tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178561122024-02-19T00:41:29.847-05:00The Heart of a Pastor's WifeEsthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-82744839023815750122012-03-14T00:25:00.000-04:002012-03-14T10:19:29.479-04:00The Grace Game<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"A</span>ny concept of grace that makes us feel</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">more comfortable sinning</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">is not Biblical grace.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">God’s grace never encourages us to live in sin,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">on the contrary, it empowers us to say no to sin </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">and yes to truth."</span></i> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Randy Alcorn</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And the misconceptions</span> of grace are exposed...</div>
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<i> </i><i>Can I fall from grace?</i><br />
<i> How much can I get away with?</i><i> </i></div>
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<i> </i><i>Is it possible to not sin at all?</i></div>
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<i> </i><i>What does it mean to frustrate the grace of God?</i></div>
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I was a mischievous, headstrong child with a sensible, fun-loving mother -- a godly mother with a good sense of humor. I don't blame her, but I get my sarcasm from her. And perhaps a tendency towards legalism.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">It all comes back to me now...</span> growing up a preacher's kid. The sacred things. The silly things. The things I thought were funny -- <i>which really weren't.</i> It was easy to poke fun of people whose theology of grace was not our own. I had fun with it. I think most preacher's kids do.</div>
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<i>We try so hard to be unlike the world that we become polished pharisees.</i></div>
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We had the most fun with Catholics.</div>
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They lived lives so very much unlike our own -- engaging in all the things legalists find offensive.</div>
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<i> Dancing.</i></div>
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<i> Drinking.</i></div>
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<i> Swearing.</i></div>
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<i> Smoking</i>.<br />
<i> Other stuff... </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">But </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">they went to "confession."</span></div>
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And this -- of course -- made it all okay.</div>
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I think the Catholics got it wrong<br />
<i>Although... my legalism got it wrong too.</i><br />
Two opposite ends of a spectrum.<br />
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And so goes the grace game. </div>
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A constantly swinging pendulum, </div>
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swinging back and forth between the two.<span class="st"></span> </div>
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<span class="st"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VL4WDgaC-XK8iTWvrQ1po12-nXX5T7zFmfb5H1fs2xJ8zFHS8PfdEnosIa8fmf7RNPnVu8TA_tpGSQJEmH09M2LygnQ9YVYcTEGLnARe5vqsDCXoZtEN_DLyxcQM1ujoBEGwPg/s1600/dead2sin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VL4WDgaC-XK8iTWvrQ1po12-nXX5T7zFmfb5H1fs2xJ8zFHS8PfdEnosIa8fmf7RNPnVu8TA_tpGSQJEmH09M2LygnQ9YVYcTEGLnARe5vqsDCXoZtEN_DLyxcQM1ujoBEGwPg/s200/dead2sin.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">New Idea:</span> Being dead to sin. It's a phrase familiar to all of us. Oh! Remember how we heard this growing up in church. But what does it mean?</span></div>
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<span class="st">When we think of the death of someone, we immediately think of their separation from this present world. We think of their spirit being separated from their physical body and entering into eternal life.</span><br />
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But how does that square with the whole concept of sin? Is a Christian really completely and totally separated and forever free from the power of sin? Isn't sin a constant battle? After all, we do live in a fallen world surrounded by sin and sinners. And our bodies are "flesh." So if it is a battle, how do we deal with it?</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Unfortunately,</span> there are Christians who believe that God -- in all His glorious grace -- will forgive us. So why not indulge in sin? It is one way to deal with the struggle and it's actually very common. But it is altogether not biblical. Romans 6:15-22 tells us that if we do live like this, sin will enslave us,</div>
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it will shame us,</div>
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it will limit us,</div>
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it will defile us,</div>
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it will bring corruption and death.</div>
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<i><sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28084">15</sup>What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!</i></div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28085">16</sup></i><span class="text Rom-6-16" id="en-ESV-28069"><sup class="versenum"> </sup><i>Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,<sup> </sup>you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?</i></span> </div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28086">17</sup><span class="text Rom-6-17" id="en-ESV-28070">But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,</span></i> </div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28087">18</sup><span class="text Rom-6-18" id="en-ESV-28071">and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.</span></i></div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28088">19</sup></i><span class="text Rom-6-19" id="en-ESV-28072"> <i>I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For
just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to
lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.</i></span></div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28089">20</sup><span class="text Rom-6-20" id="en-ESV-28073">For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.</span></i></div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28090">21</sup><span class="text Rom-6-21" id="en-ESV-28074">But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.</span></i></div>
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<i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-28091">22</sup><span class="text Rom-6-22" id="en-ESV-28075">But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.</span></i><br />
<span class="text Rom-6-22" id="en-ESV-28075">(English Standard Version)</span><i><span class="text Rom-6-22" id="en-ESV-28075"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">So even though</span> we are a Christians trusting that God's grace will forgive us, we're unhappy, miserable, lacking joy because we cannot give way to sin without being enslaved by it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKr5SzL6Gs5oBxn0DUryMC3hhbqQjwCL6n9h-A_Jn3pGld6DI3xfrQQwyJwlZOCSuzWiv4oO4ZFiyCwc3tDoNrbB8tAJT1u3-CFpiFo8zZvF1OJcvO5vfPESuPCPhbsXbt7QZxw/s1600/am-i-sinning-21459148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKr5SzL6Gs5oBxn0DUryMC3hhbqQjwCL6n9h-A_Jn3pGld6DI3xfrQQwyJwlZOCSuzWiv4oO4ZFiyCwc3tDoNrbB8tAJT1u3-CFpiFo8zZvF1OJcvO5vfPESuPCPhbsXbt7QZxw/s200/am-i-sinning-21459148.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's another approach... </span>And let's just call it what it is: <b>LEGALISM</b>. Just as crazy-far from Biblical grace as the <b>GRACE-ABUSERS</b> that I poked fun of 40 years ago. We attempt to handle sin by trying our dead-on best to do what <i>we think</i> God wants. We throw up caution tape at every turn -- wondering if this or that counts as sin and finding that almost everything does count as sin.</div>
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We use discipline, dedication, and determined willpower to live according to "The Law." It seems like a far more suitable battle plan. But, again, it's not biblical.</div>
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The beginning verses of Romans Chapter 7 describe what happens when we become legalists:</div>
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We become defensive,</div>
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self-righteous perfectionists,</div>
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critical of others,</div>
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proud of our own record.</div>
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We become bored, </div>
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dull, </div>
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discouraged,</div>
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depressed,</div>
