Reflections in The WORD

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When it’s Time for a Change

“And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in…” ~ Deuteronomy 6:23

There are times when God wants to do a new thing in our lives. To do this new thing God faces three challenges.

First, He has to get us out of the old place and that is not easy because we love the security of where we are. God, therefore, has to blast us out of the old place. That can happen in many ways. We could be fired, or we may just know in our knower that it is time to make a change. The call of God is often made up of a pull from the front and a boot from the rear. That can happen when God wants to do His new thing in our lives.

The second challenge God faces is that He has to keep us going so He might pull us through the transition time between the old place and the new place to which He is leading us. Transition times can be very difficult! The verse above describes the way God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt that He might bring them into the Promised Land. Their transition time involved crossing a desert, which should have taken eleven days. They went around in circles for forty years! That was a very difficult transition time for them.

The third challenge God faces is that He has to make us right so He can settle us into the new place He has for us. They circled that desert because they did not have the faith to invade the land of Canaan. When God wants to do His new thing in our life, do we go around in circles because we do not have the faith to enter into the new place to which God is leading us?

Therefore, when we begin to realize what God is trying to do in our life it would be helpful to us if we would give God a little cooperation.

Adapted from “When it is time For a Change” by Dick Woodward.

Admission into the Kingdom

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“⁹ And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. ¹⁰ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? ¹² But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. ¹³ But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ~ Matthew 9:9-13 (Also in Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32)

NOTES

No Healing for the Healthy, Salvation is for the Sick
Sacrifice brings Status, Mercy yields Salvation

CHORDS

In the first part of this study, lessons about the qualifications (view of self, view of others and view of Jesus) needed for the Kingdom of God were considered from Jesus’ healing of the man with the palsy (Matthew 9:2-8). Now, this second part of the study explores what can be learned about ADMISSION into the Kingdom of God from Jesus’ ‘party with the publicans’ (Matthew 9:9-13).

The Gospel tells us that Jesus called a tax collector (publican) named Matthew (a.k.a. Levi) to follow Him, to become one of His disciples. Jesus then went to Matthew’s home to have a meal and while there many of Matthew’s fellow publicans and other sinners join them. When the Pharisees heard about the ‘party with the publicans’ they confronted Jesus’ disciples about His willingness to associate with such outcasts.

Central to their complaint is the notion that God (and, therefore, the people of God) only reaches out to the righteous and never reaches out to the unrighteous. Moreover, the implication of this philosophy is that a person must first make themselves acceptable (righteous) before God will associate with them.

Jesus responded to their criticism by clarifying the process of gaining admission into the Kingdom of God. First, Jesus explains that only those with the ticket of sin-sickness can enter. And, second, that it is mercy, not sacrifice, that opens the door.

Salvation is for the Sick

…Jesus… saith… “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick…” (Mark 2:17a)

When Jesus told the Pharisees that only the sick needed a physician, He was challenging the very foundation of their understanding of God. If they were already righteous then they did not need The Messiah; they would have already have had full access to God. However, the need for a Messiah (a messenger and a mediator from God) was uncontestable because the Scriptures declared it repeatedly, e.g.:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. ~ Isaiah 9:6-7a

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation. ~ Zechariah 9:9a

In addition, the Pharisees would (or should) have been acutely aware that there had been no message from the LORD (through a genuine prophet) since Malachi: a period of about 400 years. In other words, God hadn’t spoken to them for 400 years, whether they deemed themselves righteous (whole) or not. Despite all their sacrifices, despite their legalism and despite their scholarship, God had ceased to communicate with them as a people. Clearly, the Pharisees, inasmuch as they considered themselves righteous, were living in denial.

Conversely, the publicans were under no such illusion. They were outcasts and reminded of their sinful state daily. Publicans were Jewish tax collectors for the oppressive Roman government. Roman taxes were already burdensome and the publicans (typically) made the burden heavier by cheating: making themselves wealthy off the backs of their fellow Jewish brothers. And there was nothing the Jews could do about it, as the publicans were protected by a detail of Roman soldiers.

