GOLDEN WORDS
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Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman
February 24
"By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you" 2
Corinthians 10:1.
Others had levelled some serious charges against Paul and Paul wanted above all else to
answer the charges in a Christlike spirit of quietness, patience and compassion, mindful
not so much of his own honor as that of Christ's. He wanted to be the Gentle Man's
gentleman in dealing with those who would make Paul less than he knew he should be.
"When they hurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not retaliate; when he suffered,
he made no threats" 1 Peter 2:23; "...Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart..." Matthew 11:29. Gentleness is active and exhibited in the temperament we
tender to others; meekness is passive and within our inner spirit; it is the temper of
spirit in which we accept God's dealings with us without challenging His purposes or
impugning wrong motives to others. Had Jesus been Judge and Jury while on this imperfect
earth and had He exacted His pound of flesh from those who misjudged His actions and
motives, then we could extract our ounce of judgment from those who wound our pride. As it
is, Jesus wants us to leave the sentencing to Him. The bonus for us is good mental and
physical health, for "Gentle words cause life and health..." Proverbs 15:4
TLB.
Society is not always kind to the gentle people. Sometimes the soft answer invites
ridicule, but it is kindness that finally wins. It is the destructive forces that howl for
our attention: the earthquake, the tornado, the angry voices that foretell of disaster.
But it is the gentle shower, quiet and unassuming, that makes fruitful the land, and it is
the peaceful and tender people of the earth who forge constructive relationships and
worthwhile lives.
Pat Nordman ©
"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever" Isaiah 32:17.
"Quiet minds...go on in fortune or misfortune at their own pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm." Robert Louis Steven-son. During World War II a European Christian remarked, "On the surface there is storm, but twenty fathoms down it is quite calm."
The quest for quiet never quits! We must fathom the fathoms–the depths–before we can realize that peace which the world cannot give; indeed, the world seems happiest when it is whipping up a war here and a rumor there, trying to undercut the flow of God's undercur-rent. "Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus said, "for they will be called sons of God."
The only conquering God asks of us is of ourselves, not the world and its whims. He will take care of everything else for us. It wasn't the world Jesus wanted to change, but those in the world.
"He who climbs above the cares of the world and turns his face to his God has found the sunny side of life. The world's side of the hill is chill and freezing to a spiritual mind, but the Lord's presence gives a warmth of joy which turns winter into summer." Charles Spurgeon. God asks us to live independent of our circumstances while we live dependent on Him. At times how difficult this is!
The promise of peace has some precepts:
1) Gratitude to God and to humankind. This is the perfect prayer of mind and heart, and lifts us above care to caring;
2) Moderation in all things. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" Proverbs 30:8; "Give us today our daily bread" Matthew 6:11. Temperance controls the temper of our lives;
3) Absolute trust. "Do not be anxious about anything" Philippians 4:6. If we can't trust a God of providence then we can't trust a God of grace and graciousness.
Pat Nordman ©
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Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions |
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Spurgeon's Morning for February 24 |
Spurgeon's Evening February 24 |
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| "I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing." - Ezekiel 34:26 |
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There is only one voice which can speak to the clouds, and bid them beget the rain. Who sendeth down the rain upon the earth? Who scattereth the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord? So grace is the gift of God, and is not to be created by man. |
"O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy upon Jerusalem? ... And the Lord answered the angel ... with good words and comfortable words." - Zechariah 1:12,13 |
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Bear patiently the rod for a season, and under the darkness still trust in God, for his love burneth towards thee. |
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Spurgeon's Morning for February 25 |
Spurgeon's Evening for February 25 |
| "I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing." - Ezekiel 34:26 |
"O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy upon Jerusalem? ... And the Lord answered the angel ... with good words and comfortable words."
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There is only one voice which can speak to the clouds, and bid them beget the rain. Who sendeth down the rain upon the earth? Who scattereth the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord? So grace is the gift of God, and is not to be created by man. |
Bear patiently the rod for a season, and under the darkness still trust in God, for his love burneth towards thee. |
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But my mouth would encourage you; comfort
from my lips would bring you relief. Job 16:5 (NIV) Newborn's
"Easy" GRowth by Cathy Vinson 1 Pet 2:2 Send a note to
Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion. Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found
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February 24 Numbers
14:1 - 15:41
February 25 Numbers
16:1 - 18:32
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Today's Devotion
There are many
attributes of God, but one in particular that seems associated to our growth. It is His
goodness, goodness in the sense of being "gracious, kind, pleasant, easy." This
is abundantly imparted to the "newborn babe" (vs 1) initiating his entrance,
making it irresistible but to taste.
Here Peter beckons the believers to crave this perception of God (milk) and build upon its
original taste. It means increase to the spiritual nature. In maturing, the development of
God's character to us perhaps experiences slippage from this initial goodness of God. No
wonder He tells us to the "faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the
blameless...blameless, the pure...pure, crooked...shrewd" (2 Sam 22:27). The newborn
babe initially tastes of the good, fair, pleasant, "easy" milk of the Lord and
"grows thereby." We are told as then to "long after" that type of
nourishment.
We can see this easily in our human relationships. For what encourages increase to
relationships as we know them? Is it through rigidity and demands? God knows this
atmosphere is "against us" and "opposed to us" (Col 2:14). No, as a
newborn longs after milk and drinks to his growth best in fair and kind surroundings, it
is for us to seek the fair winds of newborn salvation perception, that we, too will grow
thereby.
"so that you may grow
in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (chrestos)"
The
newborn babe initially tastes of the good, fair, pleasant, "easy" milk of the
Lord and "grows thereby."
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