Q&A: Role of stepfather: How can a wife encourage and support her new husband, when parenting styles differ?
Q and A is your opportunity to ask questions regarding the Bible, church, or just about anything regarding Christian faith and life. Submit questions on the response form in your bulletin or E-mail the Church Office. The Bible teaches that the basic role of a wife toward her husband is that of being his helper (Gen. 2:18), and the basic attitudes are to be those of submission, gentleness, respect, and trusting God (Eph. 5:22, 33; 1 Pet. 3:1-6). Sadly, these ideas today are often resented, and dismissed as “out of date” or somehow demeaning toward women. Briefly, let me just say that nothing could be further from the truth! Dear wives…please make sure that your understanding of your role in family life is informed by the truth in God’s Word, not by the prevailing opinions of the Godless culture around us. Far from demeaning women, the Bible, and Jesus Himself, has done more to exalt and celebrate the value and role of women than anything or anyone else in history. I begin with this point simply because many frustrated wives today have never taken the time to seek the Lord regarding what He has to say about being a godly wife and mother. Please study this subject for yourself in the Bible. I also recommend that you discuss any doubts or troubling questions you may have with a mature Christian whose marriage you respect. I believe you will discover that you don’t have to be afraid of your God-given role. It is position of enormous dignity, value, and influence! Furthermore, the need for faithful wives and mothers has never been greater. Tragically, an entire generation has grown up in the past few decades without many examples of godly wives and mothers. I pray that you are willing to embrace and fulfill this high and holy calling; if you do, your children will bless you, your husband will praise you, and God Himself will reward you eternally (Proverbs 31:28-30; Matt. 25:23; 3Jn. 4). So, what does it mean to embrace your role? Building upon the principles mentioned above, keep in mind two things. First God refers to Himself as a Helper (Psalm 121:1-2; John 14:26) – so, far from being inferior, you are in “good company” and much-needed! Second, because God is our Helper, we can learn from His example. In other words, if you want to know how you can best help your husband, just consider the ways that God helps you, and note His attitude toward you in the process. Have you ever considered, for example, how patient the Lord is with you? What about the fact that He doesn’t manipulate or try and coerce you into changing? He sees your need; He takes initiative; He is willing to serve and sacrifice; He does it with a good attitude; He communicates regularly, and does so clearly, not in “code”; He doesn’t have expectations; He doesn’t feel sorry for Himself; He chooses to love unconditionally, and does so with joy, having your best in mind. This, of course, is an impossible act to follow, if not for the fact that the Holy Spirit Himself has promised to be your Helper! I realize, in this day and age, this particular point may sound like “fingernails on a chalkboard” to some. However, as already mentioned, though I have compassion for those who’ve been mistreated, this kind of response is rooted more in cultural thinking than biblical thinking. A good working-definition of submission for wives that lines up with the truths in Scripture is simply this: to live with your husband in such a way that you make it a joy for him to love and serve you. “Now, wait a minute…” some might say… “You’re assuming that my husband wants to love and serve me – which he most definitely does not!” Sadly, sometimes this is true. However, as far as it depends on you, this is your role before God. Your husband is also accountable to God for his role. The apostle Peter instructs wives in the area of submission as well (1 Pet. 3:1-6), but adds a few other principles, and one of them is, gentleness. Wives are to have a quiet spirit of gentleness about them. Again, many wives have all sorts of “reasons” (justifications) as to why they do not have agentle spirit toward their husbands, but the clear instruction to those who profess a love for the Lord is that they be gentle. Admittedly, this can be a difficult test of faith for some, who are frustrated with their husband’s parenting skills, or lack thereof. However, harsh words, a critical spirit, nagging, whining, or complaining, only exacerbate the problem. Ask the Lord to give you a spirit of gentleness that pleases Him, and to fill your mind with that which is “…excellent…and praiseworthy” (Phil. 4:8). With practice, and ultimate trust in God, this will become part of your character. Wives, hear me on this: there are few things more discouraging, and potentially, devastating to husbands than disrespect from their wives. Tragically, some bitter wives maintain that their husband isn’t worthy of respect! That kind of woman destroys not only her marriage, but her legacy and her children’s future as well. Note: