Imagine being a young husband who just brought home from the hospital a wife with a brand new baby. You yourself had grown up with a father who was an irresponsible alcoholic, neglecting and abusing you as a child, so you have no idea what a godly father even looks like, much less how he functions in the family. How do you learn what to do with this brand new little creature you and your wife have just brought into the world, and for…
We all are seeking to live our lives in a meaningful, fulfilling manner. We may not know this consciously, but, nevertheless, that longing is there. We are looking for a purpose in life for which we can know in our hearts, “I was made for this!” There is such a purpose for each of us, and experiencing it begins with first discovering God’s one, universal, eternal purpose that He has for us all. When we catch this vision, it will not supplant the other…
Last week we discussed the first half of God’s judgment on Eve after the Fall in Genesis 3:16: she will have an inherent, unrecognized desire to control her husband, and men in general. Today, we look at the second half of God’s pronouncement to Eve: 2. “He shall rule over you.” Eve was created to help Adam in his task of ruling over the earth. However, fallen Eve, with a new desire (even a compulsion) to be the leader and not the helper, will…
As one grows older, and health and mobility decline, opportunities to be a part of a church where truth can be discussed freely, openly and honestly decline as well. In this time of life for me, a “little child” who is just beginning first grade in God’s learning process, this blog is invaluable. I share with you what I am learning and ask you to respond with questions, criticisms, disagreements, etc. Everything is on the table. I never have the final word, but only…
We have recognized our addiction, openly repented and believed that Daddy has forgiven and forgotten our sin of wanting to be “good” the way only He is good. Furthermore, He has given us His Holy Spirit to be good IN us—naturally, spontaneously and unconsciously (NSU)—with absolutely no help from us and no credit to us. We have no clue (until someone tells/shows us) that when we are walking by faith in this way, we can legitimately and truthfully say, just as did our perfect,…
Are you aware of your addiction to being “good” and not “evil?” Did you buy last week’s thesis that, yes, all of Adam’s descendants are addicted to the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and that includes you! Ask yourself two questions: 1.) “Do I really want to be ‘good’ (obedient to God’s law)?”, OR, 2.) “Do I want to receive credit with God for being ‘good’ (obedient to God’s law)?” There is a huge difference. We were…
Most of us don’t have a clue. How you interpret this verse will let you know, if you have eyes to see: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Upon first reading this verse, my natural, obvious interpretation of it is that I need to study the Bible and keep its commandments more diligently, and if I do so effectively, I will be able to…
Periodically, I think it vitally important to remind the regular readers of this blog of the foundation upon which the structure of our personal faith rests. It is the forest in which the trees of our individual lives are growing and the framework in which God is painting our personal histories. In this blog, there are continual references to this “big picture” vision of why we were created, which we find in the first chapter in the Bible: 1.) bear God’s image (i.e., to…
Last week I concluded the blog posting with this paragraph: “On the other hand, a full time homemaker can see her home as a destination stop, not a place to eat and sleep on the way to somewhere else. As she creates her “work-place” to be an expression of herself, rather than a house with furniture in it, it can become the hub of a potentially powerful, natural, spontaneous, unconscious ministry, first to her family and then to the world around her.” Today, I want…
One of the most controversial issues among Bible-believing churches today is the roles of men and women—not only in the church, but in the family and all of society as well. Are their roles in these areas interchangeable, or are men and women each given unique gifts that only allow those of their specific gender to fulfill their tasks with maximum success? In American culture the satanic attack on the family has never been as intense and successful in our 250 years as a…