A SMOKING FLAX

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                        A SMOKING FLAX

         The Prophet Isaiah gave us a very good  description of the nature and
work of Jesus in His Ministry.

         Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break,  and the  smoking
flax shall he not quench: he  shall  bring forth judgment unto truth.

             Matthew, in his writing, quoted from the above, and said that
Jesus was fulfilling it.  Matthew 12:20  A bruised reed shall he not break,
and smoking flax  shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto
victory.

         I  am glad those words were penned about  Him,  for they  will give
comfort to anyone who is  struggling  to keep their head "above water" in
their Christian walk.

         Pearl  and I were attending the grave side  service of  a  young lad
who had, apparently, strayed  from  the "way",  and had been killed.  One of
the Ministers  took the  opportunity to "lay it on" about rebelling  against
God and the Gospel.  The second one soundly "put him  in his  place", or so I
thought.  What the second one  said was  a  new thought to me, and it cleared
up  a  lot  of uncertainty  about some scriptures in my mind.   Quoting as
nearly as I can: "There is a difference between  open "rebellion  toward God",
and "struggles in  the  Faith", though they both look the same on the surface.

         As  the  words  were being spoken, I  did  a  quick "retake"  of
some of my past ministry, and  realized  I might have made exactly the same
mistake that the  first Minister  had made there by the grave.  After much
soul searching,  I began to repent before God for some of  my former attitudes
toward people who were not measuring up to  my  expectations for them.  With
God's  help,  I  am doing better now, though I still have difficulty once in a
while. 

         When   reading about "a bruised reed" I am  carried back  in memory
to boyhood, driving the cows to  pasture in  the summer mornings.  We passed a
grove of  "tules", as  we  called them.  "Cat tails" is  another  name  for
them.   We got so we could cause them to break  down  by throwing  rocks at
the stem.  The tops would fall  down, and  we supposed they would die.  But
such was  not  the case.   They kept on living, bruised as they were.   The
QUALITY of their life changed, but they lived on.

         I am now convinced there are many of God's children who are in that
same condition.  They have been  through some  experiences that have created a
real  struggle  in their lives, and their heads hang low as a result of it.
Many times we tend to be harsh in our judgment of  them.  That is because we
do not have the capacity to know  the heart  condition  which  underlies what
we  see  on  the surface.  WE TELL 'EM TO SMILE!  THEY CAN'T!

         "A  smoking  flax" describes a  situation  where  a fire,  which  at
one time blazed high,  has,  for  some reason,  died  down to embers.  The
cause  is  probably beyond  the  scope of our knowledge.  And  though  Jesus
knows the cause, His main concern is getting the  "fire" going  again.  It
should be ours also.  I can  visualize Him  "blowing" on the "smoking" embers,
fanning them  to life.   THE BREATH OF THE LORD!

         I have "felt" the "blowing of Jesus" on my own life a  few times.  He
blows gently,  lovingly,  persistently until new courage springs forth.  Oh!
GLORY TO JESUS!

        This  is the Jesus we love!  This is the Jesus  who loves us! 

         Take courage, struggling one.  The "blowing" of the Lord shall come
upon you.  I feel I am prophesying  into someone's life right now.  God bless!

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