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and even despairing.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">So what’s the answer?</span> Paul’s own words reflect the dilemma:</div>
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<i>“In my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” </i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Romans 7:22-24</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMGZx6eQCi6wXeVMx5d6HXtrAQ7g-1yGtMUFgPOFxpIEsoy45O5JNH8v5Qf7s-WLnK8a5IeSdxIkRehVA2HvVfZFXUJREcGmoeNkn-_v8KZG19PG4d9rYMRAaNfv8dOXFqr3Hqg/s1600/young+woman+praying+in+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMGZx6eQCi6wXeVMx5d6HXtrAQ7g-1yGtMUFgPOFxpIEsoy45O5JNH8v5Qf7s-WLnK8a5IeSdxIkRehVA2HvVfZFXUJREcGmoeNkn-_v8KZG19PG4d9rYMRAaNfv8dOXFqr3Hqg/s200/young+woman+praying+in+church.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">Paul’s dilemma</span> is the human dilemma. It’s every believer’s battle.</div>
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Good News: In verse 25 we find this:</div>
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<i>“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”</i> </div>
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Perhaps this sounds too simple.<br />
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<b><i>News: the Gospel is simple.</i></b></div>
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What verse 25 is telling us is that the sin battle is nothing more than <i>Grace vs. Will-Power</i>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">It is the same faith</span> that brought us to Christ in the first place that we must rely on to separate us from sin. Every believer’s battle is won by relying on Christ and Christ alone by the indwelling of His Spirit. This is the yielding process and the beginning of sanctification....</div>
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<i>Neither yield ye your members as instruments of </i><br />
<i>unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, </i><br />
<i>as those that are alive from the dead, and your members </i><br />
<i>as instruments of righteousness unto God.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Romans 6:13
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What does that mean? </span>Too often we read a passage of Scripture and we believe it simply because it’s God’s Word, but we haven’t a clue what it really means. Right?<br />
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Well, when we come to the realization that within our human bodies lives an unrestrained flesh that seeks to influence us to sin, we make a choice to NOT allow the flesh control. That’s called salvation.<br />
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<b>STEP ONE. </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Apostle Paul is telling us</span> that the <b>STEP TWO</b> is to consider the members of our bodies: hands, feet, eyes, whatever you want to refer to as a "member" of your fleshly body. Paul calls it a body of sin. And we’re told not to yield it anymore as an instrument of unrighteousness.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk7R9hhCJ6cXOAQXYaN4nw93H_0HVJ_93vpObphsmu8fMy_3UlmVPYc6ohxCuCSYCuL_aOM7SxxJvszVWEp35jEFDtB8Y4v4TT57nCMf2XQiYlyE8lW45qDdNCXjuPCFY1i_k4A/s1600-h/Yield.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090481850657681330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk7R9hhCJ6cXOAQXYaN4nw93H_0HVJ_93vpObphsmu8fMy_3UlmVPYc6ohxCuCSYCuL_aOM7SxxJvszVWEp35jEFDtB8Y4v4TT57nCMf2XQiYlyE8lW45qDdNCXjuPCFY1i_k4A/s200/Yield.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>Sometimes we forget what the word “yield” means. It’s not just traffic terminology. It comes from two Greek words. One word means “alongside,” and the other word means “to place yourself.”<br />
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The picture Paul is drawing here is amazing! Paul is saying, “Don’t keep putting yourself in a position where you can be overpowered by the flesh. It’s just waiting for you to do that. Don’t keep yielding yourself. Don’t keep putting yourself “alongside” that kind of thing.</div>
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<i>(*That thing could be gossip, unwholesome entertainment,</i><br />
<i>non-Christian friends who negatively influence us,</i><br />
<i>alcohol, television, pornography, </i></div>
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<i>you fill-in-the-blank _______.)</i> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Instead of yielding ourselves to *that, i</span>nstead of accommodating the flesh, Paul says accommodate God: Yield yourselves to God. That’s how He replaces our unrighteousness with His Righteousness.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's the neat part:</span> That word “yield” is aorist active imperative. That means that -- grammatically speaking -- it's a command! The aorist tense means DO IT! Just do it!<br />
<br />
If you’re saved – you need to train your senses to line up under Christ. Accommodate yourself to Christ. Put yourself where you can be influenced by the Spirit of God and not by the flesh. <br />
<br />
What does that mean for you?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">For this recovering legalist...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">God's grace is not a game.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It is my teacher.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEbhzxV8hBl6auSdVe6E0oXMCgfx5jdPoUyasD0x7BiNxHpIW3Xyby9mLVsxiUasztpiXWREdv3FkF6ohEu79nZaifaS591kTHyywKM1C8H8M3PWrO3NgaYJJsAdL8sSGEIUK4Q/s1600/grace2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEbhzxV8hBl6auSdVe6E0oXMCgfx5jdPoUyasD0x7BiNxHpIW3Xyby9mLVsxiUasztpiXWREdv3FkF6ohEu79nZaifaS591kTHyywKM1C8H8M3PWrO3NgaYJJsAdL8sSGEIUK4Q/s200/grace2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<b>For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all... </b><b> </b><br />
<b>Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, </b><br />
<b>we should live soberly, righteously, </b><br />
<b>and godly, in this present world.</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Titus 2:11-12 </span><b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2012 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 95px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 70px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 100%;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by </span><a href="http://bornagainandblessed.blogspot.com/2012/03/biblical-grace.html" style="color: #444444;">Urailak</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #444444; text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444;">on her blog, </span><a href="http://bornagainandblessed.blogspot.com/2012/03/biblical-grace.html" style="color: #444444;">Living for God</a><br />
</span></div>
</div>
</div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-57839972910625898672012-03-02T16:09:00.016-05:002012-03-09T21:04:00.170-05:00Raising a Missionary<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBI_2YYw-JIDRT-IgjqT7N88A9ENVP7-L_YemkGew0rR9AasYAht4h6pIJafDagr8j1Vcm-vTrlEPOCQJEMRF5Zf391k2uTOLCj3tqbupX0BpqR5wno8w3rtQF64CaqOgiQ9afA/s1600/Diving2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBI_2YYw-JIDRT-IgjqT7N88A9ENVP7-L_YemkGew0rR9AasYAht4h6pIJafDagr8j1Vcm-vTrlEPOCQJEMRF5Zf391k2uTOLCj3tqbupX0BpqR5wno8w3rtQF64CaqOgiQ9afA/s320/Diving2.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" width="249" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;"><b>Even in laughter</b></span> the heart ma<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">y ache, a</span>nd joy may end in grief.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Proverbs 14:13 (NIV) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;"><b>He's seven years old.</b></span> He's adventurous. He loves Civil War history. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">His attitude is responsible. His ideas, organized and mature. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">He refuses to wear blue jeans. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">He is the child of older parents; and his energy brings me to the edge of berserk.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
He entertains me. He brings <span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #336666;">laughter</span> </b></span>to our home.<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #336666; font-family: Georgia,";"><span style="font-size: large;">And...</span></b> he is absolutely certain that he wants to be a missionary to Communist China.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="lexTitleHb"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;"><b>Ache:</b></span> From the Hebrew <span style="font-size: large;">כאב</span></span> <i>ka'ab </i> </div><div style="text-align: right;">(Prounounced: kä·av') </div><div style="text-align: right;">Meaning to be in pain, be sore, have pain, be <i>sorrowful</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
