Meek...Like a friggin War Horse!!!

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).

"The meek are those who submit themselves to God.  Praus, the Greek word translated "meek" is a very interesting word. The ancient Greeks used this word to describe their war horses, among other things.  The horse was perfectly trained, ready for battle, and would go into battle and trample enemies underfoot. It would participate in the war with the rider; this was called a meek horse.  The words meek and praus are not identical; the translators did the best they could, but the Greek word carries a different range of meaning from ours.

"I'll tell you why the Greeks called their horses praus, or meek. When the horse got to the level of training where it would obey the master (the rider) no matter what was going on, it could be trusted in the heat of battle not to do something stupid or foolish. Once the rider knew that he could trust the animal, and it would obey him no matter what, he called it a meek horse even though it might be a powerful, thoroughbred stallion, capable of killing enemies in the battle.

"This horse has tremendous power, capacity, and ability, but it has given up its own way and is allowing itself to be guided and ordered by the master.  That is what the word praus means; it means submission to the master. It doesn't mean submission to just anybody.  A meek person in the biblical sense of the word is not someone who allows just anybody to tell them what to do.  It is not someone who allows everyone to trample over the top of them and just goes with the flow. It is all of our gifts and abilities, everything that God has put into us, under His control and submitted to Him so that even in the worst crisis imaginable, we're not going to take the bit in our teeth and bolt on our own way.  We will continue to go His way under intense pressure, persecution, danger, or need. This is what it means to be meek."

It goes on to say:

"Meekness has to do with faith in Jesus Christ, with submitting to Jesus Christ, with obedience to Jesus Christ.  Faith and obedience cannot really be separated.  When James says that faith without works is dead, he's not talking about self-works, but of God-ordained works.  In other words, if we say that we have faith in God, but we are not doing God's works, the work that God has called us and empowered us to do, then we are just playing games (James 2:14-26).  We won't be able to stand in a real battle; we'll be dominated by our fears; our fears will get the better of us. Satan will be able to hem us in, and we will live our lives in a cage of fear that we, ourselves, helped him build."

Taken from God's Plan for Spiritual Battle: Victory over Sin, the World, and the Devil by Russel M. Stendal

Love For All...Hate

Jude 22 says "Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

What does this mean?  It sounds like a contradiction...it is not. It sounds like we should separate ourselves from those who don't walk the path or have fallen off...we shouldn't.  So what does this mean?  How can we be merciful to those who doubt?  Isn't doubt a form of corruption?  How can we snatch others from the fire if we aren't involved with those who might be headed that way?  How do you show mercy if you are only around those "perfect", "holy" individuals?  Hate the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.  Hate it!  Homosexuality is a sin.  Adultery is a sin.  Sex before marriage, lust, gluttony, these are all sins.  Greed, idoltary! These all corrupt the flesh. Gossip...yep.  Where do you fall?

Ephesians 6:12 states "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  This reminds of the saying "hate the sin and not the sinner".

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While were were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Please add comments for discussion...

TO BE CONTINUED...

What are you working toward?

Reading this morning I came across Luke 18:29-30:

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

The thought came to me "What am I working towards?" This thought came to me because my focus has been on me.  I want to build my savings so I can do certain things, I want to work my schedule so I have time to exercise and practice my sport, I want a beautiful wife by me so I can act on my lusts.  I have put aside those things that mean something to the kingdom because I will need to give up a pursuit of mine and make time for them. Right now I am focused on me and my needs.  I think about moving, will I be happier?  Maybe I just need to go on a big trip and then I will be happier?  These are all my thoughts.  None for the kingdom and what I can do for it.  You ever experience this?  You ever feel or felt to be in the same boat as I am?  What did you do? Did you recognize it and get out?  Have you stayed in it and wondered why the pursuit of your happiness seems endless?  Or shallow?  What are you working toward?  Eternity? Or.....?

Beautiful Feet!