Clearly, the person who asked this particular parenting question doesn’t have this problem, otherwise, she wouldn’t be interested in knowing how to support and encourage her husband! However, disrespect usually doesn’t become a prevailing attitude in a marriage overnight. It creeps in subtly, over time, because of pride, as a sinful response to repeated disappointment, hurt, and unmet expectations. The best antidotes to this problem are forgiveness, gratitude, and humility. Humble, thankful, forgiving people have no problem showing respect toward others – even when it seems undeserving. The reason is simple: they know how much they are forgiven by God in Christ (Eph. 4:32). Intimidating as it may be for women to read Proverbs 31, I personally recommend that you do it regularly! It’s there for your instruction and blessing. Much of the burden that parents carry today in family life is simply due to the fact that in our ignorance we do foolish things! Proverbs is literally aparenting manual. I’ve heard it said, more than once concerning the challenge of raising children, “It’s not like they give you a parenting manual when you have kids!” Actually, that’s not true…read Proverbs! It speaks to many relevant topics, such as: communication, work, planning, discipline, friendship, integrity, wise vs. foolish behavior, sexual morality, anger, finances, etc. On a practical level, here is how wisdom might guide you to interact with your husband on parenting issues. The Scripture reminds us over and over, as Christians, that we are to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Make it a matter of daily urgent prayer to go before the Lord on behalf of your husband. This is, perhaps, the greatest gift of support and encouragement you could ever give to him. What a privilege and responsibility you have to pray! You have access to Almighty God Himself! Don’t underestimate the power of prayer or your family’s need for it. Pray with your husband and for him regularly, and include your children in the process from time to time as well. Spiritual battles require spiritual resources, and family life in a fallen world is a spiritual battle – you can be sure of that! Remember, however, if you are a Christian, you don’t fight for victory; you fight from victory. That is to say, in Christ, you have every advantage over your spiritual enemy, Satan! Persevere, and you will reap a good harvest in due season if you do not give up (Gal. 6:9)! Jon Sanné is a Presenter for the National Center for Biblical Parenting, and the Family Life Pastor at Calvary Chapel in Olympia, WA, where he has served for the past 16 years. He believes that the family is God’s training ground for both parents and children as they learn and grow together in everyday life. Although there is no such thing as a perfect parent, Jon will share how you can be asuccessful one! Role of stepfather: How can a wife encourage and support her new husband, when parenting styles differ?
Embrace your role
Be his helper
Be submissive
Be gentle
Be respectful
Be wise
Pray for your husband
About the Author
Truth Be Told-Pastor Mark Balmer
Based on “How Jesus' Birth Changed Everything, Part 5” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
1/1-2/11, Message #MB445; Daily Devotional #5 - “Truth Be Told”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): There are a thousand ways to tell a lie, but only one way to tell the truth. Language is useful in communicating our thoughts. Our words can be used for the purpose of expressing both truth and deception. Even though we express our desire to know the truth, our sin nature causes us to go to great lengths to avoid it. In this world, blatant honesty doesn’t often win elections, create success in business, or win the heart of a love interest. In reality, successful people are not always the most “honest,” but are those who are capable of convincing us that their point of view is the truth. There are times in our lives, however, when we value truth above all else. For example, we love a physician with a good bedside manner when we are healthy, but we value honesty, integrity, and skill over a good bedside manner when our condition is life threatening. As Christ followers, we often become fearful when God opens a door for us to witness to a stranger, a neighbor, or our own families. Discomforted by that fear, we may pass up an opportunity to speak to someone who is seeking to understand the truth that we already know.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-44) We have no way of knowing when Christ will return, but the Bible assures us that it will not occur at a convenient hour. Whether or not we live to experience the Rapture, we will all face our day of judgment. Admittedly, it is easier for us to spread the Good News than it is to speak of God’s wrath. But all of us have loved ones who don’t know Jesus. We may meet resistance or rejection when witnessing to them, but we pray that God will call an obedient Christ follower to witness to them successfully. For who among us would want one of our loved ones to endure the wrath of God?
