Singleness With Children

This I feel may be the hardest part of living a life of singleness; and I have lived it. Most of the time that my children lived under my roof I was a single mom. It is a very hard job, for not only do you have to be the mother, but you will also be dependant on in many of the same ways as their father would be if he were still in your home and in their lives.



I am the mother of two, now adult, children. I was there only source of support, and I didn’t due a good job of it most days. I married, or lived with, men that I thought would be good fathers for them; only to find out that my choices only brought them more hurt and damage to the minds, bodies and spirits. Their father was physically, emotionally and sexually abusive. But I felt that I deserved his abuse, as I had been unfaithful early in our marriage. I stayed in this unhappy union until the day he started abusing our daughter. As soon as I could get a way out, I left him and never looked back. But he was not the last man that I would attempt to have a life with; both for my fulfillment and theirs, too.

My second husband and their first stepfather was a pedophile who sexually assaulted my daughter for four years until one night when she was 10 years old and spoke three little words to me that changed our lives forever. She said, ‘Daddy hurt me.’ Those were the worst words she ever spoke to me and were also my worst nightmare. In those three words I learned that this man that I had met in church had been a liar and a thief.


He had lied his way into our hearts by claiming that he was a Christian. He even went to church with us every Sunday and became a member of its deacon board. But I learned through our recovery process from his sin that he had given his heart over to a generational spirit of sexual sin. Did you know that the sin of another could damage your spirit? They can. For you will be wrapped up in his lies and lost in his arms of loving care. All the while that he is speaking his love into your ears he may be sneaking out of you marriage bed into the bed of an innocent child. I learned my husband would make love to me while thinking of my little girl laying in her bed and what he was planning to do to her once I was fast asleep.


My son slept in the same room with my daughter, but we had put up a plywood partition down the middle to give them each their own space. He became quiet and sullen for days at a time and I couldn’t figure out why, until the night my daughter finally told my husband’s secret. I remember that he even tried to physically attack this man whom they had called daddy. It was very reminiscent of David and Goliath, my son was barely three feet tall and of very small bone structure, but this man was five feet 10 inches tall and quite rotund. My then ‘tiny Tim’ of a son is now a soldier in the US army and has spent time in Iraq fighting the armies of our enemies.


When all came to light this man was put into prison and we began the healing process, together. It took us years to get to a place were we could trust again, but we grew through the healing together, with the help of many councilors, prayers and the help of our pastors and our family. Some of the pain form this time I can still see in the faces of my children. I still pray for them to fully recover and to give their lives over to Jesus once and for all time.


My second attempt of providing a new father for my children didn’t fair much better. This man had many psychological problems, many of which I will never know of. Went we met he was going to the same church that a friend attended and I met him after service one Sunday morning .


The kids and I had come home to Carson City, Nevada and mom and dad’s house for Christmas. While we were gone someone broke into our apartment and vandalized it on Christmas Eve. I got the phone call from my Sister and Brother in law early on Christmas morning. When I told the kids, they didn’t want to go back. So my mother and I went back to Oroville, packed up what was salvageable and moved us into their spare bedroom and our belongings into their pump house.


While we were living with my parents I started dating this man who was my friend’s friend. We started dating in January and got married in November, the day after Thanksgiving 1992.


I knew that he had some mental issues, but didn’t know the extent until some months later. He had a mental breakdown while working one day and his doctors recommended that we move away from his parents as they exacerbated his problems. So we moved into a small town in northern California called Westwood. He was not mentally able to hold down a job, so I became the sole financial support of our family. This caused me to be away from home many hours six days a week. My husband would follow my children all over town when they weren’t in school. And when I was home, he would stalk me, too. Along with this stalking he became verbally abusive. Eventually he totally snapped and tried to end my life by throwing me down two flights of stairs. It was shortly after this that my friends talked him into taking a vacation to see his parents. I bought him a one-way ticket back to Carson City and then proceeded to file an order of protection against him so that he could no longer be within 500 feet of my children or me. Our relationship lasted less than two years, but we weren’t divorced until 1997 when I met who I thought would be my third and last husband. What a joke was on me!


This man picked me up when I was very broken in mind and spirit. I ‘fell in love’ but he fell into control. My mind was so shattered that I lived in my own internal world and blocked out the real world. I took care of my children’s physical needs – fed them, clothed them and provided them with a warm home. We had another single woman and her son sharing our home so that we could afford to live in a larger place on a five-acre plot of land. I needed more money than welfare gave us to pay all of our expenses, so I went to work, under the table, for a local bar and grill that was close enough to home that I could walk if needed. This bar belonged to his mother, so we became good friends and after a few months lovers.