This scripture has been stuck in my mind:

Romans 10:15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

This scripture is quoted from Isaiah 52:7 which says:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

 

After reading these two scriptures in my study bible I looked to see if there might be any commentary on it.  Sure enough there is and here is what it said:

 

"God says that the feet of those who bring good news are 'beautiful'.  It is a wonderful privilege to be able to share God's Good News with others, his news of redemption, salvation, and peace.  To whom do you need to give the Good news?"

 

The word privilege stood out....

 

The question "To whom do you need to give the good news?", also stood out...

God's Discipline

Job 5:17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

Proverbs 3:11,12
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

According to this scripture we understand God disciplines us, but what does that look like? Is any hardship in life we face discipline? Is any diagnosis of an illness discipline? Is any type of friction in our life considered as discipline?

Hebrews 12:7 states "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?"

So does this mean any hardship?

I don't think it could possibly mean any hardship because Jesus seemed to have faced, what we would consider, many hardships in his life. I mean he did not have the best accommodations, he felt hunger, thirst, and being tired. Not to mention he was betrayed, beaten, and crucified upon a cross. This wasn't discipline, because Jesus was perfect, but rather God's will... So how do we know when we are being disciplined and when what we are going through is not a result of something we did, but rather God's will?

I appreciate your insightful feedback.... Thank you.

Can I get a WITNESS!

I was reading John 1 and the bible commentary called "Believer's Bible Commentary" and came across the following that I thought was interesting so I thought I would share.  It basically concerns witnessing.

 

John 1:41:  "The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ)."

 

Commentary excerpt of John 1:41:  "This teaches us that we do not have to be great preachers or clever speakers.  We need only to tell men about the Lord Jesus in simple words, and God will take care of the rest."

 

John 1:42:  "And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)."

 

Commentary excerpt of John 1:42:  "Andrew brought his brother to the right place and to the right person.  He did not bring him to the church, the creed, or the clergyman. He brought him to Jesus"

 

John 1:45:  "Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”"

 

Commentary excerpt of John 1:45:  "His message was simple and to the point..." 

 

"It never was Christ's way to demand a full-fledged faith for a beginning. It never was his way to hold men back from discipleship on the ground of an incomplete creed.  And quite certainly that is not his way today. He puts himself alongside his brethren.  He bids them attach themselves to him at any point they can.  He takes them with the faith that they can offer him.  He is content with that as a beginning; and from that he leads his friends on, as he led the first group on , step by step, to the inmost secret of who He is and to the full glory of discipleship."

 

John 1:46:  "“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip."

 

Commentary excerpt from John 1:46:  "Philip did not argue.  He felt that the best way to meet objections was to introduce men directly to the Lord Jesus - a valuable lesson for all who are seeking to win others to Christ.  Don't argue. Don't engage in prolonged discussion. Just bid men to come and see."

 

 

Hope you all can glean something from this as I know I did.  Better yet I hope to put it into practice. :)

Proof...

"The question that lingers from the fall of Satan and the fall of man remains: Will anyone trust the great heart of the Father, or will we shrink back in faithless fear?

     "As we grow into the love of God and the freedom of our own hearts, we grow in out ability to cast our vote on behalf of God. Our acts of love and sacrifice, the little decisions to leave our false loves behind and the great struggles of our heart reveal to the world our true identity: We really are the sons and daughters of God." (The Sacred Romance p155)

When I think about what is quoted above I think about 1) dying to self and 2) John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less."

The quote "Our acts of love and sacrifice, the little decisions to leave our false loves behind" is what made me think about dying to self.  How many decisions have I made based on my feelings and my schedule?  How many of these decisions were made because of how the decision may or may not benefit me?  What are my false loves? Popularity, fitting-in, comforts, money, time?

When we leave our false loves (worldly things), and focus on eternal things we "reveal to the world our true identity: We really are the sons and daughters of God."  When we serve and die to self the Lord is glorified!  How much greater a witness than this?

Much, much more on this but gotta go to work...:)