"H" Is For Humility

Benjamin Franklin carried a list of thirteen virtues around with him in a book, and chose a different virtue to work on each week.  In a column marked “defects,” he kept careful record of each infraction, and started over every thirteen weeks in order to cycle through these virtues four times a year.

“For many decades Franklin carried his little book with him, striving for a clean thirteen-week cycle.  As he made progress, he found himself struggling with yet another defect:

‘There is perhaps no one of natural passions so hard to subdue as pride.  Disguise it.  Struggle with it.  Stifle it.  Mortify it as much as one pleases.  It is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself… Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.’  (“What’s So Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey, p. 35)

                                                    ______

“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.”  Thomas Merton

“What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.”  Abraham Lincoln

“He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.”  George Eliot, Adam Bede, 1859

“Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with.”  Peter Marshall

And here's a link to a Dilbert comic strip that fits our soup ingredient of humility:
http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/100000/70000/7000/500/177518/177518.strip.gif 

              Humility

Pride goes before destruction,

Haughty spirit e’re a fall.

Before honor comes humility –

We’ll do well to recall.

With wisdom comes humility,

A treasure from the heart.

Acknowledge God in all my ways

And know I’m not that smart!

Think not more highly than you ought;

Exalt yourself no more.

Avoid disgrace, receive His ways,

And enter lowly door.

          By Elaine Beachy

          February 21, 2013

Scripture references:  Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 13:10, Proverbs 29:23, Proverbs 11:2, Psalm 25:9, James 4:6, and Matthew 23:12.

God bless you, dear Reader!

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy

"G" Is For Gentleness

Now it’s time to add “G” to our alphabet soup!  Gentleness is such a precious commodity, and flavors our soup delicately. 

Define It:

To be gentle is “to be mild-mannered, honorable, kind, amiable, lenient, tender, soothing, calm, quiet, peaceful, serene and tranquil.”  It means “to be free from all harshness, roughness or intensity.”  The antonyms for “gentle” are: belligerent, cantankerous, contentious, ill-natured, petty, quarrelsome, aggressive, demanding, overbearing, harsh and stern.  A person who displays gentleness is free of these negative traits. 

Scriptures on Gentleness:

2 Samuel 22:36 NKJ “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.”

Psalm 18:35 NIV “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.”  (NKJ says “Your gentleness has made me great.)

2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ I appeal to you…”

Galatians 5:22 NIV “But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness…”

Philippians 4:5 NKJ “Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.”

Gentleness

Like a gentle falling rain

Freshens earth yet once again,

So a gentle heart will bring

Tender, peaceful, soothing things.

Rita dabbed at her eyes with the bed sheet.  Tears rolled across the bridge of her nose, down onto the other cheek, and soaked into the pillow as she lay on her side.  Sleep refused to come, and she resented the fact that Ralph was already snoring.  How could he sleep when she felt so wounded and unloved?  

They’d had a big fight, and went to bed without speaking.  Once again he had shouted at her; seemed like of late her husband couldn’t talk to her without being quarrelsome.  Why couldn’t he be more gentle and understanding?  She longed for him to be kind to her, to comfort her.  True, she should have been more careful in her driving and avoided the pole she’d backed into.  The bumper was bent and the right side tail light was busted.  She said she was sorry, but Ralph had called her “stupid” and yelled something about money growing on trees…

My Husband is a gentle giant of a man with all the qualities of gentleness.  He thinks before he speaks and very rarely says anything hurtful.  He’s a man of wonderful integrity and easy to get along with, and I’m truly blessed with a wonderful marriage.  His father, Irvin Beachy, was also a very gentle man.  After he passed away in 1992, I wrote a free-style poem about him that I’d like to share with you.

Legacy of Love

Patiently, he waits as mother arranges us

Around the table; and when we’re seated

He asks that we sing together.

Eyes closes, hands clasped together,

He begins to sing, “God is so good,

God is so good, He’s so good to me.”

And then he prays a blessing

On his children, grandchildren,

And on the food,

Praying in hushed tones

To the Savior he loves so much.

He slowly reaches for another piece of celery

As we still sit around the table

Busily chattering like noisy magpies.

Mother has finally seated herself

To enjoy her piece of pie

After serving all the rest of us.

His blue plaid flannel shirt

Faintly echoes the softness of his smile

As he reaches over to stroke Mother’s arm.

His heart, too, is warm and soft,

Like that flannel shirt.

At the door, his tender “good-bye”

And warm hug is coupled with

“God bless you, my daughter.”

I feel as loved and accepted by him

As if I were his own daughter.

