Monthly Archives: January 2013

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Marriage Protection

A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.
A perverse man spreads strife,
And a slanderer separates intimate friends.
A man of violence entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.

Proverbs 16:27-29

We live in a day where marriages are falling apart all over the place. I read these words of Scripture and I thought, wow… how many marriages have fallen apart that would have made it had this person described in Proverbs 16:27-29 not interfered?

Let’s break it down.

Whenever I read the warnings in Scripture that pertain to a person I look at them in at least three ways:

1) God, help me to recognize this person

2) God, help me to see if I am this person

3) God, help me to not be this person

We are warned that the person described as a “worthless man” in Proverbs 16:27-29 “digs up evil” and his words are described to be “like a scorching fire”. To scorch something is to cause intense heat or mental anguish,to burn a surface of so as to change its color and texture, to afflict painfully with censure or sarcasm…

Now who is the person as it relates to our marriages?

This is a person who comes up to you and says “you know before you married them I remember the time they...” and this is the person who says “how can you forgive them after they… I would have never been able to forget that” and says, “it doesn’t bother you that your spouse…”  You see this is the person who goes digging for something evil to speak about your spouse. They come at you when you are smiling… and there purpose is to wipe that smile off of your face. Their purpose is to discolor and distort the way you see your spouse. Their purpose is to cause you mental anguish over something that is in the past, or something that is assumed and may very well not even be true. God calls this person worthless.

The next person is said to be a “perverse man” and this person is someone who “spreads strife”

This is the person who sees that you and your spouse might just be on edge today. This person sees the tension and strife and instead of coming to you to help heal and mend and settle the strife… they come to spread it, share it, and increase it. This is the person who says, “oh honey, you don’t have to take that” and says “well you have every right to be mad, you better give back as good as you get!” This is the person that their eyes light up when they see that you and your spouse are fighting and they can’t wait to fan the flame… and God calls this person perverse.

The next person is a “slanderer” and they come to “separate intimate friends”

There is no friend more intimate than your spouse. Anyone who comes at you with words to bring down your spouse, to speak evil of their character, to make accusations against them… you need to walk away. Now please let’s get real and understand that family is family, your spouses mother, father, brothers, and sisters, etc… they grew up with them, they know them, they love them… I am speaking of the person that is especially not family, the “friend” whether they be male or female and comes at you with words to intentional make you disconnect with your spouse. They come to drive a wedge between you and your spouse by drawing attention to small things and making them appear bigger and worse than they truly are. God calls this person a slanderer.

The next person is called “a man of violence” and they come to “entice their neighbor” and lead them “in a way that is not good”

This person is the one who comes and is supposedly the answer to all your issues. They are the one who steps in and draws you to them and away from your spouse. They encourage you to walk away from the marriage. They tell you its not fixable. They tell you that you deserve better than your spouse. They tell you there is no hope, things will never change, they will never get better. They tell you its best to walk away and start over. Salvage what you have left of your life. If you have fallen out of love with them today you won’t fall back in love with them tomorrow.

Why is this person known as a man of violence? Violence is an exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse (as in warfare effecting illegal entry into a house), injury by or as if by distortion, infringement, or profanation.

This is a person of violence because they are physically and forcefully invading your house for the sole purpose of bringing injury and abuse for their own selfish pleasure or gain. They come into your house, your marriage, your union with this person, this person who you are now one flesh with and they come in to infringe on something that does not belong to them. They come to profane something that God has called holy. If this person succeeds, they kill. They violently rip through and destroy a home from the inside out. You cannot rip something that was once two and now has become one without hurt, pain, and destruction. God calls the person who does this a man of violence.

So let us pay attention to the words and warnings in this passage of Scripture in the Proverbs. Let it be used as our marriage protection and may it be a warning to us, that we be careful to help protect the marriages of others and not be a part of their destruction…

As people of God our desire should be to build up the house not tear it down.

I can look back on my life and see times when I have fit into one or more of these descriptions and it makes me sick to my stomach. I can look back on my marriage and I can hear the slimy voice of that slinky serpent as he accuses, distorts, and brings up past hurts in the midst of present trials and whispers, “see it will never get any better“. Let me tell you HE IS A LIAR! It can get better. It can get beyond better… it can get fairy tale butterflies in your stomach everyday better. It might not… but let me tell you that it indeed can. Don’t give up on God by giving up on your spouse.

In other words, in marriage you live hour by hour in glad dependence 
on God’s forgiveness and justification and promised future grace, and 
you bend it out toward your spouse hour by hour—as an extension of 
God’s forgiveness and justification and promised help.

