A New Heart: Gentleness

"With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love..." (Ephesians 4:2a, NASB).

"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your help makes me great" 2 Samuel 22:36 (NASB).

What does God's gentleness look like? Gentleness sees the beauty in God and His glory, as well as the way sin causes destruction. It acts with compassion. I love that another version of 2 Samuel 22:36b reads, "You stoop down to make me great" (NIV, 1984). When God sees us, He knows that we are His creation and that He loves us. He also faces that we aren't perfect, that we have sin in our lives and that we may be far from Him. God sees we need help. In our weakness, He is strong. The Lord seeks to:

• forgive us
• develop a relationship with us, a relationship based on trust in who He is
• clean out the sin in our lives
• give us the Holy Spirit to give us power to walk a fresh life with Him

God's gentleness uses wisdom and acts on love. How can we act in gentleness? We need humility in knowing who we are, as well as faith in who God is. We also need God's grace, love and strength.

Lord, thank You for showing gentleness toward us. Help us see how to live out this fruit of the Spirit. Help us show others that the gentleness we know comes from You, because it's a part of who You are. Amen.

For more on living out gentleness, see Galatians 6:1, Ephesians 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:25, James 3:13.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from www.alcsaguilas.com.

Happy New Year!

Below is a devotion written by Charles Spurgeon. Please excuse the Old English language. Just thought it was an insightful devotion for this time of year.

"'Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.' -1 Samuel 7:12

"The word 'hitherto' seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, 'hitherto the Lord hath helped!' Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, 'hitherto hath the Lord helped us!'

"We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of mercy received 'hitherto.'

"But the word also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes 'hitherto,' he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No! There is more yet - awakening in Jesus' likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fullness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. O be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise thy 'Ebenezer,' for - 

'He who hath helped thee hitherto

Will help thee all thy journey through.'

"When read in heaven's light how glorious and marvellous a prospect will thy 'hitherto' unfold to thy grateful eye!"

Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon from Morning and Evening, Complete and Unabridged, KJV Edition. Published by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. in Peabody, Massachusetts in April 2010.

Photo by Nick Meers found with a BBC News article (www.bbc.co.uk).

The Holy Spirit testifies to truth

"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me" (John 15:26, New American Standard Bible).

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" is a common phrase heard on witness stands in courts in America. It is expected to be included in their sworn testimony. The Holy Spirit has a similar role as a truthful witness, as His teaching lines up with the Lord's law found in Scripture. The meaning of the Holy Spirit, "parakletos" in biblical Greek, is one who pleads another's case. The Holy Spirit, a part of the Holy Trinity, in this verse is described as being a witness to Jesus' identity.

Why is the Spirit comforting as we face our sins? The Holy Spirit can bring light not only to our sin, but also to God's grace. When we see the gravity of our sin, we can confess it and turn from it to God. God has the power to forgive that sin and free us from being slaves to it. Our sins were already paid for on the cross, so God forgives us out of His mercy. The Holy Spirit testifies the truth of Jesus to bring God's glory to light.

The Holy Spirit reveals the light and hope from God and helps us with the mission that God calls us to. Like a witness that testifies truth, the Holy Spirit helps us see the truth of who Jesus is. As the truth of God comes to light, we can pray that we and others are continually drawn into a closer relationship with Him.

Lord, help us see, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who God is and what He has done for the world. Speak to others about who You are through us. In Your name, Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

The Holy Spirit and the desperado

"'But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 
And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 
concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 
and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 
and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged'" (John 16:7-11, New American Standard Bible).

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18, New American Standard Bible).

Have you heard the song "Desperado" by the Eagles? The illustration to the left is of the band, by Mark Stutzman (from www.rollingstone.com). The word "desperado" means criminal, but it reminds me of old stories about cowboys in the American wild west. I could be way off in my interpretation, but the desperado described seems to be about someone who seeks freedom by living apart from people and love (you can find the lyrics here, at azlyrics.com).

As believers, the Holy Spirit points out sin that separates us from God (John 16:8-11). The purpose of  conviction is to help us see our need for a healed relationship with God, our Creator, Savior, and King. God loves us, and Jesus paid the price for sin already. The hope is that we come to Him for forgiveness, restoration, and a closer relationship with Him.

1 Peter 3:18 explains that the end goal for the convicting is to make us alive in the Spirit. Is there some part of your life that is away from God? God wants us to desire Him more than sin and then put our trust in Him and His lead.

Lord, thank You for loving us enough to want to bring us back to Your presence, even when we sin. Convict us; help us see where we need more of You. May the Holy Spirit convict others, too, so they can also know and trust in You. Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).