Little do I know it is the last time

I will look into his “Jesus eyes,”

The tender-hearted eyes of a soul

We called Irvin.

I’m richer for having known him,

And I’m doubly blessed to have his son

As my husband.

By Elaine Beachy

November 29, 1994

Our Homes would be like a bit of heaven on earth if families practiced the strength of gentleness with one another.  How do we teach our children to be gentle?  First of all, parents must show gentleness in the home; children learn what they live.  There are special tips for parents in an article written by Gary Thomas for Focus on the Family at this website:  http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Family/Faith/2011/strength-of-gentleness.aspx and further Bible study on the subject of gentleness. 

God bless you, dear Reader!

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy

  

"F" Is For Faithfulness

Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines faithfulness as: "Steadfast in affection or allegiance; loyal; firm in adherence to promises or in doing a duty; conscientious.  It also means: constant, staunch, steadfast, and resolute."

This same dictionary goes on to further define some of these qualities.  “Loyalty” implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.  “Constant” means continuing firmness of emotional attachment; “staunch” suggests fortitude and resolution to stick to something; it means to be impervious to any influence that would weaken resolve.  “Steadfast” implies a steady and unwavering course in love, and allegiance of conviction.

What feelings come up inside you when you read or hear words such as loyal, firm, steadfast, staunch and resolute?

When you think of faithfulness, who or what comes to mind?

Joseph

I think of Joseph in the Bible and how his loyal faithfulness in Pharaoh’s household made everything he did for his master to prosper.  I think especially of Joseph’s resistance to the persistent daily temptation by his master’s wife to commit sexual immorality with her.  What prompted Joseph’s faithfulness?  Was it fear that Pharaoh or somebody else would find out?  Was it fear that he would lose his position?  Was it fear of contracting a sexually transmitted disease?  No. 

Genesis 39:9-10 (NIV) gives us the answer Joseph gave Potiphar’s wife: “‘No one is greater in this house than I am.  My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.  How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”

We all know how that scenario played out.  He was punished by her for his faithfulness to God and righteousness.  But in the end, God rewarded Joseph.  God rewards faithfulness!

Moses

I also think of Moses and what is said of him in Hebrews 3:5: “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house…”  His brother Aaron was unfaithful, and chose to craft a golden calf for the Israelites and pronounced it their god who led them out of Egypt!  This was the same Aaron who, along with seventy elders of Israel, had met God on Mount Sinai only a short time before, and ate and drank in His presence!  They were not “constant” or faithful.

Our Lord, the Only Truly Faithful One

Lamentations 2:22 – 23 (NKJ) declares, “”Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” 

Psalm 36: 5 (NKJ) says, “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the great mountains.”

Psalm 145:13 (NIV) assures us, “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”

Aren’t you glad that the Lord is our sure Rock, our Strong Tower, a Sure Defense and totally reliable?  He never changes.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”  Hebrews 13:8 (NKJ) “But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silvanus, and Timothy – was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 2:18-20 (NKJ)

To Think About:

Are you faithful to your spouse?  Do you consider any breech of marriage vows a breech against God as Joseph did?  Jesus said if one looks with sexual desire on anyone other than their mate, he/she has committed adultery already in his/her heart.  Are you guarding your heart with all diligence as Proverbs 4:23 says?  The plague of divorce, fornication, and homosexual permissiveness in the church must stop.  There are too many hard hearts, too many straying eyes, too many excuses, too much feeding of the flesh, and not enough reverence and respect for God and His Word. 

Are you faithful to your friends?  Or do you divulge confidential information about them to others when you think it might serve to lift you up in importance?  Do you speak the same thing to others as you speak to them, or do you have a forked tongue?

Are you faithful to your word?  Look at Psalm 15:4.  Is your word your bond, even if a promise you made turns out to be inconvenient or even hurts you?  Or do you think others will just understand if you don’t keep an appointment or fulfill an assignment you agreed to?  Do you at least make a phone call if an emergency comes up and you can’t fulfill an obligation, or do you let it slide?  When you sign up for nursery duty at church, or to bring snack for your Sunday School class, do you honor your commitments?  Do you follow through on your word?  God says it’s better not to vow than to vow and not pay.  (Ecclesiastes 5:5)  He puts a high priority on faithfulness.  It’s a sign of disrespect, dishonor and selfishness when someone is unfaithful.  The apostle Paul wrote Timothy and told him that “…the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJ)

Are you faithful to Jesus?  Or are you ashamed of Him and His Word?  Do you twist His words to suit yourself?  Do you dishonor Him?  He loves us so much and has given Himself as payment for our sins.  Shouldn’t we be so grateful and deeply love and honor Him?  He is so beautiful and wonderful, and He is FOR us.  Shouldn’t we be FOR Him as well?  We need His baptism of the Holy Spirit to be bold and unashamed of Him.  2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NKJ) says, “Here is a faithful saying:  For if we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him.  If we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”

Prayer:

“Heavenly Father, I want the fruit of faithfulness to abound in my life.  I repent of being unfaithful to _______________.   I embrace the truth of Your Word as the final authority in my life, and I commit to be faithful in heart as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus.  Thank You, Jesus, that You are the truly Faithful One.   Thank You for your grace, Your power, to be faithful to You, to honor You, to respect You, to obey Your Word.  Amen.”