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): It is often easier to remain silent when we hear a lie than it is to confess the truth. Speaking the truth, of the Good News and the bad, often carries consequences. We may be inconvenienced as Philip was when the Holy Spirit moved him to travel miles to witness to one man (Acts 8:26-39). We may anger our family members or lose our friends. We may even be chastised or persecuted. So what is the value of risking all of this? Today, after I finished writing the first paragraph of this devotion, a friend called me. A woman I had never met had been admitted to the hospital with a serious illness. Only God can explain how He called four Christ followers, some had never previously met one another, who went to visit her together. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to empower us, and prayed that He meet her greatest need. In her room, with a group of people, some whom she barely knew and one she didn’t know at all, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. This woman is someone’s mother, someone’s daughter, someone’s neighbor, even though she is virtually a stranger to us. She needs our love and our prayers. That is why it is worth the risk!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 61:1-2; 1Thessalonians 5:9
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GodCalling: Jan8
| Love Bangs the Door |
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| Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. My guidance is often by shut doors. Love bangs as well as opens. Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My Will, when It seems not joyous. St. Paul, my servant, learnt this lesson of the banged doors when he said "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Expect rebuffs until this is learned - it is the only way. Joy is the daughter of calm. They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, blessings to you and yours this day and always ... Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 |
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DailyHope Jan8
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A.W.Tozer: Jan8
January: Personal Life
Some things may be neglected with but little loss to the spiritual
life, but to neglect communion with God is to hurt ourselves where we
cannot afford it. The Root of the Righteous, page 9
January 8 Personal Life: People Follow Leaders Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. --1 Corinthians 11:1 The history of Israel and Judah points up a truth taught clearly enough by all history, viz., that the masses are or soon will be what their leaders are. The kings set the moral pace for the people.... Whatever sort of man the king turned out to be the people were soon following his leadership. They followed David in the worship of Jehovah, Solomon in the building of the Temple, Jeroboam in the making of a calf and Hezekiah in the restoration of the temple worship. It is not complimentary to the masses that they are so easily led, but we are not interested in praising or blaming; we are concerned for truth, and the truth is that for better or for worse religious people follow leaders. A good man may change the moral complexion of a whole nation; or a corrupt and worldly clergy may lead a nation into bondage.... Today Christianity in the Western world is what its leaders were in the recent past and is becoming what its present leaders are. The local church soon becomes like its pastor. God Tells the Man Who Cares, 59-60. "That's a heavy responsibility for any leader to bear, Lord, but it's one I realize we have to carry. That makes moral failure or even carelessness and lax discipline so tragic. Strengthen me in the power of Your Holy Spirit today, that I might be a leader worth following. Amen."
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TheDailyWay Jan 8
Posted: 08 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST
Jesus told the parable of a father who showed his son unconditional love (Luke 15:11-24). This father was patient, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. When the son asked for his inheritance, the father gave it to him. When the son left, the father let him go, knowing that he could not keep his son against his will.
Even though the father’s heart was breaking over his son’s rebellion, he never gave up loving him. While he longed for his son’s return, he did not change his convictions to suit his son’s behavior.
Eventually, the son’s sinful actions caught up with him. He lost all of his inheritance and out of desperation had to do the only work available—feeding pigs! Suddenly, a thought came to the son: He could go home. He knew his father had an abiding love for him. Still, he would have to make a decision to repent.
Even from a distance, the father saw his son returning and ran to meet him. Instead of belittling the son, the father threw open his arms, welcoming him home with love and forgiveness.
God is our heavenly Father. We all have sinned against Him. However, when we come to Him with a repentant heart, He welcomes us. If the prodigal son had sent someone to speak to his father on his behalf, he may not have been forgiven. He had to ask for his father’s forgiveness himself.
The father of the wayward son was caring, compassionate, patient, long-suffering, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. How much more does our heavenly Father demonstrate these characteristics toward us!
If you have wandered away from God and find yourself alone, “feeding the pigs,” remember that you can go home. Don’t delay; God is waiting for your return.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1).Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
TheBigPicture: Jan8
January 8
Conversations with Abraham
References:-->Genesis 17:1-21; 18:1-19; Psalm 5:11-12; Proverbs 2:21-22
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant."
They said, "Do as you have said."
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes." And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?"
So he said, "Here, in the tent."
And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son."
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid.
And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"
Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."
Genesis 17:1-21; 18:1-19
WORSHIP
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Psalm 5:11-12
WISDOM
For the upright will dwell in the land,And the blameless will remain in it;
But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.
