Hoo, boy! I saw the first video session of "Daniel, Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy" by Beth Moore last night. As always with Beth's studies, I learned a lot.
I'd decided to study Daniel and Revelation in 2009 after looking up the information on the Antichrist/beast last year. I don't know enough about end-time prophecies. There's so much secular misinformation out there I felt the need to become educated from the Scriptures. I'll also be studying Dr. David Jeremiah's book and series "What in the World is Going On?" which covers 10 end-time prophecies as they are presently revealed.
Back to the Beth Moore study.
In this first video session, she explains how we are not so different from Daniel, who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. He was taken from his home to a foreign place, with foreign customs, beliefs, food. Every attempt was made for Daniel and all the other captives to be assimilated into the Babylonian culture. But Daniel and 3 others resolved not to be assimilated. (Daniel, chapter 1.)
How does this relate to us all these centuries later?
In the previous post, I talked about how our culture would have us believe lies about the roles and value of male/female. If we accepted all the messages coming from our culture as truth, we would be turning our backs on Scriptural Truth. Yet this is what the enemy is trying to do. He cannot steal our salvation, but he can distract us from living as God wants us to live. We must firmly resolve to not be assimilated by the culture around us.
Look to Daniel as a role model.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
I received an email from a friend today titled "Male or Female?". There were pictures of various objects and statements about whether these items were male or female with amusing explanations explaining why. For instance, baggies were male, because one can see right through them and they hold everything inside. Copiers were female, because, once turned off, it takes them a while to warm up.
After a few of these examples, I ceased to be amused.
Why do we find it funny to bash men? Why do we portray women as cold and inept? Why do we perpetuate the myth that men and women cannot understand each other, work together or appreciate each other? None of this is Scriptural.
God created both male and female in His image. Do these supposedly amusing anecdotes support that statement?
Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
So God created woman. In some wedding services, I've heard it explained that woman was created not from man's head so she should be higher than him, or from his foot, to be walked all over, but from his side, to be his equal, near his heart to be loved, and under his arm to be protected.
I've often heard it said that the Bible does not value women. Phooey! For the times the Bible was written, it values women far more than the society at large at that time did. Women in the Bible are shown to be smart, creative, shrewd, supportive, with all the positive attributes a woman should have. There are also some mentioned whom we should not follow as role models, who are wicked and conniving. Same goes for the men mentioned in the Bible.
Jesus valued women. They were among his disciples. He spoke to them when the customs of the day decreed he should not.
The Apostle Paul comes under a lot of fire regarding his views on women. After studying Paul and his life, I believe he valued them wholeheartedly. If he instructed them to not speak out or to dress modestly, it was because they were taking their liberty in Christ where it should not have gone.
Like so much in our society/culture in the 21st century, I believe we have let the enemy's lies infiltrate our thoughts and our daily lives. By undercutting men, making them look like bumbling fools (check TV commercials) and portraying women as helpless, clueless or predatory, society does not give either gender the dignity or authority they deserve.
Another aspect of gender bashing I do not like: happy marriages, heterosexual couples and traditional male/female roles are undermined. People are led to believe that not even their spouses can understand them because of gender differences.
Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? I don't think so. Read t-shirts. Watch TV commercials. Look at catalog ads. How many of them portray men and women together, male and female as God created them?
I received an email from a friend today titled "Male or Female?". There were pictures of various objects and statements about whether these items were male or female with amusing explanations explaining why. For instance, baggies were male, because one can see right through them and they hold everything inside. Copiers were female, because, once turned off, it takes them a while to warm up.
After a few of these examples, I ceased to be amused.
Why do we find it funny to bash men? Why do we portray women as cold and inept? Why do we perpetuate the myth that men and women cannot understand each other, work together or appreciate each other? None of this is Scriptural.
God created both male and female in His image. Do these supposedly amusing anecdotes support that statement?
Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
So God created woman. In some wedding services, I've heard it explained that woman was created not from man's head so she should be higher than him, or from his foot, to be walked all over, but from his side, to be his equal, near his heart to be loved, and under his arm to be protected.
I've often heard it said that the Bible does not value women. Phooey! For the times the Bible was written, it values women far more than the society at large at that time did. Women in the Bible are shown to be smart, creative, shrewd, supportive, with all the positive attributes a woman should have. There are also some mentioned whom we should not follow as role models, who are wicked and conniving. Same goes for the men mentioned in the Bible.
Jesus valued women. They were among his disciples. He spoke to them when the customs of the day decreed he should not.
The Apostle Paul comes under a lot of fire regarding his views on women. After studying Paul and his life, I believe he valued them wholeheartedly. If he instructed them to not speak out or to dress modestly, it was because they were taking their liberty in Christ where it should not have gone.
Like so much in our society/culture in the 21st century, I believe we have let the enemy's lies infiltrate our thoughts and our daily lives. By undercutting men, making them look like bumbling fools (check TV commercials) and portraying women as helpless, clueless or predatory, society does not give either gender the dignity or authority they deserve.
