Page 11 - Good News September2007 paper
P. 11
ASSESSING YOUR
ASSESSING YOUR
SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE
SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE
Continued from p. 10
Continued from p. 10
but knocking. He allows us to
decide whether or not to open our
lives to Him. Do you intentionally
keep His life-changing Presence ppressed by the noonday
and power on the other side of the heat, a tired farmer sat
door? {Life Application Bible}. Ounder a walnut tree to rest.
Although very wealthy, this rich Relaxing, he looked at his
church was in actual fact a very pumpkin vines and said to
poor church in God's estimation! himself, "How strange it is that
No virtues are recorded, only sins God puts such big heavy pump-
and weaknesses (lukewarmness, kins on a frail vine that has so little
spiritual conceit, no conscious strength it has to trail on the
need of God, spiritual poverty and ground!" And then looking up into
spiritual blindness). The church the cool branches of the tree
of Laodicea typifies the last days' above him, he added, "How
churches - popular, self-satisfied, strange it is that God puts small
worldly churches! walnuts on such a big tree with
{The Thompson Chain-Reference branches so strong they could
Bible, NIV} hold a man!"
"Search me, O God, and know my Just then a breeze dislodged a
heart; test me and know my walnut from the tree. The tired
anxious thoughts. See if there is farmer wondered no more, as he
any offensive way in me, and lead rubbed his head ruefully and said,
me in the way everlasting" "It is a good thing there wasn't a
(Ps. 139:23, 24 NIV). pumpkin up there instead of a
walnut."
Hopefully, when the breezes of life
blow, you will remember that God,
Who is great and wise, makes no
mistakes. He deserves our praise
in all circumstances!
