Keepers at Home

 

 

Younger women in today's modern church are too busy with their feet running to and fro in order to spend much time in their own homes (Proverbs 7:11). Careers along with raising children and events such as Girls Night Out is the phenomenon that causes much of this.

The Bible advises the "older" women to teach the "younger" how to excel as a keeper at home (Titus 2:4-5). It is definitely a lost art in this contemporary society.

"Apples of Gold" is a wondrous ministry promoting this concept ( http://www.applesofgold.org/home.shtml ) Several years ago, the ladies in our church went through this program with uplifting and lasting results.

The younger women were so grateful to the older ladies who mentored them - giving them skills and wisdom, which their moms were never able to share with them for one reason or another.

There is no Biblical precedent for Girls Nights Out, or Women's Conferences that take up a whole week-end of a wife and mother's time, as well as eating into the family budget to pay for the whole event.

Single women often have the time and financial resources to participate in this type of fellowship with other singles, but married women can avail themselves of the teaching and ministry of their local churches.

Books, Videos and CDs also give us a chance to learn women's related issues on our own or in a local church class. We can even learn Biblical truth by teaching or assisting in a children's class.

Fellowshipping as couples, and even families, promotes strong church ties and deep friendships with spiritual people in every age group. The best way to learn as a couple is in a class where the spouses both hear the same information.

This gives us something to discuss in our private times, opportunities to hold one another accountable for what we learn, and resources that we can research together to teach us to deepen our relationship to one another and to Christ within us both.

The Pastor's Bible studies on Sunday and Wednesday evening are full of Biblical principles for every Believer's life; yet, so few people avail themselves of this rich and valuable opportunity to grow in Christ and to mature spiritually.

Prayer:

Father God, Your plan and desire for women is to love our husband and children, and to make them our priority in our life. You state in Your Word that we can learn to live self-controlled and pure lives; so we will not discredit Your reputation by our words and behavior.

Teach us to manage our homes well and to live as co-heirs with our own husband. Help us to share with him our opinion, wisdom and leading from Your Spirit, but to ultimately submit to his decisions for our family. If he is rebellious against Your Word, we can pray for him to submit to your Word, strengthen our own ties with You, and attempt to find areas where we can agree as a couple.  

Thought for the Day:

There is never a good reason for divorce, because with mutual submission we can always find a third alternative with which we can both thrive as individuals, as a couple and as a family; as keepers at home, we uncover God's fulfilling role for our life.

Do Not Be Deceived

 

The Bible warns us in several passages to be aware of deception (2 Corinthians 11:3). Evil people and impostors will increase, especially in the last days, both being deceived themselves and deceiving others (2 Timothy 3:13). Satan's mission is to deceive millions through his lies, such as humanism and liberalism to mention a few (Revelations 12:9).

Cults prey on people who know very little about Biblical truth. These unwitting people rarely read the Bible, have a private devotion or compare what people say with Biblical Truth (Acts 17:11). Without discernment from God's Spirit, they are easy targets. They accept many a false teacher at face value and are deceived (Matthew 24:4-12).

Satan also uses comedians, commentators, newscasters, bar tenders and the man on the street to cheat people out of a relationship with God. The ungodly fill innocent minds full of human philosophy, empty deceit, vain traditions and the principles of the world, which are the antithesis of Christ's teachings (Colossians 2:8).

However, God made creation as a silent preacher. Nature declares God's eternal power and the invisible attributes of His glory. No one has a real excuse for not believing in God. It is their foolish heart, which darkens their understanding and causes them to think they know the truth, when they actually believe and live a lie (Romans 1: 18-22; Obadiah 1:3; Proverbs 28:26, Jeremiah 17:9).

Prayer:

Father God, You never tempt us to sin. We are drawn away by our own deceptive thoughts and desires. Help us to make the choice to walk away from Satan's fraud, to focus on Jesus and to accept Your eternal gift of Salvation (James 1:12-17; John 3:16-18). Remind us that walking in Your Spirit helps us to live in Your eternal plans for our life (Galatians 5:15-25; Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

If we practice a lifestyle of sin, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God as co-heirs with Christ, because only those who are washed by the blood of the Lamb, justified in our spirit and sanctified in our soul by God's Spirit will have a place in God's eternal Kingdom.

- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 7:21-23

Secular Sources Prove Biblical Truth

 

After thousands of years of research and study, historians, archaeologist, philosophers and scientists are proving that the claims of the Bible, authored by God, are accurate and true. We see obvious confirmations in astronomical, anthropological, archaeological, biological, chemical and geological facts. The Bible is filled with truth, which scientists took thousands of years to discover and are now proving.

Of course, the biggest proof, which Columbus helped to confirm, is that the earth is round and that it is supported by nothing but gravity from the sun (Job 26:7; Isaiah 40:22; Psalm 103:12). Astronomers are proving what the Bible also states: that the stars are innumerable (Jeremiah 33:22; Genesis 22:17), differ in their brilliancy and life span (1 Corinthians 15:41), follow a predictable course, and cluster in constellations and galaxies (Jeremiah 31:35; Job 9:9).

For years, anthropologists debated whether the human race originated from one source. Today, DNA and genetics authenticate what the Bible claimed all along, that we came from one man and one woman (Genesis 3:20; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Acts 17:26). The various races came when God scattered the inhabitants of the known world across the whole earth (Genesis 11:1-9).

Evolution claims that all of life came from a single cell. However, the Bible claims that God created everything “after it’s own kind.” Biology confirmed that blood circulation, complex protein sequences in DNA – which are unique with each individual, fossil records and the lack of proof of evolutionary links in any discovery to date, all substantiate that God created each species as uniquely special (Leviticus 17:11).

The study of geology, with today’s scientific methods, corroborate that fossil records validate the Biblical claim that a catastrophic flood annihilated life and petrified life forms at that time. This confirms scripture found in Ecclesiastes 1:7, Isaiah 55:10, Psalm 8:8 and Genesis 7:11. God gives us accurate predictions of future events, so that we do not fear the future.

Even with all of this proof, human pride resists believing in the Biblical accounts, because they would have to submit to Almighty God. They prefer trusting in human reasoning, even though there are missing links in every human theory (Romans 1:21; 2 Peter 3:5). They believe they are in control of their own destiny, and use limited knowledge to purport their theories as facts. They receive worldwide acclaim for what is nothing more than ignorance of God’s Truth.

False prophets and prognosticators help to dilute God’s truth, because people dismiss the accuracy of Bible prophecy due to suppositions by sources such as the Mayans and Nostradamus. Yet, just in the book of Daniel we see the perfect prediction of the course of Middle Eastern society for five entire centuries (Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 11:2-4). God’s Word is Truth and we can stake our life on it.

Prayer:

Father God, You love us so much, and understand our human penchant to need to see proof so well, that You gave us the Bible full of facts and figures to convince even the most uneducated person that Your Word is Truth. Yet, people continue to allow Satan’s lies to distract them from believing in You for their salvation (2 Timothy 4:4). In the end, even the most hardened skeptic will bow their knee to King Jesus, even those who condemn themselves to hell by their unbelief (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10; John 3:18)

Thought for the Day:

Biblical truth has been verified continuously over the years by every historic, archaeological, philosophical and scientific discovery made by mankind. – Isaiah 41:21-23, 48:3-5

For more information on the proof of the veracity of God’s Word see: https://answersingenesis.org/

God is on Our Side

God became to the earth as Emmanuel and redeemed everyone humble enough to trust in His name. We live by faith in Jesus and according to His living Word. Tribulation, trials and persecution occur in everyone’s life. The difference between a Believer and unbeliever is that God is on our side! He wants to reconcile and bless everyone who calls on His name (Revelation 22:17).

If we are persecuted for Christ’s sake, He rewards us both now and in eternity (Hebrews 11:26). Those who persecute us are probably under conviction. They hate us because we remind them of their need to surrender to God. Our stance on Biblical Truth judges their actions and they blame us rather than repent. They turn against us, but they are actually rejecting Jesus, not us.

Satan uses our negative emotions, such as anxiety, grief and lust, to draw us away from God’s chosen path for our life (2 Timothy 3:12). We get so wrapped up in our circumstances that we neglect God. We lose our focus and our peace at the same time (Isaiah 26:3). In case you had not noticed, God did not die and leave you in charge.

You cannot possibly fulfill every perfectionist goal you create nor can you save the world single-handedly. Living as a martyr does not impress God or anyone else. You can never twist God’s arm in order to force Him to do your will. God holds all the cards, has all the world’s resources at His disposal. He does not need us at all.

