"One of the amazing paradoxes of the Christian faith is that saints have found joy in doing what they don't want to do and in not doing what they want to do when the will of God happens to cross their personal preferences." Elisabeth Elliot

The Liberty of Jesus

"A spiritually minded man will never come to you with the demand, 'Believe this or that;' but with the demand that you square your life with the standards of Jesus...We are called to present liberty of conscience, not liberty of view...the liberty of realizing the dominance of Jesus Christ.

"Always keep your life measured by the standards of Jesus. Bow your neck to His yoke alone, and to no other yoke whatever; and be careful to see that you never bind a yoke on others that is not placed by Jesus Christ...

"There is only one liberty, the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right. Don't get impatient, remember how God dealt with you - with patience and with gentleness; but never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, 'Go and make disciples,' not 'make converts to your opinions.'" - Oswald Chambers

Labor to enter rest

"Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:10-11 - 'Labor' in Hebrews 4:11 means 'make haste.' Is the word used to remind us that we shall not drift into rest? There must be the will to enter in. Perhaps what demands most will power is the resolution to cease from our own works, our own busyness and to stay our minds upon our God.

"We pray and the answer is not what we expect. It seems an answer of loss, and sometimes loss upon loss. We must cease from our own thoughts about it and believe that what He has allowed is the perfect answer for the moment. As we believe and accept, we enter into rest and the strain passes into peace.

"This covers all life: the illness of those we love, mental or spiritual suffering, the unexplained, everything. Let us not lose one hour in needless ineffective distress. Let us hasten by an act of the will to come to Him for rest."

- Amy Carmichael, Whispers of His Power, pp. 61, 62

The Lord is my Portion

“I am your portion and your inheritance.”

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.—The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”—Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water . . . for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.—My beloved is mine, and I am his."

Num. 18:20; Ps. 73:25, 26; Ps. 16:5, 6; Lam. 3:24; Ps. 119:111; Ps. 63:1, 7; Song 2:16

Faith

"Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give and the willingness not to have what He does not want to give." Elisabeth Elliot

"'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I hope in Him!'" Lamentations 3:24

Waiting patiently

"Waiting patiently is almost impossible unless we also are learning at the same time to find joy in the Lord, commit everything to Him, trust Him, and be quiet." Elisabeth Elliot

"In the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good." Psalm 52:9