"...and he was called the friend of God."

“I have known men who came to God for no other reason than...[to be with Him because] they loved Him. Friendship is best kept up by frequent visits; and the more free from impurity those frequent visits are, and the less brought about by business, necessity, or custom, the more friendly and welcome they are.” ~Thomas Goodwin

May this be increasingly true of us as we deepen in knowing Him.
I loved this quote--shared by Dr. Coats in a session that we had with him.

A Poem

This text can be sung to the tune of "I Sing the Mighty Power of God."
I discovered it in an old hymnal...

Fill Thou my Life, O Lord
Horatius Bonar

Fill Thou my life, O Lord, my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being my proclaim
Thy being and Thy ways;
Not for the lip of praise alone,
Nor e’en the praising heart
I ask, but for a life made up
Of praise in every part.

Praise in the common words I speak,
Life’s common looks and tones,
In fellowship at hearth or board
With my beloved ones—
Enduring wrong, reproach, or loss
With sweet and steadfast will,
Loving and blessing those who hate,
Returning good for ill.

So shall each fear, each fret, each care,
Be turned into song,
And every winding of the way
The echo shall prolong;
So shall no part of day or night
From sacredness be free,
But all my life, in every step,
Be fellowship with Thee.