Several weeks ago I had a dream that I was standing at the bus stop at Michigan/13th Street. As I was waiting for the bus Will was driving by and waved at me. I waved back. The dream lasted no longer then 30 seconds or a minute and that was all that was to it. BUT, I remembered the odd dream the next day. When this happens, it is usually prophetic and means something.
3 weeks ago I thought about Will on the bus on my way to work. Later that day I was reminded of him again when my patient didn't have dressing for her salad. Will will eat a salad without dressing. I began tanning in the next block over from where he lives. It was 8:30pm on that same day when I was waiting for the bus outside of his apartment. I really didn't think I'd see him. I thought it'd be ironic if he came out of his apartment at that time, and if he did he'd have to walk by the bus hutch that I was standing in. Infact since he has a car and drives there'd be no reason for him to walk by. I stood there waiting for the bus with another woman. Then someone else came and was waiting on my right side. I looked up and it was Will!!!! The bus stop, the dream, Deja vue? No! God! I don't always know why things happen, but if I know one thing God wants prayer for Will. He wants bigger things to happen in his life! Pray pray pray for Will, that he'd know the complete fullness of God. His 2nd spiritual birthday is coming up this weekend, a baby Christian, and needs help with growth! He has a gentle spirit and I pray he'd know God on a deeper level!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Δ of ♥
In the past couple weeks I have had a change of heart. 2 weeks ago when I started doing this I was reading an inspiring 350 page book that I couldn't put down. Then I started studying my bible with greater depth. Studying my bible as I did in college, memorizing the facts, putting all the pieces of the puzzles together. I have been studying the books of Kings. I have been memorizing the kings of Israel and Judah, the things they were known for, and how long they were kings. I have been studying who the prophets were during each era of Kings. I knew in the past that parts of Kings is repeated in Chronicles, but I didn't know that the prophets found in kings are given each their own book in the prophecy section of the bible. I've been trying for years to know my bible in such great depth, and to make the stories of the Old Testament stick in my head. Sections of the bible that seemed boring before. Understanding the bible in a new way has made it seem even smaller then before, and more applicable to today. I have found so much joy in being able to study my bible in more depth on my days off from work that I have found a depression in having to return to work. I don't find the book inspiring or motivating that I was reading when this all started. I found it a chore just to read what I did read in it tonight. I rather be in my Word than to even speak to my boyfriend. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night. I was so excited to study more that I got up a half hour earlier to study before leaving to work. I will be doing some more before I go to bed now. This is the power of the Lord upon my life at this point in time!!!
All I can pray is: "Lord may you make me a new creation through better understanding of who you are. May my character be changed in the likeness of you. May you purge every evil impurity from my heart and mind. Distract evil from coming my way. Stomp on the enemy before he gets to me. May your light shine upon me, and others be in the light of your presence when they are with me. Amen"
All I can pray is: "Lord may you make me a new creation through better understanding of who you are. May my character be changed in the likeness of you. May you purge every evil impurity from my heart and mind. Distract evil from coming my way. Stomp on the enemy before he gets to me. May your light shine upon me, and others be in the light of your presence when they are with me. Amen"
Monday, November 2, 2009
Is Interracial Dating Biblical?
Question: Is Interracial Dating Biblical?
Unfortunately prejudice and racism is still a worldwide issue. In countries that have a variety of races in its population the question of whether or not interracial dating is an acceptable practice for Christians is appropriate. In order to answer the question we need to take a close look at God’s Word.
Answer:
What About the Old Testament?
Some people use scripture in the Old Testament to try and prohibit interracial dating and marriage. They take scripture verses like Deuteronomy 7:3 (“Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,” (NIV)) and claim that the scripture means that people of different races should not date or marry. Yet we need to remember that this scripture was written at a different time, and Hebrews were warned against marrying gentiles more out of keeping believers from marrying unbelievers rather than race. For instance, Solomon was not just judged for marrying women of foreign countries, but actually women of different faiths who worshipped false gods. Actually, there were instances where those from different races were allowed to convert to Judaism and marry Hebrews. Ruth and Rahab were both examples of women who converted to Judaism and married men of a different race.But Paul Said…
What about people being unequally yoked? In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (NIV). While some people try and use this scripture to discourage interracial dating, it is not talking about the color of our skin at all. In fact, it is only discussing the idea that believers should not be dating or married to unbelievers.God Loves Us All
God created us all, and that includes the color of our skin. In the Book of Genesis we learn that God created all things, including Adam and Eve, who gave birth to all the nations. He then made a covenant with Abraham that, through him, all the nations would be blessed. Then people waited for the coming of the messiah, Jesus Christ, to be a light to all people – Jews and Gentiles alike. In the New Testament Jesus breaks down boundaries. There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, just believers and non-believers. It is a problem for the apostles early on, because they do not understand that even Gentiles could be accepted into the body of Christ without first converting to Judaism.
Acts 10:28 – “He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.’” (NIV)
So, Is It Biblical?
As you can see, the Bible does not have any prohibition in dating someone of another race. While culture may be more prohibitive of interracial dating and marriage, God accepts all people no matter who they are. God’s Word tells us that dating should be based more on beliefs than on races, and that people need to be equally yoked to one another rather than share a skin color.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Husband Leadership
The following is an article I found. Many men confuse controlling their wives for leadership. Men want to tell women the way they should go. They want women to yield to them, instead of God once. Men are not infalliable, God is. May God be always the first person we listen to. Mindlessness is not how God made us.
