294 in my private devotions, i frequently pray about 5 needs. i have written them here in case anyone else can profit from them.
first, PURITY. it is not enough to have at one time obtained the blessed experience of heart purity. no, I must meet the Lord frequently and feel His purity surging through my being. this implies not only purity of heart but purity in thought and deed. when i leave a person of a home, i must leave it as pure as i found it, in better shape if possible. in short, i must be clean in spirit, person and contact with others - a good representative of Jesus.
second, Humility. dear Lord, let me be truly humble; so humble that i will reflect Your humility; so humble that i will not be conscious that i and humble and yet others will be reproved and inspired as they see Your gentleness in me. as andrew murray would say, 'let me have perfect quietness of heart. let me never be worried, irritated, angry or disappointed. i pray that i will expect nothing and wonder at nothing that is done to me. i pray that i will feel no resentment at anything done against me, feel at rest when nobody praises me and when i am blamed or despised. i ask to have a blessed home in the Lord where i can go, shut the door and talk to my Father in secret. i ask for a place where i can be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around me is trouble.
third, CHARITY. by char i mean that i want to be so magnanimous that i will assume the best about the deeds of others. Lord, please keep me from a critical spirit so that the reputation of others will be safe in my hands. do not let me find it easy when preaching or in conversation, to go out of my way and cast a bad shadow on another when he is not able to explain. let me always practice the Golden Rule and 'do unto others as i would have them do unto me. matthew 7.12; luke 6.31
295 fourth, CHASTITY. I want to be so chaste that anything that savors of coarseness or suggestiveness will have no place in me. ..let me never use language or gestures..that could cheapen the Gospel of the Son of God.
fifth, BREVITY. let me know when and how to stop. i fear that i sometimes preach people under conviction, then preach them out again. it is better not to finish my sermon and have a fruitful appeal. than preach 10 minutes too long and lose one seeker. more than once i have started in the Spirit and, i fear, ended in the flesh. in other words, i reached a climax and failed to quickly draw the net...
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