For their treachery and thievery, publicans were excommunicated from worship in both the temple and the synagogues and socially ostracized. Publicans could not testify in court. They were not allowed to offer any sacrifice for their sins. It was shameful for a Jew just to look into the eyes of a publican. Consequently, there was no way for a publican to get back into the good graces of Jewish society or with God.

The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. (Psalm 147:2-3)

Their lives were without hope of atonement. They were reminded daily of their unworthiness. They knew they were sinful and they were without hope of ever have the stain of sin washed away.

Make no mistake, publicans were not the best of men, they were complicit in their fate: they chose their profession. However, the religious establishment had slammed the door on them and they could not turn back, even if they wanted to. They needed help.

The application for us is twofold. First, we must reject the notion that we can make ourselves acceptable to God. This idea permeates human society: people commonly believe that if they are good enough (as they define goodness), if they do the right things, live a clean life, that there is no way that God can reject them. However, Scripture makes it clear that we don’t come to The Almighty God on our own terms,

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ~ John 14:6

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ~ Acts 4:12

And that our best efforts at righteousness are no more that excrement-stained garbage before The One Holy God.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. ~ Isaiah 64:6-7

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. ~ Romans 3:10

Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest; Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Lamentations 5:5; Matthew 11:28)

No matter how hard we try, we cannot make ourselves acceptable to God.

The second application is that we must adopt the mindset of the publicans. If we can’t make ourselves worthy, then we are in the same boat as the publicans. That is, we too have no self-made path back to God after we have sinned against Him. If the sacrifices of the Pharisees didn’t work, then they were no better than the publicans. Indeed, the publicans had an advantage over the Pharisees: they knew they needed a Saviour!

Jesus challenged the Pharisees and he challenges us to adopt that mindset, to recognize our sinful state and the hopelessness of sacrifices to reunite us to God.

The Pharisees’ mindset led them to look to self for salvation, whereas the publicans’ mindset led them to look to God for salvation. The publicans, therefore, could enter into the kingdom of God because the Love of God gets us into the Kingdom, not the Letter of Law.

Jesus, however gave both the Pharisees and the publicans hope. If you were sin-sick, there was a doctor, a Balm in Gilead, that could heal the sin-sick soul. If we recognize our sin and our need for The Saviour we have all we need to be admitted into the Kingdom of God: Salvation is for the sick. Hallelujah!

If Salvation is a Door, Mercy is the Doorkeeper

After challenging the foundations of Pharisaic philosophy, Jesus, the Good Teacher, gives them a homework assignment to reinforce His lesson and expand the scope of their understanding: he told them to “…go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mathew 9:13).

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved… (John 10:9a)

Jesus wanted the Pharisees to learn, to understand that sacrifice would never get them right with God. There was no sacrifice good enough. Indeed, as ‘scholars’ of the Scripture they should have already been aware of this truth:

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. ~ Psalm 34:18

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. ~ Psalm 51:16-17

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. ~ Isaiah 57:15

…saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. ~ Isaiah 66:2b

Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? ~ Micah 6:6-8

It is mercy, God’s mercy, that makes Salvation available. Mercy opens the door of Salvation to let us into the Kingdom of God.

Sacrifices, in various forms, gave Pharisees great status in Jewish society: they were respected as the most pious of Jews. And they made sure everyone knew just how pious they were (Matthew 6:1-2, 23:1-7, Luke 18:9-12). But sacrifices make no impression with God.

On the other hand, the publicans, those who believed in and feared God, had nowhere else to turn. They couldn’t offer sacrifices, even if they wanted to. Their ONLY hope was that God would have mercy on them.

Likewise, until we get to the point where we recognize that nothing we do will earn us salvation, that human effort is not enough, we will never receive the gift of Salvation; we, like some Pharisees, will never enter into the Kingdom of God. For God will have mercy, only mercy, as His doorkeeper to His Kingdom.

A Prescription for Failure

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“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” ~ Psalm 23:3

Failure is one of the most feared and dreaded experiences in life. The fear of failure drives millions of people all day long, every day. There are many ways to fail. We can fail in our work, in our marriage or as parents. We can fail personally by feeling we’re not living up to our expectations or our potential. We can fail morally. When we fail what do we do about it?

The third verse of this psalm gives us a prescription for failure. David knew what it was to fail. When he needed a restoration he tells us how his Shepherd restored him when he wrote “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” He had already written that his Shepherd leads him to still waters. When he uses the word “lead” for the second time he uses a Hebrew word that means his Shepherd “drives” him into the paths of righteousness.

Rehabilitation means, “to invest again with dignity.” David is telling us that when we need restoration we should not seek a cheap or an easy path. He implied that his restoration was a matter of being driven into the paths of righteousness for some time—perhaps even for years. David’s Shepherd used those paths of righteousness to restore his soul or to give him an opportunity to invest again with dignity.

By application, when we fail and need restoration, we too must let the great Shepherd lead us into the paths of righteousness that will truly restore our souls.

Adapted from A Prescription for Failure by Dick Woodward.

Faith: More than meets the Eye

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We live in an incredibly noisy world. We’re bombarded from all sides by ideas, pressures, and cultural demands that vie for our time and energy. Especially in this information age where we have virtually endless venues for absorbing ideas and information ranging from fascinating to ludicrous.

We idolize information, touting knowledge as a neutral pedestal upon which human intellectual superiority is displayed for all to admire. Experts from varieties of lifestyles and scientific disciplines climb aboard solemnly to expound the realities of our world, infusing their delivery with the underlying insinuation that you ignore them at your own peril. Most of us, either out of habit or conviction, accept the wisdom passed down to us with awe and gratitude, tucking the newest bit of info away for future use, secure in our place as the masters of our universe.

So, what do we do when that information contradicts things of faith?

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:27

It’s hard to step back and realize that the pedestal of human intellect is built on shaky ground. As compelling as the scientific arguments are, the simple fact of the matter is that human wisdom is built on human fallibility – our biases, our experiences, our self-focused needs. The experts, while highly intelligent, are still subject to error, especially when it comes to the interpretation of data: an idea that certainly goes against the grain of everything the world says — and with good reason. The world, or rather the demonic prince thereof, has a vested interest in keeping us our eyes firmly planted on that which we can see, rather than exploring beyond where science and human wisdom can go.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not the ignorance of reality; it is the entrance into a reality that the world cannot begin to see.

“…Be admonished: of making many books there is no end” ~ Eccles. 12:12a

Children see the world in ways that adults do not; just like children, we of faith allow God to alter our vision in order to see Him. I liken this to the 3-D pictures that were popular a while back. At first glimpse, it appears as a beautiful but incomprehensible mess . There is form and structure, but no focal point to give it purpose. But, when you take the time to alter the way your eyes focus, suddenly a figure leaps forth with depth and clarity. So long as your eyes are adjusted to see the 3-D image, the picture makes sense; once you lose focus, it’s back to a flat, confusingly psychedelic image.

When we engage in faith, our understanding is adjusted by God to see that there is more to this world than meets the eye. Yes, there is the reality of the physical world in which we live, but on its own it’s little more than a glorious mess, with beauty but without purpose. Once we suspend the belief that that’s all there can be, and look in faith to the Creator of the heavens, we see the purpose and direction in which it’s all headed. Faith gives the world in which we live depth and life.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. ~ Ephesians 2:8

It is by faith that we are saved. Faith is the means by which even the prophets of old pleased God (Hebrews 11:2); nowhere in the Bible will you find God condemning anyone for having too much faith. But godly faith is not an empty hoping, like putting a wish under your pillow and really wanting it to come true.

Faith never forgets that we live in a real world with real problems. It knows that sometimes prayer will be answered with “No;” that, sometimes, good intentions will be rebuked for having been done in disobedience; and that a real God is not bound by our requests but rather works ALL things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose.