A HAPPY MARRIAGE
When a Christian man selects a Christian woman to become his wife, she becomes the perfect compliment for him. She is exactly what is needed to make the man a complete and whole person. The two become one: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh" (Eph. 5:31). This was the plan and the intention of God from the very beginning.
What a joyous and fulfilling experience it is when we do things in God's way and according to His eternal plan! A Christian marriage should last until death - one husband, one wife, for life. The Bible says, “The woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives” (Rom. 7:2; cf. Rom. 2:11). Whether the days together are few or many, words cannot really describe the happiness and fulfillment enjoyed by both partners from this God ordained relationship. There is no such thing as "married singles" to be found in the Bible. A Christian husband and wife are one in thought, activity, and purpose.
In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." God's chain of authority for the home is as follows: God, Christ, the husband, the wife, and then the children. The husband should be the dominant figure in the family. Of course, it is impossible for the husband to be the dominant one if the wife does not allow him to be, and will not submit to his authority. It is not degrading, in any sense of the word, for a woman to submit to the authority of her husband. Instead of being degrading, it is ennobling and elevates a woman to a higher plane than she has ever enjoyed before! Ephesians 5:23 says: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body."
A Christian husband should be the leader without being a dictator. He is to be the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. Jesus is not an uncaring tyrant over the church. He is the Savior, protector, and supporter of His precious bride! This is the way every wise Christian husband properly leads in the home. He leads by love, understanding, and example. The more a husband learns to do this, the better leader he will be. The entire family will gladly and willingly follow his leadership and obey his directives, with very few exceptions.
On the other hand, when a husband continually forces his wife to do his will or follow his whims and fancies; he denies her the privilege of making her own choice. This is not biblical, practical, or even humane.
A HUSBAND AND WIFE ARE ONE
In Genesis 2:23 we read: "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." The very fact that woman was taken out of man suggests that holy matrimony should be the closest union and the most affectionate attachment on earth. A husband should always consider and treat his wife as though she were part of him. This motivates him to always nourish and cherish her, just as he does his own flesh.
If a husband and wife really become one as the Bible teaches them to do, there marriage will become sweeter and more fulfilling each year. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it [her]" (Eph. 5:25). The key to being a Christian husband and loving your wife is loving her as Christ loved the church. Jesus loved the church with a self-forgetting and self-sacrificing love, even unto death. This is the way Christian men should love their wives.
"So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself" (Eph. 5:28). If a man cares about his own body, he will love, cherish, and protect his wife because they are "one flesh." Instead of hating our wives, we should nourish and cherish them as Christ does the church. In this passage, the word "nurture" means to care for one's own flesh. Because we have become one flesh with our mate, we care for her to the best of our ability and rejoice that we have the opportunity to do so!
The word "cherish" actually means to keep warm, like a bird protecting her young with her wings, shielding them from the chill winter air. A Christian husband keeps his wife warm and comfortable with tender, loving care. How lovely she will find her nest when she receives this kind of care.
The only thing that does not have needs is something dead. Rejoice and thank God every day that you have a living, breathing woman who has needs and, by the grace and strength which God gives you, you are able to minister to those needs! This is not a burden, but a rich blessing from God, and all the time you are ministering in a beautiful way to yourself! The Bible says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing” [Prov. 18:22]. “Rejoice with the wife of your youth” [Prov. 5:18].
THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHRISTIAN HUSBAND
Statistics show that one out of every two marriages end in divorce in America. This is frightening, appalling, and heart breaking! What has happened to the sacred institution of marriage that is ordained of God? How long can our nation survive when it is crumbling within like a decaying skyscraper? When our homes are gone, everything will be lost because the home is the foundation of our society. As the home goes, so goes the nation, and as the home goes, so goes the world. All it takes to establish and sustain a happy home is a Christian husband and a Christian wife who are totally committed to each other and to Jesus. All couples that truly share this commitment make the Lord Jesus the center of their home, around which everything else revolves.
It would be almost impossible to estimate the value of a Christian husband in a home. If you have one, you had better treasure your priceless jewel while you can and not wait until you are sobbing with regret. If he doesn't bring in "the green" quite as fast as you would like, but he prays at your table every day, you are a very rich woman! If your husband attends worship with you, you are truly rich. A home can operate without a Christian husband and even produce children who become faithful Christians, but how much better off the home is with a Christian husband as its head, provider, protector and guide.
The first thing a real, genuine Christian husband does is cleave. God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and formed woman from one of his ribs. When Adam got his first glimpse of God's beautiful creation, he ended his classic response to God's handiwork by saying, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). One tie must be broken before another can be established.
There must be a more intimate connection between a husband and his wife than exists between parents and children. When this is not true, and for one reason or another, the husband does not leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife, there is always friction and problems because God's will is not being obeyed and His word is not being honored. Husbands, when you leave father and mother and cleave unto your wife, you do not abandon your parents or any of the rest of your family. Certainly not! You are simply putting your wife first, above all other human beings, because this is what God tells you to do.