God bless you, dear reader!

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy

"E" Is For Excellence

As a young girl, one of my chores every Saturday was to dust the furniture in our large farmhouse.  Often I’d get sidetracked while dusting and Mom would find me sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the family bookshelf, reading a book. 

My mother never did things halfway, and she taught me a lot about excellence.  I can still hear her voice as she quoted this little rhyme to me more than once:

All that you do,

Do with your might!

Things done by half

Are never done right!

What is Excellence?

In preparing to write this post, I looked up the word “excellent” in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.  There are over ten different reference numbers for the meaning of excellent in the Hebrew language where the English word is translated as “excellent.” Among the definitions were: “valuable, precious, brightness, reputation, weighty, abundant, famous, gallant, glorious, mighty, noble, worthy, honorable (in the sense we’d say ‘top notch’), successful, highest rank, majestic, lifted up, and preeminent.”  These definitions all apply to God.  (Job 37:33, Ps. 8:1, Ps. 36:7, Ps. 148:13, Ps. 150:2, Isaiah 12:5, KJV).

I find it interesting that the definition of excellent in Hebrews 1:4 KJV “he obtained a more excellent name than they,” is “to be fragrant; spice.”  Jesus’ name is a wonderful fragrance!  He is totally perfect, totally excellent, of the highest rank, lifted up and preeminent.  God has highly exalted Him! 

In the scriptures of Romans 2:18 KJV “…and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent…”, and Phillippians 1:10, “That ye may approve things that are excellent…,” the word excellent there means “fresh, cheerful, rosy, good news, tidings.”

And I love the Hebrew word for excellent in Proverbs 17:27 is “cool, chill, and quiet”.  Here’s the verse in KJV: “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent (cool, quiet) spirit.”  I wonder if we get the expressions “cool,” and “chill out!” from this Hebrew definition.  J

Biblical Examples of Excellence  

When I think of biblical examples of excellence, I immediately think of Daniel and his three Hebrew friends.  They resolved to remain true to God and his commandments even when threatened with the loss of their lives.  Daniel was promoted in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom to second highest in command because he was faithful and diligent in his work, respectful, helpful, trustworthy, honest, and gave God all the glory.  Psalm 75:6 KJV says promotion comes from the Lord.  And Daniel had an excellent spirit.  Daniel 6:3, KJV, says, “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”   (See also Daniel 5:12 KJV) 

Excellence is a premium character quality.  It means doing what your flesh would rather not have to do to maintain your integrity before God and man.  It means doing things well, not slip-shod or halfway.  It means being honest and speaking the truth in love.  It means keeping your word, even to your own hurt (Psalm 15:4.)  It means keeping a cool head, a quiet spirit, and chilling out when you feel like “flying off the handle.”  Daniel maintained a cool and quiet spirit.  A person who remains cool and steadfast in the face of adversity will command respect because of his character.  It includes being faithful and trustworthy.  Indeed, how can one achieve a reputation for excellence without them?  It means living a life of wisdom.  Proverbs is full of excellent wisdom for all of us.

I think especially of the Proverbs 31 woman and the godly excellence we see described about her.  She speaks well of her husband and doesn’t embarrass him; others respect him because of her noble character.  She takes care of her physical body, and is strong to do her work.  She isn’t idle or lazy, gives to the poor, looks after her household’s needs for food and clothing, and carries on a profitable business.  She knows what’s going on with her children and she instructs them faithfully in the ways of the Lord.  She speaks with wisdom (keeps a cool spirit).  She knows physical charm and beauty is only skin-deep, and she's not vain.  She fears the Lord. 

Questions for Reflection:

How would your personal appearance change if you did everything with excellence?  What would your daily routine be?  What would your house look like?  How would your family change?  If you hold a public job, do you do it with excellence, or try to get by with as little work as possible?  It helps to remember that we are actually working for the Lord, not man. 

Scriptures to Encourage:

Colossians 3:23 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to make changes to have excellence in your life.  God bless you, dear reader! 

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy