SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/28/2019
9:43 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “Gentleness”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:2
Message
of the verses: “2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing
tolerance for one another in love,”
We
continue to look at “gentleness” or as some translations say “meekness” in
today’s SD. Numbers 12:3 “(Now the man
Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)” As one thinks about what Moses did they may
not believe that he was so humble, after all Moses confronted Pharaoh on many
different occasions, and once Israel left Egypt Moses had to confront some of
the children of Israel too. Moses even
confronted God a couple of times on behalf of the children of Israel. When you think about where Moses began back
in Exodus 4:10 where we read “Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord,
I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You
have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Moses came a long ways from that time period,
and we must remember that he was 80 years old when he began to minister for the
Lord, but God had prepared him as Moses tended sheep for forty years getting
ready to take care of people. Moses was
nothing on his own, but everything in the hands of God and that is what made
him a meek man. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said “To
be meek means you have finished with yourself altogether.”
John
MacArthur writes “Yet the meek person is also capable of righteous anger and
action when God’s Word or name is maligned, as Jesus was when His Father’s
house was made into a robber’s den and He forcibly drove out the offenders
(Matt. 21:13). As Paul affirms later in
this letter, it is possible to be angry and not sin (Eph. 4:26). Like the Lord Himself, the meek person does
not revile in return when he is reviled (1 Pet. 2:23). When the meek person becomes angry, he is
aroused by that which maligns God or is harmful to others, not by what is done
against himself. And his anger is
controlled and carefully directed, not a careless and wild venting of emotion
that spatters everyone who is near.”
If one
thinks of a mark of a meek person it has to be that they are self-controlled. They don’t let everything that comes there
way cause them to get upset, as they are like what the Proverbs say “He who is
slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he
who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
There are two other marks of meekness that we have already mentioned,
and that is the meek person is angered at God’s name or work being maligned and
lack of anger when we ourselves are harmed or criticized.
The meek
person will respond willingly to the Word of God, no matter what the
requirements or consequences, as they humbly receive “the word implanted” as
James 1:21 says. The meek person is also
a peacemaker, as he readily forgives and helps to restore a sinning brother as
seen in Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you
who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one
looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”
John
MacArthur concludes this section with the following: “Finally, the person who is truly meek and
gentle according to God’s standards has the right attitude toward the
unsaved. He does not look down on them
with a feeling of superiority but longs for their salvation, knowing that he
himself was once lost—and would still be lost but for God’s grace. We are to be ‘ready to make a defense to everyone
who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us], yet with
gentleness (praotes) and reverence’
(1 Pet. 3:15). Not only Christian women
but all believers should be adorned ‘with the imperishable quality of a gentle
and quiet spirit’ (1 Pet. 3:4).”
In our
next SD we will begin to look at “Patience” something that all of us could
probably use more of, but perhaps we are afraid to ask God to give it to us for
fear that He will send troubles to us so that we can learn more about patience.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: As I think about how God worked in the heart
of Moses when he was 80 years old to teach him the things that caused him to be
called the most humble person on earth I have to think that God is not done
with me yet and so I am willing to be taught by God to be more humble, and to
have a greater quality of meekness.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to think and learn more about humility
from the teaching of Romans 12:2 and also Eph. 4:2.
Verse that
goes along with our quote from yesterday:
“If you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you…then you
will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth
come knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:1, 5-6).
2/28/2019 11:08 AM
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