My heart <b style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;">aches...</span></b></div></div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: right;">that I might raise him right.</div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVaBxMu13ggFS4KkQT17PG9lxzDs17y5AkFcXLc4JvMU_VMzheMlj3EmBtMyLbcKB73xpEMZ5r-Ev_mEQFb2ranLLvTBaj30h-1pnfA0rfwQROO-esDwJm1Ui1TvBOd_RDHFRiQ/s1600/greenchina+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVaBxMu13ggFS4KkQT17PG9lxzDs17y5AkFcXLc4JvMU_VMzheMlj3EmBtMyLbcKB73xpEMZ5r-Ev_mEQFb2ranLLvTBaj30h-1pnfA0rfwQROO-esDwJm1Ui1TvBOd_RDHFRiQ/s200/greenchina+022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #336666; font-family: Georgia,";">I laugh</b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">when he refuses to study English verbs and proper nouns -- choosing instead to [pretend to] read in Chinese. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;"><b>God’s call</b></span> on this boy's life now trumps my wishes and hopes. </div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b color="#336666" face="Georgia,""><span style="font-size: large;">HIS Will</span></b> always does.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: left;">I cannot stand in the way.</div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: left;">But I'm a controlling mother. Shame on me.</div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div face="inherit" style="text-align: left;">I've thrown my whole life into keeping the boy safe. Now his desire is to someday go to a place where he ... <b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
<div style="color: #336666; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">...could die.</span></b></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">My heart <b style="color: #336666; font-family: Georgia,";"><span style="font-size: large;">aches...</span></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">that I might raise him right.<br />
My heart <b style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;">aches...</span></b><br />
that I might let him go.<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2012 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife</span></span></span> </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://thegypsymama.com/category/five-minute-friday/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="100" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_lCeOMfY0_fQ/TWly2m-jN_I/AAAAAAAAFEY/k8HJ__cvkws/s200/5%20minute%20friday.jpg" width="100" /></a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We write because we love words.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">On Fridays we take five minutes and just write them ... </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">For the simple joy of the process. No matter the result.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today's word: Ache...</span></i>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-4188870926682019322010-11-30T01:27:00.014-05:002012-03-03T23:33:27.483-05:00GOD's Will vs. Human Will . . .A Complete Mess of Conflicting Wills<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOFUMH62-D8AXl3447INFAwzdQcz9qpwqV8F9BjuSpQ-_FMs3mjGXNtHOxYRir7kpqZY9KBCqEJ7Kin3XRePHjovU8YhiMnWL_4G271df8hRxvwHq1FsiXVuD89zOL-9x05AYxA/s1600/broken+windshield.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545056226174113554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOFUMH62-D8AXl3447INFAwzdQcz9qpwqV8F9BjuSpQ-_FMs3mjGXNtHOxYRir7kpqZY9KBCqEJ7Kin3XRePHjovU8YhiMnWL_4G271df8hRxvwHq1FsiXVuD89zOL-9x05AYxA/s200/broken+windshield.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"T</span>here are two kinds of people: those who say to God</i><span style="color: #336666;">,<br />
"</span><i style="color: #336666;">Thy will be done</i><span style="color: #336666;">," </span><i style="color: #336666;">and those to whom God says</i><span style="color: #336666;">,<br />
"</span><i style="color: #336666;">All right, then</i><span style="color: #336666;">, </span><i style="color: #336666;">have it your way</i><span style="color: #336666;">”.</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ C.S. Lewis</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span></span></div><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">08/04/2010 OWATONNA, MN -- A 17-year-old boy was killed when a landscape block fell off a truc</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">k and crashed through</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"> the windshield of a van in Steele County.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"> S</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">her</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">iff's d</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">eputies say some retaining wall</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"> blocks were strapped on the truck's trailer, but one somehow fell off on Highway 14 west of Owatonna Tuesday afternoon killing the boy instantly. </span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Overheard at the boy’s funeral: <span style="color: #336666;">“[<span style="font-style: italic;">Something, . . . something</span>]. . . God’s will.”</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNPVcODlZOf0SRyDKs9cHeUpmIxAHL7slFbXS2cDqMi9hDKKWCeRz-AkW0KkuFQWG-ykQUzNluEHMOAWnkj1kBkHG47ZDxFhFMnUVpbcWrp6QJ_W0cq_BMWrYuVWB7kkXlcqNbA/s1600/elderly+couple+on+park+bench.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545103680615017122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNPVcODlZOf0SRyDKs9cHeUpmIxAHL7slFbXS2cDqMi9hDKKWCeRz-AkW0KkuFQWG-ykQUzNluEHMOAWnkj1kBkHG47ZDxFhFMnUVpbcWrp6QJ_W0cq_BMWrYuVWB7kkXlcqNbA/s200/elderly+couple+on+park+bench.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 134px;" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">09/18/2010 BAXTER , MN -- It was a fairy tail wedding over 40 years in the making. Joe Yoder left for Vietnam with a foreboding sense that his fate would leave his fiance' a young widow. He broke off their engagement and she was </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">left alone and heartbroken. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Pegge did eventually marry, but lost her husb</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">and to cancer only a year after their wedding. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">In</span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"> 1973, Joe returned from Vietnam, forlorn and war-scarred. He never married. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Thirty-seven years later, Joe and Pegge were </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">reunited in -- of all places -- a surgery waiting room at Mayo Clinic.</span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Overheard at the couple’s wedding:<br />
<span style="color: #336666;">“. . . how wonderful that they found each other.”</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">And once again</span></span> we see how easily God gets blamed for a shocking tragedy and given zero credit for a tenderly orchestrated reunion of sweethearts.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">So...what is God’s Will?</span> And at what point does God give in to the human will and say, <span style="font-style: italic;">"All right, then, have it your way"</span>?<i style="color: #336666;"></i><i style="color: #336666;"></i><br />
<br />
Before we can answer these questions, it is important to understand that there are two very different meanings for the term <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will </span>in the Bible.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMvRF7Rzs6U9fjTYxYOlF9ghtKjY4nqnaJJ4Oj-StOP6ARr9X7_hMnfaYhqRLBddH2fDSk2Xf7AiFSmz-pi0ea3XIhYmhdmrFsQE-yUPjoB4D88B_F6PM5LvVl9qiXRzIxL1Cww/s1600/Jesus+in+Gethsemane.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545114882340415250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMvRF7Rzs6U9fjTYxYOlF9ghtKjY4nqnaJJ4Oj-StOP6ARr9X7_hMnfaYhqRLBddH2fDSk2Xf7AiFSmz-pi0ea3XIhYmhdmrFsQE-yUPjoB4D88B_F6PM5LvVl9qiXRzIxL1Cww/s200/Jesus+in+Gethsemane.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 132px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">Fir</span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">st </span>consider the words of Jesus when he prayed in Gethsemane:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Matthew 26:42</span></div></div><br />
In this passage,<span style="font-style: italic;"> "your will"</span> refers to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Go</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">d's Will of Decree</span> -- that is, it relates to God's sovereignty over all that happens. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Will of God</span> was that Jesus die. This was God's plan. This was God's <span style="font-style: italic;">decree</span>. There was nothing that could change it. Jesus did ask that he not go through with the plan, but God had already decreed it. God's sovereignty was at work.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">An unsettling fact</span> for many Christians is that the fulfillment of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will of Decree </span>does include the reality of sin. To fulfill His sovereign plan, someone usually commits sin. And as a result, someone somewhere is hurt, killed, emotionally wounded, etc. In Matthew 26 and 27, Herod, Pilate, the soldiers, and the Jewish leaders all sinned -- thereby fulfilling <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will </span>that Jesus be crucified.<br />
<br />
A good summation of this kind of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> in terms of our lives today is found in the words of I Peter 3:17:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><span style="font-style: italic;">"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil."</span></div><br />
