February 16
Daily Gleanings of the Saintly LifeFriday after Epiphany
Examine yourselves, prove yourselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5.
BE afraid of the praise of others. If there be good in thee, own it, at least in thy heart, to be God's, and think of thy evil and thy sins.
Take patiently any humiliation from others. It is a precious gift of God. "Humiliation is the way to humility, as patience to peace, reading to knowledge." If thou endurest not to be humbled, thou canst not be humble.
In all things humble thyself under the Hand of God. Take all things, through whomsoever they come, from Him.
Do not excuse thyself, if blamed, unless respect or love, or the cause of truth and of God, require it. It is of more value to thee to detect one grain of fault in thyself than to show to another that thou deservest not, as it were, a hundredweight of blame. Be not careful to conceal any ignorance or fault in thee, unless it would hurt another to know that thou hast it. Do willingly humble offices humbly.
Give way to all in all things in which thou mayest. It is but for a short time at the longest. Seek here to be humble with the humble Jesus and He will exalt thee. As thou becomest by His grace lowly here, thou shalt be exalted there. There is greatness which none envies, treasures of which thou wilt deprive none, joys in which all will joy with thee. There, not thine own lips or thine own thoughts, but thy Saviour will praise thee.
Angels, thy old friends, there shall greet thee,
Glad at their own home now to meet thee.
All thy good works which went before,
And waited for thee at the door.