Don't be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools.

Eccles. 7:9 (NLT)

High Cost Of Anger

Anger weakens a man. It puts him at a disadvantage in every undertaking in life. When Sinbad and his sailors landed on one of their tropical islands, they saw high up in the trees coconuts which could quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger. The coconuts were far above the reach of Sinbad and the sailors, but in the branches of the trees were the chattering apes. Sinbad and his men began to throw stones and sticks up at the apes. This enraged the monkeys and they began to seize the coconuts and hurl them down at the men on the ground. That was just what Sinbad and his men wanted. They got the apes angry so that the apes would gather their food for them. That is a good illustration of how by indulgence in anger we play into the hands of our foes.

— C. E. Macartney

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman Š

September 27

Emerson said, "The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer." Perseverance is an essential words in the Christian's vocabulary.

Jesus told His disciples, "...He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). "Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, `My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:8,9 NAS).
God's grace is sufficient to keep us going through what we must endure, and it is sufficient to the end.

Pat Nordman Š

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions With links to the entire devotion
Spurgeon's Morning for September 27	Spurgeon's Evening for September 27
"Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!" - Deuteronomy 33:29	"My Beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him." - Song of Solomon 5:4
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God.	Jesus, thou forgivest freely, but this is not enough, prevent my unfaithfulness in the future. Kiss away these tears, and then purge my heart and bind it with sevenfold cords to thyself, never to wander more.

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September 27 Zep 1:1-Hag 2:23

365 days of Bible Readings Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

Current Bible Question

James and John were the sons of Zebedee, but who was their mother?

Previous question and Answer:

Who was described as being a "wild donkey of a man?"

Ishmael, Hagar's son. (Genesis 16:12)

Today's Devotion

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:5 (NIV)

Roots of Disobedience

by Cathy Vinson

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.

(Hebrews 4:2,6)

If we were asked what the opposite of belief was, what would we say? We might easily answer unbelief or doubt. This would be true, but more accurately the negation of belief is disobedience.

In Scripture, belief means to "to be persuaded of, to be convinced of." When you negate this, you actually get the word we translate "disobedience." It means "the condition of being unpersuadable, denotes obstinacy, obstinate rejection of the will of God." We can concur that disobedience is in itself being unpersuadable about God's character. It makes sense that "unless I firmly believe God's love for me is unchanging and that His ways are good and righteous, I cannot wholly trust Him...The degree to which I know and believe in God's character is the degree to which I can and will trust Him...and consequently obey Him."*

In God's eyes belief has to do with obedience. We can see the interchanging of obedience and belief in the following verses..."See to it brothers, that none of you has a SINFUL, UNBELIEVING heart that TURNS from the living God...with whom was He angry?...with those who SINNED...And to whom did God swear that they would never enter His rest if not to those who DISOBEYED? So we see that they were not able to enter because of their UNBELIEF" (Heb 3:17-19) (see also Heb 4:2 and 6).

Understanding may help us deal with disobedience at its roots. Stacey Padrick* (quoted above) writes, "Disbelief often leads to disobedience. Therefore, when I confess sin in my life...I ask Christ to shine His light upon my thoughts and help me discern the lies I've been believing...I must renounce my RESISTANCE to Scriptural truth...I take time to examine the thought processes that PRECEDED my disobedience."

*Freelance writer for "Discipleship Journal"

Cathy VinsonŠ

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

If we were asked what the opposite of belief was, what would we say? We might easily answer unbelief or doubt. This would be true, but ...

Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE

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~ Anger ~

His biographer describes him as by nature fervently passionate and impulsive. He was strong in his loves and his loyalties; and although hatred was foreign to his magnanimous nature, he was often swept by storms of anger. Yet by a magnificent display of will power he held the reins upon his passions. But to this long chapter of noble self-control there is one sad and tragic exception.

At a banquet given for Dionysius a song was sung comparing Alexander with Castor and Pollux, to his advantage. Then someone disparaged the old Macedonian officers who had fought under Alexander's father, Philip. This aroused one of Alexander's generals, Clitus, who commanded the famous Hetairoi. Clitus reminded Alexander how he had saved his life in one of the recent battles, and said Alexander had bought his fame with the blood of the Macedonian officers. He told Alexander to associate with his lickspittle Persians, who bowed the knee to him and told him only what he wanted to hear. Alexander, stung by this remark of Clitus, reached for his sword, which a discreet officer had hidden away. Then in his anger, falling. . . as men always do at such a time . . . into his native idiom, the Macedonian, he ordered the trumpeter to sound the call, and when he delayed, Alexander hit him with his fist. Before he could inflict hurt upon Clitus, the friends of that half intoxicated officer hurried him out of the banqueting hall. But he soon entered by another door, where he stood under the curtains quoting lines from a Greek poet to the disparagement of Alexander's conquests.

"Quick as a flash, Alexander snatched a spear from the hand of the guard and hurled it at the figure by a raised curtain. The deed was done. The friend of his childhood, his life companion and rescuer, lay gasping out his life." The passion of remorse followed quickly upon the fury of his anger. Alexander himself drew out the fatal spear, and but for his officers he would have fallen upon it himself. All through the night, and for several days, he lay writhing in his remorse, piteously calling Clitus by name and chiding himself as the murderer of his friend. Alexander the Great conquered the world, but he could not conquer himself. In his conquests he stormed and took almost every great city of the ancient world. Yet he was not able to subdue that more important city, to conquer which is the greatest of all achievements. . . the city and citadel of his own spirit.

<Macartney's Illustration> pp. 20,21