The Widow’s Comfort
A Christian knew he should visit a woman whose husband had recently died. He dreaded the idea because she had been despondent, yet he decided to go. He knew it was right “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27).
Thought Control
When a preacher visited a young couple, the wife said to him, “We’re new Christians, and although I’m saved I’ve lived a worldly life— swearing, partying, and all those things. The past keeps coming back to haunt me. It’s destroying my peace of mind.”
Out of Focus
On the back of the pulpit in the church I used to attend were printed these words: “Sir, we would see Jesus!” They were a reminder to the minister that he must never allow anything—no matter how good or interesting—to distract him from focusing on the Savior.
The Cape of Good Hope
At the southern tip of Africa, a cape jutting out into the ocean once caused sailors great anxiety. Many who attempted to sail around it were lost in the swirling seas. Because adverse weather conditions so often prevailed there, the region was named the Cape of Storms. A Portuguese captain determined to find a safe route through those treacherous waters so his countrymen could reach Cathay and the riches of the East Indies in safety. He succeeded, and the area was renamed the Cape of Good Hope.
Where the Battle Lies
Miriam Booth, daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army, was a brilliant and cultured woman who began her Christian work with great promise and unusual success. Very soon, however, disease brought her to the point of death. A friend told her it seemed a pity that a woman of her capabilities should be hindered by sickness from doing the Lord’s work. With deep insight and gentle grace, Miriam replied, “It’s wonderful to do the Lord’s work, but it’s greater still to do the Lord’s will!”
Loving the Unlovely
An inner-city mission worker longed to show Christ’s love to others, but she found it difficult to give genuine affection to one particular vagrant. One day the sickly and unkempt woman to whom she had been witnessing was sentenced to jail. When the Christian worker saw her sobbing bitterly, she was filled with compassion. Quickly going to her side, she tenderly put her arm around her. Never having felt such love, the distressed woman was deeply moved, and later she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
The Cry for Love
A father sat at his desk poring over his monthly bills when his young son rushed in and announced, “Dad, because this is your birthday and you’re 55 years old, I’m going to give you 55 kisses, one for each year!” When the boy started making good on his word, the father exclaimed, “Oh, Andrew, don’t do it now; I’m too busy!”
Pressed Close to God
The vines that sometimes grow up the side of oak trees cling to them during the fiercest storms. Although the wind beats upon them, the tendrils hold tightly to the tree’s bark. If the vine is on the side opposite the wind, the great oak is its protection; if it’s on the exposed side, the wind presses the vine more closely to it.
In His Hands
On his deathbed, British preacher Charles Simeon smiled brightly and asked the people gathered in his room, “What do you think especially gives me comfort at this time?”
