GENTLE ANSWERS WITH GOD'S HELP

 

GENTLE ANSWERS WITH GOD'S HELP              

   James Banks-"Close it up. I've seen enough." Those were the words of an older, experienced beekeeper to me one afternoon when I was learning how to tend a hive. 

   My movements had been quick and forceful causing vibrations that alarmed the bees and resulted in a growing swarm around my head. Even though I was trying to care for them, I was only making them angry.

   My friend proceeded to show me the importance of moving 'softly.' using gentle motions that were less likely to disturb the bees. Today (years later), when I go into a hive, my motions are so much smoother that my wife tells me it almost looks like I'm dancing.

   Sometimes difficult conversations are like dancing with bees. When others are upset and emotions are tense, reacting angrily only makes matters worse. 

   As King Solomon observed, 'A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger' (Proverbs 15:1). Responding kindly and peacefully to those who are irritated or unreasonable may take time to learn. But because gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit at work within us (see Galatians 5:22-23), with God's help we can make progress in it.

   These days I'm learning to pray for wisdom and gentleness whenever I go into a hive or a difficult conversation. When we walk with God into tense moments, our 'help in trouble' is never far away (Psalm 46:1).

Today's prayer: Dear Jesus, please help us to gently share Your love in the ways we respond to others today, and gently react to someone who's angry. In the name of Jesus we pray for this help! Amen

Encouragement- If we try to cut corners with our relationship with Jesus, we won’t be happy with the outcome. We get impatient to grow up spiritually. We don’t like the endless agitation of painful relationships, fear of the unknown and the darkness of grief. These situations force us to rely on Jesus, to lean hard on His grace and compassion, and to trust Him with unanswered questions. There’s simply no rushing maturity in Jesus.

Inspirational thoughts from church notes: God's working!

We're to wait and trust God, as He knows what He's doing. He's never late in planting, harvesting and in the right timing of things. We'll battle doubt, worry and impressions, which come from spiritual warfare against the Kingdom of Christ!

Many trials test our faith, but we're to keep moving and not stop doing what the Lord has asked us to do. He is preparing us by enlarging our capabilities, so we'll be able to do bigger and better things for the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit is working in us to go through whatever comes our way. As God always keeps His promises, we should write down what He speaks to us while we're waiting.

Prideful people want their own way and detest God's way. They get detained with wrong things and act and choose the wrong way. As God is interested in the building of our characters, He wants us to not worry, but act in faith, believing He'll help us be strong in faith, and hold onto the thoughts He gives us.

As we cannot change in and of ourselves, He will lead us by accessing our minds to the thoughts of Christ, who came as His image in flesh like ours, becoming our Worthy Savior!

We have the ability to choose to obey or not; to hold onto our old mindset or to embrace God's Spirit and be controlled by Him, and to have and maintain His peace. Even when afraid, we're to keep moving and believing that we'll always have God's help!

 

  #159 Hymn- My Jesus, I Love Thee

"My Jesus, I Love Thee" was written by William Ralph Featherston at age sixteen.

Featherston was born July 23, 1846, in Montreal. He died in the same city 26 years later. His family attended the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and it seems likely that William wrote this hymn as a poem celebrating his conversion to Christ. Reportedly, he sent it to an aunt living in California, and somehow it was published as an anonymous hymn in a British hymnal in 1864. 

Little else is known about the origin of the hymn or its author, but that's all right. It's enough just to know that God can change the world through anyone -- regardless of age -- who will say, "My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou are mine. For Thee, all the follies of sin I resign."