Thoughts for each day from the Scriptures and the eight volumes of the writings of George Fox
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| They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward. | ||
| (Jeremiah 50:5) | ||
| My dear Friends, whose faces are set towards Zion, from this dunghill world of vanity and vexation of spirit; the glory, comfort, and pleasures of which pass away; they that have more or less of it, and that enter into it, enter into trouble; and when they are in it, it is a great trouble to come out of it... Therefore you must believe in the light, grace, and truth that cometh from Him, in the inward parts or heart, which directeth your minds to Christ. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| And have been all made to drink into one Spirit. | ||
| (I Corinthians 12:13) | ||
| They do vex and quench the good Spirit, and resist the Holy Ghost, which should baptize them all into one body; that is to plunge down all sin and evil that is got up by transgression, and burn that up which is chaff or corruption, and so to drink into one Spirit... | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children. | ||
| (Ephesians 5:1) | ||
| And the saints did confess the Son of God was come, and had given them an understanding, and they were in Him, and they were to walk as He walked, and not only to talk as He talked: for there are too many talkers, and few walkers in Christ; my desire is there may be more. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. | ||
| (Romans 13:10) | ||
| Therefore, feel God's love shed abroad in all your hearts, through Christ Jesus, to carry all your hearts and your minds above the love of the world; and this love is that which will preserve you in the excellent way of hearing all things; and the love of God fulfills the law. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. | ||
| (Philippians 2:10) | ||
| And therefore, before any live the life of the saints, they must bow to the name of Jesus, their Savior, in His light, grace, truth, and power, and spirit, which cometh from Him, who submitted Himself to the shameful death of the cross, and destroyed death and his power, who had no sin, nor guile in his mouth, and is risen again for our justification, and so hath tasted death for every man. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. | ||
| (Philippians 2:8) | ||
| So all men have bowed under death and sin by transgression. And Christ hath submitted to the cross and death for them, and hath borne their stripes for sin and iniquity, who had no sin, neither knew any, to bring us out of death and sin. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. | ||
| (I John 3:1) | ||
| And from the truth flowed justice, equity, righteousness, and godliness, mercy, and tenderness, that brings a man's heart, mind, soul, and spirit to the infinite and incomprehensible God, and from it a love flows to all the universal creation, and would have all to come to the knowledge of the truth. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. | ||
| (Matthew 18:20) | ||
| And being gathered in the name of Jesus, He is in the midst of them, the Prince of life and peace, and captain of salvation, and a prophet to open the book of conscience, and the book of the law, and prophets, and gospel, and His book of life to them. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Lord, evermore give us this bread. | ||
| (John 6:34) | ||
| And this bread from heaven giveth life to the soul, and is the staff of their heavenly life; this heavenly bread, as the outward bread is the staff of the natural life, in this world that must have an end, but the bread from heaven is the heavenly staff of life, that doth nourish up into a heavenly life, and a world, and a kingdom that is without end. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts. | ||
| (Hebrews 8:10) | ||
| In the Old Testament it is said that "the priests put the Testament, and the law, and the pot of manna into the ark, in the tabernacle and temple:" but in the New Testament, God poureth out of His Spirit upon all flesh, and the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son into the hearts of his people, to lead them into all truth...and the bread of life that they have from Christ, is in their arks and hearts, or in their temples; and God doth write His law in the hearts and minds of His people. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more. | ||
| (Romans 6:9) | ||
| And therefore it is good for every one to have a sense of the resurrection of Christ, and not seek Him below; but seek Him above, for He is risen from the dead, and lives, and sits at the right hand of the living God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. | ||
| (Proverbs 16:32) | ||
| And therefore let every one keep his own little city with the spirit and power of God, by which you have power over your own spirits; and then the power of God is your strength, and keeps you safe in it, that be led by the Spirit of God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Have All These Good Things We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord. | ||
| (Psalm 78:4) | ||
| And cannot you train up all your children in the fear of God, and tell them from whence you have all these good things, that they may come to receive of all these good things which you receive from the good God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| I am with thee...I will strengthen thee. | ||
| (Isaiah 41:10) | ||
