Author: Kenneth
Gentle Love
Oh Gentle Love that fills this room
The height and breadth of Grace
Reaching far beyond these walls
To fill all land and space
Protecting us, with feathers tight
His Angels lo, descend
Swirling all around our rooms
While we sleep in our beds
No wrong comes near our dwelling place
While long fingers point above
Reminding us, He lays us down
And that God is Love
He gives us night time to reflect
And rest from busy days
May we practice loving him
And learn to see His ways.
His Power
Gentle Jesus
Matthew 18:1-10 New International Version
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven
1.
Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child,
Pity my simplicity,
Suffer me to come to thee.
2.
Fain I would to thee be brought,
Gracious Lord, forbid it not;
In the Kingdom of thy grace
Give a little child a place.
3.
Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb,
In thy gracious hands I am;
Make me, Saviour, what thou art,
Live thyself within my heart.
4.
Lamb of God, I look to thee,
Thou shalt my example be;
Thou art gentle, meek and mild;
Thou wast once a little child.
5.
Now I would be as thou art;
Give me an obedient heart;
Thou art pitiful and kind,
Let me have thy loving mind.
6.
I shall then show forth thy praise,
Serve thee all my happy days;
Then the world shall always see
Christ, the holy child, in me.
All cured
Love is
Love is more important than being right;
Love is more important than being successful;
Love is more important than justifying yourself;
It is more important than being treated correctly.
Nothing is more important than Love.
God is love, and nothing is more important than that.
Let nothing we do stand in the way of love
Welcome August
Be careful little eyes what you see!
One of the songs we teach little children reflected in the title of this article, warns them to be careful what they do with their eyes. All of us need to remember this lesson as we decide which TV shows and movies to watch, which books to read, which songs to listen to, and what to do on the Internet.
Recent Studies
U.S. News and World Report reported that teens who watch sex on TV are more likely to start having intercourse (USNews.com, 9/7/04).
Researchers at the RAND corp., the study referenced in the US News and World report above, found that it didn’t matter if kids watched sexual behavior or if people just talked about sex on TV; the result was the same — kids who watch TV shows with sexual content are more likely to be sexually active.
The conclusion in the RAND study states that “watching sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation.” Also that “reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity could appreciably delay the initiation” of sexual activities (PEDIATRICS, Vol. 114, No. 3, September 2004, pp. e280-e289).
A new study released in Pediatrics this month concluded that “exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse” by as much as 2.2 times (PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 4 April 2006, pp. 1018-1027).
Jesus Said It
These studies prove what we already know to be true. Jesus said, “The eye is the light of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. . . .” (Matt. 6:22-23).
Jesus tells us that we will become what we watch with our eyes. If we view good things, this will help us be good. But if we view evil things, this will encourage us to be evil.
Evil Companions
Paul warns us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals'” (1 Cor. 15:33).
If we watch evil entertainment, we are prone to imitate the evil things we see. If we watch sexual content, we are prone to imitate the sexual behavior we see. If we watch violence, we are prone to imitate the violent behavior we see.
All of us should determine to turn from the deception of Satan, turning away from wickedness that corrupts good morals.
Be Committed, Like David
David’s commitment was, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3).
All Christians should make the same commitment. It’s not possible for us to avoid all the evil that is in the world. But we can avoid evil in many respects, including TV, movies, the Internet, video games, books, magazines, and music.
If you haven’t made the same commitment as David, why don’t you make it today? Set no wicked thing before your eyes!
Christian Devotions, Health and General issues of the day 