Are You a Considerate Husband? In 1 Peter 3:7 we read: "Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them [your wives] according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." To dwell with your wife according to knowledge you must do some studying! Study your beloved and find out what she really does need. What makes her happy? What makes her nervous? What makes her relaxed? What makes her depressed?
A Christian husband considers his wife very precious and gives her the honor that she is due. We always honor, protect, and cherish that which we consider precious, if we are wise. If your sweetheart is precious to you, don't hesitate or neglect to give her the honor that she deserves and craves. The husband should always consider the fact that his wife is physically weaker than he is and treat her accordingly. At least, this is the way it is supposed to work. Many women are not frail weaklings in any sense of the word, but generally speaking, they are weaker physically than men.
A Christian husband always considers his wife to be a fellow heir of the grace of life, or life eternal. This makes the relationship so much more meaningful than it would otherwise be. Being fellow heirs, both husband and wife has the same shining goal in life (Heaven). Everything they say and do should be directed toward reaching this worthy goal. Life may be like a roller coaster with its joys and sorrows, but there is still hope, strength, and peace when both husband and wife know where they are going. Nothing can keep them from reaching their mutual goal except their own unwise choice to be unfaithful and disobedient. This common goal adds a dimension to the marriage that enriches it, ennobles it and expands it.
Twelve Commandments for Husbands
1. Thou shalt love thy wife and commit thyself to her for a lifetime of oneness in marriage - divine and indivisible. Thou shalt make of thy marriage an exclusive relationship so that thy wife shall never have occasion to doubt thy love nor occasion for jealousy or lack of trust. As the scriptures say, "Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25); "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9); "Cleave unto thy wife" (Genesis 2:24). 2. Thou shalt seek to understand thy wife. Thou shalt not be able to understand her, but thou shalt make a lifetime effort to do so. As the scriptures say, "Husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge" (1 Peter 3:7). 3. Thou shalt talk to thy wife when thou comest home from thy work, when thou sittest in thine house, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Thou shalt at times turn off the television to assure thy wife she is more cherished than your favorite program, for communication is an expression of love. As the scriptures say, "Live a life of love" (Ephesians 5:2). 4. Thou shalt not talk down to thy wife nor use sarcasm or ridicule. Thou shalt not belittle her, for her sense of self-worth is much dependent on your appreciation and encouragement of her. As the scriptures say, "Love is kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4), and again, "Do everything without complaining or arguing" (Philippians 2:14), and again, "In honor prefer one another" (Romans 12:10). 5. Thou shalt listen to thy wife, asking for her advice and opinions, and recognizing her mental abilities and talents, as Abraham asked and followed Sarah's advice. As the scriptures say, "Love is not proud or rude" (1 Corinthians 13:4-5.) 6. Thou shalt not lord it over thy wife, recognizing that the two of you are equal before God and that leadership in the home does not mean dictatorship. Neither does it mean being waited on nor having the best piece of chicken. Leadership means moral, financial, and spiritual responsibilities. Headship in the home also means sacrifice and service. As the scriptures say, "Submit yourselves one to another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21), and "Husbands, do not be harsh with them" (Colossians 3:19). Thou shalt not abdicate thy leadership role because of apathy or indifference, for love cares and bears all things. 7. Thou shalt see that thy wife is thy best friend. The closest of all human relationships is marriage and it should know joyous comradeship, with laughter and good humor. Thou shalt share affection and confidences with thy wife and long to be in her presence. As the scriptures say, "Live joyfully with thy wife whom thou lovest" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). 8. Thou shalt help thy wife in all those ways that sacrificial love would help, giving her of thy time, money, attention, affection (yea, even washing the dishes as needed), remembering that the scriptures say, "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). 9. Thou shalt accept thy wife as she is. Thou shalt not expect perfection. Thou shalt forgive her of her mistakes and confess thine own to her, remembering that "love covereth all sins" (Prov. 10:12). "Forgive each other as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). 10. Thou shalt practice tenderness as the essential emotion, realizing that sex is a gift of God which expresses and enhances love. Sex is giving joy as well as receiving it. Thou shalt consider that nothing can erode the sexual union more than selfishness. Remember the scriptures say, "The husband's body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife" (1 Corinthians 7:4); "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies" (Ephesians 5:28); "As ye would that (she) should do unto you do ye even so unto (her)” (Matthew 7:12). 11. Thou shalt in some way each day show thy wife that "I need you,” that “I appreciate you,” and that "I want to help you." So shalt thy marriage become a strong and blest tie that binds two hearts in Christian love. 12. And should thy marriage become trying and seemingly an endurance contest, thou shalt not give up. Thou shalt "bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7). Thou shalt trust thy God who is love and who is the God of the resurrection to rekindle and renew thy love. Thou shalt treat thy wife as thou didst when love was new. And having done all, thou shalt "suffer long" and "cast thy burdens on the Lord" knowing that he careth for thee and thy mate (1 Peter 5:7).
Conclusion
The joy of a Christian marriage goes far beyond most marriages. Being considerate of your wife pays rich dividends in many ways. When there is strife and discord in the home, prayer is hindered until peace is restored. When an atmosphere of love and consideration exists, both husband and wife can join together in prayer before the Throne of God and expect some wonderful results and showers of blessings for their Christian home.