In October of 1996 my children and I moved in with him. He was a good man, but he was not a Christian and he felt he had no time for God in his life. I later learned that he actually felt that he was undeserving of anything that God might like to give him, including forgiveness. For he had committed great sin, the sin of which Cain was also guilty. After I left him I returned to ask for his forgiveness and to give him forgiveness, too. What I found was a man who was more dead inside than alive – dead in his spirit and just about as dead in his body. But he was still adamant that he was not in need of a savior as he was a good man.


This man didn’t abuse my children or me, at least not in ways that most would consider abuse. His abuse was in the way that he felt that he could have total control us. I accepted his control for seven years, but my children would not. My daughter met a boy at 16 that she ‘fell in love’ with, but later learned it was only lust. She became pregnant, they got married when she was 17 and spent a very bad 11 years together. My son rebelled in this house of control and left my home just after his 15th birthday. He moved from my home to my parents house, then to my sister and brother in law’s house and finally to the house of my youngest brother, as he was very hard to handle and had a hot temper. He has since learned to control his temper and to put the energy to work for him in better, though not godly, ways.


So why have I told you my horror stories? I tell them to you to tell you that you don’t have to live through these things if you choose to live your life walking hand in hand with Jesus. Since I have dedicated my life totally into His keeping I know that I can make better decisions for my children. But I no longer have that opportunity as they are grown, married, and have children of their own. So I want to share with you how you who still have children in your homes and are single can make the best decisions for them and for yourself.


In James 6:2-6 God says; ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.’


We single women face temptations every day, but James tells us that we should see them through hearts of joy. Joy, not happiness, for happiness is dependant on the happenings around us going well. But joy is from the Holy Spirit of God that lives within us and keeps us always seeking the face of Jesus, especially when times get rough. One of our temptations as single mothers is to look for the easy way out for us and for our children. Now most of us know that taking what looks like the easy way out never ends up being as easy as it seemed in the beginning. This is why James tells us to ask God for wisdom. Now James also says that when we ask we must ask in faith believing that God will give it to us. Because if we doubt God, we will be tossed about and battered by the storms of life; much as I was when I sought out my answers on my own when I was raising my children. But if we believe God not only will He give us the wisdom we seek, He will give it to us generously!

James also says that we need to walk in perseverance, as perseverance is used to bring us to a place of completeness in our spirits and maturity in our hearts and minds – building our faith in God all along the way. Now you would think with all the things I have experienced in my life that my faith would be full grown by now; but you would be wrong. I still have times of doubt and periods when my faith is very lacking. But God uses these times in me to test me just as He will in you; for we will not be fully complete or mature in our faith until Jesus comes to claim His Bride and take her home with Him for eternity. So I, like you, have to be totally dependant on Jesus for meeting the needs, the needs of my home and my heart. But I know where to look for the things they each need; it is the same place you must look for meeting the needs of your family and yourself, too. In the word of God.


Philippians 4:11-13 says; ‘I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.’ Paul found that He could depend on Jesus to meet all of his needs, no matter what they were. He never asked those he serve in this spreading of the gospel to support him, he knew that God was in control and would see to it that he was well taken care of. Even while Paul was in prison members of the Christian faith that came to see him and bring him the things that he had need of. The only prompting they had in doing this was the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives.


But Jesus didn’t mean for all of us to hide our needs so that He could meet them. He also told us in James 5:13-16 to bring our needs to the body of believers. Lets read the passage together; ‘is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.’


Ok, so this all sounds surreal, but it is true. God has met my needs through the prayers of the saint, their faith combined with mine. Let me share a couple of these instances.


When I was very new in the Lord and very much inexperienced in the ways He has to provide for us I found myself in need of gas to get back and forth to work. I only had $1 between me and next payday, which was a week away. That night I went to a Bible study with my sister and her group of young adults and college students. The leaders of the group, Gene and Hazel, asked for all those with needs to come into the middle of the circle and the rest of the group would pray for us, that God would meet our needs whatever they were. No one asked me what my need was. Only my sister and I knew that my gas tank was empty and that I still had another week before I would get paid. Yet we all prayed in faith, and believed that Jesus would meet all the needs present. The next morning on my way to work I paid for a dollar’s worth of gas and pumped the same; yet when I got into the car and looked at the gas gauge the tank was full. Jesus had filled my tank with 20 gallons of gas, but I had only paid for and pumped for 1 1/3 gallons [gas was 75 cents a gallon then, so you know it was a while ago]. This was my very first experience of God meeting my needs in a miraculous way.


