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Today's Devotional

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus —Ephesians 2:6 (NIV).

Not disparagement nor slander kills the spirit of the brave;
Fling a torch down, upward ever burns the brilliant flame it gave.
      —Edwin Arnold

When the birds are flying over and the fowler lies in wait for them, if they fly low, at every discharge of the fowler’s gun, some fall, some are wounded, and some, swerving sideways, plunge into the thicket and hide themselves. But you will find that immediately after the first discharge of the gun the flock rise and fly higher. And at the next discharge they rise and fly still higher. And not many times has the plunging shot thinned their number before they take so high a level that no longer the fowler aims at them, because they are above the reach of his shot. When troubles come upon you, fly higher: and if they strike you, fly still higher. And by-and-by you will rise so high in spiritual life, that your affections will be set on things so entirely above, that these troubles shall not be able to touch you. So long as the shot strikes you, so long hear the word of God saying to you, rise higher.
      —Anonymous

About the author and the source

English poet Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) wrote epic poems on Buddha and on Christ. Maria H. LeRow, who taught for a time at Lynn, Massachusetts, compiled inspirational thoughts from various writers for a twenty-six week cycle. Her will provided that copies of the book be given to graduating classes