And who and what are ministers themselves? Frail men, fallible, sinning men, exposed to every snare, to temptation in every form; and from the very post of observation they occupy, the fairer mark for the fiery darts of the foe. They are no mean victims the great Adversary is seeking, when he would wound and cripple Christ’s ministers. One such victim is worth more to the kingdom of darkness than a score of common men; and on this very account, the temptations are probably more subtle and severe than those encountered by ordinary Christians. If this subtle Deceiver fails to destroy them, he artfully aims at neutralizing their influence by quenching the fervor of their piety, lulling them into negligence, and doing all in his power to render their work irksome. How perilous the condition of that minister then, whose heart is not encouraged, whose hands are not strengthened, and who is not upheld by the prayers of his people! It is not in his own closet and on his own knees alone that he finds security and comfort and ennobling, humbling and purifying thoughts and joys; but it is when his people also seek them in his behalf that he becomes a better and happier man and a more useful minister of the everlasting gospel.
Gardiner Spring

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BBD 07.21.04 When Blessings Don't Act Like Blessings - Part 2

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#1 · July 22, 2004, 12:02 am

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at http://www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has recently added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap’s sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
http://www.christianpost.com.

The Burning Bush Devotional

(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

07.21.04

When Blessings Don’t Act Like Blessings - Part 2

An excellent wife (Literally: A wife of valor) is the crown of her
husband…. - Proverbs 12:4a.

House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent (other
translations: sensible, understanding) wife is from the LORD. - Proverbs
19:14.

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart
of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does
him good and not evil all the days of her life. - Proverbs 31:10-12.

For eleven years, Margaret Thatcher was one of the most powerful persons on
earth. Perhaps it was the war over the Falkland Islands in which she gained
the nickname of “The Iron Lady”. Her determination to regain the Falklands
whatever the cost was courageous leadership and the result of her “iron”
will.

I have been blessed to have an excellent wife, a wife of valor, a prudent,
sensible, understanding, virtuous, and trustworthy wife. Jeanie is all of
those things and more. She also has been an instrument of God in my life to
shape and mold me. She is a descendant of Roger Williams (Her nine
great-grandfather) who among many other things: founded the first Baptist
Church in America; obtained a royal charter for Rhode Island in 1644; and
was a champion of religious freedom. I have come to believe that Jeanie was
divinely designed to intervene in my life because (at least in part) of
prayers from the past. When I think of the character of my wife, I think of
the verse in Proverbs, which says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens
the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17).”

My wife has been at times an “iron lady” when it comes to what is right and
what is wrong. I know that she is a blessing from God but at times, I have
not enjoyed running into an iron wall. God has used her to direct me
unerringly in the direction of His will. He has used her to turn me away
from sin and back to Him as often as has been needed. At times I did not
feel that she was a blessing but instead an unbending “iron lady”. Looking
back at my life, I know that God gave me a wonderful blessing when He gave
me Jeanie as my wife. Without her testimony, I might never have come to know
the Lord as my personal Savior. Without her, I would never have begun
attending church on a regular, faithful basis. Without her, I would not be
preaching today and instead may have destroyed my life and the lives of
others.

In our marriages, there will be times when the best of wives and the best of
husbands may not appear to be blessings. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t!
In the moments when they least appear to be a blessing from God they may be
doing the most important divinely inspired work that they will ever do (This
will never be anything sinful.). If you are unhappy with your marriage, I
would encourage you to take a fresh look at your wife or your husband. It
may be that you are both made of supernatural iron that God is using to
shape your lives. If your husband is on the wrong path, God would use you as
a divine instrument to change his path. If your wife is on the wrong path,
God would use you as a divine instrument to change her path. Sometimes
blessings don’t appear to be acting like blessings. When that happens it may
be that you need to take another look through the eyes of God and praise Him
for what you see!

Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

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