Looking for Opportunities
Mary Wilder Tileston encourages listeners to wait on the Lord, do God's will without ceasing, and see their daily lives as opportunities for spiritual growth and perfection.
Mary Wilder Tileston emphasizes the importance of waiting on the Lord with courage, trusting that He will strengthen our hearts. She highlights the need for a quiet, childlike heart amidst life's challenges, drawing it closer to God. True union with God, according to Francois de La Mothe Fénelon, involves doing His will continuously, even when it goes against our natural inclinations. H. L. Sidney Lear stresses the significance of viewing daily life as an offering to God, striving for perfection in even the most ordinary tasks, and pressing forward with hope and humility despite mistakes.
Text
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.
--PSALMS 27:14
I ASK not that my course be calm and still;
No, here too, Lord, be done Thy holy will:
1 ask but for a quiet childlike heart;
Though thronging cares and restless toil be mine,
Yet may my heart remain forever Thine;
Draw it from earth, and fix it where Thou art.
--C. J. P. SPITTA
TRUE union with God is to do His will without ceasing, in spite of all our natural disinclination, in all the wearisome and painful duties of our condition.
--FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON
When persons have learnt to look upon the daily course of their ordinary life, with its duties and troubles, however common-place, as their offering to God, and as the safest school for themselves of perfec.tion, they will have made a very important step in the spiritual life. Another step, so simple that it is often despised, is to do everything, however ordinary, as well as it can possibly be done, for God's sake. A third is to be always pressing forward; when a mistake is made, or a fault committed, to face and admit it freely; but having asked God to supply the deficiency caused by our own infirmity, to go on steadfastly and hopefully.
--H. L. SIDNEY LEAR
Sermon Outline
- Wait on the Lord
- True Union with God
- Ordinary Life as Spiritual School
- Doing Everything for God's Sake
- Facing Mistakes and Moving Forward
- Admitting faults and asking for God's supply
- Going on steadfastly and hopefully
Key Quotes
“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“TRUE union with God is to do His will without ceasing, in spite of all our natural disinclination, in all the wearisome and painful duties of our condition.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“When persons have learnt to look upon the daily course of their ordinary life, with its duties and troubles, however common-place, as their offering to God, and as the safest school for themselves of perfec.tion, they will have made a very important step in the spiritual life.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Be intentional about doing God's will in every aspect of your life.
- See your daily duties and troubles as opportunities for growth and perfection.
- Face your mistakes by admitting them and asking God to supply your deficiencies, and then move forward with hope and steadfastness.