Gentleness

What does it mean to be gentle?  To be honest we struggled to define gentleness, is it a demeanor?  Is it a degree of action?  Is it just like kindness?  We concluded that it is the way in which one behaves; rooted in positive intentions.  When we look at the story of Nabal and Abigail we see a woman filled with gentleness.

Nabal was approached by King David’s men who were asking for food in gratitude for keeping Nabal’s men safe.  Nabal replied harshly, and stated that he would not favor their request and that for him to do so would be absurd.  David became furious and threatened his own life if he failed to punish Nabal for this mistreatment.   Abigail heard of the news from a servant and acted immediately.  She gathered food and wine and went to David to beg for forgiveness for her husband’s actions in an attempt to save her family.  The next words she uttered showed respect for David, compassion for her husband and honor to God.  David accepted her apology and granted her request.  Her next actions further displayed the extent of her gentleness.  She returned home and found her husband feasting like a king.  He was high in spirits and very drunk.  Rather than chastising him there, she chose to act in gentleness.  Abigail waited until the next morning to tell Nabal what had happened.

What we can glean from the story of Nabal and Abigail is that gentleness requires compassion, kindness and humility.  Gentleness and the accompanying characteristic are not possible without a daily outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Gentleness reflects a transformed mind and attitude.  It is a consistent response that seeks a peaceful and positive solution to what is happening around you.  Gentleness is a powerful weapon in diffusing negative or difficult situations.

God uses gentleness in a powerful way to draw us to him.  God gave Nabal 10 days to repent for his sinful and foolish ways.  Nabal’s failure to do so caused his demise.  When we think of our own sinful ways it is comforting to see how God’s gentleness is always evident.  It is reflected in how He tailors our experiences to teach us.  God’s persistence in drawing us closer to Him and the versatility of his measures exhibits His gentleness.  Gentleness in our actions portrays the depth and extent of God’s endless love. 

To being wise,

Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Goodness

What does it mean to be good?  Is it charity work? Is it helping the homeless and the needy?  Is it walking the neighbor’s dog?  Is it paying your bills on time and having good credit?  It is getting regular exercise and eating healthy?  Is it saying please and thank you?  These are all good things, but to be good is a very different thing indeed.

According to Jesus in Mark 10:17 – 27 none of the things mentioned above are indicators of goodness.  Only God is good and goodness can only come from Him.  In the story of the rich young ruler a wealthy young man comes to Jesus asking what he needs to do to gain everlasting life.  He boasts of all the “good” things he had already done.  Jesus tells this young man to give up his entire wealth to the poor and to follow Him.  The story ends with the rich young ruler leaving saddened by Jesus’ request.  We do not know if he heeded Jesus’ advice or not.  But the lesson Jesus is imparting is very clear.  Actions do not dictate goodness; rather, it is the motive behind the action.  In our society we have a prescribed list of actions that are deemed “good”.  Though these actions appear and are good, if the motive is self-serving then it negates the element of goodness.  What were the motives behind the rich young ruler’s actions?  He believed that:

1.       In doing good, he was good.

2.       In doing good, he expected to receive good in return. 

3.       In doing good, he earned a place in heaven.

Here is where he got it wrong.  He did not lie, kill, steal, commit adultery and he honored his parents.  These things were noble, but it did not make him good.  He believed that his goodness was determined by his good actions and this entitled him to good rewards.  Here is what he got the most wrong.  He believed that he could earn his way into heaven.  That power belongs to Jesus and no one else.  What is alarming about this story is that the rich young ruler attempted to be good without having a relationship with God.  This is why Jesus exposed his flaw in valuing earthly things over a personal relationship with Him.

We do this all the time.  We ask God for things in our life that we desire without bothering to maintain consistent and quality contact with Him daily.  When we do “good” things that make us “good” we believe we are entitled to the things we have asked Him for.  When we aren’t doing “good” things, we bear guilt.  These attitudes reveal self-reliance instead of God-dependence.  And that was Jesus’ point.

What are the things you must give up to follow God?  And are you willing to do it?

To being wise,

Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Patience

We live in such a fast-paced world and our lives demand that we get things done quickly.  We have 1 minute rice, On Demand TV, Gogurt, drive through Starbucks, instant oatmeal, 24 hour customer service and vending machine shoes.  With all of these time-savers you think we would all have more time, but we have less.  But what we have even less of is patience.