A HAPPY MARRIAGE
When a Christian man selects a Christian woman to become his wife, she becomes the perfect compliment for him. She is exactly what is needed to make the man a complete and whole person. The two become one: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh" (Eph. 5:31). This was the plan and the intention of God from the very beginning.
What a joyous and fulfilling experience it is when we do things in God's way and according to His eternal plan! A Christian marriage should last until death - one husband, one wife, for life. The Bible says, “The woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives” (Rom. 7:2; cf. Rom. 2:11). Whether the days together are few or many, words cannot really describe the happiness and fulfillment enjoyed by both partners from this God ordained relationship. There is no such thing as "married singles" to be found in the Bible. A Christian husband and wife are one in thought, activity, and purpose.
In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." God's chain of authority for the home is as follows: God, Christ, the husband, the wife, and then the children. The husband should be the dominant figure in the family. Of course, it is impossible for the husband to be the dominant one if the wife does not allow him to be, and will not submit to his authority. It is not degrading, in any sense of the word, for a woman to submit to the authority of her husband. Instead of being degrading, it is ennobling and elevates a woman to a higher plane than she has ever enjoyed before! Ephesians 5:23 says: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body."
A Christian husband should be the leader without being a dictator. He is to be the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. Jesus is not an uncaring tyrant over the church. He is the Savior, protector, and supporter of His precious bride! This is the way every wise Christian husband properly leads in the home. He leads by love, understanding, and example. The more a husband learns to do this, the better leader he will be. The entire family will gladly and willingly follow his leadership and obey his directives, with very few exceptions.
On the other hand, when a husband continually forces his wife to do his will or follow his whims and fancies; he denies her the privilege of making her own choice. This is not biblical, practical, or even humane.
A HUSBAND AND WIFE ARE ONE
In Genesis 2:23 we read: "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." The very fact that woman was taken out of man suggests that holy matrimony should be the closest union and the most affectionate attachment on earth. A husband should always consider and treat his wife as though she were part of him. This motivates him to always nourish and cherish her, just as he does his own flesh.
If a husband and wife really become one as the Bible teaches them to do, there marriage will become sweeter and more fulfilling each year. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it [her]" (Eph. 5:25). The key to being a Christian husband and loving your wife is loving her as Christ loved the church. Jesus loved the church with a self-forgetting and self-sacrificing love, even unto death. This is the way Christian men should love their wives.
"So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself" (Eph. 5:28). If a man cares about his own body, he will love, cherish, and protect his wife because they are "one flesh." Instead of hating our wives, we should nourish and cherish them as Christ does the church. In this passage, the word "nurture" means to care for one's own flesh. Because we have become one flesh with our mate, we care for her to the best of our ability and rejoice that we have the opportunity to do so!
The word "cherish" actually means to keep warm, like a bird protecting her young with her wings, shielding them from the chill winter air. A Christian husband keeps his wife warm and comfortable with tender, loving care. How lovely she will find her nest when she receives this kind of care.
The only thing that does not have needs is something dead. Rejoice and thank God every day that you have a living, breathing woman who has needs and, by the grace and strength which God gives you, you are able to minister to those needs! This is not a burden, but a rich blessing from God, and all the time you are ministering in a beautiful way to yourself! The Bible says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing” [Prov. 18:22]. “Rejoice with the wife of your youth” [Prov. 5:18].
THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHRISTIAN HUSBAND
Statistics show that one out of every two marriages end in divorce in America. This is frightening, appalling, and heart breaking! What has happened to the sacred institution of marriage that is ordained of God? How long can our nation survive when it is crumbling within like a decaying skyscraper? When our homes are gone, everything will be lost because the home is the foundation of our society. As the home goes, so goes the nation, and as the home goes, so goes the world. All it takes to establish and sustain a happy home is a Christian husband and a Christian wife who are totally committed to each other and to Jesus. All couples that truly share this commitment make the Lord Jesus the center of their home, around which everything else revolves.
It would be almost impossible to estimate the value of a Christian husband in a home. If you have one, you had better treasure your priceless jewel while you can and not wait until you are sobbing with regret. If he doesn't bring in "the green" quite as fast as you would like, but he prays at your table every day, you are a very rich woman! If your husband attends worship with you, you are truly rich. A home can operate without a Christian husband and even produce children who become faithful Christians, but how much better off the home is with a Christian husband as its head, provider, protector and guide.
The first thing a real, genuine Christian husband does is cleave. God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and formed woman from one of his ribs. When Adam got his first glimpse of God's beautiful creation, he ended his classic response to God's handiwork by saying, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). One tie must be broken before another can be established.
There must be a more intimate connection between a husband and his wife than exists between parents and children. When this is not true, and for one reason or another, the husband does not leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife, there is always friction and problems because God's will is not being obeyed and His word is not being honored. Husbands, when you leave father and mother and cleave unto your wife, you do not abandon your parents or any of the rest of your family. Certainly not! You are simply putting your wife first, above all other human beings, because this is what God tells you to do.
Are You a Considerate Husband? In 1 Peter 3:7 we read: "Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them [your wives] according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." To dwell with your wife according to knowledge you must do some studying! Study your beloved and find out what she really does need. What makes her happy? What makes her nervous? What makes her relaxed? What makes her depressed?
