Banqueting Table

Everyday, God prepares a bountiful table and invites us to feast.
It is up to us to eat.
If we need milk, there is milk.
If we need meat, there is meat.
We don't all need the same kinds of food.
He knows just what we need.
These are some of the wonderful words I ate today.

"My Strong Rock"-'Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily; be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me." Ps. 31:2

No sorrow of men is so deep and dark and bitter as to be without refuge, a rock, a safe retreat. My soul, however deep thy sorrow, however dark thy sin, however hopeless thy lot among men, the Man of Sorrows bore thy sin in His own body on the tree. He carried all thy grief. He is thy "Strong Rock." A strong, safe house, in which I am defended from myself, the world, the devil.'

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee. Amen."
(C.E.Hurlburt and T.C. Horton-'Wonderful Names of Our Wonderful Lord')
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"...(We) stagger beneath a weight which He would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance. See! the Almighty bends His shoulders, and He says, "Here, put your troubles here." 'Come unto Me and I will give you rest.'
(Charles Spurgeon-'Daily Help')
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"The fact is that the same moment which brings the consciousness of having sinned, ought to bring also the consciousness of being forgiven....We can only walk in this path by looking continually unto Jesus, moment by moment; and if our eyes are taken off of Him to look upon our own sin and our own weakness, we shall leave the path at once..."(Hannah W. Smith-'The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life.')
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"Love each other as God loves each one of you, with an intense and particular love. Be kind to each other. It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness."..."If we want others to become aware of the presence of Jesus, we must be the first ones convinced of it." (Mother Teresa-'No Greater Love')
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"We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that sets us free from loneliness and fear. Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment," ..."if we possess inward solitude we do not fear being alone, for we know that we are not alone. Neither do we fear being with others, for they do not control us. In the midst of noise and confusion we are settled into a deep inner silence. Whether alone or among people, we always carry with us a portable sanctuary of the heart."
(R. Foster)
..."One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair."(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
"Therefore , we must seek out the recreating stillness of solitude if we want to be with others meaningfully. We must seek the fellowship and accountability of others if we want to be alone safely. We must cultivate both if we are to live in obedience."
(Richard J. Foster-'Celebration of Discipline' on 'Solitude' and quoting D.Bonhoeffer)