The other experience I want to tell you about has happened about five and a half years ago. I had been working for a call center in Reno for a little over a year. When I first started there it was a very good place to work, but after about three months a larger corporation bought out the provider we were working for and the working conditions became unbearable for me. We were being treated more like money machines than people and it was taking a physical and spiritual toll on me. I would cry as I drove into work each day and again as I drove home each afternoon. I was miserable and I let God and my church family know how I felt. We all began praying and asking God to show me what new job He would move me into.


When it came time for me to take my vacation I started looking for a new job and found nothing. But God told me to walk out in faith, trusting that He would supply all of my needs, so I trusted Him completely. I went in to pick up my paycheck after the first week of my vacation and gave my notice. I told them that when my vacation was over I would not be returning. I walked out of that building with only one more week’s income coming in, but I walked out know that I would never have to cry my way into or out of my workplace ever again.


I won’t tell you that God immediately opened the doors to my new and better job, no I worked a couple of different temp jobs while I waited for Him to put me in that position. But I prayed and tried to listen to His leading. One day I knew that God told me to take a job at McDonalds. Now I was 40 something years old and had never worked for a fast food place before, and I didn’t want to ever do so. And I let God know so, but He really did know best. I took a job working as a receptionist/repairman dispatcher for a small businessman. I quickly learned that this man had no godly practices when it came to his business. He wanted me to lie to his customers and his suppliers in order to make him look good. But God told me that I couldn’t work for this man, no matter what he was paying, and it was quite a good wage. I worked for him for less than a week and quit, standing on my belief that God wouldn’t want any of his children to work for a man who didn’t follow his plans for his life or his business.


Now here I was once again with no job and God yelling in my ear that I was supposed to have applied at McDonalds, so I went down to the McDonalds that I had first seen the ‘help wanted’ ad painted on their front windows, walked in the door and requested to speak with the manager about a job. I handed her my resume, filled out an application and 15 minutes later I walked out with a job. It was a part-time position that was supposed to work into full time after a 90-day probation.


I worked there for about a week and a half but never got enough hours to pay my rent, so I started looking other places for a full time position during my time off. I asked God again to meet my needs and He did. I quit McDonalds on a Friday morning turning in my uniforms as I walked out the door. My son told me that he was making a go of working for a temp agency, so I went straight there from McDonalds and filled out an application. While I was in the office the manager got a call from HDFSI looking for a couple of temps right away. That was September 3, 2005, and I started there that day. During my third week on the job I heard that there was a full time position open in the customer service department. So I brought in my resume and met with the head of HR for an interview. I have been ministering for Jesus in that office for about five and a half years at this writing.


God has been so good to me there. Not only has he met my needs through placing me there in that place; but He has also used me to meet the needs of others while I have been in their employ.


If God can meet my needs, He can do the same for you, to. It does take unwavering faith in God and listening to His voice for the call on your life. And complete trust in Him as you follow His lead to meet you every need.


Proverbs 3:5-10 says; ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.’


Let God be your guide in all situations. Like the verse says, ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ When I was looking for work, I tried to trust in my own understanding and not in God’s, so it took me a while to find the path that He wanted me to walk. But it has been a lot easier walking His path than the ones that I had chosen. So if you follow God’s plan, and not my example, you will find His ways are much better than our own.


Those of you with children to raise yet are in the very best hands, God’s Hands! He has promised in Hebrews 13:5-6; ‘Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.’

Men may have left us, hurt us or caused us unmentionable heartache, but they can’t destroy us unless we allow them to. But God will never leave us. Oh yes, we can walk away from Him and many of us have, including me in times past, but he will always by right there where we left Him. So turn around, repent of your selfish, evil ways, and seek Him once more so that He can lead you in the right paths once again. Jesus said in John 14:6a; ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life...’ He didn’t say He was a way, for there is no other way to life eternal but through accepting Him as Saviour and Lord. He did not say He was a truth, for He is ALL Truth incarnate. He also did not say He was a life, for through Him is the ONLY way we can live a Life worthy of Him and His Kingdom. He is the creator of all life and He alone is what true life is all about. In Him is the only way we can really live True Life.
Trust Jesus and give your kids into His care and He will lead you all through any situation you may encounter along your journey to the Heights!

Until next time!

Serving God In Singleness - The Choice Of One Who Can Accept It

Today's reading is from Exodus 5:22-7:24, Matthew 18:23-19:12, Psalm 23:1-6, Proverbs 5:22-23

I want to focus today on Matthew 19:1-11; When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.