A Christian husband considers his wife very precious and gives her the honor that she is due. We always honor, protect, and cherish that which we consider precious, if we are wise. If your sweetheart is precious to you, don't hesitate or neglect to give her the honor that she deserves and craves. The husband should always consider the fact that his wife is physically weaker than he is and treat her accordingly. At least, this is the way it is supposed to work. Many women are not frail weaklings in any sense of the word, but generally speaking, they are weaker physically than men.
A Christian husband always considers his wife to be a fellow heir of the grace of life, or life eternal. This makes the relationship so much more meaningful than it would otherwise be. Being fellow heirs, both husband and wife has the same shining goal in life (Heaven). Everything they say and do should be directed toward reaching this worthy goal. Life may be like a roller coaster with its joys and sorrows, but there is still hope, strength, and peace when both husband and wife know where they are going. Nothing can keep them from reaching their mutual goal except their own unwise choice to be unfaithful and disobedient. This common goal adds a dimension to the marriage that enriches it, ennobles it and expands it.
Twelve Commandments for Husbands
1. Thou shalt love thy wife and commit thyself to her for a lifetime of oneness in marriage - divine and indivisible. Thou shalt make of thy marriage an exclusive relationship so that thy wife shall never have occasion to doubt thy love nor occasion for jealousy or lack of trust. As the scriptures say, "Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25); "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9); "Cleave unto thy wife" (Genesis 2:24). 2. Thou shalt seek to understand thy wife. Thou shalt not be able to understand her, but thou shalt make a lifetime effort to do so. As the scriptures say, "Husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge" (1 Peter 3:7). 3. Thou shalt talk to thy wife when thou comest home from thy work, when thou sittest in thine house, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Thou shalt at times turn off the television to assure thy wife she is more cherished than your favorite program, for communication is an expression of love. As the scriptures say, "Live a life of love" (Ephesians 5:2). 4. Thou shalt not talk down to thy wife nor use sarcasm or ridicule. Thou shalt not belittle her, for her sense of self-worth is much dependent on your appreciation and encouragement of her. As the scriptures say, "Love is kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4), and again, "Do everything without complaining or arguing" (Philippians 2:14), and again, "In honor prefer one another" (Romans 12:10). 5. Thou shalt listen to thy wife, asking for her advice and opinions, and recognizing her mental abilities and talents, as Abraham asked and followed Sarah's advice. As the scriptures say, "Love is not proud or rude" (1 Corinthians 13:4-5.) 6. Thou shalt not lord it over thy wife, recognizing that the two of you are equal before God and that leadership in the home does not mean dictatorship. Neither does it mean being waited on nor having the best piece of chicken. Leadership means moral, financial, and spiritual responsibilities. Headship in the home also means sacrifice and service. As the scriptures say, "Submit yourselves one to another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21), and "Husbands, do not be harsh with them" (Colossians 3:19). Thou shalt not abdicate thy leadership role because of apathy or indifference, for love cares and bears all things. 7. Thou shalt see that thy wife is thy best friend. The closest of all human relationships is marriage and it should know joyous comradeship, with laughter and good humor. Thou shalt share affection and confidences with thy wife and long to be in her presence. As the scriptures say, "Live joyfully with thy wife whom thou lovest" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). 8. Thou shalt help thy wife in all those ways that sacrificial love would help, giving her of thy time, money, attention, affection (yea, even washing the dishes as needed), remembering that the scriptures say, "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). 9. Thou shalt accept thy wife as she is. Thou shalt not expect perfection. Thou shalt forgive her of her mistakes and confess thine own to her, remembering that "love covereth all sins" (Prov. 10:12). "Forgive each other as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). 10. Thou shalt practice tenderness as the essential emotion, realizing that sex is a gift of God which expresses and enhances love. Sex is giving joy as well as receiving it. Thou shalt consider that nothing can erode the sexual union more than selfishness. Remember the scriptures say, "The husband's body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife" (1 Corinthians 7:4); "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies" (Ephesians 5:28); "As ye would that (she) should do unto you do ye even so unto (her)” (Matthew 7:12). 11. Thou shalt in some way each day show thy wife that "I need you,” that “I appreciate you,” and that "I want to help you." So shalt thy marriage become a strong and blest tie that binds two hearts in Christian love. 12. And should thy marriage become trying and seemingly an endurance contest, thou shalt not give up. Thou shalt "bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7). Thou shalt trust thy God who is love and who is the God of the resurrection to rekindle and renew thy love. Thou shalt treat thy wife as thou didst when love was new. And having done all, thou shalt "suffer long" and "cast thy burdens on the Lord" knowing that he careth for thee and thy mate (1 Peter 5:7).
Conclusion
The joy of a Christian marriage goes far beyond most marriages. Being considerate of your wife pays rich dividends in many ways. When there is strife and discord in the home, prayer is hindered until peace is restored. When an atmosphere of love and consideration exists, both husband and wife can join together in prayer before the Throne of God and expect some wonderful results and showers of blessings for their Christian home.
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Parable of the Great Banquet
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
I have noticed since my move to Chicago the increased fast paced life here. Many things to do and many friendships stretched. When it comes time to hanging out I am lucky to get 1 in 10 people to hang out. It's difficult to consistently hang out with people and build deeper relationships with them. I take nothing personal, but I have had a friend that does take things like this seriously. So I have created my own parable with the moral of the story being a person who needs a friend.
