This month I will celebrate
39 years of marriage with my good husband! I have never met a more faithful,
unpretentious, self-less man than the man I call my better half. He is, hands down, the most squeaky clean,
honest to a fault, man I know. While at
the same time his honesty and goodness
is completely lost on a Pharisee.
A.W. Tozer describes my
husband best when he said, “A Pharisee is
hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and
hard on himself.”
My husband epitomizes the
spiritual man and many a Pharisee cannot understand why he thinks as he does
about life and himself. A Pharisee will
be offended by an honest and spiritual man.
After living with my husband these past 39 years, I am more thankful
than ever that I live with such a good
man!
Acts 11:24 “For he was a good man, and
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people were added unto the Lord.”
One of my favorite old-time
preachers and writers shared it this way:
A.W. Tozer: We
ought to thank God for the examples in the Bible of so many men who were good
--- even thought they were not considered great! We are grateful not that they failed to
achieve greatness but that by the grace of God they managed to acquire plain
goodness.
These men move quietly enough across the pages of the
Bible, but where they walk there is pleasant weather and good
companionship. Such was Isaac, who was
the son of a great father and the father of a great son, but who himself never
rose above mediocrity. Such were Boaz
the ancestor of King David, Joseph the husband of Mary, and Barnabas the son of
consolation.
Every pastor knows this kind --- the plain people who
have nothing to recommend them but their deep devotion to their Lord and the
fruit of the Spirit which they all unconsciously display. These are the first to come forward when
there is work to be done and the last to go home when there is prayer to be
made.
Their presence is a benediction wherever they go. They have no greatness to draw to them the
admiring eyes of carnal men, but are content to be good men and full of the
Holy Ghost!
When they die they leave behind them a fragrance of
Christ that lingers long after the cheap celebrities of the day are forgotten.
A.W. Tozer
For Christians living the
Christ-life in this world, there is not supposed to be anything dramatic in
just being faithful to the Lord in
all things. We are called to be faithful. A spiritual man or woman will not be afraid
to admit or confess a fault. After all, that is the very manner of life which
speaks of humility and a spiritual life! We are admonished not to think of ourselves
more highly than we ought.
There is nothing newsworthy
in just being a good man…..but it
does matter to God….and He notices.
I’m most blessed to share
this life with a very good man! Happy Anniversary
my beloved!
2 comments:
I love what you wrote about your husband. It was a blessing. Just last week my husband was telling me that Pastor Shaffer is one of the most right with God men he knows. I agree. You both are a blessing and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Happy Anniversary! Praying for God's blessings on you both as you continue to serve God together. Dianne
Thank you for the article about your husband. I was encouraged and blessed by it.
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