Living Peaceably

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

       "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."  Romans  12:18

     This Scripture speaks of Christian forbearance and understanding - the quiet willingness to suffer wrong rather than to foster or continue discord by quarreling and brawling.

     Someone who had experienced great difficulty with an unreasonable neighbor, and who finally had to defend himself legally against the latter's unwarranted and dishonest actions, commented:  "I have tried to follow Romans 12:18, but in a case like this I thank the Lord for the 'escape clause' He has put into this text. He does not say we have to live peaceably with all men under every circumstance - for even the Lord recognizes that with some people this cannot be done.  Therefore, He says 'if it be possible' we should refrain from taking violent issue with those who oppose us.  - This is one of the rare cases in which I found it necessary to take other permissible measures."

     "How do wars begin?"  a boy once asked his father.  Not wishing to admit that his son's question was beyond him, the father replied,  "Well, take the first World War; that began because Germany invaded Belgium."  At his point his wife interrupted him,  "Tell the boy the truth.  It began because somebody was murdered."  The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and retorted,  "Are you answering the question, or am I?"  Turning her back on her husband in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could.  When the room stopped vibrating, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son,  "Daddy, you needn't tell me how wars begin; I know now!"

     Are you quick to retaliate, or have you cultivated a peaceable spirit?  Jesus prayed for His enemies; do you?  Live peaceably this day.

"Bread For Each Day"

Can You Take Criticism?

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven."  Matthew  5:11-12

     How are you at making enemies?  No, I did not ask,  How are you at making friends?  That is easy.  Just be a good Joe, an easy spender, a tolerant sort of fellow who never offends anyone.  Solomon wisely says,  ". . . the rich hath many friends"  (Proverbs 14:20).  And again he says,  "Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor"  (Proverbs 19:4).  Yes, you can have lots of friends if you are willing to pay them for it. And again we read,  "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men"  (Proverbs  18:16).  Yes, there are many ways of making friends.

     But how good are you at making enemies?  If you are a child of God and you can move among wicked, ungodly, cursing men and women today, and not be different enough to incur their disfavor or even reviling, you certainly are not much of a testimony.  Do you just silently endure taking the Lord's name in vain for fear of jeering?  Do you take "just a nip" because you fear ridicule?  Do you dread criticism for your faith in Christ?  Are you ashamed of Him for fear of losing friends?  I would rather make enemies for Jesus's sake than make friends for my own comfort's sake.

     In the thousands of letters we receive each week we have both letters of appreciation from our listeners, and also many of criticism and condemnation.  I can honestly say that I appreciate the "critical" letters (some of them unprintable) as much as any others for it confirms the Gospel I preach ) - that it's a two-edged sword cutting both ways:  a savor of life - and a savor of death  (2 Corinthians  2:16).

"Bread For Each Day"

The Rewards Of Grace

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

". . . the Lord . . . will make manifest the counsels of the hearts:  and then shall every man have praiste of God."  1 Corinthians  4:5

     Among the clippings I have in my scrapbook is one from the pen of Velma B. McConnell, in which she tells the story of a small child with whom she was personally acquainted.  This little one had a deep love for her mother and a constant desire to show her affection.  One day, while the child's mother was visiting a neighbor, little Frances, tired of looking at her story book, spied a linen handkerchief her parent had been embroidering.  She picked it up and laboriously hemmed it.  The mother, returning later with the neighbor, saw the work of her little girl.  As she gazed upon the crude results she beheld not the awkward, uneven stitches, but the deep affection that had prompted her child to "finish" the handkerchief.  Her eyes filled with tears.  To her the work was beautiful.  Says Velma McConnell,  "How often, with hearts filled with love and eagerness to please, we too attempt to do something for our Heavenly Father.  Though our work is bungled or poorly done, yet He sees the heart and the motive behind it."  God who can read our innermost thoughts will reward us for every good motive and each faithful endeavor.

    A converted girl of thirteen lay dying.  A lady visitor asked,  "Are you afraid, my child?"  "oh, no!" she replied:  "but what shall I say to Jesus when I meet Him, for I seem to have never done anything Him.  You see, Mother died when I was eight.  I tried to do as she had done and took care of the four little ones, kept the house tidy, and then - I was too tired to do more!"  Taking the rough little hands into her own, the visitor, with eyes full of tears, said tenderly,  "I would not say anything, dear, but just show Him your hands!"

  Do what you can for Jesus today, no matter how small or insignificant the deed may appear.  You will reap the rewards of grace when "every man shall have praise of God."

"Bread For Each Day"