Thoughts for the week:

December 12

Love and fear cannot dwell together. By their very nature, they cannot exist side by side. Fear is a very strong force. And therefore a weak and vacillating love can soon be routed by fear. But a strong love, a love that trusts in God, is sure eventually to conquer fear. The only sure way to dispel fear is to have the love of God more and more in your heart and soul.

24 Hours a Day

December 13  Practice Makes Real

The only part of our religion that is real is the part we practice in our daily lives. Ideals that we do not act out in practice are mere abstract theories. Actually, such pretended ideals are a serious detriment, because they drug the soul.

Around the Year with Emmet Fox   (Excerpt)

December 16

Life is not a search for happiness. Happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of life, of doing the right thing. Do not search for happiness, search for right living and happiness will be your reward. Life is sometimes a march of duty during dull, dark days. But happiness will come again, as God's smile of recognition of your faithfulness. True happiness is always the by-product of a life well lived. 

24 Hours a Day

December 18  Losing Interest in Outer Things?

It happens to some students of prayer who are especially zealous, giving much time to study and meditation, and making more than average progress, that a time comes when their ordinary daily work begins to seem dull, tiresome, and really not worthwhile...

The healing of this problem is first to know that a great many people have to meet it. It is not at all uncommon or peculiar to one person... Such people usually spend too much time in prayer and meditation, and become waterlogged.

Having come through that stage they always find themselves more interested in their business than ever before; they do much better work, and at teh same time they progress much faster in their spiritual lives, and have a great deal more power in prayer than they ever had before.

Around the Year with Emmet Fox  (Excerpt)