DEFEATING OUR GIANTS

We all have them…giants I mean…things in our lives. Some of us have small ones, others have BIG ones…and some of us have both! It takes a longggggg time to rid our lives of those things that are there we don’t want to be there. At times, we do not even realize we have issues that need purging, we have to grow some or God has to put a piece of sandpaper in our lives to show us by pressure, a point He wants changed. I remember years ago, I think I was about eight or ten years old in the Lord, still growing and learning. There were a couple of people in my life that had personality traits that drove me up the wall and under the paper (you may be too young to remember wall paper). Really irritated the living daylights out of me. The primary issue was negativity…no matter what I said, no matter what Scripture or illustration I gave, nothing would stop the “yea buts…” really made me nash my teeth. It took a lot of prayer and deliberately asking God to change me, not them…and that is what He was driving at with me…He wanted me to stop looking to change them, but to ask Him to change me. I remember even saying to Him, “yea but…” but there was no changing the cure, the change had to be in me, not them at least not them for now. That sandpaper of God is perfectly suited for whatever He was trying to remove…this time with me it was an attitude…and it changes with the individual and the issue. The sandpaper stays pretty much the same…a person or persons you have a lot of contact with!

Not all giants are internal, many are external and visible to others such as addictions, greed, anger, pride…any and all of these are fairly visible to others. Addictions are treatable, if the person wants to be healed. I have know inmates that have told me they were miraculously cured of drug addiction immediately as they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Others, more actually, have told me how they struggled for long periods of time to get rid of the addiction. The same with drinking…some can stop immediately, others take months or years. The more internal issues, even those visible on the outside, take commitment and time and often that sandpaper. None of them are easy…here are a few hints that could help if you are looking to conquer a giant in your life.

1. You are not unique…I Cor 10:13 says “no temptation/test has taken you but those that are common to men…” Goliath was not always a giant, he was fed and nurtured just as you have probably fed and nurtured your goliath by continually doing “it.” And many others have been through the same process of dealing with things in their life that they want to be rid of. So stop feeding it and lean on the Lord to be there for you when you call on Him for help.

2. You can’t do it alone…I Sam 17:47 TM say ‘the battle is the Lord’s’ and you need to keep that in mind. Try doing it in your own strength and you’ll loose! You need divine help to overcome old habits and establish new behaviors.

3. You have to confront the giant head-on…I Sam 17:48 TM says “As the Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran…to meet him.” don’t run away, don’t try to negotiate, don’t compromise and don’t excuse. Force the giant out into the light and do not let him back into your life. Establish boundaries and make yourself accountable. And stay away from the wrong company.

                                                One last thing…don’t look at God in the light of your giant, but look at your giant in the light God!!!!

ALONE IN A STORM

I believe all of us have been through storms of one sort or another. Some more than others…and some have felt very alone in those storms. Most of us that know the

scripture know the verse: “I will never leave you nor forsake you…” we know it in our heads but do not always know it in our hearts. Recently, I think I understood that in a new way, and it was definitely a learning experience for me. Many of you that know me well know this has been a particularly difficult year for me personally…two major moves in six months, a heart attack, a gastric bleed, ( the worst of all) gastric surgery on my stomach and loosing my “baby brother” Paul. All in a little more than six months. I do not relate this list to complain but to set the stage. I knew what the Scripture says about “I will never leave you not forsake you…” I knew He wouldn’t move, He was right there within me, I knew it in my head and heart but still, I felt alone…maybe more, I felt disconnected!  I had not experienced that feeling since I cannot remember when…just plain disconnected and alone. I was trying desperately to get comfortable, those of you that have been in a hospital bed for awhile know the feeling. I turned to my left side, looked UP…and there attached to the IV hook up was a card with the FOOTPRINTS piece on it! Of course I started to cry because all of a sudden I was overwhelmed with the sense of His presence…and the more of the verse I struggled to read (no glasses), the more I cried! To this day, I do not know where that card came from, I was and am just grateful!!!! As I pondered the incident, I remembered reading a little about someone else learning what I was sensing that day so I will share the thoughts with you here. I) when we feel alone, He wants to remind us that He is there with us no matter where we are, and He is always in “teaching” mode. 2) He doesn’t show up early…He comes in the midst of the worst (yep)…and always on time. 3) As He takes us through different storms, He reveals more of Himself each time. Otherwise there are aspects of His character and workings with us we could never understand.  4) His presence alone in each situation is enough. That moment when He does, and says “it is I…”Mark 6:50…should be enough to calm our fears…it was for me and I thank and praise Him for that time and the blessing HIs outworking was.

A VERY IMPORTANT LETTER TO BE READ BY SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL!!!!!!

State Department

Washington D.C.

November 8, 2013

Dear Secretary Kerry,

US. Secretary of State John Kerry in Tel Aviv (Matty Stern/Flash90)

After listening to you declare repeatedly over the past weeks that “Israel’s settlements are illegitimate”, I respectfully wish to state, unequivocally, that you are mistaken and ill advised, both in law and in fact.

Pursuant to the “Oslo Accords”, and specifically the Israel-Palestinian Interim Agreement (1995), the “issue of settlements” is one of subjects to be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations. President Bill Clinton on behalf of the US, is signatory as witness to that agreement, together with the leaders of the EU, Russia, Egypt, Jordan and Norway.

Your statements serve to not only to prejudge this negotiating issue, but also to undermine the integrity of that agreement, as well as the very negotiations that you so enthusiastically advocate.

Your determination that Israel’s settlements are illegitimate cannot be legally substantiated. The oft-quoted prohibition on transferring population into occupied territory (Art. 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention) was, according to the International Committee Red Cross’s own official commentary of that convention, drafted in 1949 to prevent the forced, mass transfer of populations carried out by the Nazis in the Second World War. It was never intended to apply to Israel’s settlement activity. Attempts by the international community to attribute this article to Israel emanate from clear partisan motives, with which you, and the US are now identifying.

The formal applicability of that convention to the disputed territories cannot be claimed since they were not occupied from a prior, legitimate sovereign power.

The territories cannot be defined as “Palestinian territories” or, as you yourself frequently state, as “Palestine”. No such entity exists, and the whole purpose of the permanent status negotiation is to determine, by agreement, the status of the territory, to which Israel has a legitimate claim, backed by international legal and historic rights. How can you presume to undermine this negotiation?

There is no requirement in any of the signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians that Israel cease, or freeze settlement activity. The opposite is in fact the case. The above-noted 1995 interim agreement enables each party to plan, zone and build in the areas under its respective control.

Israel’s settlement policy neither prejudices the outcome of the negotiations nor does it involve displacement of local Palestinian residents from their private property. Israel is indeed duly committed to negotiate the issue of settlements, and thus there is no room for any predetermination by you intended to prejudge the outcome of that negotiation.

By your repeating this ill-advised determination that Israel’s settlements are illegitimate, and by your threatening Israel with a “third Palestinian intifada” and international isolation and delegitimization, you are in fact buying into, and even fueling the Palestinian propaganda narrative, and exerting unfair pressure on Israel. This is equally the case with your insistence on a false and unrealistic time limit to the negotiation.

As such you are taking sides, thereby prejudicing your own personal credibility, as well as that of the US.

With a view to restoring your own and the US’s credibility, and to come with clean hands to the negotiation, you are respectfully requested to publicly and formally retract your determination as to the illegitimate nature of Israel’s settlements and to cease your pressure on Israel.

Respectfully,

Alan Baker, Attorney, Ambassador (ret’),
Former legal counsel of Israel’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
Former ambassador of Israel to Canada,
Director, Institute for Contemporary Affairs, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs,
Director, International Action Division

WHAT IS YOUR POTENTIAL????

When Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord, the angel asked him his name…he of course replied Jacob…then the angel told him he would no longer be called Jacob which means “deceiver” but Israel, which means “a prince with God…” how did that come to be??? the angel said it was “because you have struggled and have overcome…”Gen 32:27-28. Up to this point, Jacob had been living up to his old name, but slowly and surely changing in character. God was busy teaching him important things as he lived with four women and at least 13 children. That would be enough to teach anybody something!!!! God was using him in his training years to teach his sons and one daughter, what life was all about. He apparently he zeroed in on Joseph and Benjamin who seem to be the best of the bunch. How many times in our lives, especially after we come to the Lord, do others try and put us down or reduce us in our view of ourselves or in what we are trying to accomplish. Many times…and we frequently listen to our own detriment. God has plenty to say about us to us in His Word…we need to read it, ponder it, and apply it. We are part of a royal priesthood, I Pet 2:9, an overcomer, I Jn 2:13-14, and lots of other things He tells us in His Word. Of course, if we don’t read it, we’ll never know. I remember many years ago when I was a fairly new Christian and had recently come to “know” God had called me to an unusual kind of ministry. I kept it to myself for awhile, began to exercise it hands-on…and got lots of unsolicited criticism…not a job for a woman, no schooling, no training, how would I live financially…and many more criticisms. A few friends that knew me well, believed in me and encouraged me FROM THE WORD to move forward. I did, and have never been sorry I listened to God instead of those around me. If we do not listen to the voice and Word of God, we will never live up to our potential because the only one who truly knows what that is..is God! And, He is anxious to tell you what that is by leading you through trials, and many deep waters…usually the best places for Him to teach us things there are no other ways of us learning. We get into situations and wonder what in the world is this all about…we know God is with us in it, and if we know the Word well, we can at some point look back and see what He was driving at! After all these years, I can now look back, ponder and sit amazed at the first hand teaching God does when your heart is open to what He has to teach. Experience is indeed a very good teacher…and a heart yielded to Him will “sop” up every little bit He has to teach. Stop listening to others, and listen to God in HIs Word, learn of His character so you can emulate it and move forward toward your potential. He’ll never lead you astray, never. And it won’t take any longer than what time you need to move into the place of service He has designed especially for you. Go for it!!!!

even more on the matter of sin.

when you read the lists in Galatian 5 pertaining to the sins of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit, you cannot help but be caught up in the contrast. The sins of th4e flesh are so “us.” The real us…We may not have committed every one of them but I’ll bet we each can claim a few. One of the ones that jump out at me for this generation (s) is idolatry. We always think of idolatry as what the word seems…idol…and that’s true but, the true Biblical definition of idolatry is ANYTHING that holds first place in our hearts! I suspect not may of us can honestly say God has always held first place. And, from time to time, looses out to something else. We can look around us at many people we know, and we see those that have all their time invested in their children. Others it is a husband…and he is very important but not first if you are a believer. How about work? Many, male and female work so many hours a day there is no time for anything let alone for God. Then there are hobbies…some put an inordinate amount of time in a hobby, even a hobby that may be time spent in front of the TV watching sports to the exclusion of family. We could go on and on couldn’t we? But no need, you get the picture. For me, my worst fleshy idol was worry. It took God YEARS to break me of fretting and worrying…and I still have times when I fall into that old trap. I found myself recently fretting about a few things, things having to do with moving. I realized what I was doing after a little while and had to go to the Lord for forgiveness and go back to my “resource,” memorizing or really, going back over the verses I had memorized and had not reviewed in awhile. Being ill for a prolonged time got me off of my usual timetable and all that I had incorporated into the morning hours. Memorization and review was one of those things, and the reality was I gave the enemy an edge. Of course he grabbed it and I fell for it. I do not offer that as an excuse but a reason, and I am old enough in the Lord to know better. These are the times we realize how gracious God is, and how vast His mercy. Sorcery is another one that we do not realize is present today. We think of the Salem witch trials, seances and such. Not so, the root is “pharmakia.” Our word pharmacy comes from that root. Have you ever abused a prescription? Idol. How about out bursts of wrath? Do you run on a short fuse? Idol. Contentions and dissensions? Enjoying an argument for the sake of the argument? Idol. Envy…personally, I think there is a little bit of envy in all of us, but we need to recognize it and stop. It’s an idol. Now contrast that list with the fruit of the Spirit, or the character of Christ. There is an old saying I really like, “love covers a multitude of sins.” That is a glorious quality to think about. Love can enable you to keep your mouth shut when you want to jump all over someone for various things. We all have times like that, when we have to REALLY lean into the Lord for the grace to exercise restraint and stay silent…especially if you are right! Love can keep us from saying with that haughty attitude, “I TOLD you so!” Something the Lord stopped me from doing was speak with sarcasm dripping from my tongue. There were many times years ago when my husband and I would engage in sarcasm during a “discussion,” and it became very easy for me to sink into that mindset. But someplace along the line, God literally said “stop that!” And I just as immediately realized what I was doing and what a poor testimony it was. I cannot say I stopped immediately, but from that time on I worked on it and finally, it was no longer a part of my speech. And, when I hear it now, I have to smile to myself, what was sin to me is not necessarily sin to someone else. I think it is the enjoyment of getting the best of someone that makes us enjoy speech like that…and that is ungodly. Gentleness is another good quality to think about…speaking or acting in a gentle way especially to someone who is hurting or obviously in some kind of pain. Speaking to them in a kind and gentle way can go a along way for their healing. And I’ll end with self control. I was a very young Christian, had a problem with something my husband said to me. I reached for the phone to call my pastor to talk with him about it, and clear as day I heard, “and I immediately conferred not with flesh and blood.” I did not even remember reading that verse but I must have, because it was clear to me the Lord wanted me to talk to HIM not anyone else. And, I did and He showed me something important about ME! He is a great  teacher when we give Him the chance. A very important lesson(s) for me had to do with my speech…not what I said so much as the way I said it. He knew long before I did that the inmates I would be working with would be sensitive to my speech and my way of carrying myself. He did not want me to stand in the way of the message but being a poor messenger. I may think of some more to add to this matter of our sin, will do more in a day or so. Thanks for reading.

Some thoughts on a teaching about sin…

Bill has been teaching in Sunday School about sin. The church here in Valley Forge is a small one, however just about everyone involved are very well versed in the Word, so some good discussions come about during this hour. One of the things I love about adult Sunday School classes! I have spent a good bit of time pondering the lessons, and pondering the matter of sin and it’s outworkings. Possibly, this is due to my years of teaching in a prison setting, where the “fruit” of sins (with an s) is only too evident. In that setting, the question always becomes what do we do about it! We cannot just say “don’t do it”…it doesn’t work that way. So, where does that leave us?

Interesting question and once again, worth pondering and/or thinking about. We all should…we have to first give thought to it’s origins which is with Satan and his revolt against God in defiance of God’s authority over him and all the other angels, all created beings and responsible to God for everything. We know Lucifer didn’t like that and wanted to be independent of God’s authority over him, so he rebelled and we are told many, many of the angelic host rebelled with him and they were expelled from the presence of God as a regular thing. Following that rebellion, Lucifer watched God create, and when he saw Adam and Eve, he saw his opportunity to ruin what God was doing. He took an opportunity to talk with Eve, nice words we can read in Genesis…and she listened to his idea of being “like God” and followed Satan’s counsel with the fruit of the tree, she ate a piece of it. Sin had now come into God’s new creation.

The outworking of this seemingly  “small” infraction  were of course monumental…the first created human and her partner now had a whole new set of things to think about…and because of the curse God had to put on the rebellious pair, what we call “ORIGINAL SIN” was now a fact. God would not create any more humans, instead Adam and Eve would procreate, but in doing so would pass sin on to the next generation in their genes. And worse yet, as generations passed, the genes were more and more twisted and sin grew even worse. Original sin…do we really understand what that means? In general, I think not…I have been teaching in a prison setting for 30+  years now, and have watched “the church” for 40, and I truly do not think most people get it! What do I mean? Just this: what does original sin mess up? Well, how about everything…if original sin is present from conception on, we are rebellious from the same point. Rebellious against whom? Ultimately God Himself but early on it is rebellion against everyone we come in contact with starting with our parents. And here is where the trouble begins. If and when God’s Word is not used as the standard for human behavior, it is impossible to “train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. “  Why? Because if God’s instruction is not followed, we use our own judgment and that is faulty unless we have been brought up under God’s law and rule by godly parents…and on and on it goes from generation after generation.

We think of sin as the biggies…drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, murder, etc. Not so, those are sins, with an s. They are the outworkings of the original sin in us when it is uncorrected and let to grow and fester. Understand here that I am talking “in general.” There are certainly exceptions. However, I have carefully looked at some of these exceptions and they really are not…back up far enough in the family life and you will find the flaw…the sin…that was uncorrected, and what appears to be an exception is not. In the Old Testament there is a rule, called the rule of the unrepentant/unruly son…a child who has come of age, and is out of control from his parents perspective goes before the elders, case presented and ruled on. If the elders agree with the parents, the son is stoned to death, and God says “and so shall you keep sin from Israel.” I will put the reference for that portion at the end. What that does is exactly what it says, children know that law is valid, and I dare say it is a determining factor in better behavior. And, there are fewer adults that rebel. Truth is, it is rebellion that is the problem all along. Rebellion against family, later friends and employers, but ultimately against God Himself and that is what He is fighting…and why He immediately in Genesis provides a solution, in chapter 3, He would send a savior to deal with the sin issue once and for all. Next time we will breakdown just what the sins coming out of original sin are…

 

reference to unruly son: Deut 21:18

More on the matter of sin…

We were talking about  original sin…that which we inherit from our first parents, Adam and Eve. The everyday sins we commit are because of original sin, it is our very nature. That is until we come to Christ, and He gives us a new nature…HIs. However, we still continue to commit sins. Why you ask???  Good question and the answer is not simple. Think first of all just how many generations there possibly are from Adam and Eve to our generation. Too many to even think about, but there are plenty. And down through those generations, the “sin gene” has multiplied and multiplied and warped and warped…you get the picture, right?  For most of us the question becomes what do these warped genes do? In reality, they “are us.” All of the character qualities, good and bad, proceed from those genes and are made better or worse by our family life, all of the influences around us, particularly mom and dad, sometimes grands if they were an integral part of our upbringing, school teachers, Sunday school teachers, scout leaders, etc., etc. All of these people, their places and things influence who we become. And…most of this “becoming” happens during the first four years of our lives. Now if that influence is negative you can just imagine how warped our character and the outworkings of our lives can become on into adulthood. The biggest and best influence in our young lives of course is Christ, and godly parents and grands. God ordained marriage and instituted the home, primarily to be the place of nurturing, the place of comfort and peace, the place where God is the head of the household and Dad and Mom administer His rule for your best good. Most, unfortunately not all, children that grow up in this kind of environment grow into well-rounded, God trusting individuals. When parents “train up a child in the way it should go” as the Scripture says, there is far less chance of them going of into sin. But…some do and I have seen more than my share in my years as a chaplain, interacting with inmates. One of the most interesting statements I heard way too many times was this one: “my father was a preacher (or deacon, ss teacher, elder, etc) and on Sunday he preached one thing but at home, the rest of the week, he was someone else, and I hated him! Why does this happen??? Well one reason is that we tend to hide those qualities we know are not right…hide them at times from ourselves but mostly from those around us. Or at least we think we hide them. Not always true. When this hideous distortion happens, generation after generation, the young “loose” themselves and their very attitude becomes a distortion, they “act as if…” one of the key statements of those in prison I talk with. Acting as if is pretending to be someone you are not…and unfortunately the actor sometimes gets lost in the pretend person. Yes, it is complicated but when thought through, it is very realistic. Let me give you one you will recognize and you will get a better understanding of what I mean: the person who comes to Sunday School and Church, Bible under their arm, ready to give a testimony, act as usher, take up the offering…that person is acting as he/she thinks a Christian should act…but then goes home with the family, and acts and talks like anything BUT a Christian, mistreats their partner, is unkind to the children, and on and on. If you take a good look at Galatians chapter five, you will find two lists…one is the fruit of the flesh…the list of ungodly character qualities that mark a person not controlled by the Spirit of God but allowing his/her flesh to do the controlling. The other list is the fruit of the Spirit…the result of yielding to the Holy Spirit of God, as we are suppose to do, and letting Him lead us into a godly lifestyle. This list is sometimes referred to as the very character of Christ and of course, we are told over and over in the Scripture that we are to be “like Christ.” And so we are…next time we will talk about the fruit of the Spirit, and I will give you some personal experiences to show how God the Spirit dealt with me in my younger Christian life to “grow me up.”

KNOWING GOD, CON’T with notes by Lynne Farrow

Daniel is one of those books of the Bible that no matter how many times you read it you always come away knowing more about God than you did when you started. Daniel truly and almost completely, knew his God! In this book you will find the most vivid and sustained presentation of the many-sided reality of God’s sovereignty  in the whole Bible.

The Babylonian empire had swallowed up Palestine, and in thinking of the great world-empires to follow, dwarfing little Israel by any means of calculation, the book as a whole forms a dramatic reminder that the God of Israel is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that the heavens do rule, (4:6) that God’s hand is on history at every point, that history, indeed, is no more than ‘His story’, the unfolding of His eternal plan, and that the kingdom which will triumph in the end…is God’s. I personally feel compelled to say here, in light of our present day circumstances, that the same God of Daniel’s life and time is the same God that oversees our world today…we have so very much trauma and horror going on all around us, it is easy to lose sight of that fact! When the government is so completely corrupt, the church is not what it should be and people tend to constantly do whatever they please, never giving a thought to what God may think or want in our lives. But, that does not have anything to do with His sovereignty…He still is over and controls it all, including the persons and happenings of the US government, the Jewish nation, the Arabs or anybody else, He rules, raises, and puts down at His good pleasure. Therefore, we should not fret…we will…but we shouldn’t, knowing Who is in control of it all! This is the central truth Daniel taught Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, all kings of some of the nations that Daniel served. Daniel’s prayers and confidence in defying authority, his friends confidence also defying authority,…”the Most High ruleth  in the affairs of men.” He knows and He foreknows all things…His foreknowledge is foreordination; He therefore will have the last word in world history and  the destiny of every man. His kingdom and righteousness will triumph in the end, for neither men nor angels  shall be able to thwart Him!

These were the thoughts of god which filled Daniel’s mind, as witnessed by his prayers…the best evidence of a man’s view of God: “Blessed b the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. He changeth the times and the seasons, He sets up and removeth kings, He gives wisdom, He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. The LORD our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth.” Is this how YOU view God???? Is this what we say to God in our own personal prayers? Do we express these kind of ‘feelings’ to God as we pray? Do we thank Him for His moral perfections, His gracious faithfulness, graciousness that keeps us humble and dependent, awed and obedient, ad it did Daniel? By this standard we may measure how much or how little, we know God!

KNOWING GOD, CON’T

Now that I am fairly settled in my new home It’s time to get back to my blog. Forgive me friends for being away so long, but I’m finding EVERYTHING takes me longer to do than it use to…such is life, am just glad I will be celebrating my 75th years in a couple of days and I’m still ambulatory, lol!

I picked up the book again yesterday, read through my recent blogs and found some interesting new things in the next section, so here goes…

Dr Packer makes a very valid point concerning knowing God and Godliness, and knowing about God. I think we all as believers understand there is a difference and may even think we know what it is, including me…however, there is more to it than what is on the surface. This is what I discovered, for me if for no one else. He goes back to a portion of Scripture in Daniel, 11:32, “they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits” and rendered this way in the RSV, “the people who know their God will stand firm and take action.” The context is this…contrasted to the vile person, whose action is abominable, and who corrupts by smooth and flattering talk the conduct of those who have no viable relation-ship to God. This contrast speaks very loudly to the fact that action taken by those who do know their God is really their reaction to the ungodly trends they see going on around them. While their God is being defied and disregarded, they cannot rest; they feel they must DO something! The dishonor done to God goads them to action.

To really get the flavor, you should sit down and re-read the book of Daniel, it’s not very long, but note the places where Daniel will not bow to the worldly things that were going on around him and in some cases, being required of him…he stood against them. These were his “exploits” and his statement for Godliness in his day and in his own personal life. He and his three friends stood against the corruption of Darius’ kingdom. And two additional kings after Darius’ death. Daniel KNEW his God and lived what he knew to be true. He was willing to pay the price, did pay it and was rescued, very obviously rescued, by God Himself! Does all of this sound familiar????? It should, it is very similar to the day we are living in! Daniel stood for his God, was well known for that also and in some cases it was used against him. He lived a very long life and served many kings of differing kingdoms because he was so wise and trustworthy. Next time we will talk more about this subject.

Continuing “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer with comments by Lynne Farrow

What will be some of the themes we will be thinking on as we continue this study? Well, the Godhead of God involves the qualities of the Deity of God. GLORY! The qualities and attributes of the Holy One are so awesome to think about let alone putting them all together in one study and then pondering them, as Mary did concerning the little things of Christ as she saw them happening. How wonderful it must have been for her to have many precious memories of her own to keep in her heart. Well, we can do the same thing here as we contemplate His wonderful attributes and qualities. Let’s begin a list:

His self-existence and infinity, His eternality, His unchangeableness! I do not know about you, but I can “think” ahead @ God always will be! But…to think back, even though I know the truth of “always,” I cannot fathom back, that He always was…my mind seems  to want to bend when I try to think of “always was” and had no beginning! It is just more than my poor, human mind can “get.” So, I just accept it as true. The line of infinity stretches from all the way back to before there was probably nothing but the Triune God, then forward to …to when?????  I remember a Star Trek episode from Deep Space Nine where there were beings that kept saying to each other, pertaining to the humans they were encountering, “they are linear.” They meant in time…I understand that eternity has no time, it just “is.”  Again, my mind wants to bend. So, we can think of our Father as “always” and be content to ponder that. Unchangeableness…that is a powerful image…no change, always the same, unmoved by circumstances. That comforts my heart like little else. I can go to Him and know there is no change in Him, the way He loved me yesterday is the way He loves me today.

He is an Almighty God, omniscience and omnipotent…Almighty says to me in the natural or physical realm, He is indeed an Almighty God…think in terms of all the wonderful, powerful physical things He has/is does…the Red Sea, the Resurrection, fulfilling prophecy to the letter, Jesus and the fig tree, feeding the 5,000, and on and on. His Almightiness is wonderful to behold! His omnipotence on the other hand, I view as more personal His quality of omnipotence. Jesus raising the dead, the demoniac in the cemetery, all the little things He does for us individually that others may not even know about but YOU know it…as a single senior citizen who lives along and makes her own decisions, I love that I can lean on Him for aiding me in decisions and at times, make them for me. I love it, truly. We know He is Spirit, Jesus said so and I do not really understand that but I believe it entirely. His wisdom is beyond anything we can possibly understand. A godly man from the past, Charles Hodge, said this: “What is God? the answer read as follows…God is  Spirit, infinite, eternal, just, wise, good, unchangeable and truth in HIs very being.  Few today, to our shame as teachers, are taught simple, straightforward messages on the nature of God.

There are so many wonders concerning our God and Father, that it is difficult to tell just a few. He is beyond fully describing and for me personally, beyond telling. I have journaled most of my Christian life. I have recorded many of the wonderful happenings that God was behind or just, plain did! I learned as the years went by that I could trust Him with anything…anything at all! There have been times when I did not know what to do, could not make a decision, and turned to Him and asked Him to make the decision for me. He did…how do I know? His Spirit bore witness to my spirit with the peace of Christ and I just, plain KNEW! How do I love Him???? In too many ways to count or tell but I will tell you this. You can trust Him! You can count on Him. Practice it, and you too can know the “peace that passes all understanding,” I promise.

Excerpts from Knowing God by J. I. Packer and comment by Lynne Farrow

Many times we are tempted to ask if studying theology is necessary, will it be time well spent???? Well, the answer is some people will indeed benefit, others will not…it is up to the individual how much of God we individually desire. Some would think it irrelevant to our lives today when in reality…and I speak from personal experience…nothing could be more important to how we should and can live our lives. Our era is very, very complex. It seems to me, only God can lead us in a clear, firm path. There is so much confusion, so much noise from all kind of sources, almost NO place to quiet ourselves just to think. God says in His Word to “be still, and know that I am God.” In past generations, life was much more simple, more difficult and hard on the people who were living it, but there was not the confusion and noise that we have today. And, it is constant! I personally enjoy the evenings, in my room, quiet, comfortable and I find God is there waiting for me to quiet me. It might be a good idea to start this journey by stating five basic principles of our faith:

1. God has spoken to man, and the Bible is His Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.

2. God is Lord and King over His world; He rules all things for His own glory, displaying His perfections in all that He does, in order that men and angels may worship and adore Him.

3. God is Savior, active in sovereign love in all that He does through the Lord Jesus Christ, to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as sons and daughters, and to bless them accordingly.

4. God is Triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it, and the Spirit applying it.

5. Godliness means responding to revelation in obedience and trust, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word. This, and nothing else is true religion!

We are going to take a journey and examine these basic and very relevant truths about our Father. We’ll learn deep and revealing truths about Him and how he acts toward us and shows His incredible love toward us. The better we understand Him and His character, the more we will grow ourselves and become like Him. That is the object of our salvation…clear our slate, so to speak and grant us a new start. Then we start on the path of sanctification, which  is what we are doing here, the way to move to Christlikeness. It is a long and at times difficult trip. But again, I will speak from personal experience, surely very worth the effort it takes. God is a great God, and a wonderful Father. He wants the very best for each one of us. If we are willing, He will move Heaven and earth to make us like His dear Son, the first born among many brethren.

Tomorrow, we will look at the “why” of studying the Godhead…why are we doing it…what is our motivation. That’s tomorrow’s blog.

I NEED TO KNOW HIM BETTER…

There is a relatively  old book called “Knowing God” by J.I.Packer that I have enjoyed a few times over the years. I like re-reading books that impacted my growth and this one surely did. I am re-reading it now and have decided to share some excerpts from it with you. Lately, due to a new, painful and chronic condition I have developed, I have neglected posting blogs, even reading at times let alone writing or typing has been quite painful. But, thanks to a new, caring doctor and a procedure he uses, I am now more comfortable and able to get “back to business.” Hurricane Sandy has just let our area, I am at Bill’s in Valley Forge..and discovered my copy of that very book is here in my room in the parsonage. So of course I picked it up an thought about re-charging my batteries, so to speak, read and share this wonderful book…I trust you will enjoy it as much as I know I will and if you have any questions or dialogue on the book, email me @eagleone4@comcast.net or message me on Facebook and we will talk.

Knowing God, by J I Packer, excerpts from it directly, and personal, additional comments from personal application by Lynne Farrow

THE STUDY OF GOD, chapter one

It has been said by someone that the proper study of mankind is man. I will not oppose this idea but I believe it equally important and true is that the study of God’s elect is God. The proper study of the Christian is studying the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, he mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of the child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom we call Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in it’s immensity; so deep, our pride is drowned in its infinity. As we contemplate other subjects, we can come away feeling a kind of self-content and go on our way thinking, “I am wise.” But, when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt.; and with solemn exclamation say “I know nothing.” In contemplating our God…our minds are more than humbled…we are indeed nothing.

Nothing has brought my mind and spirit “low” then soaring, is thinking on the great words of Scripture concerning the attributes of God. I did a study for my men a few years ago, and each attribute in turn just made me feel so insignificate…then privileged, to be called and chosen by such a great and wonderful God, and He allowed me to call Him Father!  (LF)

While this subject humbles the mind, it also will expand it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the one that simply plods along this narrow globe. The study will also expand the soul! Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great study of the Deity. The contemplating of God can also be a balm for every wound, a quiet spot for every grief, and the Holy Spirit will ensure a balm for every sore spot on the heart.Plunge yourself into the contemplation of God and you will find yourself in the deepest sea, lost in HIs immensity, and you will come forth rested, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing that can so comfort the soul, so calm the swelling of grief and sorrow, speak to the winds of trial, as a devout musing on the subject of the Godhead.

I have spent years teaching and counseling inmates, and learning “on the job.” The Lord Himself taught me, and as I look back now, I am amazed and humbled to think I ever did such a thing, and according to my superiors, became quite good at the understanding of said subject. I came to the job with a pretty good understanding of the Scripture, but the application of it to this particular group of people was new to me. This I know, devoted love for my Savior and the desire and determination to follow the path He was taking me, caused me to cling to Him and search His heart and mind for the understanding and encouragement of others, that I needed. When you cling to Him, yield to Him continually until there is nothing of “me” left…He shows you His point of view. Couple that view with the spiritual gifts He gave me at salvation, encouragement and mercy, I was able to listen empathetically…and learn…and comfort. You know, there is nothing humanly speaking one can do for a prisoner, but there is much you can do to instruct in the Word and how to personally feed the soul from that Word, to encourage the reading and study of it on a continuing basis. God alone can do for him/her what is needed in His own way, but we have the responsibility to offer the soul-tools to facilitate that end. I cannot tell you here, all that I learned of the God I love and serve, but one of my main reasons for writing a blog and posting on Facebook is to share with others some of the wonders God has taught me over the years.  (LF)

 

 

to be continued…

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

From the devotional, The Word For You.