The Parable of the Great Movie
A certain woman wanted to go and see a movie and invited 10 guests. She sent out text messages asking if they would like to accompany her to the movie.
But they all made excuses. The first one said, "My boyfriend's mom just arrived in town!"
Another said, "I can't, but let me know how it is, I am curious!"
Still another, "Thanks, but I have a baby shower tonight!"
Yet another, "I have a party tonight. You're welcome to come, but it is at a bar and there will be drinking!" Knowing that this lifestyle goes against the woman's moral values.
Another replied, "That movie doesn't sound interesting to me!"
Another 3 didn't respond to the message at all.
So the woman invited the person who had ended a relationship and needed a friend the most. The person was obliged to accept the offer.
I take none of the responses personally. We all have done this to another in some way, but are we really aware of how caught up we get in life, and which relationships are suffering as a result. This happens to so many people that NEED the Lord, and if we should reach out to them and be the friend they need on Friday nights they may find him. Do we know which of our activities are purposeful and which are self-indulging? How can we be more aware of the invitations we may be rejecting? Are there ways to put that person before our own agenda?
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "
I read this passage a few days ago, and was thinking about how this relates to this world today. So so applicable. I don't know how many times over the past 10 years inwhich I have made friends with people who are so so lonely in this world. People who are so caught up in their own worlds and busy lives that they don't stop to think about those who may not have busy lives. Those who seek to have fellowship. Those who are lonely, depressed, despair, need relationships etc. Perhaps the man who had the field to see could have gone to the banquet and instead seen the field later. The oxen will still be there after the banquet is over. If you just were married bring your wife or husband. In the end the most appreciative person is the one who can not afford or prepare a meal like this for themselves.I have noticed since my move to Chicago the increased fast paced life here. Many things to do and many friendships stretched. When it comes time to hanging out I am lucky to get 1 in 10 people to hang out. It's difficult to consistently hang out with people and build deeper relationships with them. I take nothing personal, but I have had a friend that does take things like this seriously. So I have created my own parable with the moral of the story being a person who needs a friend.
The Parable of the Great Movie
A certain woman wanted to go and see a movie and invited 10 guests. She sent out text messages asking if they would like to accompany her to the movie.
But they all made excuses. The first one said, "My boyfriend's mom just arrived in town!"
Another said, "I can't, but let me know how it is, I am curious!"
Still another, "Thanks, but I have a baby shower tonight!"
Yet another, "I have a party tonight. You're welcome to come, but it is at a bar and there will be drinking!" Knowing that this lifestyle goes against the woman's moral values.
Another replied, "That movie doesn't sound interesting to me!"
Another 3 didn't respond to the message at all.
So the woman invited the person who had ended a relationship and needed a friend the most. The person was obliged to accept the offer.
I take none of the responses personally. We all have done this to another in some way, but are we really aware of how caught up we get in life, and which relationships are suffering as a result. This happens to so many people that NEED the Lord, and if we should reach out to them and be the friend they need on Friday nights they may find him. Do we know which of our activities are purposeful and which are self-indulging? How can we be more aware of the invitations we may be rejecting? Are there ways to put that person before our own agenda?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
How many times this week can I use the word "mindless"? Today I had a friend call and leave me a message inviting me to a Halloween party at a bar. What I have found of the 20-30s Christians in Chicago is the blending of culture with Christianity. I moved to The City to have more options to do for entertainment, food, fun, education, and diversity. Mindlessness allows us to not even think about what we are going to do, but return to doing the same thing over and over again not requiring much thought. It requires a mind to come up with something creative, thought provoking, new experiences in this world. What new lessons are there in doing the same thing over and over again? There are so many things to do on Saturday. Parades, haunted houses, haunted trails, haunted sanitariums, Cultural Center Halloween fun, pumpkin carving and costume contests at Daley Plaza, ship rides with scary stories, a documentary of a haunted house at the IMAX at Navy Pier, etc. These things seem so exciting to me that the last place of interest to me is a bar. I HAVE tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord. That lifestyle no longer has any illure to it.
"For you have been taught, to put off your former ways, that have corrupted you with deceitful desires, being made new in attitude, putting on the new self, to be the person God created you in holiness and righteousness." Ephesians 4:22-24?
Deceitful indeed! The bar is one of the most deceitful places I know. Deceitful because they deceive. Bars are only about outward appearance. Beauty is fleeting, and why do so many think there is a correlation between beauty and who the person is? If there's no attraction to the person you find something wrong with them a lot sooner, but when they are "cute" things slide. And why is that girls think they can find an honest guy at the bar? He's watching how much she is drinking and calculating whether or not she has had enough that he might be able to take advantage of her Don't believe me. Truth be told when abstinence is practiced, and you can watch them flee. They aren't interested in her in the least. Prostitutes have more sense! At least they charge for being used, and at that they are the most underpaid profession. A guy should pay big time for this service. How about with a diamond ring? But how much more mindless can we get?
I give up my battle with the bars. Do what they are gonna do. May the spirit touch and convict them all as he has me. May he do it quickly before greater destruction comes about!