Our only hope for a fulfilled life is to return to our first love (Revelation 2:4). Tribulation helps us to straighten out our priorities and to put Jesus first in our life. Rather than resist the trials God brings your way, look for God in the midst of them. He may have a message for you in them, a miracle for you at the end of them, or time to spend alone with Him through them. He loves us and has a perfect plan for our life. 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to resist Satan’s temptation to pull us away from full devotion to You. Reveal to us the lies Satan uses to keep us under his bondage. Obliterate his deception with Your truth. Forgive us for putting other people, places and things ahead of You in our life. We know that You do not need us, but we thank You for caring about us so much.

Thought for the Day:

The question is not if God is on our side, but if we are on His side. Repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ and be saved. – Acts 16:31

Pursuing Holiness

God sees us from an eternal perspective. He already gave each Believer everything we need for a Godly life. His promises secure for us the divine nature of Christ dwelling within us (2 Peter 1:3-4). Our carnal nature is crucified with Christ, and now He lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20). Our humanity died and we are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4). The fruit of God’s Spirit are part of that divine nature, which works within us.

It is humorous to me when Born Again Believers pray to ask God for more patience, joy, love, self-control, holiness, faith, and kindness. The Holy Spirit dwells within each authentic Believer and these characteristics are His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). We possess every one of them already. We just do not always walk in them. When we feed our flesh, these fruit shrivel up; but when we live in the Spirit, we naturally exhibit them to the world around us (Galatians 5:16-25).

As we stop to pray each moment of our day, the Holy Spirit leads us in the works, which God created for us to do before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). We live in Biblical truth and encourage one another to walk in holiness. We do not support selfish corruption in one another or excuse sin. Instead, we exhort one another to pursue holiness and not to allow the deceitfulness of sin to harden us with pride and rebellion (Hebrews 3:13).

Jesus suffered humiliation and the overwhelming pain of crucifixion in our place. The least we can do is to walk in the holiness He made possible for us. A lady told me, "I hid in the church from the world; and I was holier than a nun; but now I have a balance in my life. Everybody sins and my sins are no worse than anyone else's." This makes me so sad, because she is crucifying again the Son of God (Hebrews 6:6). God’s goal for us is perfection, not mediocrity (Matthew 5:48).

Jesus calls us to live a holy and blameless life. If we refuse to do this, we are slapping Him in the face, spitting at Him, scourging Him and publicly crucifying Him all over again. We hold Him up for repeated public disgrace by our shameful behavior (Hebrews 6:6). When we live in rebellion and sin, we also hurt our eternal standing with God. He holds us accountable for our works and only rewards us for walking in His righteousness (Matthew 12:36).

Prayer:

Father God, the world, the devil and our flesh will daily deceive us and tempt us to walk in sin. However, those who are Born Again will never practice sin as a lifestyle (1 John 3:4-10). Your Holy Spirit within us, convicts us and holds us accountable to Your Truth. As we walk in Your Word, our faith matures and we live closer and closer to You and further away from sin and destruction. We fully commit our body, soul and spirit to You, in order to live according to Your Word (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Thought for the Day:

An existence filled with fulfillment and peace comes only to those who totally commit to and surrender their life to Christ. - Psalm 31:5

Errors in the Bible

Many Bible critics and God-Haters today insist that there are innumerable errors in the Bible. My husband even discovered a book with this title. It held 101 areas where the author was convinced that the Bible contained errors. When my husband researched each of the author’s claims, he determined that the writer either took a verse out of its context, did not understand the customs of the era written about in that verse, failed to read the words in their spiritual context or did not interpret the passage literally.

The miracle of the Bible is that about forty different authors, living over a period of thousands of years, and most having never met one another, consistently wrote similar, if not exact thoughts, facts and predictions, many of which had not yet occurred. Jesus fulfilled many of these prophecies with His birth, death, resurrection and ascension. We see many other verses coming to pass during our generation. There are also many, which are still awaiting fulfillment. Books such Kings and Chronicles describe identical events differently, yet they never contradict one another. Science, history and archeology are constantly proving the veracity of Biblical Truth.