And a perfect summation of this kind of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> in terms of Christ's incarnation is found in the words of Philippians 2:6-7:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the vary nature of a servant,<br />
being made in human likenes</span><span style="font-style: italic;">s."</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Did the 17-year old boy die instantly because God decreed it?<br />
Was his death the result of someone's sin<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">{-- which sin was part of another of God's decrees? . . . }</span><br />
<br />
I don't know. I don't think anyone on this side of heaven can answer that.<br />
I do know that God is Sovereign. And I do know that we live in a world of sin.<br />
<br />
Does God orchestrate love stories?<br />
Was it God's Will that Joe and Pegge find each other after nearly forty years?<br />
. . . You decide.</span><br />
<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-028aIIqckliFkSkuuwvPlcP9b1ux0bhxEzJS8utnAA8BOWNvOAZ1xSrefzQWNVdSGtK4hxcY1y_Ma-Wu5GOsM9qTYjiaVi_GXHivtazoFdvCQZKIQMI7rYemnt5scTzAFX3w3Q/s1600/ten-commandments.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545124508227611666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-028aIIqckliFkSkuuwvPlcP9b1ux0bhxEzJS8utnAA8BOWNvOAZ1xSrefzQWNVdSGtK4hxcY1y_Ma-Wu5GOsM9qTYjiaVi_GXHivtazoFdvCQZKIQMI7rYemnt5scTzAFX3w3Q/s200/ten-commandments.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 154px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">Now con</span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">sider</span> another meaning of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will:</span><br />
<br />
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Not everyone who says to me, 'Oh Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of h</span><span style="font-style: italic;">eaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."</span></div><br />
Here we see <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will of Command</span>. Here, God's Will is what he commands us to do through His Word; and this is the kind of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> that we can choose to either obey or disobey.<br />
<br />
Romans 1:20-21 tells us,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and d</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ivine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">For although they knew god, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2azT8RuSQdurMYZgdsfS62HKvHMyno2W-PDxaJ9emM-tVZ9lzMi9JxO0f9tIQ4H3AvkepZEU4iTO7taKGl2NWxFtRzGiDo5xb_winWc31na1ZgpcO-Zt-HVr3g_rhgARuEniymQ/s1600/goingtohellandproud.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545230873090443362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2azT8RuSQdurMYZgdsfS62HKvHMyno2W-PDxaJ9emM-tVZ9lzMi9JxO0f9tIQ4H3AvkepZEU4iTO7taKGl2NWxFtRzGiDo5xb_winWc31na1ZgpcO-Zt-HVr3g_rhgARuEniymQ/s200/goingtohellandproud.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 142px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Humankind is without excuse</span></span> when it comes to our awareness and knowledge of God. And it is <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> will to choose whether to glorify Him and obey his commandments -- or to dismiss His presence altogether. Psalm 14:1 says,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The fool</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">~*~*~*~</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">In the Lord's Prayer</span> (Matthew 6:10-14), Jesus says that <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> is done <span style="font-style: italic;">"in heaven as it is on earth."</span> Here's the thing:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">In heaven,</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> is done promptly, perfectly, willingly and joyfully.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">On earth</span></span> <span style="font-size: 180%;"> </span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;">→</span> Not so much. The earth is full of human will -- a complete mess of conflicting wills even among people. <span style="font-style: italic;">["There is no one who does good. . ."]</span> Add the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pe</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">rfect Will of God</span>; and the whole theme of Scripture is embodied!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEnFp-EjgP7Frjcfs76O1xe66uUyNEZThAXybmTFRq3isCsnaCERfMbun-2oNMd87TXp35FSxHT1j9bXq9SOsnAPAe_DYl0vDzLSjWew7IhzYvNHdm0I4HT_ybL_KO8QyPJh3FQ/s1600/jesus-cross-407x.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545231173978721506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEnFp-EjgP7Frjcfs76O1xe66uUyNEZThAXybmTFRq3isCsnaCERfMbun-2oNMd87TXp35FSxHT1j9bXq9SOsnAPAe_DYl0vDzLSjWew7IhzYvNHdm0I4HT_ybL_KO8QyPJh3FQ/s200/jesus-cross-407x.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Isaiah 53:5-6</span></div><br />
C.S. Lewis certainly had a heavenly perspective when he penned those words. . .</div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #336666;">"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God</i><span style="color: #336666;">, "</span><i style="color: #336666;">Thy will be done</i><span style="color: #336666;">," </span><i style="color: #336666;">and those to whom God says</i><span style="color: #336666;">, "</span><i style="color: #336666;">All right, then</i><span style="color: #336666;">, </span><i style="color: #336666;">have it your way</i><span style="color: #336666;">”.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">But. . . Was Lewis referring to the two different kinds of God's Will?<br />
One specific kind of Will?<br />
Both?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">When we pray </span></span>"They will be done" we are saying first and foremost that God is Sovereign and that we submit to <span style="font-weight: bold;">His Will</span> [of Decree]. We relinquish our plans and ideas and allow His plan to be fulfilled. And . . .<br />
<br />
</div></div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">Until we have surrendered</span> our own will to <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will </span>[of Command], our will and behavior is centered on our self. <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will</span> [of Command] challenges our self-righteousness, our lifestyle, and our personal values and desires.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Then I said, "Here I am, I have come -- it is written about me in the scroll.<br />
I desire to do </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Your Will</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, my God; your law is within my heart. . ."</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Psalm 40:7-8</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Unless</span></span> <span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">we are recognizing</span> that our will (i.e., our plans, our ideas, our desires, our behavior, our values, etc.) must be submissive to All of <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Will [of Decree & of Command]</span>, then we are the one to whom God says: "All right then -- have it your way."<br />
<br />
We are the fool of Psalm 14. . . .<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Therefore God gave them up . . . "</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Romans 1:24</span></span><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife</span></span></span></div><a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftheheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fgods-will-vs-human-will-in-other-words.html&linkname=The%20Heart%20of%20a%20Pastor%27s%20Wife"><img alt="Share" border="0" height="16" src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">visit our <span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/group.php?gid=52290975388" style="color: #000099; font-weight: bold;">Facebook Page</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></span><br />
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</span></div><a href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=29Nov2010a&meme=iow" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/graphic.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=29Nov2010a&meme=iow" /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-73008937457274481922010-08-10T00:30:00.006-04:002012-03-03T23:37:03.520-05:00Why? . . . Because IT Changes Lives!<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVslzHCuPSDWj67Zrn1aHKdF6n9rdYGeh7qLSseSs0GbvgxCUvtxfXCbCNDhTCZhMGBMbi-rSbNzc19s8L5GlT4lUa9LDdKScNp_h4b7i95a73hP1fwwuszdkpBOxZJM99-8gKg/s1600/manholdingbible.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503499707626280498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVslzHCuPSDWj67Zrn1aHKdF6n9rdYGeh7qLSseSs0GbvgxCUvtxfXCbCNDhTCZhMGBMbi-rSbNzc19s8L5GlT4lUa9LDdKScNp_h4b7i95a73hP1fwwuszdkpBOxZJM99-8gKg/s200/manholdingbible.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 198px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />
"T</span></span><span style="color: #336666;">he Gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. . . any additional ru</span><span style="color: #336666;">les made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ John Wycliffe</span></span></span></div></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The doctrine</span></span> of Sufficiency of Scripture is hardly a 21st Century revelation to Bible-believing Christians. But remarkably, even for his day, John Wycliffe -- in 12th Century England -- regarded the Bible as a living and authoritative Book. This indeed set him apart as not only a scholar, but a Bible-believing Christian. Like many Christian conservatives of 2010, Wycliffe observed and commented on the many discrepancies between the standards set by Scripture and the practices of the church and governing bodies.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbT_MkuXU6dH5Ho1ojI2kC2OVLKvUzL5HJ9TlKl5kc5L_uDhuQllgDi-6zUXPEAuuZPrXcjj5yetY2dwZssEjQcZRZVfrCzk8soUMrc1If3Q39zfhVL-P-Oad4gpjxmNYboJiAg/s1600/johnwycliffe.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503564577083966578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbT_MkuXU6dH5Ho1ojI2kC2OVLKvUzL5HJ9TlKl5kc5L_uDhuQllgDi-6zUXPEAuuZPrXcjj5yetY2dwZssEjQcZRZVfrCzk8soUMrc1If3Q39zfhVL-P-Oad4gpjxmNYboJiAg/s200/johnwycliffe.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 161px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Despite the escalating tensions</span></span> between King Edward III and the Roman Catholic Church which gave rise to much of Wycliffe's work, the quote could well have been written or voiced only yesterday for all its timely wisdom and significant application to our own generation's socio-political atmosphere and doctrinal disputes. His words reflect timeless Truth.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">It is an understatement</span></span> to say that most evangelical churches in America function outside of the teachings for the New Testament Church. It's also a given that many denominations put far more faith in a man-made doctrine than the Inerrant Word of God. But it is a blaring and obvious <span style="font-weight: bold;">fact</span> that our United States' government employs little if anything that identifies with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by way of its <span style="color: #336666;">"additional rules made to govern [our] conduct."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">A strong movement exis</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ts tod</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ay</span></span> to divorce America not only from its <a href="http://www.wallbuilders.com/">Christian beginnings</a>, but from the sufficiency of the Gospel of Redemption through Jesus Christ.<br />
<div style="color: #336666; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">This progressive trend</span></span> is becoming less about the debate between two opposing sides and more and more about defining and establishing the boundary between what is true and what is false. You either believe America is a <a href="http://www.wallbuilders.com/">Christian nation</a> which was founded upon the sufficiency of Scripture; or you don't. It's black and white.<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitauAFu10k6WHk7CstKYFFgUUxjDyj4Jcz4_9Der02x-DLLdAcyqUessnyCUQKIZEl65Kg5w6Oez3Z570ABevyS45HJA9RswXQ0Wx7JwWWxI6zJBry4I87Ar0CpJMVIM3PSXd-cA/s1600/oneroomschoolhouse.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503589026597414418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitauAFu10k6WHk7CstKYFFgUUxjDyj4Jcz4_9Der02x-DLLdAcyqUessnyCUQKIZEl65Kg5w6Oez3Z570ABevyS45HJA9RswXQ0Wx7JwWWxI6zJBry4I87Ar0CpJMVIM3PSXd-cA/s200/oneroomschoolhouse.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">In the early public sch</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ools</span></span> of America, the BIBLE was one of the main textbooks -- if not the <span style="font-style: italic;">only </span>textbook. Apparently, it was SUFFICIENT. But on June 17, 1963, in Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court removed the BIBLE and its readings from public education.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
Data from the Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Resources and Human Services and Statistical/Abstracts of United States PROVE that rape, murder, alcohol abuse, robbery, suicide, gang warfare, assault, absenteeism, pregnancies, burglary, vandalism, abortions, arson, extortion, venereal disease, bombings, and drug abuse have SKYROCKETED since 1963.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Apparently</span></span> . . . the <span style="color: #336666;">"additional rules made to govern [our] conduct"</span> were not sufficient.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Not surprisingly, </span></span>all of society including media, entertainment, criminal behavior, family trends, etc. (even the behaviors of those claiming to the "Christians") have followed the trend.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">There is no moral compass</span></span> provided by the government or any other ruling body that is more sufficient that GOD's Word. So, with the one and only moral compass provided to us as human beings removed by the "government," is it any wonder we are in the state we find ourselves? As Wycliffe said, <span style="font-style: italic;">". . .any additional rules made</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCf5TyNn6gIhfOIwbmD62x5bbNYXYOTdxUzP5jJCB8mO6sl53641n0CFbc8AoI70BHilBCAq7Q6duI8G1ShvS8HviCcl6QFFM_mcqrA4MhE8Y67bMdaOtVcniqAXsOwpXF_xa4w/s1600/goingtohellandproud.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503595390138023282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCf5TyNn6gIhfOIwbmD62x5bbNYXYOTdxUzP5jJCB8mO6sl53641n0CFbc8AoI70BHilBCAq7Q6duI8G1ShvS8HviCcl6QFFM_mcqrA4MhE8Y67bMdaOtVcniqAXsOwpXF_xa4w/s200/goingtohellandproud.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 142px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The willful rejection of the Bible</span></span> as our source of divine authority is a direct cause of the current state of immorality in our country. In the years that followed that devastating Supreme Court ruling -- and continuing to this day -- the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted, eliminated, and otherwise rejected by both our government and society as a whole.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Progressives, Socialists, and atheists</span></span> don't want Americans to know the truth about our nation's Biblically based Christian heritage. They are strenuously trying to rewrite history to match their propaganda and support their agenda. They are even more adamant about denying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are attacking God's Word, its sufficiency, and its plan of Redemption from every angle including education, the political arena and the legal system in an effort to change, reinvent and transform history to conform to their radical beliefs. In doing so they <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> eventually destroy the very foundation of America.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Why. . . ?</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">WHY? . . .What is it</span></span> about the sufficiency of Scripture that has so many people set on a course to destroy that <span style="color: #336666;">"perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The doctrine o</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">f Sufficiency of Scripture</span></span> is based primarily on <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Timothy%203:15-17&version=NIV">II Timothy 3:15-17</a> and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201:3&version=NIV">Jude 1:3</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #336666; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ3m69um0JgN_Aklv2x7kA2-ZM7lXdGmomYka6sMK7eADBZzfBBtvfvIr_EwWP2SIfVQIvLcDzjJGqhGNv5RsraT53TSVeKtch0xDvcA8UkxG2PLwl3pBpcjH-57d40O9hKWp6A/s1600/bible-page.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503566854739334818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ3m69um0JgN_Aklv2x7kA2-ZM7lXdGmomYka6sMK7eADBZzfBBtvfvIr_EwWP2SIfVQIvLcDzjJGqhGNv5RsraT53TSVeKtch0xDvcA8UkxG2PLwl3pBpcjH-57d40O9hKWp6A/s200/bible-page.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>The sacred writings . . . are able to <span style="font-style: italic;">make you wise for salvation </span>through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, <span style="font-style: italic;">equipped for every good work . . . </span>Contend for the faith that was <span style="font-style: italic;">once for all delivered to the saints. </span></div><br />