~ John Piper

I am beyond thankful for the grace of God and His redeeming arm. I beyond thankful that He doesn’t count ignorance against us. I am beyond thankful that He never turns a deaf ear to a repentant heart and cry for forgiveness. I am beyond thankful that He never stops teaching those who seek Him. He is the God of second chances.

If you looking for a new perspective on your marriage… let me suggest you dig into This Momentary Marriage by John Piper.

 

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Psalm 86:5

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Entertain Me

As you read through the pages of Scriptures it is painfully obvious that there is absolutely nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). I am back in Ezekiel in my personal study time… I was reading and digging into in Ezekiel 33 when I read,

“But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the Lord.’ They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.

Ezekiel 33:30-32

This is America… here in America the professing Christians pack out the mega church. We fill stadiums and conference centers to hear the words of Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, John Piper, Joyce Meyer, Kay Arthur, etc… We file into church on Sunday morning in our Sunday best to hear our pastor preach and either leave expounding on how great the message was or complaining because he just didn’t do it for us today and maybe we need to change churches because this guy just doesn’t evoke enough gusto into the performance for us…

We come and we hear… and then we leave.

We leave to go be entertained again…

what race is on?

what game is on?

what movie is playing?

what restaurant can we get in the quickest?

how soon can I get on my couch and take a nap?

They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.

It’s quite horrifying actually…

Does it not strike terror in your heart?

It does mine… I am just as guilty.

Have you ever considered how many children you could afford to adopt if you chose to support the orphan instead of Hollywood. Have you ever considered how many starving mouths you could feed if you chose to use your money to put food in the mouths of children instead of drugs in the mouths of the latest pop star? Have you ever considered how many child sex slaves you could rescue if you chose to invest your money in the organizations that work to rescue them instead of the culture that works to build a desire for them through its perversions?

I can’t help but it cross my mind…

I am a teacher and a mother. I know what it feels like to teach and have people come up and say how great the lesson was… and then walk out and do exactly what you just taught against. I have been with the groups that packed out the dome and the conference center… yet when it comes down to making a personal choice how many choose…

the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain

Why do you go to church on Sunday’s?

When you sit under your Pastor or small group leader are you there listening to the Word of God so that you might go out the door ready to put into action what you have learned?

Or are you there critiquing them? Sitting as their judge to decide if they really “brought it” today.

Do you come to be entertained…

 Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.

…or are you there to be trained?

Do you come to the Word of God to be changed or do you come to be entertained?

Look at your hands and your feet and examine where you go and what you do and answer honestly. Look at your yesterday and compare it to your today. Are you closer to Christ or further away?

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Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Somebody Tell Them

 

Oh me, the stuff in my head… I have so many ministry opportunities that I see and desire to be a part of, but unfortunately I am a human being that is indeed bound by space and time and my own set apartness by God. I can only do what God will allow me to do at the present time. At this present time my ministries are wife, mother, homeschool mom, children’s ministry director and teacher at my church, homeschool co-op co-administrator and chapel leader, devotional author, blogger… and well all the stuff that entails… and I still have  all these other things floating around in my head that are just not possible for me to do at this present time.

However, maybe, just maybe, you are reading this and you are wondering “what could I do to serve my Jesus and His people” let me just shoot out some of the things I see that I would love to do if I could take on just one more thing.

Prison ministry: I would love to teach in the prisons… hey they are a captive audience and are no doubt, quite possibly hungry for light and life

Foster care: This is still something that I think will be doable to add to our family where we are at… and is something I hope to do in the near future… but hey what better ministry opportunity than to embrace a hurting, abandoned, little one in your arms and love them with grace and mercy and show them the gospel lived out.

Nursing home ministry: Once again a captive audience, what joy it would be to bring the study of the word of God to those who can no longer go themselves.

Shiftwork Bible study: My husband works a swing shift… I am not sure anything is on our schedule. I would love to begin an at home Bible study for the wives of those on his shift or if you are a shift worker why not begin one in your own home with meeting times that swing with your schedule

Stripclub Bible study: That’s right! I said it. This would be a great one for a 60+ year old FEMALE. Just march yourself right on in there and find a table and open up the Bible and start a study with whatever girl is willing to stop and ask you what in the world you are doing there.

Government housing Bible Study for single moms: Bring a friend to teach the kids and teach the moms!

Pampering Bible study: Do you do hair? Start a study in your home, if you don’t teach partner with someone who does, at the end of the study, whoever finished the course, gets a new do for free?