Jesus starts off speaking to the Pharisees when they asked Him about the acceptible reasons for divorcing. They thought they could trip Him up with their questions, so they asked if a man may divorce for any and every reason? But Jesus was onto their tactics. He told them bluntly that God had never planned for men and women to divorce as when they were wed God made them one theywere no longer two, so how could men divide them?

So then the Pharisees asked why Moses had allowed a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away. Again Jesus answere that this was only permitted because of the hardness of men's hearts, not because of any change in God's plans of us. He wanted men to walk according to God's original plans for men and woman. Jesus gave only instances of adultry as frounds for divorcing.

After the Pharisees left the disciples went a little further in their questioning, lets read this portion in the Contempory English Version;

The disciples said, "If that's how it is between a man and a woman, it's better not to get married."



Jesus told them, "Only those people who have been given the gift of staying single can accept this teaching. Some people are unable to marry because of birth defects or because of what someone has done to their bodies. Others stay single for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who can accept this teaching should do so."

I think that the disciples were just popping off like some of us did as children when we were reluctant to do what our parents had required of us. You know, pouting and stomping our feet in disgust amd dismay.

But Jesus understood this and let them know that staying single was only meant for those who were given the gift of being single, were malformed in some way or had chosen a single lifestyle in order to do more work for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Most men and women are meant ot live as married couples, and they do. But there are a few of us who will never marry, or remarry, as they feel called of God to work for Him and remain married only to Jesus for the rest of their lives. This is what the apostle Paul was also saying when he spoke of in I Corinthians 7:7-10, also in the Contempory English Version;

I wish that all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us. Here is my advice for people who have never been married and for widows. You should stay single, just as I am. But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire. I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.

So if you are wondering if you are to stay single or get married, or remarried, ask Jesus if you were chosen to receive this gift of singleness or to prepare for a life of wedded bliss. Only He knows what gifts He has for each of us.

My current gift and my calling at this time, and I feel may last for the rest of my life, is to remain single and minister to other women who are currently in this state.

Thank you Lord, for this gift of singleness! I hope I use it well and to your glory!

Until next time!

Messiah - Salvation - Was From The Very Beginning

Today's reading is from Genesis 48:1-50:26, Exodus 1:1-5:21, Matthew 16:13-18:22, Psalm 20:1-22:31, Proverbs 4:20-5:21

I had a bit of catching up to do due to some medical issues I had to deal with this week. So today I caught up on my Bible reading.

What I want to focus on is Genesis 49:10, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs  shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Israel was prophesying about Jesus our Savior and Israel's true Messiah. David was remembering learning this prophecy in his youth in Psalm 2:6-9 when he wrote; “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” And in Psalm 60:6-8 when he wrote; God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” And in Psalm 72:8-11 when He wrote; May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

Isaiah also refered to this prophecy of Israel's when he spoke his prophecy in Isaiah 11, specifically verses 1 and 3a; A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

This prophecy was fulfilled, totally completed when John wrote in Revelation 5:1-7, which reads; Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

God's plan for the redemption of mankind has been in the works since the very first sin was commited in the garden. All of the patriarchs knew of it as they talked to God while they walked this earth. All the prophets of old knew it, as He spoke it into their ears when He gave them His messages for children. King David knew it as he was taught it from his youth at the feet of his father Jesse. And John, the disciple whom Jesus loved knew it as He was there when it happened and was reminded of it when he was seeing The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which he wrote for us to have and to hold onto until Christ's return. What a wonderful God we serve!
 
Until Next Time!

The Deceiver ... Deceived

Today's Reading is from Genesis 28:1-29:35, Matthew 9:18-38, Psalm 11:1-7 and Proverbs 3:11-12:

We have all heard or read the story of how Jacob bought the rights of the first born from his brother Esau when he was tired and hungry from hunting.  I think he was trying to make happen all that his mother had told him of God's promise to her of His plans for her children.  That promise was written in Genesis 25:22-26a.  The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.  The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”  When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.  The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.  After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.  This may be the very reason that started Rebekah's doting on her younger son.  Jacob was born second, so she knew that it was he who would be the leader of the family after Isaac's death, because of God's promise.  This proud mother repeated the promise of God to her sons while they were growing up.  As Esau was born Jacob grabbed onto his heel and came out shortly after his older brother.  And so a cliche was also born, right on the heels of his brother.  The name Jacob in the Hebrew literally means 'he grasps the heel', but figuratively it means 'he deceives.' 

So when Jacob found Esau in a weakend state he deceived him into giving up the rights of a first born son by selling him a bowl of lentil stew in exchange for these rights.