<span style="color: #660000;">In other words the Bible is sufficient in that it is the only </span><span style="color: #660000; font-style: italic;">("once for all")</span><span style="color: #660000;"> inspired and therefore inerrant words of God that we need, in order to know the way of salvation and the way of obedience </span><span style="color: #660000; font-style: italic;">("equipped for every good work")</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The sufficiency of Scripture does <u>not</u> mean</span></span> that the Bible is all we need to live obediently and function in society. For example, in order to be obedient and lawfully drive a car, we need to obey traffic rules and observe state regulations for licensing. In order to be obedient and work in the realm of science, we need to read science and study God's creation. In order to be obedient and function in the realm of economics we need to read and observe the world of business. To be obedient and perform in the realm of sports, we need to know the rules of the game. To be obedient in marriage, we need to know and understand our spouse's personality. To be obedient and perform as a pilot, we need to know how to fly an airplane; etc, etc. etc. In other words, the Bible does not tell us all we need to know in order to be obedient stewards of this world.<br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #660000;">It does tell us that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through CHRIST. (</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A6&version=NIV" style="color: #660000;">John 14:6</a><span style="color: #660000;">)</span></div><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;">The sufficiency of Scripture means</span> that we need NO further explanation or revelation from God or anyone in order to be competent and<span style="font-style: italic;"> equipped for every good work</span>. We do not need a "Fundamental Transformation" of a nation already established in Christian principles. We do not need to redefine marriage. We do not need to redefine the family. We do not need to redistribute wealth. We need NO further enlightenment. We need NO more inspired, inerrant words. From anyone!!!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">God's Word is sufficient</span></span> not only for the lives of Christians, but for all people. Through His Word, God has given us His plan of redemption along with the the absolute perfect standard for judging all other knowledge and all other philosophies. Even when that knowledge helps support the Bible.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3gDlus228zCc35tiMb8TfnDKRnTjL8qt3m2_zZTvu5rFd7rBd1m62T-e8JULp6ATDVzxHj2D-9VJwmZK0aY_lN1pHeY4Te8CYd-dK4_mgkNmBAtBNDMCV8iFnRYODyqAtEHsPw/s1600/Ant.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503567496946260066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3gDlus228zCc35tiMb8TfnDKRnTjL8qt3m2_zZTvu5rFd7rBd1m62T-e8JULp6ATDVzxHj2D-9VJwmZK0aY_lN1pHeY4Te8CYd-dK4_mgkNmBAtBNDMCV8iFnRYODyqAtEHsPw/s200/Ant.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 194px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">For example:</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(John Piper explains this beautifully.) The word "ant" occurs twice in the Bible. Once in </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%206:6&version=NIV" style="font-style: italic;">Proverbs 6:6</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and again in </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2030:25&version=NIV" style="font-style: italic;">Proverbs 30:25</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Yet, the word "ant" is never defined in the Bible. The Bible expects us to know what an ant is from another body of knowledge (language) along with our life experience. But even if we misinterpret the verses to mean that ants actually teach us that laziness is profitable, Scripture again is the standard for testing our interpretation. Numerous other passages in the Bible will prevent us from misinterpreting the meaning of the verses containing the word "ant" regardless of our ability or inability to know the word's definition. The Bible is all-sufficient for judging and proving or disproving Itself and all other bodies of knowledge.<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;">"The Gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. . . any additional ru</span><span style="color: #336666;">les made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ John Wycliffe</span></span></span></div></div><br />
</div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Christianity is entrenched</span></span> in American culture. The sufficiency of Scripture permeates our heritage. From the founding documents consistent mentioning of "Creator," to "In God We Trust" on our coinage, to politicians almost universally ending speeches with "God bless American," Christianity is such a part of America that the effort to remove it may likely result in the collapse of our nation.<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">So what is it about this Perfect Gospel</span></span> of Jesus Christ that makes all other rules to govern futile and utterly useless? Why are so many progressives and socialists and atheists so intent on destroying it?<br />
<br />
Here's why: John Wycliffe, like many scholars across the time-line of history knew this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 200%;"><span style="color: #660000;">GOD's Word Changes Lives!</span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_NTE7zKSI7PH-Eem9yKG3iYLa_mBhJN4Lv7hChdLyA-dJCZR2nwsxphUaeGe8_MrhQRvaSAG6i4EV3OBSu19QwZtefFoLNH6lPsz84qxGcT3bwt8eHjE7r8PH05b5iFsnaPEVQ/s1600/ChristianNation.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503599478858825682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_NTE7zKSI7PH-Eem9yKG3iYLa_mBhJN4Lv7hChdLyA-dJCZR2nwsxphUaeGe8_MrhQRvaSAG6i4EV3OBSu19QwZtefFoLNH6lPsz84qxGcT3bwt8eHjE7r8PH05b5iFsnaPEVQ/s320/ChristianNation.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because</div><div style="text-align: center;">Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart."</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ President Thomas Jefferson</span></span></div><br />
Is it possible -- <span style="font-style: italic;">just maybe </span>-- that there is a force behind this movement that seeks to destroy our Christian heritage? A force that does not want to see<span style="color: #660000;"> changed lives</span>. . . ?<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><br />
~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife</span></span></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=09Aug2010&meme=iow" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/graphic.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=09Aug2010&meme=iow" /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-16967624388479933422010-05-29T16:13:00.002-04:002012-03-03T23:37:37.548-05:00In Honor of Memorial Day . . . and Paul Martin Wehlan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbifXdMeKVjnpHZJsx8HuMEfw_WNK_tjRY4M0JHtMut_ctwpgChh_F8UEBC1hWj2kbbfA839tGSaLtkQ_V-IvUze8fkf18TmIiObhlekxo8nSmPo6U9lbaQuMgf2Y9pxe9VdNDfA/s1600/unclepaul.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476521727789303810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbifXdMeKVjnpHZJsx8HuMEfw_WNK_tjRY4M0JHtMut_ctwpgChh_F8UEBC1hWj2kbbfA839tGSaLtkQ_V-IvUze8fkf18TmIiObhlekxo8nSmPo6U9lbaQuMgf2Y9pxe9VdNDfA/s400/unclepaul.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 326px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="color: #336666; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">MEMORIAL DAY</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />
Remembering PAUL MARTIN WEHLAN</span></div><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The memory of the righteous will be a blessing</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~Proverbs 10:7</span></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
This is a rather famous photo taken during World War II in Sicily (1943). An Army medic is administering blood plasma to a soldier (Paul M. Wehlan) who later died as the result of his injuries.<br />
<br />
The photo has been in the archives of the American Red Cross for decades. It appeared in the Chicago Tribune three days prior to the U.S. Army's official visit to my Grandparents' home to inform them of their son's death.<br />
<br />
My grandparents (and my mother -- then age 12) were convinced the moment they saw the photo in the newspaper that it was their Paulie. It wasn't until some fifty years later that my mother was able to establish for absolute certainty that the dying soldier was her brother.<br />
<br />
We discovered the photo on the Internet in 1993 and contacted the Red Cross. We were able to obtain the names of both the Army medic and the photographer. The medic confirmed that the soldier was indeed PAUL MARTIN WEHLAN. The photographer was deceased, but we spoke to his son.<br />
<br />
As I understand the further unfolding of this story, my uncle Paulie had written many letters home explaining to his momma that he was ready to meet Jesus; and that he knew in his heart he would not be coming home again to his family. These letter were -- of course -- received months after his death.<br />
<br />
Following the war, a fellow-soldier contacted my grandparents to share with them that Paulie had taken <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> place on the "front line." Paulie's selfless act had cost him his life. The man whose place Paulie took that day -- June 28, 1943 -- was not a Christian. He was not ready to meet Jesus. My grandparents lost touch with the young man, but continued for years to pray for his salvation.<br />
<br />
THANK YOU, Uncle Paulie for giving your life for our GREAT COUNTRY -- and sparing the life of a friend who had not yet met the LORD. May we never forget the sacrifice of your generation and so many generations who have followed.<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;">Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~Psalm 33:12</span></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-78111689097828117762010-04-06T03:00:00.013-04:002012-03-03T23:41:53.379-05:00I Am the Wretch the Song Refers To. . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL99L-Sg5_JDKFiF11d6owcudhI_4t77HlPnuu5rIt_C1KRyg4ruvdlVQpGx3tCPn3yBNLIUv-ussPLWxqaSKbft47Wq-tECPF18YM_QcYjy1PWt6Xx_8cebk1aqvCCxF45mfPw/s1600/churchpew2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456923429859917778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL99L-Sg5_JDKFiF11d6owcudhI_4t77HlPnuu5rIt_C1KRyg4ruvdlVQpGx3tCPn3yBNLIUv-ussPLWxqaSKbft47Wq-tECPF18YM_QcYjy1PWt6Xx_8cebk1aqvCCxF45mfPw/s200/churchpew2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 111px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 168px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"I</span> <span style="font-size: 130%;">am the wretch the song refers to."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~Todd Friel</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">In the introduction</span></span> to his book, “<span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic;">Hard to Believe – The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus</span>,” John MacArthur writes, “The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven – but they are deadly wrong. . . .<br />