Princess party: do a weekend preteen Bible study that focuses on teaching these girls what it means to be God’s princess and do nails and junk food and all that slumber party fun as you study through Song of Solomon or Ruth or Esther

First Priority: Be an adult leader in a first priority group at your child’s school

After school Bible study: Do you have the privilege of coming home with your kids after school? Maybe choose one day a week to open your home or church to an after school Bible study and fellowship with food and fun with your kids peer group, and not necessarily the ones that go to church with you, but the one’s who don’t go to church anywhere.

Maybe you are not teacher? That’s okay volunteer. Do you know how many teachers would love to have someone come and serve along side of them who can keep up with paperwork and communication with the people they are teaching. Can you be the one to make sure everyone has a pencil and paper, can you be be the one to send a thank you card and we missed you last week card? Those are HUGE helps to a teacher!

Maybe you can serve as volunteer at a food kitchen or pregnancy resource center or nursing home, be there as friendly face and a helping hand… there are so many things… I know a lady who was a widow, she served as a volunteer at the pregnancy resource center and when a young girl came in pregnant or not with no place to go… well they came home with her and she loved them. She made them go to church with her and they could stay until they got on their feet again.

As the children’s ministry director at my church, let me tell you that if you would just be willing to serve a turn on the extended care rotation at your church, to help take care of the little ones so that their moms and dads can hear the Pastor and attend Bible Study and be strengthened in the Word so that they can in turn teach their children at home… this is huge as well!

These are just a few thoughts, just the things on the tip of my brain, running through my head… friend there is so much to be do, so much that can be done… I talked with a missionary from the Ukraine this past Monday and he shared with me how there is so much work to do in the Ukraine… he works with children in the Ukraine, with the orphans. Not only does he see the work that needs to be done in the Ukraine but he sees the work that needs to be done here.

He shared how he spoke at a church once here in the United States and he shared about his ministry work in the Ukraine… he told me that after he shared a man in the church came up to him with an attitude and wanted to know why he was wanting money for the kids in the Ukraine when there were kids here that needed support, his answer to this man… because I am doing what called me to do, God has called me to the children in Ukraine, what are you doing?

The man had no answer…

My friend there is so much to do for the Kingdom… what are you doing? God has given you an ability, an opportunity, an open door to make a difference in this world if it be only through the life of one that he has placed in your path… what are you doing? May we open our eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.

“Opportunities to display abilities and gifts come to all kinds of people, Christian or not. We can play it safe and get what we can for ourselves—or we can risk reputation, possessions, and life itself so that God may have what He wants.”

~ Pastor Ray Stedman

 

And I can wonder about the state of my heart all I want, if the arteries and the valves are hardly warmed over —

but give me a break, it’s right there in my hands.

It’s my hands that are content to mindlessly scroll through Pinterest and Facebook and too often it’s escapism and not ministry (and it could be. Anything can be made a ministry to somebody. All things are Big in the Kingdom of God).

It’s my hands that grow numb and cold and refuse to fold around God in prayer, refuse to fold hope around all this bleeding everywhere.

Hands are the thermometer of the heart.

And a heart that burns for it’s First Love — it flows like mercury to the hands that then reach out to warm a numbed world.

~ Ann Voskamp

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 1:1-7)

The Gospel in Math Terms :

If you are like me, you might just not have the time or the patience to figure out the Scripture Typer thing. I tried several times and well… I must move on or my heart is not going to be in the right “spirit” for memorizing the Word of God. Memorizing Scripture kind of loses its oompf when it is accompanied by growls and huffs of frustration…

Today is January 30th. If you are with me on the pursuit of memorizing the first chapter of Romans by the end of February then we should be on Romans 1:3 today. Now I must admit that I have not been as pro-active as I want to be in memorizing these first three verses… I just have them memorized because I have read them so many times in teaching through this book.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 

which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 

concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh

Romans 1:1-3

One recommendation of memorizing Scripture is to begin with making a list of the first letter of every word…

P, a b o C J, c a a a, s a f t g, w H p b t H p i t h S, c H S, w w b o a d o D a t t f

Another recommendation is to hand write the verse or passage down on a card and read it out loud at least three times a day… I would think you could also take it and type it out three times in a day… maybe get three or four friends to join you in this memorization challenge and text the verses to each other… then you are not only texting them three times a day, but receiving them as well.