| So without this truth, and grace, and light, and power, and spirit of Christ Jesus, which you receive from Him, you cannot abide in Him. This brings you to abide in Him, and to have His presence to strengthen you, so that through Him you may do all things which He commands and requires of you. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. | ||
| (Hebrews 13:9) | ||
| This grace establishes the heart, and seasons the words; the fruits of its liberty and freedom will manifest itself. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. | ||
| (Nahum 1:7) | ||
| And therefore love the word, and keep the word of patience, and the word will keep you, for it is a tried word, and it will keep you in all trials, which shall come upon all the world to try them. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. | ||
| (Acts 2:24) | ||
| Did not He suffer the contradiction of sinners, who died for sinners, and went into the grave for sinners, and died for the ungodly, yea, tasted death for every man, who through death destroyed death, and the devil, the power of death, and is risen. For death and the grave could not hold Him. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| That delighteth greatly in his commandments. | ||
| (Psalm 112:1) | ||
| For blessed is the man that delights in the law, or order of God; it was so under the old covenant, much more blessed is the man or woman that delights in the law and order of love, and the law and order of faith, and the law and order of life, and of the gospel, the power of God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,...I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. | ||
| (Isaiah 57:15) | ||
| ...so that you may all walk as becomes saints and Christians, every one esteeming and preferring one another above yourselves in the truth, in meekness, and lowliness of mind, and humility; for he that inhabits eternity, dwells with a humble heart. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Quench not the Spirit. | ||
| (I Thessalonians 5:19) | ||
| And therefore, do not quench the least motion of God's good Spirit in yourselves, nor in any other; but let truth and goodness be cherished in all; and let all harshness, and bitterness, and revilings be kept down by the Truth. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | ||
| (Colossians 2:3) | ||
| If you do want wisdom and knowledge to offer you in the affairs and service of God, Christ is the treasure of your wisdom and knowledge; and so receive them from His treasure which is above. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. | ||
| (Psalm 118:16) | ||
| And therefore trust in the arm of the Lord's power, who can lay the mountains low, and remove the hills out of their places, and make His lambs to skip over all. And therefore mind the Lord and his power, that is over all that, that makes you to suffer. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. | ||
| (Philippians 1:14) | ||
| Now your sorrows and afflictions may bring many to call upon the name of the Lord, when He has brought you low; for God is merciful and gracious to the righteous, and His mercies endure for ever. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Walk as children of light. | ||
| (Ephesians 5:8) | ||
| The Lord by His mighty hand and power having brought you to that place, and now you are settled there, my desire is, that your lives and conversations may preach righteousness and holiness; for without holiness none shall see God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Kept by the power of God. | ||
| (I Peter 1:5) | ||
| My desire is, that you all may be kept in the power and spirit of God and Christ in humility, and in that you will have a sense of all things, that whatever you act, it may be done in the spirit and power of Jesus Christ. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church. | ||
| (Ephesians 1:22) | ||
| Where two or three are gathered in His name, there is a church, and Christ the living Head in the midst of them; a prophet, to open to His church the things of His kingdom; and a bishop, to oversee His living members, that they may be preserved in His light, grace, truth, spirit, and gospel. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. | ||
| (Isaiah 40:11) | ||
| He is a shepherd to feed them with heavenly food, who gives life eternal to His sheep, which He hath purchased with His own blood; and a priest who has offered up Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, who cleanses, and washes, and purifies His church. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| Let your speech be always with grace. | ||
| (Colossians 4:6) | ||
| Here in this you will have your heavenly religion to walk in, which would keep you out of all the world's unruly ways and actions, and ungracious words and languages, that all your words be seasoned with the grace of God. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. | ||
| (I Corinthians 2:2) | ||
| Keep in the cross of Christ, the power of God, that keeps you crucified to the world, that is dead to the world, and the world dead and crucified to you: for if you do not keep in this power of God, which was before the world and its god was, to keep you crucified to the world, but let in the spirit of the world, you let in its god, which will crucify the good in you. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
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| I am the good Shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. | ||
| (John 10:11) | ||
| And he is your Shepherd from heaven, who has laid down his life for his sheep, who is above all the earthly shepherds below; and this Shepherd will feed you with that which is heavenly. | ||
| (George Fox) | ||
Compiled by Gary Bowell
Copyright 1989 by Gary Bowell
All Rights Reserved