From Andrew Murray’s classic book on prayer, With Christ In The School Of Prayer, a pupil needs a teacher who knows his work, who has the gift of teaching, who in patience and love will descend to the pupil’s needs. Blest be God, Jesus is all this and much more! When we have questions such as 1) I’m not sure God’s listening to me, 2)I don’t understand why some prayers go unanswered, 3) Am I praying right? I’m frustrated with my prayer life. 4) If you want to feel more connected to God and have confidence that you prayers really do matter, say Lord, teach ME to pray!

There are some principles for prayer but we really need to understand that God will lead each of us individually. He wants to take us just as we are and develop in us a “rhythm of prayer.” He wants to develop in each of us a style of prayer that maximizes our own personal relationship with Him. He wants prayer to be an easy, natural, life-giving way of communicating as you share your heart with Him and allow Him to share His heart with you! Prayer is so simple…it’s nothing more than  talking to Him and taking the time to listen to what He has to say to you. God has a personalized prayer plan for you, a way for you to communicate most effectively with Him. We begin by saying, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

One of the dangers of being involved in God’s work is that you go weeks or even months without praying. In a survey of 1,000 pastors, half acknowledged that they often went long periods of time without taking time to pray except for the functions in the church. They preach sermons on it but didn’t practice it themselves. Can you relate? Jesus rose hours before dawn to spend time with His Father, sometimes He prayed all night, and it showed. His incredible success flowed out of His very rich relationship with His Father. He made deposits every morning so that He could make withdrawals all day long.

We can start by taking small amounts of time in the morning, and adding small amounts of time praying throughout the day as things come to my heart and finally ending my day by talking with Him as I fall asleep. When Paul said to pray without ceasing, this is what he meant. You can move from sporadic prayer times to measured. disciplined times without being legalistic. The more you put into it, the more pleasant it becomes and you enjoy the time spent with Him. It is no longer an obligation but a pleasure and privilege. I now realize I cannot survive a day without and be satisfied. I no longer approach God timidly, but I now approach Him boldly, as His Word teaches me to do, and with great expectation. Put it into operation, you will be very pleasantly surprised, pleased, and satisfied.

Walking for the Lord

Reading Psalm 119 is a great experience…there is so much excellent advice for us it warrants re-reading many times and perhaps in various versions, just to get “good flavor.” I love reading in NKJV, then NIV and topped off by reading in The Message. Try it, it’s amazing how much you can gather for later pondering.

The first verse almost stops you…”Blessed are they whose ways are blameless…” have you ever given any thought to being “blameless?” Whenever I think about standing before the Lord at the Bema Seat, I want over- whelming to be blameless. More than anything, I want to hear from Him, “Well done!”  With no reproach. More than anything…

The next verse gives a way to go…”Blessed are they who keep His statues and seek Him with all their hearts.”  Precepts and statutes are given to us to be instruction for character and conduct based on divine principles. This particular Psalm is full of those kinds of instructions. Reading and re-reading, meditating and pondering the messages are very profitable if you are serious about your relationship with the Lord and have that intense, burning desire to please Him. To please Him we must be willing to pay attention to His written Word, put it into practice by living it…in so doing, we become like Him. Reading Galatians 5 teaches us what NOT to incorporate into our character and then follows  those qualities we ARE to incorporate, and they are not for choosing, we are to develop them all and live them. It would be impossible to do this without the Word and the Holy Spirit actively teaching and encouraging us to move forward in our quest. Seeking Him with the whole heart is pretty much a 24 hour a day proposition…one can only imagine attaining that level of intimacy with the Savior!

Thinking out loud about end times…

I’ve been reading a series of books by Joel Rosenberg, an amazing writer of mainly but not exclusively, end times novels.  His understanding of the Scripture and end time events is uncanny, possibly due to the fact that he is what we call a “completed Jew.” I have known and read many completed Jews that are extremely gifted in understanding and explaining Scripture. I would urge you to avail yourself of Joel’s wisdom and read his books. Today I am finishing his last one, “Implosion” which is not a novel but an expounding of his very real premise that the time of Jacob’s Trouble is “on us.” I use quotation marks because I know that time period cannot begin until the church is gone in what we refer to as the Rapture, the snatching away of true believers by the Lord, to remove us and of course, the Holy Spirit…He who restrains according to 2 Thess 2:5-12. (Good reading)…then the man of lawlessness can be revealed and the tribulation begin. Following is a few paragraphs from Implosion for you to consider.

 

Our current challenges are too large for political and business leaders alone to solve. To be sure, Washington, Wall Street, and Main Street have critical roles in play in our nation’s recovery, and I wish them Godspeed in making the fundamental economic and fiscal reforms this country so desperately needs. But we need more than tax reforms to save us. We need more than spending and entitlement reforms in Washington. We need more than better jobs and stronger economic growth and truly balanced budgets. These are crucial to our survival, but by themselves they are insufficient. What we urgently need is a national u-turn. We need a wholesale national turning from our current path of pride, materialism, narcissism, selfishness, unkindness, and vulgarity. We need to turn away from violence against the unborn and rampant pornography and the assault on traditional marriage and the family. All of us as Americans need to turn away from our sins and plead for the grace and mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. e need once again to make a solemn national commitment to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit from this day forward.

At this point, nothing less than a Third Great Awakening will save us. These are not normal times. We are not facing normal problems. We dare not continue with business as usual. We cannot continue tinkering around the edges and procrastinating and living in denial. We are in mortal danger as a nation. We are on the verged if seeing God’s hand of favor removed from us forever. We are on the brink of facing god’s fair but terrifying judgment. Yet some deny God even exists, others concede He exists but deny that we really need Him. Some give lip service to being a “Christian nation” but deny Christ’s power, refusing to live holy, faithful, fruitful lives. And now the hour is late. The clock is ticking. God certainly can save America. He has the power, and He has done it in the past, but He has made us no promises…and we dare not assume that because America has been such an exceptional nation in the past, she will forever remain so. The time for personal and national change has arrived, or we as a nation are doomed.

Personally, I agree with all Joel has written. the time has come for us to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. What are we personally to be doing at this time in history, doing for Him, to share and teach and alert others to where we are in history and urge them to be ready!

reader, studier, snatcher…which are u?

This am I was looking for my concordance, and realized how often I reach for my “tools” during my time with the Lord. Thought I might share with you some of my tools in case you are interested in a deeper relationship with the Master. You know, developing an intimate relationship with Him is optional…if you look carefully, particularly in John 14-16, His urging to OBEY is preceded by IF because He does not want anyone in His inner circle that truly does not want to be there, it is up to each of us to say yea or nay. Let me tell you from experience, when you say yea, you’ll never regret it! He becomes more and more precious every hour, as you discover things about Him, His character, personality, and love you never dreamed possible.