"For you have been taught, to put off your former ways, that have corrupted you with deceitful desires, being made new in attitude, putting on the new self, to be the person God created you in holiness and righteousness." Ephesians 4:22-24?
Deceitful indeed! The bar is one of the most deceitful places I know. Deceitful because they deceive. Bars are only about outward appearance. Beauty is fleeting, and why do so many think there is a correlation between beauty and who the person is? If there's no attraction to the person you find something wrong with them a lot sooner, but when they are "cute" things slide. And why is that girls think they can find an honest guy at the bar? He's watching how much she is drinking and calculating whether or not she has had enough that he might be able to take advantage of her Don't believe me. Truth be told when abstinence is practiced, and you can watch them flee. They aren't interested in her in the least. Prostitutes have more sense! At least they charge for being used, and at that they are the most underpaid profession. A guy should pay big time for this service. How about with a diamond ring? But how much more mindless can we get?
I give up my battle with the bars. Do what they are gonna do. May the spirit touch and convict them all as he has me. May he do it quickly before greater destruction comes about!
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Old Ways Have To Go!!!!
God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in Love.And so I insist-and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything--- connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life-a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. Ephesians 4:14-24I can take this passage apart piece by piece. So often this society likes to use the phrase, "Christians are sooo judgmental!" And there are the Christians that have bought into this mindless mentality. Do you not know that the saints [reference for Christians in the bible, the word 'Christian' is not a biblical term] will judge the world? God has given us the command to judge, to warn, to exhort!
Ezekiel 3:17-21 says the following: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
Let's not confuse the two words used in Greek for "to judge". One meaning is to sentence a person to death or to hell, and the other to call a person's actions into question. We are cut off from all rights to the former. Judgment is not giving advice. ADVICE is the wordly point of view to solve an issue. WISDOM comes from the Lord, to keep our foot from slipping into evil. It may be harsh, but the outcome of any given action may have much greater consequences. I greatly discredit advice. I will greatly value the words of a Christian friend if I know they have a close knit relationship with the Lord and their words are coming for the wisdom HE has imparted to them. To "be judged" should bring a feeling of someone caring and being loved. A feeling that is someone helping us grow robustly in character in this life.Mindless is a great term for the American society these days! Sex and money seems to be the focus of everything, and sometimes they go hand in hand. People will indulge in anything to gratify themselves at the cost of others and relationships. "What if there is no chemistry?" What is chemistry anyway? Isn't it a connection, an emotional connection, a spiritual connection? I can physically connect myself to anyone, but the emotional connection determines the intensity of the physical connection. Let's mindlessly explain our strategies away. Let's base everything on our belief. Your belief is based on feeling and irrational rationalization. The facts, the studies show differently. There has been a sharp increase in divorces, STDs, teenage pregnancies since the 70s. People have this reality of romance, love making, swooning, and living happily ever after as in the movies. Lets face this lack of reality. Who has a life just like those in the movies? That's just it, the birth of movies around the turn of the century put these ideas in our heads. If you take away all of these concepts of romance the courtship seems boring and not worth it. Your premature gratification of the sensual/sexual nature leads to devastation 85% of the time. People will hate me for the Truth! Truth with a capital 'T' meaning it comes from the Lord. The Truth is the Lord and people hated him so much they killed him on the cross. All I can say is prove to me the other ways work better. I don't want proof based on your feeling, empty-headed, mindlessness. Give me the facts! I want the REALISTIC, hardcore, well thought out, uninfluenced by peers and society truth!Let us examine how many of our thoughts and beliefs are influenced, and what Christ has brought alive and recogniton in us.
Ezekiel 3:17-21 says the following: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
Let's not confuse the two words used in Greek for "to judge". One meaning is to sentence a person to death or to hell, and the other to call a person's actions into question. We are cut off from all rights to the former. Judgment is not giving advice. ADVICE is the wordly point of view to solve an issue. WISDOM comes from the Lord, to keep our foot from slipping into evil. It may be harsh, but the outcome of any given action may have much greater consequences. I greatly discredit advice. I will greatly value the words of a Christian friend if I know they have a close knit relationship with the Lord and their words are coming for the wisdom HE has imparted to them. To "be judged" should bring a feeling of someone caring and being loved. A feeling that is someone helping us grow robustly in character in this life.Mindless is a great term for the American society these days! Sex and money seems to be the focus of everything, and sometimes they go hand in hand. People will indulge in anything to gratify themselves at the cost of others and relationships. "What if there is no chemistry?" What is chemistry anyway? Isn't it a connection, an emotional connection, a spiritual connection? I can physically connect myself to anyone, but the emotional connection determines the intensity of the physical connection. Let's mindlessly explain our strategies away. Let's base everything on our belief. Your belief is based on feeling and irrational rationalization. The facts, the studies show differently. There has been a sharp increase in divorces, STDs, teenage pregnancies since the 70s. People have this reality of romance, love making, swooning, and living happily ever after as in the movies. Lets face this lack of reality. Who has a life just like those in the movies? That's just it, the birth of movies around the turn of the century put these ideas in our heads. If you take away all of these concepts of romance the courtship seems boring and not worth it. Your premature gratification of the sensual/sexual nature leads to devastation 85% of the time. People will hate me for the Truth! Truth with a capital 'T' meaning it comes from the Lord. The Truth is the Lord and people hated him so much they killed him on the cross. All I can say is prove to me the other ways work better. I don't want proof based on your feeling, empty-headed, mindlessness. Give me the facts! I want the REALISTIC, hardcore, well thought out, uninfluenced by peers and society truth!Let us examine how many of our thoughts and beliefs are influenced, and what Christ has brought alive and recogniton in us.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Leaders lacking Leadership