For instance, the Bible stated that the shape of the earth was round years before Columbus ever disproved that the earth was flat by sailing to the new world. Scholars formerly insisted that Moses did not write the Pentateuch, because he lived before writing was used. Later study proved that writing existed thousands of years prior to Moses. Scholars also claimed that the Biblical Hittite nation was fictional, until a library in Turkey proved that this nation actually existed. What these cynics fail to admit is that they could be wrong about other so-called “errors” in the Bible too.

Supposedly educated men and women assume that the Bible is scattered with inaccuracies without ever giving themselves a chance to prove it is true. People such as Josh McDowell embarked on a journey to gain the fame of proving the Bible as false, only to end up proving it is true (www.josh.org). Jesus quoted parts of the Old Testament throughout His life on earth. He even claimed that every letter and stroke of the Bible would never pass away (Matthew 5:18). God’s Word is perfect and living (Psalm 19:7; Hebrews 4:12). It also brings conviction of sin, which causes people to hate its truth (John 3:20).

Some people claim the Bible has errors, because they fail to understand the complexity of Biblical principles. For instance, Salvation is comprised of Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. If a scholar does not understand this concept, they may see many supposed errors in the Bible. Another such controversy is the description by John in Revelation of end time events. He described them to the best of his ability, using his knowledge of the world in his day and time. Yet, people claim revelation is merely a fantasy and will never come to pass. Many people will be very surprised when it does!

Another aspect that causes skeptical scholars to strain at a gnat is when they assume that every word in the Bible is to be imitated and taken at face value. Every word is actually accurate and true. However, the Bible in many places records lies, incest, murder, false beliefs, etc. These words are inspired, but not to be taken as a license for immoral behavior. The Bible was written in the language and genre at the time in which its authors lived and were inspired. Although it is not in modern vernacular or identical to our standards of measurement, etc, it is still relevant for today.

Poetic license is often utilized throughout the Bible too. God never sleeps, but the Bible poetically refers to Him as awakening. Describing God as having wings under which we find refuge is an object lesson instead of an exact representation of God, because He is a Spirit and has no wings. Jesus is the bodily form of God. Even some numbers, such as ages and dates, may be incorrect in some copied manuscripts when compared to original manuscripts, but the message of the passage is the same.

When God gives directives to diverse Biblical people groups at differing time frames, the wording is not always verbatim, but the general messages are not contradictory. For instance, a blood sacrifice of an animal was used in the Old Testament era to pay for sins. Once Jesus came, this is no longer necessary. Another controversy is the demise of Judas. Matthew and Luke’s accounts are describing two separate aspects of his death. Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach issues, not because he condoned drinking, but because Timothy was not putting any wine in the local water to purify it.

Some Bible opponents dispute the fact that some Old Testament verses quoted in the New Testament are not word for word. However, the gist is the same in both scriptures. Another instance doubters quibble over is that Matthew and John disagree on how many angels were at the tomb of Christ. The fact is that Matthew speaking about one angel does not negate the fact that there may have been another angel there as well. The Bible was not written to be dissected and scrutinized according to our modern logic. The Bible was written so that we might be introduced to Jesus and to experience eternal life.

Prayer:

Father God, why does mankind insist upon filtering Your infinite Truth through finite minds. They act like you gave us the Bible to hurt us, when you actually provided it for our comfort and inspiration, as well as to guide us in a manner of living that will produce blessings for us and prevent us from reaping the negative fruit of carnal behavior. We put our trust in You and we believe in Your Truth.

Thought for the Day:

The Bible was given so that we would not be discouraged in this world full of tribulation, and we would have hope in this life as well as in the next.






Thank you, Peter DeHart, for the use of your photo.

Love Never Fails

Read: I Corinthians 13:4-8

“For God has said, ‘I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.’ 6 That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, "The Lord is my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.’ ”  - Heb 13:5-6 (TLB)

Trying to live in a constant state of perfectionism used to drive me in circles. Thankfully, I learned that God is love (I Corinthians 13: 4-8), and that His love covers a multitude of my sins. I do not have to be perfect in order to receive His love. Now, I can loosen up on myself and everyone else. His character includes patience and kindness; and though we fail, He never thinks evil of us. He takes no pleasure in disciplining us; but He is always faithful to discipline all of His children in order to bring us back to His straight and narrow road.