The next step is to take it past memorizing the words and discovering what these words mean… this will imbed these words in your heart and mind and soul. I am working on the study for kids… Here are some of the things I shared with the kids as we looked at these verses last Sunday:

I began the lesson with a reminder of our who, what, when, where, why, and how strategy. Then we started with the who, who wrote the book of Romans and then we looked a little at the why it was written to help set the context with a small background lesson into what was going on in the church in Rome. Since we had just finished studying the book of Revelation I took the kids back to Revelation 22…

 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

 Revelation 22:18-19
I explained to them that Paul was writing this letter to the church in Rome because of two groups that were causing problems in the church. One group was called the Judaizers. This group taught that yes, Jesus saved you, but you were kept saved by keeping all the laws of Judaism. The other group was the Antinomians. This group taught that since salvation was all about grace and Jesus had died and paid for our sins, then we could just sin all we wanted to and that just made His grace look even greater.
I drew a line chart on a dry erase board to illustrate how the Judaizers added to the Word and well the Antinomians took away. Once I shared what the two groups stood for the kids answered correctly when I asked who added to and who took away. (The kids thought it was quite funny that God used math). I then shared with them that the whole book of Romans is to teach us that the righteous shall live by faith… 
                 _____________________________________________
Judaizers                                                   Faith                                                         Antinomians

 

After this little background we began to look at Romans 1:1-7, but we really only got through verse 1 🙂

Here’s a copy and pasted version of the handouts I am working on as I teach through this book, maybe you can use them with your own children.

 

Read Romans 1:1, what do we learn about Paul?

 

He’s a  __ __ __ __-__ __ __ __ __ __ __  of Jesus Christ

He’s an __ __ __ __ __ __ __

He’s been __ __ __  apart for the __ __ __ __ __ __ of God

 

 

The word bond-servant is “doulos” in the Greek. Read Deuteronomy 15:12-17 to find out what it means to be a bond-servant.

 

It shall come about if he says to you, “__   __ __ __ __   __ __ __    __ __    __ __ __   __ __ __ __    __ __ __” because he  __ __ __ __ __  you and your household.

 

 

Read Galatians 1:1, 11-12 what is an apostle?

 

not sent from __ __ __ nor through the agency of __ __ __

but through J __ __ __ __  C __ __ __ __ __  and G __ __ the Father, who raised him from the dead.

 

 

Read Acts 9:1-17 and then look closely at Acts 9:15, what did God say about Paul, how was he set apart?

 

he is a __ __ __ __ __ __ instrument of M __ __ __, to bear My __ __ __ __  among the

G __ __ __ __ __ __ __  and k __ __ __ __  and the  __ __ __ __  of Israel.

 

Read Ephesians 2:10:

 

  what have you been set apart for?

 

__ __ __ __     __ __ __ __ __

 

  who prepared them for you?

 

__ __ __

 

   when did He prepare them for you?

 

__ __ __ __ __ __ hand

 

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

 

If Paul was a bond-servant he was completely dependent upon his master. His Master gives him his orders and his Master gives him everything he needs to fulfill those orders. If we are a bond-servant of Jesus we must must do what our Master commands and we can do it because we know that our Master will give us what we need to do what He commands. Do your parents tell you to do something that they know you are unable to do? No, they give you chores and instructions that they know that you can do because they have given you the knowledge and tools to complete the task. If your parents do this, do you think that God will too?

Proven Path Ministries

Power Walking

“And I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.

Zechariah 10:12

Do you know in whose name you walk? Oh precious one if you want to do some real power walking then walk in the Name of the Lord.

I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me…

John 17:6

 

Today do not walk around in defeat…

Today do not walk around in the failures of yesterday…

Today do not walk about in fear of what might come…

Today do not be downcast by your past or the ruin of your name due to a myriad of wrong life choices.

Today be strengthened by the One who came to bring you victory, forgiveness, peace, and future and a hope.

Today be strengthened by the One who came to give you His name and He doesn’t care where you came from or what you have done…

He wants you and to I walk in His name and in all that beautiful Name means!

So precious one start power walking today.

Children's Ministry, The Romans Study For Kids

Teaching Romans to Kids

 

The Lord willing, I will begin teaching the children of Shiloh Baptist through the book of Romans. I have googled and web browsed and haven’t found a study on the  entire book of Romans for children. So as I teach I will also be working on writing a study to share with others who would like to teach this book verse by verse to their kids.

I am not an artist nor am I a computer wiz… so get ready for some silly pictures, uneven graphs, and unconventional visual aids… but hopefully by the end of the study the kids will have a solid foundation on the book of Romans as a whole. Hopefully one that God can continue to build upon for years to come.

This coming Sunday we will be digging into Romans 1:1-17. We will also begin with an overview of the whole book. I call this building the filing cabinet (or I guess the file folder these days) and designating the files. This way as the kids learn they know where to the store the information that they learn… they know which file to put what they are learning in.

