Blessed Are The Meek

Today I read a little devotional which I thought explained Christian meekness so well.

The Meek of the Earth

By Henry H. Morris, Ph.D.

(From Days of Praise June 26th 2011)

"Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement; seek rightness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." ~ Zephaniah 2:3 ~

   This phrase, "the meek of the earth," occurs three times in the Bible (Psalm 76:9, which promises their salvation; and Isaiah 11:4, which assures them justice). Our text promises deliverance from God's wrath. 

    "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" Matthew 5:5, said Jesus, referring to the promise of Psalm 37:11: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

    There are many other similar promises: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" Psalm 25:9. "He will beatify the meek with salvation" Psalm 149:4, so we need to put on "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" 1 Peter 3:4.

    That meekness is not weakness is made clear from the first use of the word in the Bible. " Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" Numbers 12:3. Moses was strong and courageous, but also deeply humble and self-sacrificing; a man of prayer and trust in the Word of God, willing to defend it at all costs. The Lord Jesus defined meekness in terms of His own human character: "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart" Matthew 11:29. 

    A meek spirit enables a Christian to maintain composure in the face of opposition, to accept adversity without complaint; promotion without arrogance; demotion without resentment. It produce a peace which no trouble can disturb and which no prosperity can puff up. Therefore, as our text commands: "Seek meekness!"

The Irony of the World's Thinking

‎"Of course, much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

~Mrs. Dorthy Patterson~ 

Herb-Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

This is one of our favorites this winter. One thing I found I didn't really like was the rosemary leaves. To me they are like sticks. So I prefer ground rosemary, but you may like it whole. 

16 cups assorted vegetables pieces such as;                       

             cubed eggplant, zucchini, onion, 

             carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes,

             butternut squash, and potatoes.

1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

4 cloves of Garlic

4 tsp. ground Rosemary leaves (or whole)

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Tarragon

2 tsp. Marjoram
2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic salt
1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

TOSS vegetables with oil, salt, pepper, and herbs

Place in two 15x10x1-inch pans.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender, 

stirring once or twice during cooking.

SPRINKLE with cheese. 

Makes 8-12 servings

Why I started this blog...

Some of you might wonder, "why did she name her blog 'The Opportunity"? Well, it all started with this poem and others like it.
Opportunity
By Edward R. Still
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields,
A prince’s banner wavered, then staggered backward hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears– but this
Blunt thing!”– he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

After I had read this I thought about how much we have changed from the way in which the Reformers and Puritans lived. How we have strayed so far from having that straight line drawn between right and wrong, godly and sinful. We, as Christians, should stand up for our faith, not run when the battle gets hard or looks like we will loose! What kind of example are we to the world if we just shrug our shoulders and say "we'll just live and let live"? Did Christ do that when He spoke to the Pharisees? No, very much the opposite. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27

So what then should we do as His ambassadors? 

For myself I enjoy writing and talking about issues and at times a bit too much. So I chose to have a blog where I can share what God has put on my hear. I hope this blog is an encouragement and exhorts you in your God given roles. Please feel free to leave a note or thought. Is there something that you disagree with or something that you would like to hear my opinion on? I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you all enjoy my Opportunity. 

Lay Hold of Christ

By L. C. Bryan

 Laying down our sins at His feet

 Aiming for Christ's higher calling
 Yielding to whatever He wills us to do.
        
 Honoring His holy name all life long
 Over all things God's word is truth
 Leaving all the world's lusts behind
 Delighting always in God's glory and power.
                                         
 Offering up praise to the Holy One
 Forever laying aside wanton pleasures.
                           
 Chosen from the beginning of time
 His word we are to spread throughout the world
 Rejoicing through all adversity in Him who concord death
 Irresistible grace while still dead in sin
 Sustained by the blood of the Lamb
 Taking all our sins to the cross.