Matthew under the arm 47
(Please escuse me! I have been away for a week on various tasks.... I'm back on the pilgrimage now. Where was I? Oh Yes!)
Two days ago, Columba was as tired as I have ever seen him. In fact, I was astonished and somewhat taken aback that he even suggested giving up. For ages, I tried to get out of him why he was so low. 'I have been trying to respond to people's questions and need for strength and, frankly, I am exhausted.' My fantasy about Columba that he could endure so much had a severe blow at that point. When we arrived in the little village in the valley that evening, I was about to take him to a little inn for something to eat and drink, but knowing that his reputation went in front of him and that he was likely to be besieged again, I tucked him up in his sleeping bag and brought him some soup, some bread and two eggs. (He loves eggs - particularly if they are hard boiled!) After Columba's snoring began, I went myself to the inn. With some wine and a little food in front of me, my neighbour asked me, 'Where's Columba?' 'Exhausted and asleep', I answered. 'The gentle and the strong will always have a great deal asked of them'. I looked at him for a while, and wondered.
Matthew 11:25-30….
Christ’s gentleness and humility led him into deep conflict with the authorities. Where these qualities are experienced, there is threat to the existing order. Gentleness and humility call into question those who idolise power and abuse it, not by forceful confrontation but by an attitude of watching and waiting. ‘Mere children’ are defenceless and at risk from the abuse of power. However, they have a directness that the truly humble retain. What is most challenging to the accepted sense of power structures is that the gentle and humble are ‘done to’ – as was Jesus.
I would wait on Your Gift to perceive and follow Your Will
Picture someone you know or about whom you have read who is or was a gentle person. Is it a quality that you admire? What were the outcomes of that quality? Look over your recent history and remind yourselves of the times that you were gentle. What were the outcomes? These were moments when you allowed yourself to be ‘done to’ rather than you taking control.... You will discover that you needed great strength! They were, as it were, outside your schedule. Now use the sentence and focus on the qualities of gentleness that you desire.
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
Two days ago, Columba was as tired as I have ever seen him. In fact, I was astonished and somewhat taken aback that he even suggested giving up. For ages, I tried to get out of him why he was so low. 'I have been trying to respond to people's questions and need for strength and, frankly, I am exhausted.' My fantasy about Columba that he could endure so much had a severe blow at that point. When we arrived in the little village in the valley that evening, I was about to take him to a little inn for something to eat and drink, but knowing that his reputation went in front of him and that he was likely to be besieged again, I tucked him up in his sleeping bag and brought him some soup, some bread and two eggs. (He loves eggs - particularly if they are hard boiled!) After Columba's snoring began, I went myself to the inn. With some wine and a little food in front of me, my neighbour asked me, 'Where's Columba?' 'Exhausted and asleep', I answered. 'The gentle and the strong will always have a great deal asked of them'. I looked at him for a while, and wondered.
Matthew 11:25-30….
Christ’s gentleness and humility led him into deep conflict with the authorities. Where these qualities are experienced, there is threat to the existing order. Gentleness and humility call into question those who idolise power and abuse it, not by forceful confrontation but by an attitude of watching and waiting. ‘Mere children’ are defenceless and at risk from the abuse of power. However, they have a directness that the truly humble retain. What is most challenging to the accepted sense of power structures is that the gentle and humble are ‘done to’ – as was Jesus.
I would wait on Your Gift to perceive and follow Your Will
Picture someone you know or about whom you have read who is or was a gentle person. Is it a quality that you admire? What were the outcomes of that quality? Look over your recent history and remind yourselves of the times that you were gentle. What were the outcomes? These were moments when you allowed yourself to be ‘done to’ rather than you taking control.... You will discover that you needed great strength! They were, as it were, outside your schedule. Now use the sentence and focus on the qualities of gentleness that you desire.
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
Labels: Gentleness and Strength
posted by Martin at 2:16 pm
1 Comments:
How I long that our local church was lead by people of a gentle and humble spirit. But we have people who do not believe God's word but follow ways that are common in business today. This leads to a church that is not submisive to God and is getting smaller and smaller. The existing order is currupt, lead astray by mans wisdom, blinded by the desire to be popular rather than faithful to God. Those who are being trained will be worse and the authorities do not seem to care.
We need a revolution, one that is centred on the word of God. We need the Holy Spirit to cleans our church. Come Lord Jesus, come among us.
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