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September, 2002
In and Around the
Word with Zita
AROUND THE GARDEN with Margaret
THINKING ABOUT LAST MONTH’S
SERMONS …with Dawn
IN
THE KITCHEN with June
HUMILITY: freedom from pride and arrogance;
humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one’s own worth; submission to
the divine will.
(Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with HUMILITY: for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the HUMBLE. HUMBLE yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. (I Peter 5:5, 6 KJV)
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3 NIV)
The fear of the Lord teaches a
man wisdom, and HUMILITY comes before honor. (Proverbs
HUMILITY and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 NIV)
Be completely HUMBLE and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2 NIV)
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of You? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk HUMBLY with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV)
And being found in appearance as a man, He HUMBLED Himself, and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8 NIV)
HUMILITY is freedom from arrogance, that grows out of the recognition that all we have and all we are is from God. (KVIP “Living Word”)
He who finds no fault in himself needs a second opinion!
HUMILITY is not thinking little of yourself; it’s simply not thinking of yourself.
I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty and joy to accomplish HUMBLE tasks as though they were great and noble. (Helen Keller)
May we have the HUMILITY to admit errors and shortcomings and the strength of character and grace to correct them.
We need to be strong enough to bear the burdens, and HUMBLE enough to ask God for help.
Heroes are those who rise to the occasion, then slip quietly away.
It’s easy to be HUMBLE when you’re feeling low, but to be HUMBLE
when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.
(Saint Bernard)
The word humility takes one’s thoughts in various directions, but, according to Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary, the central thought means freedom from pride, lowliness, meekness, modesty and mildness.
Juanita Purcell, in her study book, Be Patient,
I’m not Perfect Yet, describes the humble as those who , “quietly submit themselves before God, to His Word, to
His rod, and who follow His direction, and comply to His design, and are
gentle toward all men.” Unfortunately many of today’s women seem to think
these qualities are a sign of feminine weakness or self-abasement. In
their effort to prove themselves, they have developed a competitive attitude toward men. So instead of being
help-mates, they are extroverted competitors, almost mannish in manner
and speech. If only they could accept the Biblical truth that submission
is far from being inferior or subservient, and
meekness is not a form of weakness but power under control. Empowered
by the Holy Spirit (Gal
Christ is the perfect example of Juanita Purcell’s description of the humble person. He was kind, gentle, not easily provoked, never sought revenge, more interested in serving others than Himself, and had a submissive spirit as seen in His obedience to His parents and to God (Matthew 11:29, 20:28; Luke 2:5, 22:27, 22:44; John 13:5; Philippians 2:7). God also expects the same expression of humility in every believer (1 Peter 5:5; Ephesians 4:1,2; James 4:6; Matthew 5:3).
According to 1 Cor 1:7, a believer is seen as truly humble when she expresses such an attitude in regard to her gifts, attainments, achievements, and abilities. She is enabled to do this when she is conscious of being in the presence of a holy, omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful Creator God.
Do
you suppose that God asks us to be humble and submissive so that we may
be given the many blessings He is waiting to grant? For example Psalm
37:11 says the humble will inherit the earth and have abundance of peace.
Matthew 18:4 states the humble will be the greatest in heaven, and exalted,
according to Matthew 23:12. They will be regarded and heard by God according
to Psalm 138:6 and Psalm 9:12. They will be lifted up and exalted by God
(James
It seems to me that we can continue our walk in humility by memorizing James 1:16-18 which appears to be a foundational truth for humbling us.
“Do you not know every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning . Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
AROUND THE GARDEN with Margaret
MATHEMATICS IN OUR GARDENS
Yes, that’s right! Now is the time to divide and multiply the perennials in our gardens. This involves delphinium, foxglove (digitalis), hollyhock, Shasta daisies, day lilies, iris, and other of your summer blooming perennials that need to be divided to multiply your favorites for more bloom next summer.
You can divide by splitting them right down the middle if the clumps aren’t too large, or you can cut off a few shoots from the side of the plant. (Just sort of nibble them away to avoid damage to the roots.) Put your division in a bucket of water or even a thin, muddy soup, which will keep your plants cool and fresh for several days if they can’t be set out right away. The key is keeping them cool. Since our weather continues to be hot, the best time to do your dividing is in the cool of the morning, set them out in the evening after the day’s heat has lessened, water them well, and shade them for several days to give them a chance to settle in and start rooting. A very good tonic for new plants is vitamin B1, which you can buy in gallon containers at garden nurseries. Dilute and use according to the directions on the label. We use this when setting out all our plants, and we almost never lose a plant.
To do this dividing, your choice of “weapon” will depend on the plant. The “crown” is that big clump at the base of the plant, from which all the stems go up and the roots go down. Some plants have a loose crown and others have a large woody, tough clump. Once the plant is out of the ground and you have shaken all the loose soil off, a sharp spade or knife can be used. Hollyhocks, for instance, have a tough, woody crown and need a really sharp knife to cut through and get the divisions you want.
A few more perennials you might like are Canterbury bells, coral bells, verbascum, a host of ornamental grasses, carnations, pinks, and verbena. These should be available in the nurseries now for you next year’s garden.
Now is the time to set out pansies, snapdragons, stock,
calendula, larkspur, violas,
It is also time to plant your winter vegetables such as carrots, beets, turnips, lettuce, and spinach and to set out cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. They will all have time to get a good start before the really cold, wet weather gets here.
