This book is dedicated to the glory of God and to
all who desire a closer walk with Him.
Preface
Come Away My Beloved was forged in the crucible
of life. In the midst of each day’s joys and trials
has come the ministering spirit of the Heavenly
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing words
of encouragement, hope, comfort, and conviction.
To gain the maximum blessing from this book,
read it carefully and prayerfully, a little at a time,
searching always for the special treasure of truth
for your own need. He who knows you by name
and understands your deepest longings will speak
to your heart from these pages, shutting out the
world about you and bringing you into fellowship
with Himself.
Whether you are just beginning your Christian
walk or have grown into a fuller stature in Christ,
you will be equally challenged and helped. Some
books give instruction for Christian living; others
inspire to greater devotion. Come Away My Beloved
will do both as you open your soul to its living
message.
With this book go many prayers that God
will enrich every life it touches. Surely we are all
bound together in one family in Christ through
the bonds of His Holy Spirit.
—FJR
Lovest Thou Me?
Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith
unto him, Feed my lambs.
JOHN 21:15
Lovest Thou Me?
Chapter Listings Below published here
Click on Section Listing Below
The Call of Love
O My beloved, abide under the shelter of the
lattice—for I have betrothed thee unto Myself, and
though ye are sometimes indifferent toward Me,
My love for thee is at all times as a fl ame of fi re.
My ardor never cools. My longing for thy love and
affection is deep and constant.
Tarry not for an opportunity to have more time
to be alone with Me. Take it, though ye leave the
tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer. Things are of less
importance than ye think. Our time together is like
a garden full of fl owers, whereas the time ye give to
things is as a fi eld full of stubble.
I love thee, and if ye can always, as it were, feel My
pulsebeat, ye shall know many things the knowledge
of which shall give thee sustaining strength. I bare
thy sins and I wish to carry thy burdens. Ye may
have the gift of a light and merry heart. My love
bower is the place where ye shall fi nd it, for My love
dispels all fear and is a cure for every ill. Lay thy
head upon My breast and lose thyself in Me. Thou
shalt experience resurrection life and peace; the joy
of the Lord shall become thy strength; and wells of
salvation shall be opened within thee.
*   *   *   *   *
The Need for Greater Faith
O My child, do not expect the trials to be lighter
than in the past. Why should ye think the testings
would be less severe? Lo, I prove all things, and
there are areas of thy life that I have not touched as
yet. Do not look for respite. The days ahead may call
for greater endurance and more robust faith than ye
have ever needed before. Welcome this, for ye must
surely know by this time how precious are the lessons
learned through such experiences. If it is not fully
possible to anticipate them with joy, it is certainly
not diffi cult to gain an appropriate appreciation of
them afterwards, in retrospect.
Apply thine heart to learn wisdom. This goal
transcends every other aim, and any other good that
comes out of a pressure period is an added blessing
in excess.
Seek Me above all else.
*   *   *   *   *
Resignation
Incline thine heart unto Me, and let thine ear be
attuned to My voice. For lo, I would speak to thee,
and I have an urgent message to give thee.
Go not about to establish thine own designs.
Lo, I have already set in motion My divine will and
purpose and I would not have thee interfere. I am
jealous about My children: Lo, they are Mine, saith
the Lord; and ye shall not intrude in any way such
as would hinder My plans from working out. Yea,
ye may do many things, but only that which I direct
thee to do can have My blessing upon it.
Resign all into My hands—thy loved ones as well
as thine own self. Be obedient to the still small voice.
Thine own imaginings may speak more loudly, but
wait upon Me always. Ye shall see the wisdom and
the glory in this in due time. Fret not about carnal
things, but concern thyself fi rst and always about
spiritual values. Truly, My promise is still: “Seek ye
FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all the other needful
things SHALL BE ADDED unto thee.”
*   *   *   *   *
Faith and Action
My promises are of no avail to thee except as ye
apply and appropriate them by faith. In thy daily
walk, ye shall be victorious only to the degree that ye
trust Me. I can help thee only as ye ask. I shall meet
you at every point where ye put action alongside
thy prayers. Only as ye WALK shall the waters of
adversity be parted before thee. Overburdened as the
world is with trouble and sickness, I need those who
have proved My suffi ciency in everyday, personal
experience to lead the suffering to the fountains of
life. I need those who have found Me as burdenbearer
to help bring deliverance to the oppressed.
Never begrudge time given to chronic complainers,
but recognize in each encounter the opportunity
to speak a word that may lead to their
liberation. No case is too hard for Me. Never be
taken by surprise when I use you to change a pattern.
Do not judge a man by what he appears to be, but
see him as what he CAN be if he give himself unreservedly
to Me.
*   *   *   *   *
Sincerity
Marvel not that I have said that ye must be born
anew. Of the fl esh, nothing that is spiritual can ever
be produced. Spiritual life shall bring forth that
which is spiritual; and likewise, carnal flesh shall
bring forth only more carnality.
This is why I said I loathed your sacrifices. It was
not that I despised the ordinance in itself, but that
I perceived that it was a product of the flesh—an
expression of self-righteousness and indifference to
the claim of God upon thy heart.