The name of our Children’s Church Room is the OIA room. It’s the place where we Observe the text by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how. It’s the place where we Interpret the text according to what we have observed and by keeping our observations within the context of the whole counsel of God. It’s the place where we see the Application of what we have learned to our everyday lives. How does what we have learned from our study change how we live and think?

I put together this chart…

I call it my Romans foundation chart.

 

I believe that Romans 1, 15, and 16 are the cornerstone of the book of Romans because in these chapters we find out who wrote it, who it was written to, the circumstances in which it was written, and the purpose for which it was written. These three chapters set the context in which the entire book must be interpreted if we won’t a true understanding of this beautiful doctrinal treatise.

The kids will begin here.

Now the goal is to let them see how exciting it is to discover truth as we study the Bible… it certainly is not a stuffy old book full of out of date rules… it’s living and active and absolutely EXCITING!

You see I don’t want them just to think coming to church is fun… I want them to see that studying the Word of God is fun!

And as we study and as we learn I will also be working on memorizing the entire 1st chapter of Romans… 🙂

 

 

Children's Ministry, Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Petra

 

Today we continue our study in our Names of God series. Last week we looked into the title of our Christ that illustrates to us that He is our Friend. The name we will be studying today relates to this title as well. I say this because a true friend is also a petra in our lives. Petra is the Greek word for Rock.

We are told that Christ is our Petra, our Rock.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren,

that our fathers were all under the cloud

and all passed through the sea;

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

and all ate the same spiritual food;

and all drank the same spiritual drink, 

for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them;

and the rock was Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4

As Paul shares these words to the church at Corinth he is reminding them of the words in Exodus…

Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.  Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? Alittle more and they will stone me.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Exodus 17:1-6

Notice that the children of Israel were in this waterless place according to the command of the Lord. It was God that led them to place with no water. However it is not God they cry out to for water. They instead complain and grumble to Moses. So God has brought them to this place. They are here at His command. He purposely has brought them to this place where they were completely and utterly unable to sustain their own life. They were thirsty and they had no water and so they blamed Moses.

Then Moses turns to God and seeks help from the Lord. This is where the Lord has Moses strike the rock and when the rock is struck out flows water. Life is supplied to all those who came to the rock. Their thirst is quenched…

We know that Christ is the rock…

We also know that Moses represents the Law of God.

It was the Law that struck the rock… but when the rock was struck out flowed living water!

 

Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.

Matthew 27:1-2

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”

Matthew 27:15-23

It was at the command of the Lord that the children of Israel where brought to this point of great thirst.

It was at the command of the Lord that the Law struck the Rock.

It was at the command of the Lord that life flowed out from this Rock.

Why?

Why did it need to be the Jews, the carriers and teachers of the Law of God, who cried “Crucify!”

Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith inChrist Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:19-27

I see it like this…

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Paul tells us that our fathers were all under the cloud. Have you every been in a fog? Have you ever driven in a fog? The only thing you can see is what is right in front of you. You can’t tell what is up ahead. You can’t see what is to the left or to the right. You can’t see the dangers ahead or around you or coming up behind you. You are only concerned about where you are at that very moment.

We all begin life in this cloud. We also, like the Israelites, find ourselves doing a lot of complaining and grumbling while in this cloud.

So God brought the children of Israel under the cloud and He brought them to the Law.

SLAM!

Now they could see. When we come to the Law we begin to see the consequences of our choices and actions. We begin to see ourselves through the eyes of God, the fog is lifted from our eyes. We start to see past ourselves and then we realize we don’t like what we see. We see our sin. We then see we can’t stop our sin. We see ourselves coming out of the cloud and about to plunge to our death because we now see that the road we are traveling ends at a cliff that we are about to go off.

So we cry out…

Wretched man that I am!

Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Romans 7:24

and our God says…

“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

Numbers 20:8

Oh precious one, the Rock has already been struck… He doesn’t need to be struck again or over and over. Once was sufficient. Have you come to the Rock? Have you spoke to the Rock that you might have the Living Water?

And if you say yes… yes you have… do you understand what all this Rock provides?

The definition of rock, petra, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 is: a rock, cliff or ledge, a projecting rock, crag, rocky ground, a rock, a large stone, metaphorically: a man like a rock, by reason of his firmness and strength of soul

A rock is something solid, firm, and lasting. I struggle with keeping plants alive in my flowerbeds. However if I put a beautiful decorative rock in that flowerbed I can count on it to look beautiful and not die on me. This rock will weather the storms. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 degrees out outside or 10 degrees. The rock doesn’t change. Rain, sleet, or snow the rock remains the same. We call a true friend a “rock”. My husband is my “rock”. I can count on him. I can trust him to hold me up. When we look around the world we can see the reality of the firmness of things that are made from rock.