A few years later when Isaac felt he was near death he called Esau into his tent and asked him to go hunting and bring some game home to prepare him his favorite meal so Isaac could pass on the blessing to him and his family after him; but Rebekah heard her husband giving Esau these directions and she called Jacob to her and she plotted to have him receive Isaac's blessing instead of Esau.  I think she was trying to fulfill God's promise for her favorite son, just as Jacob had stepped in when he bought the rights of the first born earlier in their lives.  When Esau learned of his brother getting there ahead of him to get the blessing of their father he became angry and threatened to kill Jacob after the passing of their father and the mourning period.

To save Jacob from Esau's anger Rebekah sent him off to her brother's home in search of a wife, or so she told Isaac.

Now in today's reading Jacob in living and working for his uncle Laban and had been there for about a month.  Laban asked Jacob what he thought his work was worth.  Jacob, having fallen in love with Rachel, said that he work seven years to marry her.  When the time had passes, Jacob came to Laban and requested his wages - his bride.  Laban called the neighbors together and through a great feast to celebrate the wedding.  That night he dressed the bride in the veils of their tradition, and sent her to Jacob in his tent.  It was dark inside so his briide was not easy to see, but they went about the normal process of becoming one flesh, as is described in Genesis 2:24; That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

In the morning when all was bright in the sunlight of the day Jacob saw that he was now married to Leah, not Rachel - the love of his life.  In his anger he confronted his uncle Laban who shrugged it off saying, 'It is not our custom to marry off the younger daughter before the oldest.  Stay with Leah for the seven day bridal period and then you can marry Rachel.  Laban knew a good thing when he saw it.  He was getting 14 years of free labor from Jacob and marrying off both his daughters with our providing a dowry for either of them.  He saw it as a win/win for both him and his daughters.  Jacob loved Rachel so much that he agreed to Laban's terms and served seven more years, but to him they seemed as only a few days as he was so in love with her.

Now this is only the beginning of the deceptions that Jacob would suffer under Laban's hands.  But I believe it is where Jacob begins learning that this is not how people should be treated.  God has placed him in the Bible School of Hard Knocks and as we read through Genesis furthervwe will see the many lessons that he learns along the way.

Today the Deceiver has been deceived and learns that deception is not the right way to receive the promises of God.  Deception has taken him away from his father and mother, lost him any relationship he might have had with his twin brother and has made him delay his marriage to his true love.  Before he returns home to his family his mother dies and he will never see her again. 

Such great losses he has had from his deception and that of others in his live.  Let's hope he learned what we can from reading this passage, lets hope he learns to put the deception of others in his past and follow God's leading only in the future.  We will read more on the life of jacob in the days ahead, and while we do lets ask God to remove any inclination toward deception from our hearts and give us a closer walk with Him.

Deception Vs Trust

Deception is taking matters in your own hands

While trying to see the fulfilling of God’s Plans

It’s lying and stealing while trying to receive

The things for which God only asked you to believe

Trust is leaving all thing is in the palm of God’s hands

It is for our good that He has laid down the best Plans

Watching and waiting for His perfect timing

Raising from the valleys, His mountains to be climbing

Rebekah heard that God had a good plan

But she thought she could help out by lending a hand

God’s plan did win out, but she lost her son then her life

By trying to help God, it caused her such strife

She should have trusted and let God take the lead

Then she may have lived Jacob’s grandchildren to see

But when Jacob returned, his mother had passed

The price of his deception has he learned at last?

Jacob wrestled with God and He surely did win

Now a new life Israel would begin

His wives and his family were headed toward home

But on the road back to Canaan they weren’t alone

Esau was headed his brother to meet

So he sent his servant with presents him to greet

Israel didn’t want to face him and restart the fight

That had sent him off to Paran on that long ago night

Where once had been deceit he wanted to build trust

So meeting his brother was truly a must

Together they spoke and made up a pact

Jacob – now Israel – and Esau, the brothers were back

Learning to live in the old neighborhood again

And trusting God that no war would begin

Israel settled in Sukkoth nearby

And Esau returned to Seir with his guys

The moral of this story is to trust God and wait

If it is His plan, he will never be late

Deception is not the way to get there

It’s by trusting in God and staying in tune with prayer

 

Until Next Time;

Leigh

Peace, be still.

I know there have been several days I have not been online, but I have not skipped ahead.  I have read all the passages between where I left off and today's passages.  But I will limit my comments to what I have read today.

Today's Reading is from Genesis 24:52-27:46; Matthew 8:18-9:17; Psalm 10:1-18; Proverbs 3:7-10.

