Category: Humility

Whatever you desire

“Therefore whatever you desire
for men to do to you,
you shall also do to them;
for this is the law and the prophets.
Enter in by the narrow gate;
for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction,
and many are those who enter in by it.
How narrow is the gate,
and restricted is the way
that leads to life!
Few are those who find it.”
— Jesus, Matthew 7:12-14, WEB

O may we endeavor, by God’s grace, to walk away from the path of destruction, and walk in the way of divine life and love and peace! Loving others as if they are God Himself!

Lord of my death

Lord of my death
Lord of my weeping
Lord of my loss
Lord of my wounds
Lord of my illness
Lord of my unbearable pain
Lord of my heavy, light suffering
Lord of my unending, momentary affliction
Lord of my weakness
Lord of my fear
Lord of my despair
Lord of my uncertainty
Lord of all
Scoop me up into arms that hold to the ages
Out of time and out of dying life
Take me into wonder that I have slightly tasted
Into Your death and unending Life
Spread out Your Lordship over all of my being
Precious Lord Jesus
Lord first and last
God’s final Word forever
Have the last say!

—

“He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.”
–2 Corinthians 12:9,10

“Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
–2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The Sword of the Spirit – by A.W. Tozer

Undoubtedly God goes along with us as far as He can in this weak and one-sided treatment of the Holy Scriptures, but He cannot be pleased with this way of doing. Our Heavenly Father takes pleasure in seeing us develop and grow up spiritually. He does not want us to live entirely on a diet of sweet stuff. He gives us for our encouragement Isaiah 41, but He gives us also Matthew 23 and the book of Jude, and He expects us to read it all. The eighth chapter of Romans is one of the most elevating passages in the entire Bible, and its popularity is well deserved; but we need Second Peter as well, and we should not neglect to read it. When reading Paul’s epistles, we should not stop with the doctrinal sections but should go on to read and ponder the bracing exhortations that follow. We should not stop with Romans 11; the rest of the epistle is also important, and if we would treat our souls fairly, we must give it the same attention we gave to the first ten chapters.

Briefly, the health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us. We cannot afford to be selective with anything so important as the Word of God and our own eternal future.

Acceptable

“Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation He who fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him. The word which He sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ — He is Lord of all — that spoken word you yourselves know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
—Acts 10:34-38

Draw near

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
— James 4.8

God wants to make Himself known to you. Take the time to ask Him to cause you to know Him. May you find it in your heart to desire Him and want to know Him. And then may you reach out to Him in sincerity of heart. He is waiting for such.