Monitor and Friend

[Thompson, Darryl]

Monitor and Friend 

     Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations:
ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell
thee. Deut. 32:7.  

     Life is like a voyage. We have storm and sunshine, but we bear in
mind that we are nearing the desired haven. We shall soon be beyond the
storms and tempests. Our present duty is to hearken to the voice that
says, "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29). We
must accept this invitation daily. The past is contained in the book
where all things are written down. We cannot blot out the record, but we
can learn many things if we choose. The past should teach us its
lessons. As we make the past our monitor, we may also make it our
friend. As we call to mind that in the past which has been disagreeable,
let it teach us not to repeat it. In the future let nothing be traced
which will cause regret in the by-and-by. We may now avoid a bad
showing. Every day we live we are making our history. Today is ours,
yesterday is beyond our amendment or control. Then let us not grieve the
Spirit of God today, for tomorrow we shall not be able to recall this
day; it will be yesterday to us. . . .  

     Jesus Christ has plentiful help and grace for all who will
appreciate it. The Lord is our helper; with Him is forgiveness. He alone
can blot out the sins of the past. He can strengthen the mind. If we
regard the past as no longer our enemy but as a friend to warn us off
the ground we should not approach, it will prove a true friend. . . .  

     Will we grasp and appreciate the good, and refuse the evil? Will we
walk humbly with God? . . . We must not fail nor be discouraged; then
the present work, now passing beyond our control, will be our paymaster.
. . . We have only a little period in which to work. We are not to
educate ourselves to worry. Keep the eye upward, fixed upon the mark of
our high calling in Christ Jesus. We have a work to do; let us do it as
in the sight of the whole universe of heaven. We are not to faint, to
stumble on in unbelief. God desires us to look to Him as our sufficiency
and strive to be complete in Him.  

>From That I May Know Him - Page 89