Praising The Lord's Faithfulness

Bishop Noel Jones & The City Of Refuge

Psalm 100

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹ Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

² Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

³ Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;^[a]

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

⁵ For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Footnotes:

Psalm 100:3 Following Kethib, Septuagint, and Vulgate; Qere, many Hebrew manuscripts, and Targum read we are His.

~~~~

Tao Te Ching (The Way)
by Lao-tzu
translated by:  J. Legge

8

The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence
of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying,
without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men
dislike. Hence (its way) is near to (that of) the Tao.

The excellence of a residence is in (the suitability of) the place;
that of the mind is in abysmal stillness; that of associations is in
their being with the virtuous; that of government is in its securing
good order; that of (the conduct of) affairs is in its ability; and
that of (the initiation of) any movement is in its timeliness.

And when (one with the highest excellence) does not wrangle (about
his low position), no one finds fault with him.

~~~~~

Pir Zia Inayat Khan

Commentaries on the “Silver Rules” 

of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Silver Rule 8

My conscientious self, do not ask a favor of those who will not grant it you.

For a moment let us pause and revive the memory of having ardently asked for something and having been refused. And then recall a memory of something having been asked of you ardently, a request that for reasons of your own you could not accept, and the impact of the negative answer on the other person.

This is a rule that pertains to relationships. It asks us to bring our full awareness to our relationships rather than losing ourselves in such self-absorption that we have no insight into the thoughts, feelings, and inclinations of those around us. When we do so we are again and again caught off guard and surprised by others' reactions. Others do not meet our expectations; we are disappointed time after time, and the accumulation of disappointments leads to depression and hopelessness—all because, in the first instance, we have been unrealistic in our assessment.

We must learn to moderate our expectations to bring them in line with sober, perceptive insight into the people around us, their ways of thinking and behaving, and their motivations, instead of being so completely caught up in our own needs, wishes, ambitions that we can see nothing else. The more that we are able to understand the perspectives of other people, the more immune to disappointment, and the more capable of tolerance, we will be. Rather than rushing in headlong, we will engage with others from a spirit of interdependence, fellowship, and mutuality. Just as we do not like it when we are put on the spot and imposed upon, when make a request, we must appreciate the situation of the other. We must ask: what are the factors that would reasonably prevent that person from being ready to accede to our request? It doesn't mean we have to become utterly pessimistic; there may be good reason to be hopeful, but let us be realistic. Whenever we are disappointed, it always due to a lack of realism.

My conscientious self, do not ask a favor of those who will not grant it you.

Printed with permission of the Sufi Order International.

~~~~~

Father, we magnify Your holy name in all the earth.  Thank You for being our light and guide; our strength and shield; our strong tower and deliverer.  We love and adore You in Jesus name, amen.