My ordinances are good and holy, but they are
to be entered into with deep sincerity and with
awareness of their true signifi cance. To sacrifi ce in
carelessness and ignorance is to damage thine own
soul. Let thy spirit never become callous.
Without holiness, no man shall see God. This
could be as truly stated, “Without a tender heart
and sensitive, attentive spirit, none shall see God,”
for without these, no true holiness will ever be
attained.
The fool shall not discern the value, and shall
cast aside great treasure. The practiced eye knoweth
the true worth of a gem and shall not let it escape
him. Thus shall ye be in spiritual matters.
Train thine eye to discern that which is of true
worth, and let it not escape thee.
*   *   *   *   *
Guidance
My child, hear My voice, and give no heed to the
voice of the stranger. My paths are straight, and they
are narrow, but ye shall have no diffi culty in fi nding
them if ye watch Me. I am guiding thee. Ye need
not look to man for direction. Ye may learn much
by fellowship with the saints, but never allow any to
take the part that is rightfully Mine—to direct thy
steps. As it is written, “The steps of a good man are
ORDERED BY THE LORD”—not by the preacher, not by
some Christian worker, but by the Lord.
Trust Me to do it, and give Me the time and
the opportunity to do it. Be not hasty, and lean not
upon thine own intelligence.
Rest in Me. I shall bring to pass My perfect will
in thy life as ye believe and live in faith.
*   *   *   *   *
On the Waters of Sorrow
O My child, I am coming to thee walking upon
the waters of the sorrows of thy life; yea, above the
sounds of the storm ye shall hear My voice calling
thy name.
Ye are never alone, for I am at thy right hand.
Never despair, for I am watching over and caring for
thee. Be NOT anxious. What seemeth to thee to be at
present a diffi cult situation is all part of My planning,
and I am working out the details of circumstances to
the end that I may bless thee and reveal Myself to
thee in a new way.
As I have opened thine eyes to see, so shall I open
thine ears to hear, and ye shall come to know Me even
as did Moses, yea, in a face-to-face relationship.
For I shall remove the veil that separates Me
from thee and ye shall know Me as thy dearest
Friend and as thy truest Comforter.
No darkness shall hide the shining of My face,
for I shall be to thee as a bright star in the night sky.
Never let thy faith waver. Reach out thy hand, and
thou shalt touch the hem of My garment.
*   *   *   *   *
Set Thy Course by My Promises
Be not afraid. I will not allow thine adversaries to
swallow thee up. Thou art My child, I shall deliver
thee and honor thee and I shall be glorifi ed through
thee. Because of My faithfulness unto thee, even thine
enemies shall recognize My power. I shall keep thee
in sickness, and in death I shall be thy sure comfort.
I shall walk with thee through the valley, and thou
shalt fear no shadow. Hold to My promises. They
are given to thee as a chart is given to a ship, and a
compass to the hunter. Ye may set thy course or fi nd
thy way by My promises. They will lead thee and
guide thee in places where there is no trodden path.
They will give thee direction and wisdom and will
open up thine own understanding.
Study My Word, the Bible. Lo, it aboundeth
with nuggets of courage. They will strengthen thee
and help thee, and even in eternity ye shall partake
of their far-reaching effects.
*   *   *   *   *
Dependence on God
My people, heed My words; yea, walk not carelessly;
neither lay out thine own paths on which to travel.
Ye cannot know what lieth in the distance, nor what
adversity ye may encounter tomorrow. So walk
closely with Me, that ye may be able to draw quickly
upon My aid. Ye need Me; and no matter how well20
developed is thy faith nor how mature is thy growth
in grace, never think for a moment that ye need My
support any less. Nay, but the truth is that ye need it
even more. For I shelter the new-born from many a
trial and testing such as I permit to confront those
who are growing up in spiritual stature. Yea, verily,
ye cannot grow unless I do bring into your lives
these proving and testing experiences.
So hold thee more fi rmly to My hand as ye journey
on in thy Christian walk. Trust not in thine own
increasing strength; for verily, it is not thy strength
but rather My strength within thee that ye feel. Ye are
as vulnerable to the treachery of the enemy and as frail
as ever; but thy knowledge of Me has deepened, and
because of this thy trust in Me should come easier.
Move forward with courage and confi dence; but
always allow Me to walk ahead and choose the right
path for thee.
*   *   *   *   *
© 1973 by Frances J. Roberts
ISBN 978-1-60260-114-7
Original editions: Learn to Reign © 1963; Launch Out! © 1964; Listen
to the Silence © 1964; Living Water © 1965; The Sounding of the
Trumpet © 1966; Lovest Thou Me? © 1967; Come Away My Beloved ©
1970 by Frances J. Roberts.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in
printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of
this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing,
provided that the text does not exceed 500 words and that the text is not
material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this
book, include the following credit line: “From Come Away My Beloved
published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”
Most Bible quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King
James Version of the Bible. Some quotations in this book are the author’s
paraphrases.
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc.,
P.O. Box 719
Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683
www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering
exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Contents of
Come Away My Beloved
Preface |
7 |
Lovest Thou Me? |
9 |
Living Water |
43 |
Launch Out! |
87 |
Learn to Reign |
131 |
Listen to the Silence |
173 |
The Sounding of the Trumpet |
215 |
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