George William Russell on THE STARS

Even as a bird sprays many-coloured fires, 

The plumes of paradise, the dying light 

Rays through the fevered air in misty spires 

That vanish in the heights. 

These myriad eyes that look on me are mine; 

Wandering beneath them I have found again 

The ancient ample moment, the divine, 

The God-root within men. 

For this, for this the lights innumerable 

As symbols shine that we the true light win: 

For every star and every deep they fill 

Are stars and deeps within.

King David on ALL MY DELIGHT

Thou art my God, my goods are nothing unto thee. All my delight is upon the saints, that are in the earth: and upon such as excel in virtue. But they that run after another god: shall have great trouble. Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer: neither make mention of their names within my lips. The Lord himself is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou shalt maintain my lot. The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground: yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will thank the Lord for giving me warning: my reins also chasten me in the night-season. I have set God always before me: for he is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall. Wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For why? thou shalt not leave my soul in hell: neither shalt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou shalt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is the fulness of joy: and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.

(BCP Psalter)

Amy Carmichael on FADING HOPES

The thoughts of the son ran thus: ‘My hopes painted beautiful pictures, but they are fading one by one.’ His Father said: ‘Destroy all those pictures. To watch them slowly fading is weakening to the soul. Dare then to destroy them. You can if you will. I will give you other pictures instead of those your hopes painted.

George MacDonald on THE UNFOLDING WORDS OF THE MASTER

It is to the man who is trying to live, to the man who is obedient to the word of the Master, that the word of the Master unfolds itself. When we understand the outside of things, we think we have them: the Lord puts his things in subdefined, suggestive shapes, yielding no satisfactory meaning to the mere intellect, but unfolding themselves to the conscience and heart, to the man himself, in the process of life- effort. According as the new creation, that of reality, advances in him, the man becomes able to understand the words, the symbols, the parables of the Lord. For life, that is, action, is alone the human condition into which the light of the Living can penetrate; life alone can assimilate life, can change food into growth.

(Unspoken Sermons)

M. Scott Peck on BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

When he gave his one full sermon, the first words out of Jesus' mouth, the first of the Beatitudes, were "Blessed are the poor in spirit." We can debate what he meant by this, but we can be quite sure that he did not mean an administration that regards itself as the world's policeman, that pretends to have all the answers, and seeks to maintain an image of both infallibility and invincibility.

(The Different Drum) 

George Macdonald on SMALL BEGINNINGS

"Anybody with leisure can do that who is willing to begin where everything ought to be begun--that is, at the beginning. Nothing worth calling good can or ever will be started full grown. The essential of any good is life, and the very body of created life, and essential to it, being its self operant, is growth. The larger start you make, the less room you leave for life to extend itself. You fill with the dead matter of your construction the places where assimilation ought to have its perfect work, building by a life-process, self-extending, and subserving the whole. Small beginnings with slow growings have time to root themselves thoroughly--I do not mean in place nor yet in social regard, but in wisdom. Such even prosper by failures, for their failures are not too great to be rectified without injury to the original idea. God's beginnings are imperceptible, whether in the region of soul or of matter. Besides, I believe in no good done save in person--by personal operative presence of soul, body and spirit. God is the one only person, and it is our personality alone, so far as we have any, that can work with God's perfect personality. God can use us as tools, but to be a tool of, is not to be a fellow-worker with. How the devil would have laughed at the idea of a society for saving the world! But when he saw one take it in hand, one who was in no haste even to do that, one who would only do the will of God with all his heart and soul, and cared for nothing else, then indeed he might tremble for his kingdom! It is the individual Christians forming the church by their obedient individuality, that have done all the good done since men for the love of Christ began to gather together. It is individual ardour alone that can combine into larger flame. There is no true power but that which has individual roots. Neither custom nor habit nor law nor foundation is a root. The real roots are individual conscience that hates evil, individual faith that loves and obeys God, individual heart with its kiss of charity."

(Weighed and Wanting)

George Macdonald on TEACHING RUINED BY FOLLOWERS

The ruin of a man's teaching comes of his followers, such as having never touched the foundation he has laid, build upon it wood, hay, and stubble, fit only to be burnt. Therefore, if only to avoid his worst foes, his admirers, a man should avoid system. The more correct a system the worse will it be misunderstood; its professed admirers will take both its errors and their misconceptions of its truths, and hold them forth as its essence.

(Weighed and Wanting)