In today's passage from Matthew we find Jesus asleep in the back of the boat while a storm rages around it and His disciples struggle to keep the boat from capsizing.  Being Perfect Peace, He finds no difficulty in getting rested, though all is roiling as a cooking pot around Him.  But His students find no place of peace, even though Peace is their among them.  They are wrestling instead of taking comfort in the Peacefulness of Jesus presence.  their faith was small and weak, much like ours is  when we face difficulties.  Matthew 8:24-27 says; Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”   He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”  

I like Jesus' reply in Mark 4:39-40 the King James version a little better; it reads,  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?  Jesus stood up, taking His place of authority.  He said, 'Peace, be still,' proclaiming who He was [Peace], and told the sea and the storm exactly what to do [be still.]  And they obeyed!  But His students were full of doubt, fear and disbelief at what Jesus had done.  How like them we are!  Jesus does wonderful and awesome things for us, yet we say in our disbelief, 'How did He do that?'

But He taught His disciples that they and those would follow them would do greater things than they had seen Him do.  He gave them power to do likewise when He sent them the gift of the fullness of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  And He sent them out in His name, His authority, when He commissioned them.  This commission is spoken of in Matthew, Mark and Luke, each with different aspects of it.  Today I will quote from Mark's version.  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  Mark 16:15-18

When Jesus told them 'these signs will accompany those who believe,' He was telling them of some of the authority [power] they would have in His name when they walked in the faith He had given all believers.  Luke 24:49 told them how they would receive thiss power, 'And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.'

So the power and authority of Jesus are ours for the taking.  But we have to wait for the promise of the Father - the infilling of His Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in Luke 24:49.  This doesn't mean that He will repeat the happenings of the day of Pentecost every time He fills a believer with His Spirit.  But He did mean that it was for ALL Believers.  Peter learned this and told us of it in Acts chapter 10.

We all know the story, in fact it was our children's lesson in church just last Sunday.  Peter is praying on the roof  just before the  lunch.  God sends Him a vision of a sheet full of unclean animals.  Three times it comes down from heaven and God says to Peter to rise and eat and three times Peter refuses saying that he has never eaten anything that was unclean.  But God's reply to him is “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”   A few minutes later the servants of Cornelius arrive and request Peter to go with them back to Caesarea and the house of Cornelius, their master.  I can just see that lightbulb from cartoon appearing above Peter's head as he understands the visions he has had while praying on the roof, so he goes with them and speaks this lesson to the believers gathered in Cornelius home and preaches Jesus to them.  Right in the middle of his message these 'Gentiles' are all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking in tongues.  Peter knew that this was Jesus at work in them so he and the other Jewish believers with him took them all down to the closest river and baptised them all into the family of God.

We must also trust.  Proverbs tells us this very plainly; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6.  
 
When we trust with our whole heart, we will walk in the fullness of His gifts and promises.  But when we have doubt, we loose power and surrender our God given authority.  There are many who are taught, and fully believe, that the gift of speaking in tongues [and other spiritual gifts] was only for the church during the time that the New Testament was being written.  But this is not Biblically founded.  Yes they use the passage in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 which says; 'Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.'  They quote this without the rest of the passage, and they are clearly meant to be used together.  Verses 11-12 read, 'When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.' 

I don't know about you, but I still see the 'reflection' of God's completeness in my life.  He has not yet brought me into my completly perfected state.  So I think that I can safely believe that these gifts have not 'passed away' yet.  We still have them ALL for our use in growing His Kingdom.
 
Let us trust Him completely and use wisely His gifts of power and authority, and all that come with them, until He comes to bring us into complete perfection. 

Let us say with all of His might to the storms in our lives;

 'Peace, be still!'

Abraham laughed, God named his son 'he laughs'

Today's Reading is from Genesis 16:1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17 and Proverbs 2:1-5

I have read our passage in Genesis many times; at least three times since July 2002.  But I noticed something today that I had not noticed before.  Genesis 17: 15-17 God is giving Abraham his promise of a son once again, it reads; God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”  Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”

Abraham laughed; and then God said he would really have a son and name him Isaac.  We have all heard and/or read the passage where Sarah laughed, but I had never seen the laughter of Abraham.  And this verse  says more than that Abraham laughed, it says he fell down on his face and laughed.  In my minds eyes I see Abraham on the floor rolling in laughter, you know like the emoticon for rolling on the floor laughing, [rofl]? 

And our Heavenly Father has a marvelous sense of humor; for the name Isaac means 'he laughs.'  God named Abeaham's son after his act of unbelief - his laughter - so that Abraham would never forget God's promise, or his very response to it.  How wonderful is God's love toward us, and His patience, too.


It is later in today's passage, when God and two other men of heaven [angels?] visit Abraham that Sarah laughs.  Genesis 18:8b-15; While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.  “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.  “There, in the tent,” he said.  Then one of them [GOD] said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”  Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”  Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”  Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”  But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”  Words in parenthesis I have added for clarity.