Proverbs 2:21-22
OneYear: January 8th
January 8th One Year Bible Readings
Posted: 07 Jan 2011 09:02 PM PST
You are invited to join us on the One Year Bible journey in 2011! We currently have over 13,350 people in 73 countries around the world signed up for our free weekly email filled with commentary, encouragement, and questions for reflection. To join us on the journey in 2011 click on this link for more details and to sign up!
Genesis 18:16-19:38 ~ Matthew 6:25-7:14 ~ Psalm 8:1-9 ~ Proverbs 2:6-15
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Old Testament - Today in Genesis chapter's 18 & 19 we get a great look at how God responds to intercessory prayer and also clearly see God's judgment in chapter 19. Ch. 18 Verse 17 is a powerful start to our readings: "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" the LORD asked." I think what we see here and in the following verses is that God obviously really cares for Abraham - as a friend - and as one who has been credited as righteous because of his faith. And I do think this is an important point before we read about Abraham's intercessory prayer to God - that for intercessory prayer really to have any standing before God, we need to be in right relationship with God. If we are being disobedient to God or being unrepentant of sins or bad habits that God wants us to give up, then I think our intercessory prayer for others can lose its effectiveness. Check out James 5:16 for this point: "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Abraham was credited as righteous because of his faith (Genesis 15:6). Hence, his intercessory prayer was powerful and effective. Below is a portrait of Abraham by Guy Rowe - I imagine Abraham praying to God in Genesis chapter 18 in this portrait:
In verse 25 we begin to see Abraham's several requests, or intercessions, to God to spare the city of Sodom for the sake of the righteous living in the city: "Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"" And from here we see Abraham bringing down the number of righteous that would need to be in the city for it to be spared. I don't necessarily see what Abraham was doing here as haggling with God - but, I think he was acting out of compassion for the righteous few in the city - and surely Lot and his family were on his mind during these intercessions...
In Genesis chapter 19 there is a lot going on. And I'm sure a few things that jump out at you when you read them, and create a lot of questions in your mind. (Lot offering his two virgin daughters (v. 8) & what happened in the cave (v. 30-36), for examples) Let me recommend you take 10 minutes and read through Bob Deffinbaugh's "From City Councilman to Caveman: “What a Difference a Day Makes” (Genesis 19:1-38)" at this link at Bible.org. I think this will answer a lot of your questions on why certain things happened in this chapter, from Bob's perspective. One great quote from Bob at this link above is this: "Lot attempted to live his life in a city and then in a cave. We cannot become one with the world, but neither are we to flee from it. The proper balance between the city of Sodom and the cave is the tent of Abraham. We are to live in the world, but without becoming attached to it or conformed to it. We are to be strangers and pilgrims." I like that! How are you doing with the idea of being in the world, but not of it? Are you living in the city or in a cave? Will you seek to live in the tent of Abraham? Below is a map of the approximate area of where Sodom & Gomorrah and the Cities of the Plain (including Zoar) were thought to have been located, on the south side of the Dead Sea and now possibly under water:
One verse that immediately stood out to me in chapter 19 is verse 16: "When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful." What struck me in this verse is that Lot hesitated. In the previous verse, the angels say very clearly and strongly - "get out of the city! hurry! God is going to destroy it!" And yet... Lot hesitated. This jumped out at me because in our couple of previous day's readings we have seen how promptly obedient Abraham was to God's commands. When God said to get circumcised and circumcise everyone in the house - it happened that same day! And yet, here we see Lot hesitating on a very clear command from angels... And I guess I do have to ask myself, and maybe you can ask yourself too - are we more often like Abraham or Lot? Are we promptly obedient to God's will and commands for our lives? Or do we hesitate? A great thing about verse 16 above is we read that even though Lot hesitated, God was merciful. God will still show us mercy when we hesitate... the grace of God is still clearly there for we who hesitate. But, even though there is amazing grace, maybe the question still is - what are we hesitating for? What are we waiting for? Below is an image by the artist Raffaello (Italian painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance), circa 1500, of Lot and his daughters finally fleeing Sodom, while his wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt:
And below is an image of verse 24: "Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the heavens on Sodom and Gomorrah."
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Genesis titled "If I was God..." is at this link, and "Sin and the City" is at this link.
