Monday, January 15th
Jesus said, "The time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them,
and on that day they will fast"
Mark 2:26

There should always be a joy at the heart of the friends of the Bridegroom that He has never left them nor ever will. If they depart from the joys of the festal situation and the protection of His Father's house, that is their choice and right, though it is to their sadness and loss.

But there are times and seasons in the life of the individual and of the group when a healthy discipline in mind and body and activity is necessary. Such, rightly and constructively practised, brings to those who practise it, a focussing on priorities and an inner strength within those ambits.

And there is a place for identification with the purpose and commitment of the Bridegroom in His costly devotion to the Father's love for each and every child of man whoever lived. The friends of the Bridegroom are sad in His sorrow, and follow Him as He climbs the hill of pain. So do they rejoice with Him in the fruits of His anguish, and find that their lives are fuller and more joyful because they have identified as they have been led and accompanied.