Patience is a long lost virtue; just consider the last time it took you longer than 25 seconds to download something.  This impatience has created an attitude of instant gratification that has influence all other expectations.  In our spiritual walk we apply these same expectations to God and when He doesn’t answer in our time frame we get frustrated.  When we are not instantly gratified we are so quick to question if God cares or if He even exists.  As a result we take matters into our own hands and we deny God’s leadership.  Impatience is a weakness that suffocates faith.  Faith is likened to a mustard seed that needs to grow and impatience stunts that essential growth.

Let’s look at the story of Lazarus.  After being told that Lazarus was severely ill and being asked to come immediately to help him, Jesus says “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God” and stays where He was two days longer.  After the third day passes Lazarus dies.  It is at this time that Jesus decides to finally go to Mary and Martha.  When Jesus comes to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.  It is important to note that Bethany (where Lazarus was buried) was a mere two miles away from Jerusalem where Jesus was staying.  When Martha greets Him, she says accusingly “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”, let’s pause.  How many times have we asked Jesus similar questions?  “Lord if you had only done ________ at this time in this way it would have all been ok”.  BUT, Jesus does not operate on our schedule, He lives outside of time.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11: 25 – 26 (NASB)

Every time our patience is tried it is often a test where Jesus asks us in moments of doubt “Do you believe?”  If we answer that question by taking things into our own hands we are replying “NO”.  But if we wait on the Lord, our strength is renewed, our faith reinforced and just as Lazarus was resurrected, blessing is assured.  This does not mean we will never be impatient, but in those moments we must remember:

1)      Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus and He loves us, but like them we are not exempt from hardships.

2)      If God can conquer death, than nothing is impossible for Him.

3)      The trials we face are not about us, but all about God.

The resurrection of Lazarus was necessary in order for Jesus to bring glory to God.  Jesus did not delay His arrival out of neglect; it was to eliminate all arguments that could undermine this miracle.  God is very meticulous in how He responds to our needs.  We don’t understand how He works.  God is never dormant; He is always actively working on our behalf.  We just have to be patient and know that His is always the right time.

To being wise,

Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Love

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8 (ESV)


God is love. Let’s liken our hearts to a bank and God to the currency. To have anything in the bank you have to make a deposit. But if you have no income, you cannot make a withdrawal. In this case our income is the word of God and our daily experiences with Him. When that income is constant we have an abundance of resources.


How do we get that consistent flow of income?


A great example of someone exhibiting love in the Bible is David. David loved the Lord and he is described as a man after God’s own heart. David’s love for God was evident in his private talks with God, in his allegiance to God, in his desire to please God and in his testimonies. David had a lot of time on his hands as a shepherd and he chose to spend that time talking privately to God. You don’t have a private talk with just anyone; you talk privately with your closest friends and family. That is who God was to David, a close friend and a family member. As a shepherd David understood the role of leader and follower. He watched his sheep every day and saw their utter dependence on him. In the same manner David understood that God was his leader and creator and he followed as His creation. He understood that his intelligence was that of the sheep in comparison to the omniscience of God. He knew his place and surrendered to it. David’s testimony was concrete evidence that God was a living presence in his life. The book of Psalms is like David’s diary cataloguing one-on-one experiences that revealed God’s character and love towards him. These records built his faith and allowed him to be fearless. He was never bolder than when he told King Saul that he would fight Goliath when thousands of men before him feared to do so. When asked how he could do this, David spoke of how God used him to overcome difficulties in the past and knew that God would not forsake him in this. Because David had spent time with God, witnessed God in His fullness and knew his place with God his desire for God was nurtured. Through this passion and desire to please God, David was able to testify of God’s faithfulness, power and love. David was motivated by his desire to please God, God was his target. When you desire something it becomes your target to which all aspects of your life become focused to. That is why during the lowest point of David’s life, when he was sought a counterfeit love from Bathsheba, Nathan brought him back into focus and reminded him of his first love, God.


Regardless of the condition your life is in right now, God wants to abide with you. David is such a great illustration for us because we don’t have to be perfect to have an intimate relationship with God. Here are some things that we can take from David’s story:

1) Your time is coveted. The devil tries to make you so busy that God gets the leftovers. We must make God our target.

2) Know your place. You did not create heaven and earth in seven days, God did. Be the follower, let God lead.

3) Let Him in. In this day and age God is not popular. We know that God is knocking at our hearts, but we treat him like a door-to-door salesman. Open the door and make it your mission to know Him and watch your desire grow.

4) Be about it. Once you know Him you will be on fire to want to talk about Him. His light will shine so bright within you that people won’t help but see it.



To being wise,


Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa