Another Day... Thank God for His Goodness and His Love!

The words of my last posting have meant so much more to me this week than I would have imagined. On Tuesday my Dad's cousin's wife Dorothy passed away (her husband died in 2002). On Thursday I found out the father of my best friend when I was growing up passed away the previous Friday. Then I received an email that an older friend that I haven't seen in about 20 years passed away on Thursday.

While attempting to let my aunt know about Dorothy, she told me that my uncle who just celebrated his 80th birthday has kidney failure and has refused dialysis. The doctor doesn't recommend dialysis because he said he is not sure my uncle's body is strong enough. We visited Uncle Del today. He knew who we are, but he was very tired. Please keep him and the family in your prayers.

I have been trying to be diligent to read first thing in the morning for about 5 months now. Before that, sometimes days would go by before I remembered to read. Then in May I went to a Christian Women's Day in Indianapolis. I got so blessed by the teachings - it was incredible!

One reason I read the Bible every morning is so that the Word is fresh in my mind every day. Recently I failed to read my bible the first thing in the morning. Later in the day things started bothering me. Then I remembered that I hadn't read. I stopped what I was doing, went to my room, and read. What a difference it made!

Tomorrow is a new day wherein we can praise God for His loving-kindness and tender mercies. Let's endeavor to keep God first in our hearts and in our minds and live the kind of life that God desires for us.

Remember to be thankful for God's goodness and God's love! God Bless You :)

Husbands & Wives

Today is Danny & Heather's 1st Anniversary and in light of that fact, I have been thinking about what God says in His Word.

The Bible says in 1Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything gives thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Being thankful is one of the greatest keys to remember.

In Ephesians 5:20, God tells us through the Apostle Paul,

5:20

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

5:21

Submitting yourselves (1) to arrange under, to subordinate; 2) to subject, put in subjection; 3) to subject one's self, obey; 4) to submit to one's control; 5) to yield to one's admonition or advice; and 6) to obey, be subject) one to another (one another, reciprocally, mutually) in the fear of God.

5:22

Wives, submit (same as above) yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

5:24

Therefore as the church is subject (same as "submit" above) unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

5:25

Husbands, love (to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly) your wives, even as Christ also loved (to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly) the church, and gave himself for it;

5:26

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

5:27

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

5:28

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (love-loveth - to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly)

5:29

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth (1) to nourish up to maturity, to nourish; and 2) to nurture, bring up) and cherisheth (1) to warm, keep warm; and 2) to cherish with tender love, to foster with tender care) it, even as the Lord the church:

5:30

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

5:31

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

5:32

This is a great mystery (a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding): but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

5:33

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love (to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly) his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence (to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience) her husband.

I think it is interesting to note that it should not be a difficult thing for the wife to submit to her own husband. In Ephesians 5:21, if we are obeying God, then we are already "submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God." And it should not be a difficult thing for the husband to love the wife because in Ephesians 5:25 it says, "even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it." And we know how much Christ loved and how much he gave up when he laid down his llife for each of us.

As the years go on, the bad times are forgotten and only the good times remain in our memories - if we let them. Philippians 3:13 tells us a lot of interesting things about Paul.

3:13

Brethern, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

3:14

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul had done a lot of things that he was not proud of, i.e. persecuting the church and killing the Christians, and it was all because he was zealous of the traditions of the Jews' religion. (Sound like something we will be watching this next Saturday night? LOL [Denise and Deborah were in "Fiddler on the Roof" at HU on July 25, 2009]) Anyway, he forgot the things that were in his past and he believed God to forgive him and he pressed on and taught the accuracy of the word that he was taught after being born-again. He had to do the forgetting and the pressing on. We have to do the same. It is an everyday, every hour, minute by minute walk with God.

Remember to be thankful for God's goodness and for God's love.

June 25, 2009

Today is a new day. I have been reading in 2 Kings this week. I started reading in Judges as a result of my wanting to study women of the Bible. Then I read Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and then 1 Kings. It has been an interesting ride.

I am amazed at how many times God delivers Israel. Deuteronomy 28 plainly spells it out that Israel was to follow God and if they failed to "hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statues which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee." (Deut. 28:15). In the next 52 verses, the Bible lists the many plagues that would come upon the children of Israel for their disobedience.

Many times the Bible says that "Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord" and served Baalim or were delivered into the hands of a foreign king. Then "Israel cried unto the LORD" and God would hear their cry and deliver them. What a merciful God they had, and they weren't even sons!

Today we have the privilege of being Sons Of God With All Power (SOGWAP). God is the same God today that He was during the times that the Bible was recorded (Malachi 3:6). How much more we have than they! Our God gives mercy which means that He withholds due punishment. Our God gives grace which means that He gives us what we do not deserve.

Praise God for His goodness and His love.