He bears with us, comforts us and embraces us in His everlasting arms. He rejoices when we walk in His truth and when we speak His truth to others and to ourselves. He believes we can do all things through Christ, His Son. Jesus endured the cross to ensure that we will never utterly fail. Now, Jesus lives within us by His Spirit, providing all the power of the entire triune Godhead for us to utilize as we need His help with a task, guidance to walk in His will, and protection to keep us safe.

These promises inspire assurance in my heart. I may make mistakes, but God’s love is not contingent upon my works. He calls us to reach for perfection, but He knows without His grace this goal is impossible. God created us as human beings, and He has the patience to wait as our character grows through the encouragement of His love. Therefore, I can do my best and leave the rest up to Him.

Prayer:

Lord, when I give in to Satan’s temptation to give up on myself, remind me that You are in my corner believing in my success. Help me to read Your Word, to delight in each thought it reveals, to allow it to divide between my flesh and my spirit in order to make me holy, and help me to share Your Truth with everyone I meet.

Thought for the Day:

God loves our humanity, because He made us as mere mortals!

Unbelief and Reconciliation

Read: Romans 5:8-10

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18

My ultimate joy as a human being is that I benefit from a personal relationship with the Living God of the Universe on a daily basis; a relationship where I walk in intimate fellowship with Him every moment of every day. Sin can separate me from His cherished companionship, but restoration is only a humbled prayer away.

We start out in life as enemies of God. Then, we are reconciled to Him by believing in the saving grace of salvation through the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross (Colossians 1:20). We are not only reconciled to God through Christ’s death, but we are also saved through His life! (Romans 5:10)

After walking with God for a few years, we stop noticing his daily provision and protection on our life. We take Him for granted and find less time to spend time with Him or to seek His will. So often we get an idea in our mind and run with it. We go from one worldly pursuit to the next, collecting human accolades and storing up treasure on this earth. We listen to our heart and follow its lead, but the heart is deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).

We eventually find our feet far from the path that Christ designed for our life. We suddenly discover that we are walking in disobedience and completely out of His will. Every sin is spawned from one major offense - the sin of unbelief. Unbelief keeps us out of the Kingdom of God on earth and prevents us from enjoying eternity with God in Heaven (John 3:16-18). Humbling ourselves, repenting and returning to Him are the only way out of this dilemma (Isaiah 55:7). He is waiting to forgive you, because He loves you unconditionally.

Once we return to Him and believe in the truths of His Word, He restores us to fellowship with Him (Romans 10:17). We inherit an unbelieving heart from Adam and Eve, but we acquire saving faith through Jesus Christ. He presents us holy in His sight, without blemish and free from any accusation that would condemn us for eternity (Colossians 1:22). This assurance works in our hearts and transforms us from children of darkness into children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Then God launches us into the ministry of reconciliation, to bring this same Good News to all of those, which He places in our lives (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Prayer:

Lord, help me to share Your plan of salvation with everyone I meet each day. Give me Your courage, wisdom and words to lead souls to faith in You. Keep me on a straight path, because of my enemies (Psalm 27:11); and surround me with your angels, so that I will not stumble (Psalm 91:11).

Thought for the Day:

When we were enemies of God, Christ reconciled us to the Father through His death.

Live and Let Live

Read: Matthew 7:13-14

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

Up until my first year of college, I lived by the philosophy, "Judge not, or you will be judged." I did not want anyone stepping on my toes, because it always hurt. I just wanted to survive in a laissez-faire, non-judgmental existence. I believed that everyone who lived a good life would go to heaven. Many "religious" teachers supported my views, but what I did not realize is that Biblical truth did not sustain this belief system.

Thankfully, I learned that there is only one name under heaven by which we can be saved - Jesus Christ. When I accepted His forgiveness for my sins, I stopped traveling down the broad road of pious lies. I entered the narrow gate of His truth and started loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). I developed my personal relationship with our living Lord. Now, I get so excited when I realize that eventually even the skeptics will one day recognize His Lordship and bow at His name (Philippians 2:9-11).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to lift You up to the highest place in my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Give me the ability to communicate Your truth to the lost and dying world all around me, while there is still time for them to hear and to believe.

Thought for the Day:
Eternal life only comes to us through faith in the name, which is above all other names - the name of Jesus Christ.