August 20

Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. — Prov 27:1

The busy world shoves angrily aside
The man who stands with arms akimbo set
Until occasion tells him what to do;
And he who waits to have his task marked out
Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled.
— James Russell Lowell.

Awake, arise! the hour is late!
Angels are knocking at thy door!
They are in haste and cannot wait,
And once departed come no more.
— Henry W. Longfellow.

Prayer

Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as well as on time. Amen.