New Testament - Today in Matthew we continue the Sermon on the Mount! Chapter 6 verse 27 is solid science from Jesus: "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not." Wouldn't you agree that scientific studies show that severe worrying (anxiety) can actually decrease the longevity of your life? Jesus knew his science! :) Truly... I do think you'll continue to be amazed by the scientific validity and Truth that is exhibited in the Bible over and over and over again as we read it this year!
Chapter 6 verse 34 (in image above) has always been one of my favorites to remember: "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Great great truth here. I'm not sure if anyone has ever read a Dale Carnegie book about worrying? It's called "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living." It's been probably 10 years ago since I read this book. But, I remember Dale writing about how he lived his life in what he called "day-tight compartments". He used a cargo ship analogy, which I won't be able to explain here well. But, basically, Dale got to the point where he mentally segmented his time off into morning prep time, time with family over breakfast, morning work time, lunch time, afternoon work time, dinner time, family time, time to read, sleeping time. And while he was in the present time of each of these "compartments" of his day he would not worry at all about the other compartments even in that very same day! It's pretty interesting to think about... when you are at work, you focus on work and you don't daydream or worry about your personal life - but, once you are off work, you then don't worry about work at all. I don't know... maybe this Dale Carnegie "day-tight compartments" is only helpful to me... I recommend you listen to Jesus' advice on worrying before you listen to Dale or mine! :) But, if you do worry a lot, this Dale Carnegie book may very helpful for you as well.
Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 through 6 are interesting. Jesus clearly says to not judge others - but then in verse 6 he says: "Don't give what is holy to unholy people." So, my thought is that we are not to "condemn" people judgmentally - but that we are to be aware of and perceptive of other people's character traits. I don't think Jesus is calling for us to walk around blissfully thinking everyone is perfect... but he is saying don't "condemn" others for their actions. God is the only true judge of anyone's actions. I think it is still okay for us to take note of how people act or behave. Remember that 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to: "Test everything." So, I do think it is okay (and even wise) to evaluate a person's character. Let me know your thoughts on this one in the Comments section below.
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Matthew titled "Materialism" is at this link, and "Misdirected Effort" is at this link.
Psalms - Today we read Psalm 8! Verses 3 & 4 I love: "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- the moon and the stars you have set in place-- what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?" What I love about this verse is that before I had faith in Jesus, and even God, I used to always look toward the night sky and just be amazed by the stars! I would always think to myself - there is no way that this all just happened by chance. There's gotta be something bigger going on making all of this happen. The night sky was evangelizing me!! :) What a beautiful thing. Have you ever had the experience of nature, God’s creation, evangelizing you? When you are out in nature, do you offer up praise and thanks to God for His amazingly beautiful creation?
Proverbs - Proverbs chapter 2 verse 10 is amazing: "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy." I like that thought that wisdom will enter your heart and then knowledge will fill you with joy! What a great proverb! Do you believe that knowledge can fill you with joy? What type of knowledge? What type of wisdom should enter your heart? Today - are you filled with joy? Proverb 2:11 in today's readings is powerful too:
Worship God: Psalm 8:3-4 in today's readings reminded me of the Delirious song "Majesty!" Here's a great live version of this song:
Do you know our Majesty? Click here for true Majesty!
Please join me in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that God would show you what the narrow gate is in your life. Pray that you would enter through the narrow gate. Pray that Jesus alone is your narrow gate.
Comments from You and Questions of the Day: Back to Matthew chapter 7 verse 6: "Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." I understand what is being said here - and I can think of specific instances in my life where this type of thing has happened. My question though for each of us is this - how do we show our friends, family, neighbors the love of God? Honestly, I have an evangelistic heart - but I don't think I really openly evangelize much. I love God so much - and it tears me up when I see my friends struggling with addictions - particularly when it seems like they are seeking God but settle for an addiction. So - I don't think this verse 6 is referring to these types of situations - people seeking God in all the wrong places. I think we are called to share the love of God with our hurting friends - with a hurting world. How do you do this? Do you pray for others? Do you give others books or Bibles? Do you send them spiritual emails? Do you invite them to church? Do you "preach the gospel at all times, and use words when only necessary?" Please let me know in the "Comments" below what you do to share the love of God with others? Thanks. Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,Mike