 

 

These buildings have been around for thousands of years and we marvel at them. We marvel at them because when so many things around our world have changed… these building of rock remain.

So a rock is solid, firm, unchanging, lasting… a rock is also a place of protection.

The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Exodus 33:17-23

God put Moses in the cleft of the rock… and from the safety of the rock he could see the glory of God. How beautiful it is that just as Moses was hidden in the cleft of this rock… we are hidden in the cleft of THE ROCK.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,

then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:2-4

And in Christ, in the cleft of our Petra, we too can say, “Oh God show me your glory!“

even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:5-7

When in Christ we are in the cleft of the Rock. We are in a place of protection. We are safe. We have a solid foundation. He is firm and their is strength in His soul. And just like the story of the Three Little Pigs if we will build our house out and from the rock and live in the safety of our rock… we will have confidence and boldness to stand against any storm. No matter how many times that big bad wolf comes after us, we will recognize his deception, and no matter how hard he blows… he will never be able to get to us. We are safe in the Rock.

Devotional Studies Through the Bible, Proven Path Ministries

Would You Please

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My second devotional is currently in the editing process. Devotions From Exodus will be available some time in the spring/summer. In the meantime I would love help in gathering reviews on Devotions From Genesis.

Here is the Google books link that will take you to Devotions From Genesis, It’s Not Just Ancient History online. I will send a printed copy of the book to the first ten people who contact me with their written review on Amazon or any other book retailer and/or own personal blog.

Help me spread and share the Word of God!

Just post the link to your review in the comments of this post or on Proven Path Ministries and I will contact you for your mailing address 🙂

Please know that you have no clue how hard posting this and making this request is for me… but I do so because I know my heart is not to promote me, but to preach Christ and Him crucified. Please know that I give away more books than I have ever sold and freely share my complete PDF version at no cost.

If you are interested in using my book as a free gift in your ministry please let me know and I will send you the PDF version at no cost.

My heart truly is to help people learn how to dig into the depths of the Word of God and to see how every word is relevant today. I want people to see the unchanging beauty of our God and the timeless treasure of His Word. Will you help me?

Here are a few of my editor’s comments concerning Devotions From Exodus Learning to Live (or Walk) in Freedom (I haven’t decided yet which one I like best, feel free to share your preference in subtitle with me now :-))

“The most important thing that you have accomplished in your work is that you are able to share to your readers your thorough research on the Old Testament of the Bible, particularly on the life of the pharaoh, Moses, and the people of Israel. You do this by discussing the birth of Moses and how a Hebrew child freed the Lord’s children in Israel and relating this in our modern-day living. The Bible passages that you cited, as well as the personal experiences that you shared, strengthen your argument. The prayers that you provide after each topic discussed also guide your readers on what to be thankful for and what to ask from the Lord.

The typical readers of your book are Christian men and women in their late teens and up. Church leaders could also benefit from reading your book as this would guide them in their sermons. The thorough discussions on what happened during the time of Moses would also give them points that need to be emphasized in their discussions with the flock”

~ Tyler Worsham

Would you please help me?

Proven Path Ministries

Standing Strong

 

And he said to me,

“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,

for the time is near.”

Revelation 22:10

This week the children at Shiloh Baptist Church will possibly be finishing up an in-depth study of the book of Revelation. I have the great joy and honor to teach the Word of God to this wonderful group of 4 year olds – 11 year olds. I have any where between twenty and thirty kids in my group every Sunday morning. As I look out into their faces and know what is being fed into their minds and hearts, not just at church by me, but at home by their families as well, I have hope.

Jesus changed the world with twelve disciples.

Here I am in Alabama, looking in the eyes of these kids and praying that they will take hold of the Word of God just as the twelve disciples did, and that they would be able to stand as strong as these foundational men of the Gospel.

This is what I do know. These kids have spent the past year digging into the book of Revelation. There is not one verse that they have not studied. If they were able to come every Sunday they have dug into every single verse. I don’t skip the uncomfortable ones.

These 4 year olds – 11 year olds have learned the outline of Revelation. They can tell you the three divisions of this great book of prophecy and what chapters are in those divisions. They can tell you how John received the words of the book of Revelation and what he was to do with them. They can tell you about each of the seven churches, what chapters you can find them, what rebukes and encouragements were given them, and what rewards await those who overcome. They can then tell you what it means to overcome.  They can tell you in what order came the seals, trumpets, and bowls and what judgments each of these contained. They can tell you about the woman and child of Revelation 12. They can tell you about the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They can even tell you about the harlot of Babylon and what all she represents. Then they can tell you about the bride of the New Jerusalem…

They have been given a solid foundation on which to build.