As I read through 1 Kings I see the obedience of Solomon and his wisdom in solving matters and how God deeply blessed him. But what happens when people begin to become pompous about their position of leadership? How many people in leadership positions remain humble throughout the whole entire reign. In Kings very few leaders stayed walking closely with the Lord, Saul and David. Beginning in Chapter 11 we begin to Solomon no longer walking with the Lord and sinning in a multitude of ways including having 700 wives and 300 concubines. God always brings destruction on those who don't follow him. Solomon's destruction is the reason that the Kingdom split into two, Judah and Israel. If we fastforward 2900 years does this still happen. Yes, it does and in our society today our sin is creating a more monsterous world. Parents aren't leading, being examples, and their children are turning to drugs, sex, and alcohol. Men are called to be leaders in relationships and they are leading into sexual relations outside of marriage and clearly destruction of divorce is brought about due to not changing from ways and walking with the Lord. Church priests and pastors are not being Godly examples and people aren't deepening in their relationship with the Lord, because there's not the annointing of the Holy Spirit in the pastor's sermon. Like those who worshiped Baal in Kings without results. Oprah is a good present day Baal, how many are following her?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sarai and Amy
I was going to pick up with the last story today, but then I felt like I needed to write this story today.
I often wonder if God has given me a gifting to be led to the people that feel the loneliest in this world. I had a peppy, outgoing friend a few years ago at church, and I assumed she had many friends. I got her number and how I could pray for her, and invited her to church events, parties, the church band playing at the bar, etc. One day she finally told me that nobody else ever invited her and felt left out. In that same year another one of my friends said he had stopped attending my church to go to a church closer to his home, since he didn't own a car to make it to my church. He had asked some other guys if they could consistently pick him up on Sunday mornings, but they forgot about him. He told me that in the 6 months since he had left, no one from the church called to see how he was doing. People would stop and ask me questions on Sunday as if my friend was going through a spiritual warfare and had fell away from God. I invited over for my dinner parties and clue him in when social events were going on. I naturally was friendly not thinking anything of my actions. He said he didn't make friends very easily, but it was simple with me.
Years have passed since I collected phone numbers and asked how I could pray for people. Until my move to Chicago, and I started collecting numbers again. People told me to give it a month to make friends, but I made friends in 5 days. One day after church I met another attractive lady, presuming she had many friends. I got her name to look her up on Facebook. She later that day told me that I was the only person that didn't leave her to go and talk to somebody else. I think sometimes people don't understand the impact they have. It's easy to meet a new person, then jet across the room to talk to all of your friends that you just saw last night, leaving the new person feeling ackward and uncomfortable by themself. As time has gone on I have come to know this girl's background, and struggles growing up. She is striving and searching for love and attention, but the harder she tries the more hopeless life seems.
A couple months ago she tried to take her life. As selfish of an act that suicide seems, it's completely different when you are on the other side of the fence. I have experienced the pain of depression. It can be so debilitating that you have no energy and you feel like the very oxygen you are breathing is running out. It physically gets difficult to breathe. Yes it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. In the midst of it you don't feel that it is temporary. Imagine being in a torturous physical pain, maybe being whipped day after day, unable to die, but hoping that somebody will come along and stop the torturer. You don't know if it'll happen. The pain gets so intense you want out to make it go away, and you don't care how selfish the act is. That's when the Lord has to step in.
For some reason I kept hitting her speed dial number on my phone and calling her. It was a prompting from God that he wanted me to talk to her. About 3 weeks ago I had the conversation of life with her. The cruel ways people treat us aren't always because of who WE are, but because of who THEY are. She stopped coming to church, because she felt like God did care about his creation. She stopped taking her depression meds, because they made her sick and she couldn't study. She stopped being social, because she wanted people to approach her first.
In the time since that talk I've seen her return to church, be more involved socially to meet people, and she sent me a text message yesterday saying that she couldn't stay awake. She was able to sleep for the first time in months. Praise the Lord for these huge steps away from zero.
For the first 20 years of my life, I went by my nickname Amy, as you pronounce it in English. In the bible when there is a change in name as in Sarai to Sarah, it always signifies a change. It signifies a change of heart. As one text reads, it's as if sirens are going off and something big is happening. The summer I got saved I began going by my birthname, Aimee (Ah-may). It began 2 or 3 weeks before I got saved. I'm sure sirens were going off in heaven to get the angels' attention to watch it happen. I was not only given a new name, I was made a new creation. Shortly afterwards my depression spells that I had in stressful circumstances fled from me. I used to sleep 13 or 14 hours a day. It all stopped. 9 years went by, then last fall I experienced the severity of depression again. Allowing me to remember the pain of it and empathize with my friend. At least for me it was due to circumstances not chemical imbalance. She's a believer, but I pray the Lord can transform her into a creation that no longer has to deal with depression.
Does Anybody Hear Her
By Casting Crowns
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
By Casting Crowns
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)