Feed your roses now with a good rose fertilizer for a beautiful display for fall.
Dividing your plants is like “sowing the good seed.”
If kept in one big clump it has no opportunity to bless the heart and
soul of someone else. Let’s spread the “good seed” of God’s word along
with the plants we give to our friends and neighbors.
Have a great month in your gardens, looking forward to spring when all
those new plants will reward you richly for all your hard work! May the
good Lord bless and keep you.
Margaret
True greatness does not consist in one attempting to be the greatest man of his time, or in trying to leave the most remarkable impress on his day and generation. True greatness is simply the seeking, through HUMBLE faith in God, to serve Him according to our measure—to take up whatsoever our hand findeth to do, and to do it with all our might—content to fill a little space, if God be glorified. (D.M. Stearns Missionary Fund)
At the beginning of August, Pastor taught from Romans 12:1-2 and tied up a two-part series on “The Constraints of Christianity.”
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to his world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASB)
Using the metaphor of a tree, Pastor showed us how much we need the constraints of the Holy Spirit in our lives to live the Christian life. The world has a prevailing wind that shapes us like wind blowing against the trees. We, too, need to be staked in order to live in this worldly environment!
Not only is there an outside wind determined to shape us, there is a natural bent that exists within each one of us. It is the sin nature, energized by Satan, which desires to form us into an evil, tainted likeness.
However, God has not left us to our own devices. He has given us the restraints to live in this crooked world. Romans 12:1-2 focuses on the MIND, and Christ our Master must be incarnated into our mind. We cannot copy Christ. Instead, Christ must manifest Himself in us by the Holy Spirit for us to be constrained.
How can I be internally transformed? There is a relationship between the body and the mind. The body is a vehicle for the mind—the mind functioning through the body. The body is not evil, but rather controlled by the mind. Therefore, the body can be used for good or evil. The choice rests in our minds.
Our minds are able to reason and we determine much by reasoning things out. For example, we ask, “Is it possible for a bird to evolve into a dinosaur?” Evolutionists say that it is, even though it is a DNA impossibility! (The prevailing wind is blowing here!)
II Corinthians 10:5 states that every thought must be brought into the obedience of Christ. This includes our imagination and our will. Our mind is to control our body, our body is to obey the mind, and the mind is to obey the Scriptures. Therefore, the mind is key.
How are the mind and the body related? We read in
Romans 6:6-13 can be summed up and applied here: “Knowing this…do not be enslaved…likewise reckon…do not let sin reign…but yield yourself to righteousness.”
The following week, Pastor Al explained the importance of “Having the Right Opinion.” God’s Word teaches us about having the right opinion toward ourselves and others.
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…” Romans 12: 3-6a (NASB)
There is a parallel between the book of Exodus and the book of Romans—law and grace. Both begin with one’s relationship to God and then to man. Under the law the Israelites claimed, “All that you say, we will do.” (This is salvation through works.) Paul explains that grace is “all that the law has said we will trust Him to do through us.” (This is salvation by faith.)
Through this work of grace we begin to see that the opinion we need to have of ourselves is one of humility. Superior thinking is not a result of sound judgment. We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, for this is pride. God has given to us all that we are, and all that we possess; therefore, sound, Biblical thinking is that we have been graced! We function because we depend on God, not ourselves.
Our opinion toward others should be appreciation. As members of one body there should be unity, diversity, and harmony among us. In unity, we are a single association. This is represented in the one loaf of bread used during communion. In diversity, we recognize individual appropriation. We are one body but have many parts with different grace ministries. (And because we all have these gifts, we are called to minister to the church and not the reverse.) And finally, we need to have harmony among us—a mutual appreciation and benefit. We are to be a “Community of Possession,” each member serving the body, not the body serving each of the members.
Having different gifts according to the grace given to us, let us remember “The Place of Grace.” The manifestation of grace is grace bestowed from God to the undeserving. This happens at the moment of salvation. It is displayed to encourage one another. We all need this grace because of the fall of mankind.
The source of grace is our position in Christ. The agent of grace is the Person of Jesus Christ. The basis of grace is God. The recipients of grace are all believers. And the purpose of grace is for the function of the body. We need to ask, “Am I in Christ’s body? How do I manifest God’s grace?”
Once again we have one of Carol Cowee’s recipes to share. In her own words, “This is one of my favorite late summer recipes. Early September brings with it so many ripe tomatoes and summer squash that it is hard to know what to do with them all. I tend to use whatever vegetables I have on hand—but I always use plenty of very ripe, sweet tomatoes. This is a wonderful recipe that is easy to prepare and perfect as a light main dish or as a side.”
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 small zucchini
2 small yellow summer squash
4 medium size ripe tomatoes
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1½ tablespoon cream cheese
2 cups of cooked egg noodles (about one cup dry)
* In a large thick-bottomed skillet combine olive oil, garlic and chopped onion, and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.
* Add chopped squash (medium size chunks), tomato (medium size chunks), and chopped fresh cilantro or other fresh herbs; cover with lid and sauté for about 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.
* Then add salt and pepper along with the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese melts and combines with the vegetables. (You can use plain yogurt if you desire instead of cream cheese.)
* Then add the cooked egg noodles. Cover and sauté until everything is hot.
Note: you can use any summer squash you like, and you can substitute any grain, such as brown rice, for the egg noodles.
