2022-01-19
Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV
Cyprian was a wealthy nobleman who lived during the third century. He enjoyed galloping about Carthage in his gold and bejewelled chariot. He wore fancy clothes studded with diamonds and precious stones and lived a debauched life. Cyprian wrote a letter to one of the Christian theologians of his time, saying he couldn’t possibly imagine how he could change his life – the life he had lived for so long. The long-standing habits, tastes, and desires that he had developed, the sins he clung on to – how could he possibly give those things up? How could he ever become like the Christians he saw? To him it seemed to be a totally impossible thing.
But in the divine power and grace of God, the things that seem totally impossible can happen, and so Cyprian was transformed. God reached down and took out Cyprian’s stony heart and placed within him a heart of flesh – a heart that was tuned to loving God and singing His praises. Things that had at one time seemed completely impossible, mysterious, and difficult to understand had all become plain and clear. Cyprian was so totally transformed, he even went on to become one of the great Christian leaders of the early church.
We might not understand how such a change is even possible – how our old natures, habits and sins can be completely turned around. But the good news is we don’t have to understand. We just have to trust in Christ and be born again. All kinds of people – rich and poor, unknown and famous, those with university degrees and those with little formal education – have experienced the regenerating power of God and enjoyed a new life in Christ. And each of us can experience it too.
Gen 40-41; Luke 4:1-13; Ps 89:1-14; Pro 2:20
2022-01-18
Proverbs 13:18 NCV
When someone corrects us, we should try to be teachable and not unreachable. ‘Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]’ (James 1:19 AMP). If we can do the first two things, the third one naturally falls into place. If we’re quick to listen and slow to answer back, we’re going to be slow to lose our temper. ‘The one who accepts correction will be honoured.’ So let’s use our ears more than our mouths, and be willing to accept correction.
The wisest people have a ‘teach me’ attitude and are willing to learn from others. We can learn from anyone, if we just know the right questions to ask. It’s important that we never stop asking questions, because the moment we refuse to learn, we can’t grow any further. We might feel threatened by someone who has more experience than us and can teach us something. We might get defensive when someone makes a suggestion to us. We might resent someone for giving us advice, or refuse to listen to someone who’s younger than us.
It’s often very humbling to admit our own mistakes or inexperience. We might feel that we’re somehow lowering ourselves and losing respect if we have to learn something from another person. But knowledge is an amazing gift, and when someone offers to share their knowledge with us, let’s jump at the chance. The Bible says, ‘Humbly accept the word planted in you’ (James 1:21 NIV). The word ‘humble’ here means ‘gentle’. When we approach God’s Word, we should try to approach it with a gentle, or humble, attitude that says, ‘Lord, I’m willing to be taught.’
Gen 37-39; Luke 3:21-38; Ps 84; Pro 2:16-19
2022-01-17
Proverbs 15:1 GNT
When someone disagrees with us, we should try to be tender without surrendering. We’ll never be able to please everyone. We’ll always meet people who like to argue and disagree. Some people might contradict everything we say. How should we respond to them? One of the tests of spiritual maturity is how we handle those who disagree with us. Some people have a need to demolish anyone who disagrees with them. If we challenge them or offer a comparison, complaint, or criticism, they respond with a personal attack on us. Then what do we do? There are three alternatives:
1) We can retreat in fear. Many people choose this route because they haven’t developed the ability to be confident in responding with gentleness. If we’re ‘peace at any price’ types, there’ll be hidden costs somewhere along the line in our most important relationships.
2) We can react in anger. Anger is often a sign that we feel insecure and threatened by someone’s disapproval. It’s a warning light that tells us we’re about to lose something, and it’s often our self-esteem. When we become angry, we can also become sarcastic and attack the other person’s self-worth.
3) We can respond in gentleness. ‘A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up.’ This is the kind of response that requires a fine balance between maintaining our right to an opinion, while equally respecting another person’s right to their opinion. It requires being tender without surrendering our convictions. Sometimes we must stand by our convictions. Sometimes it’ll call for us to ask questions and gain a better understanding of why the other person has that opinion, which might take a bit of effort on our part. But it’s always worthwhile if it helps us respond to them with gentleness.
