March 10
"In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved" (Psalm 30: 6).
Give a man wealth and let his ships bring home continually rich freights. Let his lands yield abundantly and the weather be favorable to his crops. Let uninterrupted success attend him. Let him enjoy continued health, and give him a happy heart. Let his eyes be ever sparkling with joy, and the natural consequence of such an easy state, even if he is the best Christian who ever breathed, will be presumption. Even David said, "I shall never be moved," and we are not better than David or half as good. Beware of the smooth places of the way, if you are treading them. If the way is rough, thank God for it. If God would always rock un in the cradle of prosperity; if there were always few clouds in the sky; if we always had sweet drops in the wine of this life, we would become intoxicated with pleasure. Like the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we would be in jeopardy. We bless God in our afflictions; we thank Him for our changes; we extol His name during loss of property; for we feel that had He not chastened us thus, we might have become too secure. Continual worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.