TOOLS…I mentioned concordance. A concordance is a book of words, listed alphabetically and subdivided into verse addresses. ever, single listing.  If I remember right, the first word study I ever did was on the word WALK. I found it in my Crudens concordance, and was pretty excited at how many places in Scripture the word walk was used. I wrote them all down, read them, re-read them, and was tickled at just what they all said to me about my personal walk with Christ. Try it! Don’t go for a Strong’s at first, it will discourage you with TMI!

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words, a great reference book. Every word in the NT is listed alphabetically, an a definition of it each place where it is used. The Greek language (language the NT was written in) is very “wordy”…probably why God chose to have it the language of the Roman Empire at the time the NT was written. Lots of Greek words that may be one word in English. You will find it absolutely fascinating.

Handbook, Haley’s or other work, gives background and detail about the NT and is handy to “round out” a study.

Biblical Atlas, a good book to have but not critical as your Bible will have several. However, an atlas gives you more maps. I used an atlas to define the lines of Israel according to what God gave Abraham. Very enlightening in light of the Arab claim that the Israeli’s are “occupiers.” No way according to Scripture and world maps.

John MacArthur’s Bible Commentary, single volume commentaries are bulky but also handy. MacArthur happens to be my favorite author and from my perspective the most reliable Bible expositor today. An expositor “opens up” Scripture word by word, verse by verse. He is awesome at this. I love Charles Stanley, a fabulous teacher with a different style, he expounds on meaning from a heart perspective, a little different than Dr MacArthur but just as profound. You can also get multi-volume sets of commentaries by some excellent authors but you must be careful whose work you “feed” on especially if you are a new believer. Get advice before buying.

That’s a good start. As you grow in the faith, you’ll want to add to you books. So much is available right here on your computer and on tablets, everything in one place. And don’t forget to avail yourself of more than one version of Scripture. Start with a NKJV or NIV, very reliable, then go to paraphrases like The Message.

WHERE ARE WE TODAY IN THE GOOD OLD USA????

My constant companion these days is the realization that we are soooooo close to the return of the Lord, and few people know or care, at least that is how I see it. I do not know how many times I have read in Matthew 24-25 where Jesus talked about these days…the ones we are living in…in detail. One of the things He said was “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man…” and…” when the Son returns, will He find faith on the earth?” Sadly, very sadly, the days of Noah are upon us and we are ever so casually going on with our lives as if all is well. It isn’t well, not at all and we need to be about our Father’s business. I’m not talking about silly, overdoing kind of things, but none of us spend enough time with the Lord on our own, praying for souls and opportunities to share Christ. Places like FB, Twitter, YouTube, etc are excellent places to share and there are resources all over the place. Wallbuilders have plenty of very accurate historical FACTS about our Founding Fathers and their faith, biographies of great men of the faith. American Heritage Association has loads of info well worth sharing. I could go on and on. All you have to do is look, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to places where you can share their material with others. Noah preached for 100 years while building the Ark, he did not stop his daily activity but used opportunities presented to him to share what he was doing and more important…WHY! Every week Hal Lindsey preaches for 1/2 hour on Friday night about current events and prophecy. He is on the TBN network. He gives chapter and verse so you can check it out for yourself. Jack Van Impe does the same on the big Fox network late Sunday night, goes over the why’s and wherefore’s, chapter and verse. Hard to close your eyes to the truth but many,many are doing it. I get tired of the lame reasoning that doesn’t even make sense, something like the talking points of the far liberal left…no sense at all. Then there is His finding faith on the earth…an excellent question since you must look far and wide to find “christians” that have true Biblical faith that stands up under the scrutiny of solid exposition of the old kind. The so-called neo-orthodoxy, is sick…the Scripture says what it means, and means what it says…flat out, no wiggle room, just plain old fashioned truth. The problem is so-called believers do not want to accept it for what it says and means. I cannot read/re-read John 15 without thinking of the many people I know and love that constantly make excuses for their bad behavior mainly because most “accepted theology”… today lets them interpret it any old way they want, so they do. They do not stick to the real text and it’s meaning and obey it. Result: no growth. Jesus said “Abide in Me.” What did He mean? Clear…He is the Living and Written Word so abiding in Him is to know experientially and completely and obey what He says…not wiggle to suit yourself, but be Totally and completely His and live accordingly. I am especially upset with those I know and love, see a lot and just seem to go blithely on their way not even realizing we both have to answer to the same Lord one day and that one day is coming sooner than we think.

Posts taken from Dr John MacArthur’ book on Extraordinary Women. This is part one on Eve.

EVE

Eve must have been a real beauty! The crown and pinnacle of God’s amazing creative work. The first female of Adam’s race was the last living thing called into existence, actually fashioned by the Creator’s own hand in a way that showed particular care and attention to detail. Eve was not made out of the dust like Adam...but carefully designed from living flesh and bone. ADAM WAS REFINED DIRT, EVE WAS A GLORIOUS REFINEMENT OF HUMANITY ITSELF! She was a gift to Adam, a necessary partner who made his existence complete. Additionally, her existence signaled the completion of all creation.

Eve was a marvel...created by God from the living tissue of another creature. God composed a vast universe from nothing, then he made Adam out of nothing but a handful of dirt. But nothing in the whole expanse of the universe was as spectacular as this woman, made from a handful of Adam! If the man represented the supreme species (a race of creatures made in the image of God), Eve was the living embodiment of humanity… glory…God had saved the best for last! Just imagine in her original state, undefiled by any evil, unblemished by any disease or defect, and unspoiled by ANY imperfection, Eve was indeed feminine excellence, magnificent in every aspect. She was the only woman to come unfallen into a curse-free world, she had no equal in grace, charm, virtue, ingenuity, intelligence, with absolute innocence. Physically she must have been full of strength and beauty, the living picture of sheer radiance. Scripture gives us no physical description of Eve. Her beauty is never mentioned or alluded to. The focus of the Biblical account is on Eve’s duty to her Creator and her role alongside her husband. This is significant, reminding us that the distinguishing traits of true feminine excellence are not superficial. Women who focus, on the point of obsession, on image, cosmetics, body shapes, and other external matters have a wrong view of femininity...Western culture, including the church, seem hopelessly confused about this. We need to go back to Scripture to see what God’s ideal for a woman is...the Biblical account of Eve is an excellent reminder of what a woman’s true priorities should be. Eve is obviously a major character in history’s record of the fall and redemption. But we only read her name 4x’s. We have very few details about her, no physical description or how many children she had. We don’t know how long she lived, where or how she died. Scripture tells her story in such a fashion, that we can dwell on the aspects of her life that are the most significant. Even though there are many things about Eve we’d like to know, we will look at what details we have, the account of her creation, her temptation and fall, her curse, and the hope she clung to.

