Friday, August 17, 2012

Consider: Honoring God RJD #21




God has dealt with me on being judgmental. In the past year and a half I have been aware of four different persons, whom I know or have met, who have been accused of transgressing legal or moral laws. Yet, each of these people has need of the Savior. I presently have contact with two of these people.

Below is a journal entry where a woman crashes a dinner to honor Jesus.

_______________________

3/11/2004

Luke 7:36-50

A woman with a ‘past’—a sinful background—dared to enter a Pharisee’s home during a dinner party the host had planned for Jesus. The woman brought with her a vial of expensive ointment. She broke it open and applied it to His feet. She began to cry, her tears wetting His feet. She knelt down and wiped his feet with her hair.

            The host objected, thinking to himself, ”If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

            Jesus pointed out that this woman had honored him while the host had ignored the basic amenities of His role. The host hadn’t provided water for His feet or oil for Jesus’ head. But this woman had anointed His feet with a costly fragrant ointment and cleansed His feet with her tears.

            We are to honor Jesus with our hearts, with our words, our deeds, our thoughts, and even our very lives. Sometimes, we slip and fall into the rut of ‘honoring’ Him by lip service. We need to repent of being ‘cultural’ in our thinking. Do we look down on someone just because he or she might have messed up a long time ago? Do we look down on someone because he or she lives differently than we do?

            In honoring Jesus, we are to extend grace and mercy to all we meet. We are to remember that God, through Jesus, extended grace and mercy to us who were once sinners and we are to do likewise.

******************
Update on thoughts;
Have I been a victim of judgmentalism? Has my family? I believe so. but I have to give my feelings over to God and let Him deal with those who have passed judgment on me and mine.
Each day I learn NOT to be judgmental toward those with whom I come in contact. I am reminded of the adage, "There but for the grace of God,goes me."

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

God Guides in His Truth






“Show me your ways, O Lord.

Teach me your paths; guide me in your truth

and teach me for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)



David penned these words, requesting God’s guidance. The words make me stop and take notice—especially the verbs.

Show David asks the Lord to let him see God’s ways. I believe he asks God to demonstrate how he, David, is to perform in his role as the ruler of the Israelite nation. Matthew Henry states it like this. “He begs direction from God in the ways of his duty.”1 How do we ask God to show us how we can do the task He gives us? Life Application Bible notes tell me our “first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s primary guidance system is in his Word, the Bible.”2

Teach David expresses his willingness to sit at the Lord’s feet and learn from Him. We sometimes have ‘teachable moments’ with our children. Do we receive those kinds of moments from God?

Guide David asks God to take him through issues and circumstances, as He wants them done. The Lord has described David as being ‘after my own heart.’(SCR) In spite of the sin David committed, God still had a special love for him. Do we have times when we need to ask the Lord to walk before us and lead us through problems?



1.     Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry, p.602, © 1961 Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2.     Life Application Bible New International Version p. 927, © 1991 Tyndale House Publishers Wheaton Illinois; Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Monday, August 13, 2012

God Guides the Humble






He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them His way. Psalm 25:9 (NIV)



               David tells us something we all should remember. God guides the humble, as opposed to the. prideful. Humility is a quality when seen in a person allows others to look beyond that person to God. The opposite of humility is pride.

            Several years ago in the Sunday school class we were in, the class discussion was on being humble. One of the other women told the story, sort of a joke, of a man who was “The most humble man he knew. And he was proud of that fact.” We all groaned but we got the picture. The man in question had little idea of humility.

            God leads us through the quagmire of our lives and into the right way to live our lives. He tried to reach humanity through the patriarchs, then with prophets. Finally He sent His only Son to us to show us the way to live.

God uses all He has at hand to teach us what He expects from us. He instructs us as to what we have to do to live for Him.

My later thoughts:

            Humility is an emotion that goes against human nature. A person has to learn to be humble. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God tells us to “humble” ourselves, “Seek My face”, and then “pray.” Our first order of business when we approach God’s throne is to remember who we are in light of Who He is.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...