.....peace.....
A FailureThe Pharisees were never wrong
And they could debate loud and long
Experts in the Law they had analyzed
Quickly devouring those who criticized
From their lofty places they look down
Pointing fingers at those about to drown
Secure in the knowledge that they are right
Mercy and grace spread their wings in flight
As the Shepherd searches for one lost sheep
Pharisees trouble those entrusted to their keep
Frightening and scaring the timid and weak
They continue to poison with words they speak
Jesus couldn't live up to the standard they set
Compromising holiness with sinners He met
In their world Jesus was a member not a guest
Pharisees only associate with the best of the best
They tried to draw Jesus into theological debate
The simplicity of His words they grew to hate
And the message He preached of an open door
Inviting in those the Pharisees chose to ignore
These are they who betrayed Jesus to the Cross
In the purifying fire all their works turn to dross
If Jesus couldn't please the Pharisee then how can you
They will never be happy unless you do what they do
They speak with many words but the Spirit is quiet
With subtle remarks and condemnation they bite
How can you give up when you look to the Cross
To the place where sin suffered its' greatest loss
Will you turn your back on the hurting and lost
Is being accepted in their eyes worth the cost
Embracing the Cross will invite suffering and shame
When you walk as Jesus and quit the religious game
Reaching to people in the places where they are
A failure to the Pharisee but to GOD a superstar
.....peace.....
Others May, You Cannot
If God has called you to be really like Christ in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others can brag on themselves, and their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all you good works.
The Lord will let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His glory, which can be produced only in the shade.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, but it is likely God will keep you poor because he wants you to have something far better than gold and that is a helpless dependence on Him; that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day - out of an unseen treasury.
God will let others be great, but He will keep you small. He will let others do a great work for Him and get credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when He comes.
The Holy Spirit will put strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do what He pleases with His own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealing with you. He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say.
Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with.
Now, when you are so possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.
–G. D. Watson
Rich, theology is a poor substitute for love. I thought of your Waffle House encounter in the light of ! Corinthians 13. Found an interesting phrase in verse 8...
1 Corinthians 13:8 (Amplified) Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].....as for knowledge, it will pass away (it will lose its value and be superseded by truth).
Knowledge can lose its value (become obsolete, antiquated, inferior) but not love. That word superseded mean to replace something with something better...truth.
Rich, they had knowledge, you have truth. This time their actions may have hurt but they have not harmed. But what if you were new to the faith? Instead of using their knowledge to build you up they chose to use it selfishly (to feed their flesh) to "disallow" you. You responded by offering to buy their meal (which is what a friend would do). You extended the hand of fellowship, they slapped it away.
Perhaps you planted a seed. Maybe one day their knowledge will get out of their head and into their heart and their eyes and ears will be opened to truth.
Rich, like you, I don't look the "part". Outwardly. Don't own a suit or tie. Dressing up for church is wearing a shirt that buttons with my jeans. Sometimes I get judged. I remember one time going to a church and the warmest thing about it was the air conditioning. Must have been full of the Holy Ghost cause I was invisible to everybody there. Oh well...
1 Corinthians 14:38 (KJV) But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
.....peace.....
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