Another aspect of gender bashing I do not like: happy marriages, heterosexual couples and traditional male/female roles are undermined. People are led to believe that not even their spouses can understand them because of gender differences.
Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? I don't think so. Read t-shirts. Watch TV commercials. Look at catalog ads. How many of them portray men and women together, male and female as God created them?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Love and Marriage
I didn't really understand God's unconditional love for each of us until I got married. Then I realized that God loved me the way my husband did--my husband thought I was wonderful. He loved me even when I did stupid things. Actually, I realized God loved me better than my husband did. Wow. That realization really brought about a change in my relationship with God.
In "My Utmost for His Highest" December 12, Oswald Chambers writes:
"Personality merges, and you only reach your real identity when you are merged with another person."
This is true of your relationship with God, which Chambers was writing about, and in marriage.
"Love is the outflowing of one personality in fellowship with another personality."
I know we throw the term "love" around probably more than we should. But in any love relationship, there must be the outflowing and merging like Chambers says.
A relationship must be nurtured. How often do we hear this about our human relationships? Our relationship with God must be as carefully nurtured as our most treasured human relationships. How does one do this?
Prayer. Bible study. Worship. As you would spend time with a loved one, spend time with God. Remember His presence at all times.
In "My Utmost for His Highest" December 12, Oswald Chambers writes:
"Personality merges, and you only reach your real identity when you are merged with another person."
This is true of your relationship with God, which Chambers was writing about, and in marriage.
"Love is the outflowing of one personality in fellowship with another personality."
I know we throw the term "love" around probably more than we should. But in any love relationship, there must be the outflowing and merging like Chambers says.
A relationship must be nurtured. How often do we hear this about our human relationships? Our relationship with God must be as carefully nurtured as our most treasured human relationships. How does one do this?
Prayer. Bible study. Worship. As you would spend time with a loved one, spend time with God. Remember His presence at all times.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
We Need a Little Christmas
Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
It hasn't snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we're in a hurry;
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.
Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For I've grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder,
Need a little Christmas now
This song came to mind a couple of weeks ago as we walked through the malls. Santa sat, ready to take pictures with little ones. Stores touted sales. And not quite all the Halloween decorations had been removed yet as the Christmas lights went up. Why the rush for Christmas?
Short answer--the economy. Since before the Presidential election, just about all we've heard is how bad the economy is and how bad it's going to be. Specters of the Great Depression have been raised. Bailouts are discussed. Families are losing homes, people are losing jobs, retirees are losing pensions. Most businesses and corporations are showing losses. Retail stores always depend on Christmas sales for most of their profits. So, "We Need a Little Christmas", get the people spending, string the lights and sing the carols, distract them from borrowing and lending . . .
Okay, perhaps my lyrics aren't as catchy. But I think people--from retailers to the man in the street--are looking for Christmas to come rescue them from financial woes, from thinking about unsolvable problems. People want cheery news, reasons to celebrate. Unfortunately, this kind of commercial cheeriness serves simply as an anesthetic, dulling people's senses and sensibilities, separating them from reality.
What we need isn't Christmas--the glitz, the lights, the bells and whistles, the call to excess. We need Christ.
Bet you saw that coming.
"Can Christ fix the economy? Is God going to wave a magic wand and end the wars we're involved in? Why not? Can't He? What about global warming? Why do millionaire CEOs get bailouts while I loose my home? Does God care more about them than me?"
Here's the truth: God loves you. Personally. He wants a one-on-one relationship with you. As you are right now.
A couple of thousand years ago, a baby was born. This is what we should be celebrating at Christmas. Almighty God, the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, became a human being. God's Word Incarnate. As Jesus grew, he became the only human being to have the relationship with God that God wants us all to have with Him. Jesus could do this because, although completely human, He was also completely God, with all the divine attributes of God. As in, no sin. No impure motives.
None of us can be that good, can we? God fixed that, too. When Jesus Christ was crucified, He took upon Himself all sin, and became the only acceptable sacrifice that could remove our sins from us so we can approach God and have a relationship with Him. All we have to do is accept the gift of Christ's sacrifice.
Will this fix the economy? No. It will fix us. If we are in a growing relationship with God, we learn we can trust Him, that He cares for us more than we can possibly understand. In bad times and in good times, He never changes. He has no hidden agendas. He's never promised one thing and done another. As we learn more and more about God, we worry less and less. We don't need to be anesthetized in order to face each day because He gives us His strength and wisdom to live the life He's given us.
We need a little Christmas--Christ's coming into our hearts. Right this very minute. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, warmed by God's loved, feel the eternal joy of God's presence, and praise Him in the company of His angels.
And the peace that passes all understanding will light our lives, not just for a season, but forever.
To find out how to let Jesus Christ come into your heart, read the New Testament in the Bible. Check out websites such as www.davidjeremiah.org or www.bbnradio.org or www.ttb.org .
