GOLDEN WORDS

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
 
John 15:12  - KJV


"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 

John 15:12  NASB


My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:12 NIV 




If you allow someone to love you, that love will take you to painful places.

Henri Nouwen, Leadership, Vol. 3, no. 1.

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman

February 9

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy" Hebrews 12:14.

Here we are told to live in harmony with all people, not just those we choose. The world demands satisfaction for insults; God demands harmony. The malignant person is unable to be objective and he fastens on to a particular person who he feels has wounded him; the beneficent person lets go and lets God take care of justice because God has promised justification as well as sanctification for those who finally understand that this is the least we owe to His and our brothers and sisters.

The peaceful person is impartial and independent of others' opinions. He looks through neither a rose or black or bleakcolored telescope to enlarge others' faults or a microscope to diminish their virtues, but clear glasses for a transparent and objective vision. This fortunate person understands that "for now we see through a glass, darkly" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The peaceful person also understands that we are not all made of the same emotional matter, and it does not matter. God made us this way for many reasons, not the least of which is to teach us how to get along with everyone. We are not the umpires of empires, and thank God we don't need to be.

Life is much easier, too, when we let God take care of all the emotional matters for us. Enmities make enemies. If we keep in mind that someone we perceive as our enemy is God's good friend, we may be less likely to harbor negative emotions about him or her. Jesus died for all people; for that reason alone, we do well to willingly love them. The new earth will be peopled with all sizes and shapes and varieties; it is a verity that it won't be our differences that keep us out but our divisions.

Pat Nordman ©

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions
Spurgeon's Morning for February 9		Spurgeon's Evening February 9
"And David enquired of the Lord." - 2 Samuel 5:23
Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if thou wouldst know the path of duty, take God for thy compass; if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty.		"Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil [or, the evil one]." -  Luke 11:4
		What we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience, that we may never tempt the devil to tempt us.

 

T H I N K A B O U T I T

Burden Bearer A poor soldier in Russia was sitting one day in his barracks in deep despair, for he owed a great deal of money, and he knew not where to get it. He got a piece of paper, and made on it a list of all his debts, and underneath wrote: "Who shall pay these debts?"  He then fell asleep, and while he slept the Emperor of Russia passed by, and taking up the paper read the question. Having read it, he took up a pen and signed his name, "Nicholas," at the bottom. When the soldier woke up, he could not believe it. He thought it was too good to be true, but in the morning money came round. The debts were paid, and the soldier was free, both from the debts and from his weight of concern over them. Christ has paid the debt of our sins, and He will free all who come to Him from the awful burden of sin. "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."  —adapted from Moody

 

February 9 Leviticus 19:1 - 21:24 Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

 

 

Today's  Devotion

 

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. Job 16:5 (NIV) Called by Cathy Vinson   Even when life seems to be falling apart, God's goodness to us is evident in all the areas He is holding up. To sense problem areas means we are just not used to things being askew...we're used to things balancing out and going right. When we are encountered with a situation that is (a dike) "a negation of what's right" we are surprised. We argue against it vigorously. It's unjust. If prolonged, we evaluate, expending much time and energy, until we are convinced that the present just isn't fair. We do understand, though, that Jesus suffered unjustly. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps" (2:21). We must recognize to just follow Him (be underwriters as if tracing letters for copying for a scholar) we will, at least for a season be called into that which is "not right." No rationale, no justification, nothing solid---just unfair. May it only be short-term. But if we never touch upon the unfair, we will not have touched on the truest element of His footsteps. We will have bypassed experiencing the track our closest Friend has walked, and that "for us." It is to our good that we are called to this course, and at that time to walk in it. Hereunto you were called. (1 Pet 2:21)   Even when life seems to be falling apart, God's goodness to us is evident in all the areas He is holding up. Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion. Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE

 

 

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Copyright Information: Phillip Bower is not the author of the humor, and does not claim to own any copyright privileges to the jokes. Sources of jokes are listed when known. Birthday's and Happenings for the date, and quotations are public knowledge and collected from numerous sources. Quotations are public knowledge and sources are listed when known. Weekendspirations are written by Tim Knappenberger who has copyright privileges. Cathy Vinson authors Whispers from the Wilderness and owns copyright privileges. Weekendspirations and Whispers from the Wilderness are used with permission by the respective authors. Other devotions are written by Phillip Bower unless otherwise stated. In all cases credit is given when known. The Daily Miscellany is nonprofit. Submissions by readers is welcome.