We Ought to Give Thanks

We ought to give thanks for all fortune:

if it is "good," because is it good,

if "bad" because it works in us patience, humility,

and the contempt of this world

and the hope of our eternal country.

- C. S. Lewis

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

First Things First

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest,

I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.

Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest

at the expense of God and instead of God,

I shall be moving towards the state in which

I shall not love my earthly dearest at all.

When first things are put first,

second things are not suppressed but increased. 


~ C. S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis (8 November, 1952) ~