And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:12-14)
Whatever it is that we face today, we don’t have to be great in order to trust God, nor must we have great faith. Our faith can be as small as a mustard seed and that will be enough to move God. We don’t have to pray better, we just have to pray. “These 10 lepers were required by the Savior to perform an act of faith in Him before they had the slightest evidence in themselves that He had already healed them. Before they began to feel their foul blood cleansed—before the horrible dryness of leprosy had yielded to healthy perspiration— they were to go towards the house in which the priest lived to be examined by him and to be pronounced clean. They were to exhibit faith in Christ Jesus’ power to heal them by going to exhibit themselves as healed, although they were in the same condition as before! They were to start to the place where they should be examined by the priest, believing that Jesus had healed them, or would heal them, though, as yet, they had no internal evidence, whatever, that their flesh would become as that of a little child!” Charles Spurgeon Our faith is our evidence. GiGi❤️
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“Serving the Lord with humility.” (Acts. 20:19)
Learning from our mistakes is part of the essence of humility. “When a mistake is made, people try to pretend that it did not happen. They try to cover it up, justify the wrong situation, which leads to additional mistakes.” There are some who gaslight in their relationships in an attempt to convince the other party that they are the problem. “Quite often, more damage is done to relationships, trust and integrity by the actions taken after the original mistake. Of course there is a choice when a mistake is made — admit it, learn from it, correct it and apologize to those that were adversely affected. Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” Charles Spurgeon wrote: “He that will not be humble shall be humbled. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God and he shall lift you up, lest he leave you because you hold your head so high.” If we are too tall we must stoop down to fit inside the doorway. Humility helps us to admit when we are wrong. GiGi❤️ “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
Yes, we are our brother’s keeper., We are responsible for one another. The Dali Lami is quoted saying: “And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” It is a “Cainish Spirit” when one insulates from the concerns that go on around them and responds, “It is not my problem. Am I my brother’s keeper.” What the Lord confirmed for Cain still applies today: “‘YES, YOU ARE!’ While we are not to judge our Christian brothers and sisters, because they answer to God and not to us (Romans 14:12), we are responsible for the way our conduct affects their lives.” Furthermore, we cannot unsee what we see or unknow what we know. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend that reality is not happening around us. It is a Christian duty to respond with good, if nothing else, to pray, “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:7) “We have all of us, especially those of us who are Christians, the power to do good to others. We have not all the same ability, for we have not all the same gifts, or the same position, but as the little maid that waited on Naaman’s wife had opportunity to tell of the prophet who could heal her master, so there is not a young Christian here but what has some power to do good to others…We have all some capacity for doing good.” Whether we hear it in passing or witness something with our own eyes, let us stop what we are doing and, if we cannot do anything else, pray, pray, pray. GiGi❤️ “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Brene Brown revised the idea that a healthy position to take in our interaction with others is to believe that, perhaps, they are doing their best. Assuming that everyone is doing their best relieves us of the burden of harsh judgment and unforgiveness. H. Collins, a blogger, wrote: “To assume the best about people and assume that, at any given moment they’re just doing the best they can, would require a vulnerability and humility that often exceeds my capacity. It would require me to actually get to know people, to let them in and hear them out, to sit under the weight of their story, or simply to get out from underneath the weight of my own. Honestly, my assumptions about other people start with my assumptions about myself. Really it’s more of an internal problem than an external one. I see the worst in other people because I’m constantly hashing out the worst things about myself. I’m not generous with others because I don’t have the grace or the patience to first be generous with myself. At any given moment I’m on the hunt for my biggest flaws and most blatant failures so I can minimize my insecurities and maximize my likability.” Just a little bit of kindness, driven by love, can possibly lead someone to Christ, could possibly be the blessing they were praying for, or the light they sought in their darkness. Ian Maclaren is quoted as saying, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Let us move over and make room for others. Perhaps, they are doing the best they can. GiGi❤️ A Tortoise was very sad because he wanted to see the world but it would take an eternity with his little short legs. He shared his sadness with a pair of Ducks. “We can help you see the world,” said the Ducks. “Take hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will be sorry.” The Tortoise was so excited and happy to finally get to see the world. He bit down on the stick firmly and each of the Ducks took an end and up they flew toward the clouds. The Tortoise, with big eyes, was astonished and awed by what he saw. Suddenly a Crow flew by and cawed, “”This must surely be the King of Tortoises!” The Tortoise forgot the instructions not to speak and exclaimed, “Why certainly…” All of a sudden the little Tortoise fell from the sky into a small lake below. He was doing well but lost focus.