<a name='more'></a>what is especially sad, is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches misinformed!”<span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">I agree with MacArthur.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">So what is</span></span> the "misinformation?"<br />
<br />
The misinformation is nothing less that a complete misinterpretation of the Gospel.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The message </span></span>of most Christian concerts, youth events, women’s conferences, men’s rallies, etc., and seeker-sensitive churches is <span style="font-style: italic;">“Jesus lo</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ves you! Jesus will free you from all your pain! Come to Jesus now!”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">It’s a distorted message </span></span>and a message that advances the thought that being a Christian is easy and freeing and fun. It’s called easy believe’ism, and it is anything but biblical! And it only touches the very surface of True Gospel of Salvation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMTX0KqpznutXbEw2bHwh5BaAavF6zkqsEXe7Y9-tDLJgz5tOELgvqWvX-VD-otHGZhU3tDt4SZCslDn_GgFZiKAN54ALX-_3BGt2icLCgs5QwO-EqMCwWnBENXIhSborg99YYA/s1600/woman_at_the_well.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456923879167772146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMTX0KqpznutXbEw2bHwh5BaAavF6zkqsEXe7Y9-tDLJgz5tOELgvqWvX-VD-otHGZhU3tDt4SZCslDn_GgFZiKAN54ALX-_3BGt2icLCgs5QwO-EqMCwWnBENXIhSborg99YYA/s200/woman_at_the_well.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 161px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Consider how J</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">esus</span></span> approached personal evangelism when he walked on earth as a man. Jesus did not say to people, “Pray this simple prayer” or “Just make a decision to follow Me.”<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Not at all.</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Je</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">sus confronted peo</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ple</span></span> with the reality of their own sin. (Consider, for example, the woman at the well in John Chapter 4.)<br />
<br />
Those who “accepted” Jesus were truly convicted of their sin and they repented. Those who refused Jesus rejected the fact that they were sinful. Instead they boasted and bragged of their own righteousness. (See, for example, the account of Jesus and the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Do you suppose</span></span> if the rich young ruler in Mark Chapter 10 had simply been told to repeat a simple prayer of salvation, he would have done so? And would he have walked away counting himself as saved?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Maybe. . .</span> <span style="color: #666666;"><br />
But</span><span style="color: #666666;"> would he have really be saved?</span> <span style="color: #666666;"><br />
Where</span><span style="color: #666666;"> has our culture gone wrong that we think we can do this very thing?</span></div><br />
I don’t think we can identify the exact point that we began drifting from the Truth, but . . .<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EdXF_TFByMgABqDadW2fEuZZktAYLqp6zxR8kYJ-dRg6NAEzMezAJuqSLKZ0ybjGugyElicnWta75VfJFzhgr0D7DnNgsyltEdEWJMFAS_QpcVSmIr26GOkXwgsfHS9lCwlBFA/s1600/selfesteem.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456924362216001266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EdXF_TFByMgABqDadW2fEuZZktAYLqp6zxR8kYJ-dRg6NAEzMezAJuqSLKZ0ybjGugyElicnWta75VfJFzhgr0D7DnNgsyltEdEWJMFAS_QpcVSmIr26GOkXwgsfHS9lCwlBFA/s200/selfesteem.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 132px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Robert Schuller</span></span> made one of the most absurd and anti-Gospel statements ever in his 1982 book “<span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic;">Self Esteem: The New Reformation</span>” when he wrote (on page 98), “Once a person believes he is an unworthy sinner, it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ.”<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Absurd!<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">. . . this is where the drifting went terribly bad.</span></span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">So . . . </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(see if</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I understand this. . . )</span> if you want to be saved according to this new reformation of self esteem, you cannot believe yourself to be an unworthy sinner? And to follow the logic further, there really is no reason at all for Christ’s death on the Cross. Right?<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Again: Absurd!<br />
</span></span></div><br />
. . . The very idea erases the entire story of redemption beginning in Genesis and culminating in Revelation! To do away with the notion of sin, essentially eliminates the entire Bible!!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">II</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> Timothy 3:2 </span></span>reminds us that “Dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves.”<br />
<br />
It is indeed this new man-centered gospel of self-esteem that has hijacked the Gospel. And it is this gospel of self-esteem that has permeated the seeker-sensitive evangelical churches of today.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">*</span> And therein we find the “misinformation.”</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Here’s the Truth:</span></span> The Gospel of Salvation has as its bedrock the very idea of sinfulness and scripture confirms it repeatedly.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RJWMo_W1GEHeRsfIx42fmOb1_INchQjpMPCrPyHgm38uR-Dp6Ih3JNaydVxdRbJAPrd2BQ1rIi9wW50y7ui7ROZBEkqtaAn07XQyYAdjXBRsWUMK3TWry4mwSfhkcfP70UM6_Q/s1600/wretch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456925227537146770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RJWMo_W1GEHeRsfIx42fmOb1_INchQjpMPCrPyHgm38uR-Dp6Ih3JNaydVxdRbJAPrd2BQ1rIi9wW50y7ui7ROZBEkqtaAn07XQyYAdjXBRsWUMK3TWry4mwSfhkcfP70UM6_Q/s200/wretch.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 125px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>Bottom line: I am a wretch. I am the wretch the song refers to. You are a wretch. Every human being to ever walk the earth is and was… a wretch.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Amazing Grace!</span></span> <span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />
H</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ow</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> sweet the sound,</span></span> <span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />
That saved a WRETCH like me. . .</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Yet, to confront this</span></span> by acknowledging sin in our culture today makes you a Bible-thumping Pharisaical fundamentalist<span style="font-style: italic;"> [I mean that in a bad way.]</span><br />
<br />
Leaders of the self-esteem reformation look down on the True Gospel of Salvation, pointing out that we should not “judge” others, but instead tolerate and love each other.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Wrong!</span><br />