I think we can take comfort in the sense of humor our Lord has and that he may even smile a bit when we try to hide from the truth in some small matter.  But He always points out our errors and and brings us back to the truth. 

Keep God grinning with all your child-like antics!

~ Until Next Time! ~

Wisdom’s Rebuke

Today's Reading is from Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; 6:1-10 and Proverbs 1:29-33

I was really taken with our passage in Proverbs today, but to place this in it's proper context I want to look at verses 20-33 - the topic heading here is 'Wisdom's Rebuke.'

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?  How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?  Repent at my rebuke!  Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.  But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.  “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.  Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,  they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.  For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Wisdom is speaking here; the Bible calls Wisdom by female adjectives [she, her]; but true wisdom comes from God.  So I feel that God is using this decsription of as Wisdom for Himself, God is giving this rebuke to those who are simple and foolish.  Todya's passage actually starts in the middle of a thought, a conclusion God has made about the simple and foolish ones He is addressing here.  This conclusion starts in verse 28 and I have underlined it above. 

God has call the foolish to repentance in order for Him to indwell them with His Holy Spirit and fill them with true wisdom; but they have refused and ignored His pleas.  He has waited long for them to trun around and make Him their choice; so when they finally do call on Him for wisdom, He denies their pleas.  Their cries at this point are from relief from the consequences of their follies, NOT repentence.  Without repentence [a true change of heart], God can't dwell within us and fill us with His wisdom and peace.

But He is ever waiting for the lost, simple and foolish to Look to Him, have a heart change, turn from their ways and seek His face.  Then will He hear from heaven, dry their eyes, bind their wounds and heal their hearts and bring Salvation to their lives.  Once repentence takes place and Salvation has taken root, healing can begin and our hearts and lives can hold the wisdom God waits patiently to impart to each of us.

James 1:5-8 says; If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

My footnotes say 'The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.'  Likwise 'the Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.'  So I feel that these are both persons in an unsaved state.  One who has not chosen Salvation, doesn't know that he needs the wisdom God desires to give him.  Once drawn by the Holy Spirt, we can now see our need and request it, as is stated in James. 

If you need to find Salvation in Jesus, please comment and I will introduce you. 

If you know Jesus anad walk in His ways, but need more wisdom; ask in faith believing, and Our Heavenly Father will give you this gift you request.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17


Until next time!

The Altar of the Lord

Today's reading is from Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12 and Proverbs 1:25-28

In Genesis this morning we are introduced to Abram, Sarai and Lot.  God has called Abram from the land his father journeyed to, the city of Haran.  God has called Abram to leave all that he has known, his family and friends to travel to a place he has never been - the land of Canaan.  There is nothing said of his family's relationship with God, but Abram must have known and worshiped Him, for he was obedient to His call.

At 75 years old Abram, his wife and his nephew, Lot headed out for...'God only knows.'  They packed up all that they owned, loaded the camels and waived goodbye to their relatives and headed west.  They wandered from place to place until the reached a spot between Bethel and Ai.  Here Abram built an altar to the Lord.  In Genesis 12:8 it says; From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.   This is the first one the Bible records that Abram built.  But he must have seen his father build one before or been instructed on why and how to build one by someone, right?  The Bible doesn't say.  It only says that he built the altar, gave a sacrifice and called on God.

As we travel through the Bible this year, we will see the building of  altars in many places in the Old Testament.  Altars are also spoken of in the New Testament.  In our Matthew passage, verse 23 it says; "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift ..."  All through th Bible altars are places where people have given gifts and vows to God.

If you have Jesus living in you heart, you have an altar where you can offer up gifts and make vows to Jesus, too.  It is built in your heart and you can make your offerings to Him any time.  I believe this for the temple in Jerusalem held the altar to God once it was built.  and now Paul has written in 1 Corinthians 6:19a; Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? So, if our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, I feel that we can be sure there is an altar to God held within our heart of hearts, for it is the new Holy of Holies.

Think on this as you go through your day and sing praise unto Jesus.  Psalm 5:1-3 is one of my favorites and is part of our reading today; Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Until next time!

The Raven and The Dove

Today's Reading is in Genesis 8:1-10:32.


I like the picture God gives us through the actions of the raven and the dove in Genesis 8:6-12; After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.  Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.  But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.  He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.  When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.  He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.