In these last days… these evil days… I have no clue what kind of world these kids will face as adults. Everything has changed so much and become so much darker in just my day. I can complain about it, shake my head over it, rebuke it, get depressed and undone over it… but that helps no one nor does it change anyone or anything.

What these kids at Shiloh know is that yes, darkness will have its day, but here’s the thing GOD WINS.

They have studied. They know. They know that yes, there just might come a time in their life that they might have to die for their faith. They might be cast on to Patmos, or even beheaded because they hold tight to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, but they know that death in Christ is far better than cowering at the feet of darkness out of fear of death. They know this now… my prayer is that no one or no thing ever snatches that assurance and confidence away from them. I pray they hold tight to the truth.

The days of teaching our kids “Bible stories” that tickle their ears in an attempt to either scare them into what we deem as right behavior or make them feel good about themselves need to be over. They should have never begun…

Our kids need sound doctrine.

And yes at 4 years old.

Let us not belittle their ability to learn and mine the great truths of our God in His Word.

And adult… if these 4 year olds know more Biblical truth and have a firmer, more solid, foundation than you… well I suggest you put down the easy read of “Jesus Calling” and pick up the Bible and dig into some real studies. It’s time to dig in and start mining the beautiful depths of His Word. Remember that the foundation stones of the holy city are adorned with precious stones and precious stones are found in the depths. They are hidden jewels that take work, time, and perseverance to find. It’s time to put the work clothes on and start laying a foundation that will not crumble out from under you in these dark days ahead.

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Philos

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It’s time for another post in our Names of God series. Last week we learned about our Savior through His name Thura. We learned that He is the door to the Father’s house. We learned that He is the door of and for the sheep. We also learned about some of what is ours once we have walked through the Door… and what we learned was just in the foyer entrance… there is a whole house awaiting our discovery!

The name (or title) we are going to learn about today ties right into our name from last week. Remember how I shared how only strangers knock on the door… well if it’s strangers that knock… it’s our Philos that has open access. Philos is the Greek word for Friend. In todays study we learn a little about what it means to know Jesus as Philos, or Friend. 

This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. 

John 15:12-17

What we see in this passage is that Jesus calls us friend… if He calls us friend, then we can call Him, Friend. However, He only calls us friend if we do what He commands us… and what He commands us is to love one another.

Before we look deeper at the Greek definition of “friend” in this passage let’s take a trip to the OT to see who else has been called a friend of God and learn a little about some Hebrew definitions of friend.

We know from the Old Testament that Abraham was called a friend of God…

Did You not, O our God,

drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel

and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

2 Chronicles 20:7

and also we see this reminder of Abraham as God’s friend in the New Testament…

and the Scripture was fulfilled which says,

“And Abraham believed God,

and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,”

and he was called the friend of God.

James 2:23

Then we also see in the Old Testament that God spoke to Moses as a friend…

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face,

just as a man speaks to his friend.

Exodus 33:11

Becoming a friend of God is not much different than how we become friends with one another. True friends that is… not just “FB friends”. We learn a lot about friendship in John 15:12-17, 2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23, and Exodus 33:11.

In John 15:12-17 we learn that true friends share secrets, they share intimate details with one another. We see that they consider their friend as more important than themselves, willing to lay down their own life to help them. We see that friends are to love one another.

In 2 Chronicles 20:7 and James 2:23 we learn that true friends are friends forever. It is a covenant relationship that cannot be broken. We learn that true friends believe in one another. True friends are able to pass what I like to call “the trust test“. The trust test is not a planned out test, it just shows up, but you know when a person has passed it. Abraham passed the trust test with God when he took his son Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed. He didn’t understand exactly what God was up to, but he knew God could be trusted, and Abraham showed God that he could be trusted as well.

I don’t make friends easy, I struggle with trust. When I was high school I had my best friend, but my best friend moved to California, so I was friendless… There was a young woman in my church that during my prayer time one day, God told me I could trust her… well I argued with God and told him no I couldn’t. At this point I didn’t even really know her. We had only spoken casually at church. However, God was right (shocking, I know!). Somehow along the way this woman passed my trust test and today she is still my friend.

In Exodus 33:11 we learn that a true friend is someone we spend face to face time with. In this day and age of online relationships… that can be rare. I understand online friends are good, but online friends can never be true friends. True friends are invested in your life. True friends know you through and through. They are invested in you and you are invested in them.

