It is significant, too, that the Scripture assures us that the same God who must resist the proud always stands ready to give grace to the humble, The Bible advises men and women to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. It is my opinion that if our humility had to show itself only under the hand of God, it would be a relatively easy gesture.
If the Lord should say to me,”lam coming and will stand at the front of the church and I will expect you to come and kneel before me and humble yourself,” it would be an easy thing for me to do because I know that no one will ever lose face in kneeling humbly before God Himself.
Any man would feel just as proud as ever even though kneeling before the eternal Majesty on high. But God knows our hearts and He doesn’t allow us to fulfill His demands for humility with a mere gesture.
God may use people whom you think are not worthy to shine your shoes and in a given situation He will expect you to humble yourself meekly and take from them whatever it is they are pouring on you. In that spirit of meekness you would be humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God!
Think of the example of our Savior, cruelly beaten and cut with the lash. That whip was not wielded by an archangel but by the hands of a pagan Roman soldier. The abuse that was heaped on Jesus did not come from any multitude of the heavenly host-but from wicked, blasphemous and dirty-tongued men who were not worthy to clean the dust from the soles of His sandals.
Jesus willingly humbled Himself under the hand of men and so He humbled himself under the hand of God.
Taken from the book “I call it Heresy” by A W Tozer
Published by Gospel Literature Service
American Calvinist Baptist Minister and Author John Piper’s wife Noel Piper writes about their successful marriage. An article ‘Will you cleave and leave your man? – letter to a would-be adulteress’ in desiringgod.org, talks about her convictions and habits for keeping her marriage from turmoil and sensual encounters.
She writes, “I understood — as well as a person can at the beginning of the rest of her life — the happy, solemn weight of promising to be faithful to him until death parted us, no matter what challenges God might bring into our lives. It didn’t seem possible I would ever want anything else.”
And she willfully and wholeheartedly took the oath, “Noël, do you take John to be your wedded husband to live together in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love him . . . and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?” There was not a doubt in my mind or heart when I declared, “I do!”
Like many others she also experienced the tempting storms in which their marriage could have been ship-wrecked. But God held them together.
“How could I have known that the worse of “better or worse” would lead to a season of sleepless nights when I wondered how I could keep on? I felt desperate for something different. That’s the time in our marriage when I would have been most likely to turn to someone else. But thank God, it didn’t happen. He held us together. There were a few habits that helped.”
She formed some practical and tough habits which is the embodiment of love and dedication to her husband John Piper. These habits are still relevant in these post-modern times where people tend to be unfaithful at least in social media. Try these habits to keep the marriage safe and pure.
- “Not flirting with other men.
- Avoiding men who seemed too interested.
- Not meeting alone with any other man.
- Having regular devotions together with Johnny.
Faithfulness required more than four habits, but these four have been central and essential.”
Men can also follow the habits. For her the hardest habit was the last one; to having devotions together with her husband. What she learnt from her parents – togetherness in prayer inspired her to keep the promise.
“The last is the hardest, but most important. My appreciation for it began, as with many things, with my parents. It is amazing my parents stayed together. About twenty years into their marriage, their rampaging differences seemed about to rip them apart.
Through even the most difficult months — years, really — Daddy and Mother took us all to church every Sunday. And every evening of the week, one of us kids was sent to the front porch to holler down toward the pasture and out toward the woods, “Sto-o-ory and pra-a-yers ti-i-ime!”
After all nine of us kids (later we were ten) had tumbled into the living room from the barn and creek and kitchen, Daddy read the next passage in our years-long path through the whole Bible. Then we kneeled at our chairs and took turns praying”
And she had questions and doubts of wandering away from the sanctity of their marriage. But she chose the path of faithfulness and it yielded great results in their personal lives. And for the millions of people who read and watch John Piper and his family, their life is a perfect example to follow.
She asks herself some important questions, and she picked up the right answer.
“What did it boil down to during my darkest nights? I was saved from wandering by some form of this question: What kind of a cleaver am I? Am I the deadly implement who will split my family — with a husband and five children — into shreds? Because, with or without divorce, that is what unfaithfulness will do to us.
Or will I cleave to the husband God has given me? Will I cling to my marriage and pray desperately for something different? I chose to cling, and God is still proving his faithfulness. He will do the same for you.”
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled .. Hebrews 13:4
By Prakash P Koshy
Psalm 105:5 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles…
It is so easy to forget what God has done; even those pivotal moments that change us forever. They begin to fade as other things crowd out their importance. This is why God instructed the children of Israel to build a memorial of remembrance after the crossing of Jordan in Joshua 3 & 4. Twelve stones were laid, one by each tribe, as a permanent legacy to what God had done for them.
I too have stones of remembrance. Yes, I write on stones. These stones are my visual reminder of God’s promises to me. They represent ages, stages and life events where the word of God has been an anchor holding me fast during storms. On these stones are scriptures that represent a fresh work in my life; a new turning point. They are tangible reminders that I can touch and hold. Their words bring comfort, strength and hope. I read these stones and I remember all what God has done. They remind me of all that He will do and all that He has promised.
How do you remember what God has done for you?
Meditation by by Maria Egilsson
“There is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10).
An American F-16 war plane piloted by Scott O’Grady, when flying over Serbia, was shot down by the Serbian army. There was neither any trace of the pilot nor news from him for five days as to whether he was dead or alive. On the sixth day, a faint message from O’Grady’s radio was received by another pilot. He was alive, hiding himself from the enemy. US rescue teams headed towards him with all precaution and in a daring attempt had him hauled up safely by a helicopter. The whole country rejoiced. It was reported that the weapons and machinery used in the rescue operation of this one person was six billion dollars equivalent to rupees 600 crore.
Yes, that is the worth of a human soul. How precious is the deliverance of a soul that is lead to salvation, delivered from eternal death in hell? It is for this purpose that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for my redemption and yours.
“Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ” (1Pet. 1:18-19).
Rom. 3:24; Col 11:14; Titus 2:14; Heb. 9:12; Rev. 5 9-10.
Taken from the book “Light for the soul” by Dr. Daniel Sundararaj
Published by GLS Publishing
Praising in Pain
“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).
Hanna R. Higgins, the author of the book “Cloud and Sunshine“ was a bedridden invalid for over 50 years. As a young girl, she was afflicted with a strange bone disease, and her legs had to be amputated. She lived through intense suffering and pain, bearing everything patiently and cheerfully as she was a completely committed Christian. She was rooted in Christ, had faith in Him and abounded in thanksgiving. Everyone who came to meet and talk to her, went away feeling blessed. She used to call her bed the “Thanksgiving corner”. She rejoiced in her Lord and radiated Christian joy, peace and glory. Her prayer list for intercession for missionaries and workers included over 200 names and she prayed without ceasing. She used to pray for each one by name and send a letter of encouragement to each one of them at least once a year. Her book was written when she was 77 and she says, “I long for all to prove, as l do, that with our loving Savior’s help, it is possible to be happy under trying conditions.” Read Phil. 4:6; Hab. 3:17-18; Acts 15:25; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Heb. 10:34.
Taken from the book ‘Manna for the Soul’ by Dr. Daniel Sundararaj.
Published by GLS Publishing