Gen 35-36; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 81; Pro 2:11-15
2022-01-16
Romans 14:1 NIVUK
When someone upsets or disappoints us, God expects us to be gracious towards them instead of judgmental. The Bible says, ‘If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted’ (Galatians 6:1 NIV). We might be tempted to become judgmental or to have a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. That’s the wrong response. ‘Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling.’ Instead of criticising their faults, we’re supposed to help strengthen their faith.
The moment we begin to judge someone else, we set ourselves up for Satan’s attack in our own areas of weakness. What’s your reaction to people when they make a mistake or mess up their lives? We might say things like, ‘I told you so,’ or ‘I could see it coming,’ or ‘It serves you right,’ or ‘How could you be such a fool?’ Jesus didn’t do that! His reaction to the woman caught committing adultery was full of compassion and sensitivity. He defended her publicly, then restored her privately. He was gracious, not judgmental. And we should work very hard at not being judgmental, because that’s the way Christ treats us. ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God’ (Romans 15:7 NIV).
When we stop and think about it, God puts up with a lot from us. And if He puts up with our inconsistencies and weaknesses, we can surely learn to put up with other people’s failings. Whenever we’re tempted to judge another person, we should pause and remember how much God has forgiven us for. The more we recognise God’s grace to us, the more gracious we’ll be to others.
Judg 16:23-31; 2 Cor 12:3-11
2022-01-15
Philippians 4:5 GNT
The Greek word used for gentleness means ‘strength under control’. It paints a picture of a wild horse that has been tamed through love and kindness. It doesn’t mean being weak and wimpy. The only two people in the Bible who were called gentle – Moses and Jesus – were both strong. Gentleness is restraining our reactions. It’s choosing our response to people rather than just reacting to them. For the next few days, let’s look at what it means to be gentle.
First, when someone serves us, we should be thoughtful and not demanding. Paul wrote, ‘Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing’ (Philippians 2:4 TLB). The way we treat the servers in a coffee shop, receptionists, customer service assistants, bank clerks, police officers, and others who serve us can say a lot about us. Some people might be rude and difficult with them, or treat them as if they’re just machines without feelings, never thinking that the people serving them may have had a tough day, but only thinking of themselves and their needs. In order to develop gentleness, we should start by trying to understand the people who serve us.
One of the places we can forget to show gentleness is at home. We might be the gentlest and most thoughtful people in the world to others, but become insensitive or unthinking towards those we live with. But the Bible says we must ‘show a gentle attitude toward everyone.’ No exceptions. Not just when we’re having a good day, or when we feel like it. We must be understanding, not demanding, towards the people we live with as well as the people who serve us. So today, let’s practise being gentle with everyone we meet.
Gen 32-34; Luke 3:1-10; Ps 79; Pro 2:9-10
2022-01-14
Proverbs 10:32 NLT
Having integrity includes how we use our words. If we wouldn’t say something if a parent, friend, or Jesus Himself was standing next to us, then we probably shouldn’t be saying it at all. God’s always with us and He knows every word we’ve ever said. He even knows the words we don’t say – the ones we only think. Jesus declared: ‘What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs’ (Luke 12:3 NIV). He knows everything about us, and we’ve undoubtedly said or thought at least a few words that we regret, and that we’d hate to have brought into the light where everyone would know about them.
Psalm 139 says, ‘before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely’ (v.4 NIV). The word ‘completely’ suggests that He doesn’t only know the words we’re about to speak, but the real meaning behind them, the motive with which we’re saying them, and their sincerity. The thought of God knowing everything about us can seem very daunting. It can feel like He’s keeping a list of all our mistakes and there’s nothing we can do about it.
But that’s not the case at all. God shows us where we’re going wrong so we can change it. And He knows we’re never going to be perfect, because we’re human. Instead of being disappointed in us when our words don’t match up to His standards, He’s there to inspire us to do it differently next time around, encouraging us to say and think godly words. ‘The lips of the godly speak helpful words’. Let’s aspire to that.
Gen 30:25-31:55; Luke 2:41-52; Ps 74:12-23; Pro 2:7-8