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Psalm 73
Psalm 73:24-26
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
The NIV study note on Psalm 73 says this psalm deals with the age-old question of why the wicked pospre on earth while the godly suffer.
Verses 24-26 remind me that God Himself is my "reward." And no matter whether it is my human self or others who are close to me who slip, who fail, God is my strength and it is through God and God only that I can overcome the troubles in this world.
Dr. David Jeremiah suggests to write verses down on notecards and carry them with you. I found a way that works for me--use the notepad function on my cell phone. It's a lot less cumbersome than notecards, and I look "cool" just like everyone else when I take out my cell phone and look at it. LOL!
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
The NIV study note on Psalm 73 says this psalm deals with the age-old question of why the wicked pospre on earth while the godly suffer.
Verses 24-26 remind me that God Himself is my "reward." And no matter whether it is my human self or others who are close to me who slip, who fail, God is my strength and it is through God and God only that I can overcome the troubles in this world.
Dr. David Jeremiah suggests to write verses down on notecards and carry them with you. I found a way that works for me--use the notepad function on my cell phone. It's a lot less cumbersome than notecards, and I look "cool" just like everyone else when I take out my cell phone and look at it. LOL!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Psalm 69 and other things
Psalm 69
1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
13-16 But I pray to You, O Lord, in the time of Your favor, in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me.
29-30 I am in pain and distress; may Your salvation , O God, protect me. I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.
Can you relate to the psalmist? Feeling overwhelmed? Pray and praise the Lord our God. Trust in Him.
Other notes: In Turning Points magazine by Dr. David Jeremiah, yesterday's devotional titled "First Line of Defense" was particularly apt. "The more intimately we know the details of the truth, the more readily we can detect error. Such preparation would apply to theolgical truth as well. When false doctrines are presented to us, how will we know they are false unless we know what is true?"
Especially in these times of turmoil, people will point at signs and claim that this one is the antichrist or this was written about in Scripture. Is it true? The only way to know is to have a thorough personal knowledge of Scripture. Yes, this takes time. But you can find the Bible online (www.blueletterbible.org ) as easily as reading an email. There are a variety of translations. There is only one Truth. Do not be distracted by unsubstantiated rumors or engaging fiction. Learn the truth directly from the source and let it be your firm foundation.
1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
13-16 But I pray to You, O Lord, in the time of Your favor, in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me.
29-30 I am in pain and distress; may Your salvation , O God, protect me. I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.
Can you relate to the psalmist? Feeling overwhelmed? Pray and praise the Lord our God. Trust in Him.
Other notes: In Turning Points magazine by Dr. David Jeremiah, yesterday's devotional titled "First Line of Defense" was particularly apt. "The more intimately we know the details of the truth, the more readily we can detect error. Such preparation would apply to theolgical truth as well. When false doctrines are presented to us, how will we know they are false unless we know what is true?"
Especially in these times of turmoil, people will point at signs and claim that this one is the antichrist or this was written about in Scripture. Is it true? The only way to know is to have a thorough personal knowledge of Scripture. Yes, this takes time. But you can find the Bible online (www.blueletterbible.org ) as easily as reading an email. There are a variety of translations. There is only one Truth. Do not be distracted by unsubstantiated rumors or engaging fiction. Learn the truth directly from the source and let it be your firm foundation.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Catch Up
We've been busy these last several days. I posted earlier in the week, but haven't kept up with my posting on Psalms, although I've kept reading them. Psalms 65-68 are some great praise songs.
Oswald Chambers has been explaining about spiritual heredity. It's an interesting way to think about how we become a new creation in Christ. As Oswald Chambers puts it, through Adam we have the heredity of a sinful nature. On Oct. 7, Chambers says, "Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God." Through Jesus Christ we have the heredity of holiness--our sinful nature is replaced by God's nature. We are adopted children of God, infused with His nature. "Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into unison with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross."
Dr. David Jeremiah (who has a new book out on Bible prophecy--go to www.davidjeremiah.org for more info.) suggests finding an inspiring verse of Scripture each day and writing it on a card and carrying it around with you. That's what I'm doing with the Psalms. Today's verse(s):
Psalm 68: 19-20
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.
Oswald Chambers has been explaining about spiritual heredity. It's an interesting way to think about how we become a new creation in Christ. As Oswald Chambers puts it, through Adam we have the heredity of a sinful nature. On Oct. 7, Chambers says, "Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God." Through Jesus Christ we have the heredity of holiness--our sinful nature is replaced by God's nature. We are adopted children of God, infused with His nature. "Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into unison with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross."
Dr. David Jeremiah (who has a new book out on Bible prophecy--go to www.davidjeremiah.org for more info.) suggests finding an inspiring verse of Scripture each day and writing it on a card and carrying it around with you. That's what I'm doing with the Psalms. Today's verse(s):
Psalm 68: 19-20
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.
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