the throne,
And like Him our path to glory,
Ever leads through death alone.

Lord, teach me the death-born life. Lord, let me live in the power of Thy
resurrection!

MARCH 24.

"And again I say, rejoice" (Phil. iv. 4).

It is a good thing to rejoice in the Lord. Perhaps you found the first
dose ineffectual. Keep on with your medicine, and when you cannot feel any
joy, when there is no spring, and no seeming comfort and encouragement,
still rejoice, and count it all joy. Even when you fall into divers
temptations, reckon it joy, and delight, and God will make your reckoning
good. Do you suppose your Father will let you carry the banner of His
victory and His gladness on to the front of the battle, and then coolly
stand back and see you captured or beaten back by the enemy? Never! the
Holy Spirit will sustain you in your bold advance, and fill your heart
with gladness and praise, and you will find your heart all exhilarated and
refreshed by the fulness of the heart within.

Lord, teach me to rejoice in Thee, and to rejoice evermore.

The joy of the Lord is the strength of His people.
The sunshine that scatters their sadness and gloom;
The fountain that bursts in the desert of sorrow,
And sheds o'er the wilderness, gladness and bloom.

MARCH 25.

"The beauty of holiness" (Ps. xxix. 2).

Some one remarked once that he did not know more disagreeable people than
sanctified Christians. He probably meant people that only profess
sanctification. There is an angular, hard, unlovely type of Christian
character that is not true holiness; at least, not the highest type of it.
It is the skeleton without the flesh covering; it is the naked rock
without the vines and foliage that cushion its rugged sides. Jesus was not
only virtuous and pure, but He was also beautiful and full of the sweet
attractiveness of love.

We read of two kinds of graces: First, "Whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are lovely and of good report." There are a thousand
little graces in Christian life that we cannot afford to ignore. In fact,
the last stages in any work of art are always the finishing touches; and
so let us not wonder if God shall spend a great deal of time in teaching
us the little things that many might consider trifles.

God would have His Bride without a spot or even a wrinkle.

MARCH 26.

"Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. xii. 2).

Add to your faith--do not add