The raven willingly left the confines of the ark.  Even when he found no place of rest, he still wandered the skies watcing and waiting for the waters to recede.  All he was concerned about was his freedom.  I feel this is a picture of most men and women today.  They reach an age of maturity and pull up stakes, leaving behind the peace and security they found in the house of their parents.  They may have nothing on which to stand, but they fly the coup anyway.  They give no thought to what they are going to do for shelter.  Their basic needs are simple in there eyes.  Food is plenteous so they look no further than their bellies.  Their motto is something like; 'Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.' 


The dove released in this passage does a quick tour of the area, and finding no place to call home returns to the safety of the ark.  When again set free, she takes another tour or the area and finds the top of an olive tree to rest on for a moment.  This not being a true home where she can make a place for a family, she grabs a twig and takes it back to her safe haven to show Noah that the situation outside is improving, but still is not ready to be a proper resting place for her.  Whe she is released the third time, she has found the perfect place to build a home and raise a family.  She now feels safe and secure enough to venture out on here own for she has found the safety and assurance in which she can live with out fear.


Jesus is our ark of Salvation.  He is where we find rest and peaceful contentment.  When times are rough He carries us in His arms; and when we are strenghtened He walks beside us - never leaving us alone to fen for ourselves.   David knew this when he wrote Psalm 4:8; In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.  We can trust in Jesus with our whole heart, just as David did.  He is my hiding place; is He yours?


Until next time

The Ark and The Baptist

Today's Readings are for yesterday and today.  They come from Genesis 3:1-7:25; Matt 2:13-4:25; Psalm 3:1-4:8 and Proverbs 1:10-23

In Genesis 6 God has reveled that He was angry with the human population and has decided that He is planning to flod the whole earth with water.  But Hwe has also made a way of escape for mankind.  He had Noah build an ark and sent the chosen animals to take the ride of their life with him and his family.  The Ark took 100 years to complete.  Although it isn't said in the scripture, I feel that Noah and His family shared God's plans with all who came to the sight to laugh at this boat building project.  But no one outside Noah's family chose to take that ride with them. 

God knew that their would be no takers.  He knew that their hearts were totally wicked and that they didn't want to change, even if it meant dying.

God's plan of salvation in Genesis took prepartion - the hundred years of building and preaching. Then all those aboard the ark were 'baptised' when the fountains of the deep and the clouds erupted in this earth covering flood.  They had been saved from destruction when the ark landed on dry ground and God opened the door.

John the Baptist came as the one 'sent to prepare the way of the Lord.'  He spent time in the wilderness, in God's boot camp, to be prepared for the job he was called to do.  When God's assignment was time at hand, John started preaching on the Jordan river to the people from Jerusalem, Judea and the surrounding regions.  He taught them repentance, them baptised them and pointed them to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. 

God plans are always consistant.  He always leads His children to Repentance, Salvation and Baptism,  He is the Same yesterday, today and forever.

In Psalm 3:7-8 Men cried for Deliverance, and God sent Salvation.  Arise, LORD!  Deliver me, my God!  Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.  From the LORD comes deliverance.  May your blessing be on your people.  Salvation is followed by Blessing from God!

Look unto the Lord for your Salvation, in matters of your spirit and all other matters of your life, too!

And keep looking for Jesus in all things.

Until we meet again!

The Light Comes ...

Today's Reading is from Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12, Psalm 1:1-6 and Proverbs1:1-6.  If I haven't told you previously, I am reading from the NIV, in case it doesn't match what you are reading.

It is the start of a New Year and God has brought us back to the very beginning of time.  As soon as He has formed the earth, God gives it Light.  even before He has made the sun, moon and stars; He seperates the Light from the darkness.  And He said all that He had made was Very GOOD.  This creation of light and the division of Light and darkness is in Gen. 1:3-5, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

In Matthew it tells how God gave the light of a star as a beacon for the Wise Men to follow on their journey west to Bethlehem to meet the One born to be The Light of the World!  Matt. 2:1-2;  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

God sent His Son to guide us into all righteousness.  In Psalm 1:1-3 God calls those who walk in His Counsel, His righteousness 'Blessed.'  Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.  Even in Old Testament passages God let His people know that they were the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem.  Here He uses the same terms He used in yesterday's passage from Revelation.  We are trees of life planted by the streams of living water, bearing the fruit of the Spirit in every season; the Love, Peace, Joy, etc. given in Galatians and elsewhere in the scriptures.  And we will prosper at whatever God has called us to do!


And our passage in Proverbs 1:1b-6 says the Word of God is given for our guidance and wisdom to help us walk in the ways of God and His rightrousness.  ... For gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.


In this year may we follow the path He has given us by the Road Map of His Holy Word; not just today, but each and every day; until He calls us home to His glorious side.

Happy New Year, ALL!