A. HER CREATION…God performed a surgical procedure on Adam. He was anesthetized, not artificially of course, God simply caused him to fall asleep. Considering this was before the fall, in the state of slumber he would feel no pain. Think about the pure, passive restfulness of Adam’s sleep. A beautiful illustration of HOW the grace of God is ALWAYS received. Grace is never set in motion by any effort or activity on our part, but always flows freely from the sovereign will of God. NOTE...there is nothing to indicate that Adam ASKED God for a wife. God Himself initiated this whole event and single-handedly brought it to pass. It was an expression of sheer grace and benevolence to Adam. All Adam did was contribute a rib...but he was asleep while it was done. The work was wholly and completely God’s. Sound familiar??? God took a redundant bone that Adam would never miss and made for him the one thing he lacked...a soul-mate!! He lost a rib, but gained a loving companion, created for him by the Giver of every perfect gift. The Hebrew expression for how God “made (the rib) into a woman” denotes careful construction and design. Literally, it means God built a woman. He carefully assembled a whole new creature with just the right set of attributes to make her the ideal mate for Adam, suited to him in every way. She answered his need for companionship, she was a source of joy and gladness to him and she made possible the procreation of the race. Eve made Eden paradise for Adam. It seems the moment Adam saw her, he loved her...and felt a deep personal attachment to her and embraced her as his own. There are a few crucial truths about womanhood in general in the unique method of her creation. 1. Eve was fundamentally equal with Adam, they shared the same essential nature...she was not different in kind but exactly the same essence as Adam. She was in no way inferior and was his spiritual counterpart, his intellectual equal, his perfect mate and companion. 2. The way Eve was created reminds us of the essential unity that is the ideal in every marriage relationship. God’s plan for marriage was established at the very beginning. Jesus tells us marriage from the beginning of human history was based on the principles of monogamy, solidarity, inviolability. The one-flesh principle is perfectly illustrated in the method of Eve’s creation and where the principle finds its true origin. 3. The circumstances of her creation illustrate how deep and meaningful marriage is meant to be...not just a physical union but a union of heart and soul as well. She was designed to be Adam’s complement, his ideal soul-companion and the intimacy of relationship with her husband derives from her being literally taken from HIS SIDE! Puritan writer, Matthew Henry wrote these familiar words…”the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam, not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.” The symbolism reminds us again how Scripture exalts women. 4. Eve was spiritually and intellectually Adam’s peer, they were both of the same essence, therefore equals in their standing before God. They ranked above al other creatures. There was none the less a clear distinction in their earthly roles...BY GOD’S OWN DELIBERATE DESIGN! Eve was made to fill a void in Adam’s life, he was created first. Then Eve, to fill the void. He was the head, she was the helper. Adam was designed to be a father, provider, protector and leader. Eve was designed to be a mother, comforter, nurturer, and helper. God had ordained these different functions for man and woman. We do not possess equal physical strength, there are bodily hormonal differences and there is a mountain of empirical and clinical evidence to strongly suggest that men and women are also dissimilar in several other ways: socially, emotionally, and psychologically.  CONTINUED NEXT TIME!!!!

“…many are called, few are chosen…”

I’ve been a Believer for many, many years, lost count of how many times I have read through the Word but that particular verse always made me stop andwonder/think…what exactly does it mean. I thought perhaps it meant God calls many to serve, but not all respond. Another thought was that salvation was “free” to all, not all would respond.

In April this year as I was again reading through, I read a commentary by Dr John MacArthur that presented this as the answer to my years old query:

Matthew 22 is the scene. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is portrayed, vividly telling how the King invited many to the feast for His Son, all made excuse. Then He sent his couriers out to invite less prominent persons who also declined. Then the King told His servants to gather in common folks, street people, just ordinary folks…THEY came. Dr MacArthur puts the finishing touches on this wonderful parable of the Lord…the common folks did not have time or the means to dress for the wedding supper, so the King  and the Bridegroom, His dear Son, clothed them all!

However, one man appeared with the guests improperly attired in the provided garments and was put out! And the story ends with the guest being sent to Hell!!!! Applying this scenario to us, ALL are offered the Gospel, not many accept the offer of the Father’s provision, only the elect/chosen are clothed for the marriage supper in the righteousness of Christ as our wedding garment. The one not properly clothed, “crashed the party,” and was thrown out. He was not a recipient of the righteousness of Christ. The early verses of the story speaks of the past centuries of Jewish history…using the Pharisees and Sadducees as representative of all Jews and the burning of the city in vs 7 speaks of the victory of Titus in 70AD!

ALL WE NEED IS PROVIDED BY OUR GOD AND FATHER!!!

GOALS…

Do you have goals for your life? I was pretty amazed in my teaching time at Southern, that most inmates had no goals at all, and in fact had never given it any thought! In my material, Healing For Damaged Emotions there are two chapters on setting goals and how to go about it. It even speaks to why we all should have goals for life. I really cannot think of a time in my own life when I did not have some goals…they may not have been consciously thought of as goals but they were there, and I was working toward them. I had an old friend who use to say, “you can’t get lost if you don’t go anywhere…” It is kind of a silly statement but when reflected on, true. You won’t get lost, but you also won’t accomplish anything. Human beings need goals, we need to be reaching for something, and some of our time with the Lord should be spent on asking and listening for Him to show us where He wants us “go.” When we neglect that dedicated time, we risk not hearing His direction.  James tells us “if any among you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally.” It doesn’t get much better than that…direction from God Himself.

So why don’t we seek answers from Him? I think primarily because we really are afraid of the answers!!!!! What will He want from me? Where will He want me to go? What kind of ministry will He direct me to? And apprehension sets in and we close our minds and hearts to His voice. Some times we do not ask Him early enough, we end up in a bad relationship, or a lot of debt or some other situation we do not think we can get ourselves out of. True, in many cases we cannot get ourselves out of situations, but if we are sincere and willing to follow, God will show us a way forward. He never will deny a willing heart. In the Old Testament, He tells us “God’s eyes roam to and fro, searching for some that will follow His lead.”

We need to set some short term as well as long term goals. Short term could be getting your affairs in order, perhaps getting  little more training or education. It could be a matter of spending some time serving in your local church to gain some experience. And, it helps to have Christian friends and mentors that can give you godly advice. Long term goals could be purchasing a home, or getting married, or going to college for the first time. All of these things are important and needless to say, they go along with seeking God’s input for your future. Another thing to ponder…goals are not set in stone, so be willing to be flexible, and do not be fearful of change. Lots of people do not like change at all, but it is an ongoing thing in life. If you resist it too much, you may really stunt your growth, so give it some thought…and good Providence!