The wise old owl

A wise old owl sat in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;...

"Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath"
(James 1:19)

Solomon said, "God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few"
(Ecclesiates 5:2)

LET YOUR SPEECH BE BETTER THAN SILENCE, OTHERWISE BE SILENT

The Highest Arena

When a person who suffers reaches a point where he can be calm and carefree, inwardly smiling at his own suffering, and no longer asking God to be delivered from it, then the suffering has accomplished its blessed ministry, perseverance has finished its work, and the pain of the Crucifixion has begun to weave itself into a crown.......... a quietness of eternity settles into the entire soul; and finallly, the mouth becomes quiet, having only a few words to say, and stops crying out the words Christ quoted on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps. 22:1)

At this point the person stops imagining castles in the sky, and pursuing foolish ideas, and his reasoning becomes calm and relaxed, with all choices removed, because the only choice has now become the purpose of God.  Also, his emotions are weaned away from other people and things, becoming deadened so that nothing can hurt, offend, hinder, or get in his way.  He can now let the circumstances be what they may, and continue to seek only God and His will, with the calm assurance that He is causing everything in the universe, whether good or bad, past or present, to work "for the good of those who love him" (Rom. 8:28)

(from Soul Food)

Do you live a shallow life?

Some seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. (Matthew 13:5)

But a shallow life lives on its impulses, impressions, intuitions, instincts, and largely on its curcumstances.  Those with profound character, however, look beyond all these and move steadily ahead, seeing the future, where sorrow, seeming defeat, and failure will be reversed.  They sail right through storm clouds into the bright sunshine, which always awaits them on the other side.

Once God has deepened us, He can give us His deepest truths, His most profound secrets, and will trust us with greater power.

(A.B. Simpson)

Sow What?

- taken from Our Daily Bread (Sep/Oct/Nov 2014)

read Mark 4:1-20

........ As the parable indicates, the sower sows indiscriminately, knowing that some seed will fall in places where it will not grow.  Like Jesus, we are to sow good seed in all places at all times.  God is responsible for where it lands and how it grows .......

(Julie Ackerman Link)