because he receiveth the light of understanding from above. The spirit which is pure, sincere, and steadfast, is not distracted though it hath many works to do, because it doth all things to the honour of God, and striveth to be free from all thoughts of self-seeking.
    ... Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ [1418], Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1877, I.iii.3, p. 34 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 18:1-4; Rom. 12:6-8; 14:1-8; 2 Cor. 3:11; 1 Thess. 4:11-12
Quiet time reflection:
    Show me the way to simplicity in You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Braithwaite: the claim of Good News

2026-10-06T23:00:33.197-05:00

Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
    —John 13:13-15 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Although we have different ways of worshipping and doing things, we have only one God. So how can we claim to have... “Good News” unless people can see in us that Jesus Christ is breaking down barriers and bringing us together?
    ... Albert Braithwaite
    See also John 13:13-15; 17:23; 1 Cor. 1:11-13; 8:4-6; Rom. 15:5; Eph. 4:3-6
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lead us to tear away our divisions. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Davidman: endless youth

2026-10-05T23:00:56.190-05:00

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
    Feast of William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures, Martyr, 1536
Meditation:
    Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    —Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    “Thou shalt not” is the beginning of wisdom. But the end of wisdom, the new law, is, “Thou shalt.” To be Christian is to be old? Not a bit of it. To be Christian is to be reborn, and free, and unafraid, and immortally young.
    ... Joy Davidman (1915-1960), Smoke on the Mountain, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1955, reprint, Westminster John Knox Press, 1985, p. 20 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 5:11-12; Ps. 143:8-10; John 16:13; Gal. 4:6; 5:16,18,22-25; Rom. 8:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I long for the full measure of life You promise. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Coslett: the qualified gardener

2026-10-04T23:00:55.725-05:00

Monday, October 5, 2026
Meditation:
    And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.”
    —Matthew 15:10-13 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds, we are not fit to take care of a garden.
    It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. We must learn and labor to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a wicked propensity to choke the word of life.
    ... Evan S. Coslett (1830-1939), Leaves of Gold, Clyde Francis Lytle, ed. [1948], Honesdale, Pa.: Coslett Publishing Company, 1938, p. 150 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 15:10-13; Isa. 60:21; Matt. 13:24-30,36-42; John 15:2,6; 1 Cor. 3:12-15
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, teach me to know the good plants in my heart. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Francis: joy

2026-10-03T23:00:26.886-05:00

Sunday, October 4, 2026
    Feast of Francis of Assisi, Friar, Deacon, Founder of the Friars Minor, 1226
Meditation:
    When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
    —Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Study always to have Joy, for it befits not the servant of God to show before his brother or another sadness or a troubled face.
    ... St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), The Mirror of Perfection [c. 1280], tr. Robert Steele, London: J.M. Dent, 1903, p. 141 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 6:16-18; Mark 2:18; Luke 2:10; 10:21; John 15:11
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, help me to maintain a cheerful demeanor. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Lewis: the Bible as literature?

2026-10-02T23:00:10.214-05:00

Saturday, October 3, 2026
    Commemoration of William Morris, Artist, Writer, 1896
    Commemoration of George Kennedy Bell, Bishop of Chichester, Ecumenist, Peacemaker, 1958
Meditation:
    This is what God the LORD says—he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
    “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
    —Isaiah 42:5-7 (NIV)
Quotation:
    In most parts of the Bible, everything is implicitly or explicitly introduced with “Thus saith the Lord.” It is... not merely a sacred book but a book so remorselessly and continuously sacred that it does not invite—it excludes or repels—the merely aesthetic approach. You can read it as literature only by a tour de force... It demands incessantly to be taken on its own terms: it will not continue to give literary delight very long, except to those who go to it for something quite different. I predict that it will in the future be read, as it always has been read, almost exclusively by Christians.
    ... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), They Asked for a Paper, London: Geoffrey Bles, 1962, p. 49 (see the book)
    See also Isa. 42:5-7; 28:16; Hag. 2:6-7; Mark 12:36; 1 Cor. 14:3,22; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Pet. 1:20-21
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your word is both beautiful and powerful. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Phillips: reading as an adult

2026-10-01T23:00:10.043-05:00

Friday, October 2, 2026
Meditation:
    For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
    —Colossians 2:1-3 (ESV)
Quotation:
    The testimony of the New Testament cannot be lightly disregarded, nor can the claims of Christ be airily dismissed. Many otherwise intelligent people have never read with adult attention either the four Gospels or the Letters of the New Testament. When they so do, to my certain knowledge, they not infrequently become converted. Indeed, I know of no adult who has seriously studied the New Testament and rejected the stories of Christ as mythical or the evidence of changed lives in the Letters as mere fabrication.
    ... J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), God With Us: a Message for Christmas, London: Epworth Press, 1957, p. 11 (see the book)
    See also Col. 2:1-3; Acts 4:31; 2 Cor. 4:2; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; 13:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I praise You for rescuing me from a life of skepticism and doubt. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Law: new every morning

2026-09-30T23:00:57.522-05:00

Thursday, October 1, 2026
    Commemoration of Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, Apostle of the Franks, 533
    Commemoration of Thérèse of Lisieux, Carmelite Nun, Spiritual Writer, 1897
Meditation:
    For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
    —1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Receive therefore every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God’s goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator.
    ... William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life [1728], London: Methuen, 1899, p. 248-249 (see the book)
    See also 1 Cor. 15:22; Ps. 8:1; 30:5; 2 Cor. 4:16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I praise You and thank You for new life this day. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Chadwick: springing the trap

2026-09-29T23:00:37.639-05:00

Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Meditation:
    And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
    —Mark 11:27-33 (ESV)
Quotation:
    Here [Mark 11:27-33] they discerned a flaw, a heresy; and they would force Him either to make a fatal claim, or else to moderate His pretensions at their bidding, which would promptly restore their lost influence and leadership.
    Nor need we shrink from confessing that our Lord was justly open to such reproach, unless He was indeed Divine, unless He was deliberately preparing His followers for that astonishing revelation, soon to come, which threw the Church upon her knees in adoration of her God manifest in flesh.
    ... G. A. Chadwick (1840-1923), The Gospel According to St. Mark, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1891, p. 131 (see the book)
    See also Mark 11:27-33; Matt. 23:21-27; 26:3-4; Luke 20:1-8; 20:40; 22:2; John 5:18; 7:1
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You come to my heart with truth and power. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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