There is an old saying, that silence is golden. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Words well spoken are silver, but silence is golden...” In essence, learning to read the room and mood is important. Sometimes, it is best to be silent or not respond, because not everything needs a response. Silence can bring calm into a situation. That powerful pause that we use before we respond allows us to recognize that it’s not about us in that moment. It is not to deny or suppress how we feel, but recognize the power of silence that can change the direction of the conversation. “I think it is well, too, when a poor sin-burdened soul is silent before God, and unable to make any bold speeches. It would have been well if Peter had been silent when he said, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33, ESV). It is good that a man is a good speaker, but it is better to know when to speak and when not to.” Charles Spurgeon Silence is Restraint! GiGi❤️ Jesus emphasizes the importance of “forgiving those who trespass against us” by mentioning it twice. Once in Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”
He mentions it again in the Parable of the Merciless Servant, in Matthew 18:21-35. When Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” He answers, “Up to seventy-seven times.” Nothing illustrates hard-hearted unforgiveness like the man who was forgiven of a debt to the king of ten thousand bags of gold. When the king learned that he was unable to pay, he ordered the man, along with his family to be sold as payment for his debt. The servant begged the king for his patience. The king reconsiders and cancels the whole debt. Yet, later that same man grabs a fellow servant who owes him one hundred silver coins and demands repayment. His fellow servant begs him for patience as the man had begged the king. The man was unrelenting and refused. He has his fellow servant imprisoned until he repays him all that he owes. Forgiveness is not an emotional response; it is intentional. Forgiveness is accepting what happened, processing the hurt, pain, anger and disappointment with self-compassion, and releasing the “righteous anger in response to the injustice,” to God. It’s an act of compassion, compassion toward ourselves and toward the offender, just as the king showed compassion toward the servant. Forgive those who have hurt us as we have been forgiven. GiGi❤️ You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)
Perfection is defined as being free from flaws or defects. Although, each individual will have their own definition of what constitutes a flaw or defect. Therefore, perfection is subjective and can be viewed through a “social, moral, cultural, personal standards, and world-view” lense. Thus, perfect peace may mean something different for each Christian, but what we may all agree on is that despite things not being ok, we are at peace. It is a peace that passes all understanding. Charles Spurgeon spoke it beautifully: “But when the cares of this world come rushin in, helter-skelter - not only one thing but twenty other things, all claiming to be done at once - then is the anxious soul apt to be disquieted. We are first wearied and then worried. To be perfectly at peace amid the hurry-burly of invading cares is a very blessed condition of soul - and the only way to reach it is described in the next line of the human, To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.” Regardless of how we define peace, we know we have peace when our thoughts and actions align with the Word of God. Stop Worrying - Rest! GiGi❤️ “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)
Even the Christian can become overwhelmed with their thoughts and make them their reality. Facts are defined as objective information that can be supported with evidence. Facts don’t change but emotions do. On the other hand, emotions are a subjective response to stimuli and are a contrast to facts. For instance, several people can experience the same thing at the same time and everyone can have a different emotional response. Yet, that won’t change the facts of what actually occurred. In actuality, our leading scripture means to “get yourself together,” gather your thoughts, calm your emotions, and stay present. In a spiritual context, it can be explained as follows: “Somehow or other, you appear to have fallen to pieces, there is no cohesion about you, and you are sure that you are not in a right condition. Well, then, our text is the very message you need; and it means, first, concentrate all your powers and faculties to the service of God, and the worship of God [and remove the hindrances that have overwhelmed your thoughts]. “Gird up the loins of your mind.” Charles Spurgeon In addition to prayer, here are some everyday practices that can help you “gird up the loins of your mind.”
GiGi❤️ So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. -I Kings 19: 19-20
The loneliness of ministry and the isolation of the cave caused Elijah to feel like he was indeed the only one God had left. For this reason, the only thing left for God to now do was to command him to go find some help. Elijah felt alone because he was alone. He felt overwhelmed because he was trying to do everything alone. He had a sense of powerlessness because he was attempting to carry the load alone. So, what he did was found Elisha the son of Shaphat. Finding Elisha solved several problems for Elijah: 1. Elisha gave Elijah someone to share the load. Elisha was another person, but also a younger person. This added strength would not only lighten the prophet's load. It might have also had the effect of extending his life. 2. Elisha gave Elijah someone to show the ropes. God forbid that Elijah would leave the planet without pouring all that was in him into someone else. Thus, Elisha became a willing receptacle to receive all that Elijah was able to show him. 3. Elisha gave Elijah someone on whom to shift the ministry. When Elijah cast his mantle upon Elisha, what he was doing was shifting his ministry to him. That is what actually happened. When Elijah was taken away into heaven, Elisha caught his mantle and picked up where he left off without ever missing a beat. If you are weary and worn out as you read this today, maybe the answer is to go find an Elisha (or Elishette) who you can mentor and who can help you finish and carry on what God has already begun in you. Pastor Benjamin Morris |
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