Faith knows that trials will come, but that our God is greater than those trials and will not only bless us through them but will walk beside us every step of the way.

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience; that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. ~ Hebrews 10:35-36

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” ~ 1 Corinthians 1:27

Faith is not something we possess in and of ourselves; it is first, and foremost, a gift from God. It is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), a divine enabling to be close to God when our natural desire is to be as far away from Him as possible. Because it comes from God, faith can endure what we in our humanness cannot. In the ancient kingdom of Babylon, when Israelite captives Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were confronted with being burned alive for not worshiping the national idol, they declared:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. ~ Daniel 3:17-18

They had absolute faith in God’s ability to defend them in their obedience; but even if He had chosen to let them die in the fire, that faith was enough to sustain them. They stood their ground, even before a furious King Nebuchadnezzar, even when the furnace was stoked to hot that it killed the guards who threw them in — and their faith was rewarded with a once-in-history chance to walk with the Son of God in the flames.

In our humanness, it’s easy to be discouraged by the world, to lose focus, to stare in dismay at the grand idol of intellect on its awesome pedestal and feel helpless. But we serve a greater God, who does not stand imperiously upon the heights staring down at the feeble unwashed masses; He came down and walked among us, He knew our struggles and our pain, He took our burdens to the cross and nailed them there with His own blood. He does not disdain the weak of understanding, but rather gives us eyes to understand what intellect can never discover.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. ~ Mark 19: 23-24

Contributed by Joelle Heilemann

Access to Grace

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“…we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;…” ~ Romans 5:3

Rejoice in your sufferings, knowing what? In the fifth chapter of his letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul begins by writing that God has given us access, by faith, into grace that makes it possible for us to stand for Christ in this world and live a life that glorifies God.

Imagine how it must make God feel when He has given us access to all the grace we need to live for Christ in this world and we never access that grace. According to Paul, because God loves us He permits suffering to enter our lives that we cannot bear without drawing on this grace we can access by faith.

Paul writes that as we receive the grace to endure our suffering God produces mature Christ-like character in our lives such as perseverance. When you ask the question, “How does an orange get to be an orange?” The answer is “By hanging in there.” That is the essence of the meaning of this character trait of perseverance.

When some followers of Christ find themselves suffering, their immediate response is “Lord, deliver me from this, immediately!” He can and sometimes He does. But He often does not. When He does not, it may be because it is His will to grow spiritual character in the life of His follower. When that is what God is doing Paul is telling us we should rejoice in our sufferings, access grace by faith, and then grow spiritually.

Adapted from Access to Grace by Dick Woodward.

Triumph Through Trials

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‎”My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” ~ James 1:2-3

Trials in life are certainly not desirable! They are not comfortable, they may cause us pain and inconvenience, but when they are brought by God into our lives there is most definitely something He wants us to learn from them! So the quicker we learn it, the sooner the “lesson” is complete; and we move on to the next one and so on and so forth, thus making us spiritually mature in Christ Jesus.

This whole process that God takes us through has the effect of molding us more and more into the image of Christ, so we certainly should “count it all joy” to be becoming more and more like our precious Savior!

However, God is not just helping us to grow when we experience trials and troubles in life; the unsaved around us are closely watching how we react to these problems we are faced with. Do we murmur and complain, or rage and shake our fist at God saying “Why me?!?!” That is how the world would handle troubles. God forbid that any child of God should act in such a way! But, sometimes we feel that way, don’t we? This is when we have to do what SHOULD come naturally to us, but sometimes doesn’t, and we must TRUST God with not just our hearts but our actions!

The Holy Spirit within us will enable us to persevere and even be joyful in these perilous times! We need to exercise self-control and patience, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still on His throne and still very much in charge of every single thing that touches our lives!! He will never leave us or forsake us!! Praise His Holy Name!!

Contributed by Mary Heuss Nelson

The Unconditional Love of God

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“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” ~ Psalm 23:6

The reality that God loves us unconditionally is often described in the Bible by one word: “MERCY”. This word is found 366 times in the Bible – that’s one for every day of the year, and it even includes leap year – because God knows we need His mercy every day. 280 of these references to the mercy of God are found in the Old Testament.

My favorite is the last verse of the 23rd Psalm where David wrote: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Hebrew scholars tell us that the word “follow” could be translated “pursue.” This means that David believed the unconditional love of God pursued him all the days of his life. What a dynamic truth. God not only loves us unconditionally, He pursues us with His unconditional love all the days of our lives.

Does that mean He loves us when He is cutting us back or chastening us? Absolutely! The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that if He did not chasten us we would be like illegitimate children and not His sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:5-11). Chastening confirms the reality that He loves us.

When we are experiencing one of those cutbacks, rather than thinking that He does not love us anymore, the opposite may be true: He is pursuing us with His unconditional love.

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. ~ Psalm 86:5

Adapted from The Unconditional Love of God by Dick Woodward.

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SAVED, SANCTIFIED and SINGLE: When God’s Plan Excludes Marriage

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“His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.” ~ Matthew 19: 10-11

Once upon a time, I had real difficulty with verses like this. I was your typical American girl, raised on stories of fairy tale princes who would someday sweep me off my feet and carry me to their castle far, far away to live happily ever after. Armed with a bevy of movies and books on the subject, I knew that no matter what happened to me in life I wanted to be in on this falling-in-love thing. I promised God anything He wanted, as long as it involved a good-looking guy with perfect manners and a stunning diamond ring just waiting in his back pocket for me and only me.

I was homeschooled through high school, so once college came around it was on. While outwardly I rolled my eyes at the girls who were working hard for their MRS Degree and plugged away in proper feminist-age zeal at my chosen field of study, inwardly, I wanted nothing to do with a career and everything to do with a guy who would let me stay home and be the wife. There really wasn’t much to stand in the way that I could see – I was young, I was cute, I was a darn good cook. In no time The Guy would find me and our lives of wedded bliss would ensue.

When I left college, it was with a nursing a degree and without a ring. Sure, there had been a couple of Mr. Wrongs in there, and several Never-Gonna-Happen-So-Don’t-Even-Asks, but The Guy had somehow not surfaced. I came home feeling like a failure instead of a success. College was where the guys were; how was I supposed to find Mr Right now? Or rather, how was he supposed to find me? I quelled the nervous quivers of doubt and moved into my career and my local church, determined not to be dismayed. After all, there were singles at church. I just had to have faith.

So when a single man at church (finally!) noticed me, in my eyes he was practically perfect: good-looking, hard-working, a Christian ‘good ole boy’ with a savings account and a nice car. OK, so he lived with his parents: but he had good reasons for that. Alright, he was 30 and had never married or really had a long-term relationship: that’s because he’d been waiting for me. Convinced I was on the verge of being rewarded for my patience, I shut my eyes and dove in heart first. Way too late I realized that his heart had stayed in the kiddie pool while I was paddling in the deep end, and I finally had to face something I had avoided my whole life:

I was never going to get married. No amount of wanting it on my end would make it happen, no amount of trying could undo this truth. I was simply not ever going to get married.

Maybe it sounds like I gave up to soon, but to be brutally honest, I saw it coming. I turned the radio up in my head to drown out the hints along the way that I was destined for something different: that sense of relief every time a relationship ended, those Scriptures that talk about dying to your own plans in life and not trying to make bargains with the God of the Universe. And mostly, that quiet but distinct voice I remembered from childhood, every time I presented my demands to God. Like clockwork, every time my head said “When I get married…” my heart whispered “Not married… Not alone, but not married.”

Funny thing is, once I embraced God’s plan for my life, I couldn’t figure out why I’d fought it for so long. Even amidst the pain of loss, I was so happy: contented, at peace, relieved. The pressure to go against what was best for me was gone, and my entire soul rejoiced. I was never going to get married. Thank God.

