day to draw strength from all that comes to me.

DECEMBER 24.

"And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not; for behold I
will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord; but thy life will I give
unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest" (Jer. xlv. 5).

A promise given for hard places, and a promise of safety and life in the
midst of tremendous pressure, a life for a prey.

It may well adjust itself to our own times, which are growing harder as we
near the end of the age, and the tribulation times.

What is the meaning of "a life for a prey"? It means a life snatched out
of the jaws of the destroyer, as David snatched the lamb from the lion. It
means not a place of security, or of removal from the noise of the battle,
and the presence of our foes, but it means a table in the midst of our
enemies, a shelter from the storm, a fortress amid the foe, a life
preserved in the face of continual pressure, Paul's healing when pressed
out of measure so that he despaired even of life, Paul's Divine help when
the thorn remained, but the power of Christ rested upon him and the grace
of Christ was sufficient.

Lord, give me my life for a prey, and in the hardest places help me to-day
to be victorious.

DECEMBER 25.

"I bring you glad tidings" (Luke ii. 10).

A Christmas spirit should be a spirit of humanity. Beside that beautiful
object lesson on the Manger, the Cradle, and the lowly little child, what
Christian heart can ever wish to be proud? It is a spirit of joy. It is
right that these should be glad tidings, for, "Behold, I bring you glad
tidings of great joy which shall be to all people."

It is a spirit of love. It should be the joy that comes from giving joy to
others. The central fact of Christmas is the Christ who loved us, and came
to live among us and die for us, and he or she has no right to share its
joys who is living for himself or herself alone.

Love is always sacrificial, and so the Christmas spirit will call us to a
glad and full surrender, first to God, and then the joyful sacrifice of
what we call our own for His glory and the good of others.

The Christmas spirit is a spirit of worship. It finds the Magi at His feet
with their gold and frankincense and myrrh. Let it find us there, too.

The Christmas spirit is a spirit of missions. Its glad tidings are for all
people.

DECEMBER 26.

"The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" (James i