“If your brother, your mother’s son,

or your son or daughter,

or the wife you cherish,

or your friend who is as your own soul, …

Deuteronomy 13:6

This verse in its context is discussing how our obedience and allegiance to God supersedes all other relationships, but I pulled it out to show you what it says concerning a friend… a true friend is someone who is as your own soul. A true friend is someone who connects with you in your soul. You know what the other is saying or feeling or needing without having to say a word… and when that friend needs a word you are free to give it. My friend that I shared about before… I don’t have to ask her to pray for me… she just does. When I do ask her to pray, I never worry that she won’t. God has blessed me with several friends like her in the past ten years. There are several women in my life that are my friends and sisters in Christ. They know me. They are as my own soul. If God needs to tell me something and I have not been paying to good attention to Him, He will tell one of these friends, and they will let me know… They are free to check me and speak the truth to me and know that nothing they say in obedience to God will change our friendship.

A true friend is not a friend because you agree with each other on all things, or because you dress alike, act alike, look alike, think alike… a true friend is someone who is your friend in spite of, regardless of, because of all the things that make you different… because what makes you friends is who you are on the deeper level of personhood. It’s a soul to soul thing.

These two were pretty different, but they were friends. They loved. They trusted. They had a connection deeper than outward similarities. You see we may hang around in a group of people because they are just like us… but that doesn’t really make us friends. A true friend is much, much,  more.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

When we look at the Hebrew translation of the word friend in this verse we see that this is actually two completely words…

The first friend, friends, is rea and it means, friend, companion, fellow, another person, intimate, fellow, fellow-citizen, another person (weaker sense), other, another (reciprocal phrase).

The second friend, friend, is ahab and it means, to love, human love for another, human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom, human love for or to God, act of being a friend 

You see we may have lots of companions, we may have a big group around us, and we may think all those fellows around us are with us and there for us… but the truth is they are not. The truth is they could be the very death of us. A true friend , is an ahab. 

If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend

or buy from your friend’s hand,

you shall not wrong one another. 

Leviticus 25:14

Friends are not to wrong one another…

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?

Who may dwell on Your holy hill?

He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,

And speaks truth in his heart.

He does not slander with his tongue,

Nor does evil to his neighbor,

Nor takes up a reproach against his friend

Psalm 15:1-3

…but even if it happens, if you are a true friend then you walk in forgiveness. We see a couple of beautiful pictures of this in Scripture. Let’s jump for a moment into the book of Job.

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.

Job 2:11

If you have ever read the book of Job you know that Job’s friend showed up with full intention to be there for Job… but along the way the visit turned a little sour. Even downright nasty. Job’s friends said some pretty harsh things to him… and ended up hurting him a lot. You would think that God would have given Job the okay to tell all three of them to, hit the road Jack and don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya, but that was not God’s response to the hurt that Job’s friends caused.

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job

when he prayed for his friends,

and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.

Job 42:10

Yep, that’s right. The Lord did not restore Job’s fortune until he had prayed for his friends. You see Job was to be a friend. He was to act like a friend whether his friends did or not… because that’s the way our Philos, our Friend treats us and all others, even when we betray Him.

While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, “Friend,do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

Matthew 26:47-50

Even though Judas came to betray Jesus… Jesus still treated him kindly, He still called him “friend“. He acted like a friend to Judas regardless of the actions of Judas. Judas did not determine the character and actions of Christ. However you must also know that this word friend, spoken to Judas in Matthew 26 is not the same word for friend spoken to the other disciples in John 15:12-17. Judas had already left the gathering when Jesus spoke the words in John 15.

This word for friend is hetairos and it means, a comrade, mate, partner, in kindly address, a clansman.

So what’s the definition of the word for friend in John 15?

This word is philos and it means, friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well, a friend, an associate, he who associates familiarly with one, a companion, one of the bridegroom’s friends who on his behalf asked the hand of the bride and rendered him various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials.

I love this! When Jesus told the disciples that they were His friends, He was also giving them a mission… He was saying you are the Bridegroom’s  friends, you are the friends who on My behalf are to ask the hand of the bride and you are to render Me various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials. Being a friend of Jesus is about being the one who goes out on His behalf and asks the hand of His bride and you know that we become His bride when we become part of His church, and His church is His body, we are of His very own soul and He as ours. When we know Him as Friend we know that He is always our Friend… even if we mess up. However He also acts like a friend, which means He is going to check us up when we need it… but He is never going to wrong us. He is going to be there with us and for us forever, because true friends are friends forever.

Oh precious one do you know Him as Friend?

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You might also enjoy  these posts:

Accountability, Woman to Woman, Love Them To Hell, Hurt By The Church, More On Friendship, The Art of Friendship