Suddenly, those verses about remaining unmarried became sweet love notes from a God I had run from for far too long. There was a place for me, a blessed place.

Sing, O barren, thou [that] didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou [that] didst not travail with child: for more [are] the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. ~ Isaiah 54:1

Yes, I would never taste the benefits of married life; but the kindest and gentlest of Husbands would be my provider. I was to be all for God, and He would be all for me.

My life started that day I died to my own demands. I have since watched God be true to every promise He ever made. He truly is the best Husband I could ever ask, and more than I could have dreamed. Sure, some days I still dream, but it’s not with desperation; it’s with the quiet knowledge that marriage is a beautiful and desirable thing, even if I know it will never be for me. Since that day, my life has been an incredible adventure, so different from the sedate life I had planned – and so well suited to my personality and tastes that I often sit back and just marvel at where I am, and thank God for not letting me mess things up.

Christian singlehood is not something that a lot of people talk about. Most Christian singles groups start off right, only to eventually dissolve as members of the fellowship pair off and join the Young Couples group down the hall. And that’s perfectly alright; marriage is a blessed institution, and God’s will for many people. But, there are also a lot of people like me: people ordained by God to be preserved for him alone, free from the burdens of a spouse and children. If you’re one of those people, then rest assured that even if you never marry, you are far from alone!

So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. ~ 1 Corinthians 7:38

Contributed by Joelle Heilemann

Boundaries of Responsibility

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“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” ~ Romans 12:18

The Apostle Paul shares a great truth about responsibility in this great verse about reconciliation. There is a place where our responsibility begins and there’s a point at which it ends. God does not hold us responsible for that over which we have no control. We can’t control that person who is alienated from us. But we can control the reality that we are at peace with him or her.

A Christian psychologist wrote that if our serenity depends on what our adolescent children are going to do, or not do, our serenity is very fragile. We experience a great deal of emotional pain because we do not accept the boundaries of our responsibilities.

A former mentor of mine said: “You cannot control the weather or rainy days but you can control the emotional climate that surrounds you. You cannot control the height that your head will be from the sidewalk but you can control the height of the contents of your head.” After sharing several more examples of this, he continued, “Why worry about the things you cannot control? Accept responsibility for the things that do depend on you.”

Your responsibility begins with what you can control; you are at peace with all the people in your life. Your responsibility ends with what you cannot control – like whether or not they are at peace with you. You will have more personal peace when you accept that responsibility boundary.

Adapted from Boundaries of Responsibility by Dick Woodward.

Tackling Temptation

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‎”There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

We are going to be tempted to sin, that comes as no surprise to anyone! However, we CAN withstand the temptations through the power of the Holy Spirit within us when these temptations come around. There is tremendous comfort in this fact that He provides a way out of falling into sin.

It is crucial for every child of God to realize that satan is always on the prowl to destroy the testimony of Christians by throwing temptations into their path. The devil knows our weaknesses sometimes better than we even do! And, He will keep hitting on those areas of our life to try and make us stumble.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ~ 1 Peter 5:8

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin…” ~ James 1:14-15a

This verse in Peter tells us to be alert, and self-controlled. It is easy to become desensitized to sin in our culture, but we must be ever aware of our surroundings so as to not fall into unnecessary temptation! Let us know our weaknesses and stay away from those areas that may cause us to stumble in our walk for God!

The good news is we can live a victorious Christ-filled life though His power.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ~ Romans 8:37

We have the power to persevere if we choose to use it, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

The key to the victorious Christian life is to keep our eyes on Jesus by studying and obeying His Word the Bible, keeping a close network of godly people around us for support, sitting under sound teaching of God’s Word, and talking to God through prayer.

This doesn’t mean the temptations will stop, but we will be able to spot them a long way off and avoid certain situations that are our weakness.

Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for my sin, help me to keep my focus on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith, for a life that would bring You honor and glory all the days of my life!!

Contributed by Mary Heuss Nelson