</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">We ca</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">nnot be saved</span></span> without first acknowledging our own wretchedness before God; and we cannot share the Gospel of Salvation without first pointing out to others their wretchedness before God.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDIwyJ2g7kEZ0ATeFDlH6q1hbySYt7eQVvFxBz0T98CJ7suKZNW3p0_8hfhA9uwk5kzKkqaqG7kWa6I4_j6EUW9MW3dTlMUq1TuMP9KvR1snm35IduWxFIm1OqGORqPfPZF_0zQ/s1600/Bible.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456925746492244546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDIwyJ2g7kEZ0ATeFDlH6q1hbySYt7eQVvFxBz0T98CJ7suKZNW3p0_8hfhA9uwk5kzKkqaqG7kWa6I4_j6EUW9MW3dTlMUq1TuMP9KvR1snm35IduWxFIm1OqGORqPfPZF_0zQ/s200/Bible.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Romans 3:23</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"> <span style="color: #336666;">“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ I John 1:8</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"> <span style="color: #336666;">“And when he [the Holy Spirit</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">] is come, he</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> will convict the w</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">orld of sin…”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ John 16:8</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">It has been said</span></span> that repentance is the stuff saints are made of…<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Isaiah </span></span>the Prophet said,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“Woe is me! For I am unclean; because I am a man of unclean lips…”<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Isaiah 6:5</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Job</span></span> said,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Job 42:6</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Peter</span></span> said,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Luke 5:8</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The Apostle Paul</span></span> said,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"What a wretched man I am!"<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Romans 7:24</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">…you will also find the repentance of <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">Daniel</span> and <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">Abraham</span> in the Old Testament and <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">John</span> in the Book of Revelation. These saints recognized, acknowledged and professed their wretchedness before God and others.</div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Lo</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOQV3bRMl0UxKcD4Uglf5vANr43lmxSbxTPbOfEKzA3-BofLY1qKHkmOrFwMyOtM-RFkkIJc80HJkIqDRFeQkvao0EQc6NoQ90ZtOusKv4mBxv-aZ8Q0Oed7BBNGMqFW1zrqrLw/s1600/self+esteem.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456938479519144770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOQV3bRMl0UxKcD4Uglf5vANr43lmxSbxTPbOfEKzA3-BofLY1qKHkmOrFwMyOtM-RFkkIJc80HJkIqDRFeQkvao0EQc6NoQ90ZtOusKv4mBxv-aZ8Q0Oed7BBNGMqFW1zrqrLw/s200/self+esteem.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 98px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ok n</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ow </span></span>at some biblical examples of Schuller’s gospel of self-esteem:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Cain</span></span> did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own righteousness in the fruits brought by his own hands to the altar.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Saul</span></span> – before his conversion – did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own pedigree as a high ranking religious leader.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The ri</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ch young ruler</span></span> did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his superior knowledge and achievements.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, we can see here that the gap between the Gospel of Salvation and the gospel of self-esteem is gaping. The consequence of each is eternal.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,<br />
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~Luke 9:23</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> us<br />
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ I John 1:9</span></span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsgMj1OYodWTgm2jqjqHnOMjNWXB1L3IhfGcwWeuHd-OlbIhvAqxwAcZIfcJVZbk_-Ml1qmXbasv8k9_UVxqOnFDceBGDnYRlwJxQztQAo1tzvvIwgNjTE7RRGvKG1rCBDYxF7Q/s1600/cross.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456938621833585474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsgMj1OYodWTgm2jqjqHnOMjNWXB1L3IhfGcwWeuHd-OlbIhvAqxwAcZIfcJVZbk_-Ml1qmXbasv8k9_UVxqOnFDceBGDnYRlwJxQztQAo1tzvvIwgNjTE7RRGvKG1rCBDYxF7Q/s200/cross.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 150px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Yes, Jesus loves you!</span></span> Jesus will free you from all your pain. Come to Him. <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">But. . .</span> the Bible in full context shows us very clearly that until we recognize that we are indeed wretched sinners, we cannot appreciate the Cross and we cannot know His Grace.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Amazing Grace!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">How sweet the sound,</span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">That saved a WRETCH like me. . .</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #993300;">I AM the wretch the song refers to. . . .</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Esthermay V. Bentley Goossen<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife</span></span></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq4hfhlgYX_3rPRilh02i-NRMu4oBY6eYRrsNYpi3FmmvQX_M81u89FzjvrGCUlqoIc1pwqM4omCnYsWHTyppzQ5gKGh5M4a3BiEuHRlxRUHGogpq3dcCu74WFubR9r4-pqKnUA/s1600/InOtherWords.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457113341519063506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq4hfhlgYX_3rPRilh02i-NRMu4oBY6eYRrsNYpi3FmmvQX_M81u89FzjvrGCUlqoIc1pwqM4omCnYsWHTyppzQ5gKGh5M4a3BiEuHRlxRUHGogpq3dcCu74WFubR9r4-pqKnUA/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 93px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 68px;" /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-7541837624578536212010-02-08T00:44:00.003-05:002012-03-04T00:59:32.568-05:00Christian . . . or Not?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvFDiAoVGRBpe29X9fdaQSWRp7MSiMjN-4WZFEH6l-fgGBISwsNREU_WEdc9uwFUYpFJhOFKQhfSLLDQe2WO_fVjmwGrVUOkZu8zax8ZyVhSEy7zPKHpy-HzfceWtnQuljWSWBA/s1600-h/whatisthechurch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436008076988007314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvFDiAoVGRBpe29X9fdaQSWRp7MSiMjN-4WZFEH6l-fgGBISwsNREU_WEdc9uwFUYpFJhOFKQhfSLLDQe2WO_fVjmwGrVUOkZu8zax8ZyVhSEy7zPKHpy-HzfceWtnQuljWSWBA/s200/whatisthechurch.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />
“C</span>hristian is a great noun and a poor adjective.”</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">–Rob Bell</span><br />
<br />
</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Nearly thirty years ago,</span></span> Robert Schuller wrote a book called <span style="font-style: italic;">Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. </span>The book did indeed usher in a new "reformation" -- a reformation of anti-biblical, anti-Christian thought that has permeated the culture and effectively turned out a great many Christians in our generation who are anything <span style="font-style: italic;">bu</span><span style="font-style: italic;">t </span>a reflection of the very first Christians of the New Testament.<br />
<br />
<P><P>So, can the same terminology used in the First Century to describe Christ-Followers be used today? Has the meaning changed? Have Christians changed?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Rob Bell's ministry </span></span>is the direct result of Mr. Schuller's "reformation" so you do have to wonder what he's really thinking; and how he defines the term <span style="font-style: italic;">Christian.</span> But when Mr. Bell tells us that the word <span style="font-style: italic;">"Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective," </span>it's easy to agree with the last half of the statement. The word "Christian is indeed a poor <span style="font-style: italic;">adjective</span> as used to describe the majority of mainline churches today. Especially when you consider the message of the New Testament Church and compare it with the message of a great number of today's churches.<br />
<br />
But the word "Christian" is also an incredibly loosely used <span style="font-style: italic;">noun</span> ascribed to most churchgoers of our culture. . . Thanks to Mr. Schuller's <span style="font-style: italic;">New Reformation</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and the resulting <span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker-Sensitive Movement.</span> Biblically and properly defined, however, <span style="font-style: italic;">Christian is a great noun.</span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">It really does depend on how you <span style="font-style: italic;"><u>define</u></span> "Christian."</div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Mr. Bell is a prominent leader</span></span> in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seeker-</span><span style="font-style: italic;">Sensitive Movement</span>. Are you familiar with this term? <span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker-Sensitive Churches </span>give their audience what they want -- what they "seek." They "seek" relevant sermons and exciting programs that may or may not have anything to do with Biblical Christianity.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker </span>churches rarely use expository preaching and seldom do they ever bring up <span style="font-style: italic;">redemption, </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">sin</span>. These are the recurring themes of the Bible, but they are not themes that people "seek." The <span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker Movement</span> is a church "style" that dominates American churches; and it is anything but reflective of the New Testament Church.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">I'm not sure what Mr. Bell is trying to tell us in his quote<br />
Because I'm not sure what he means by "Christian."</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMw3L8pCB0eWc36nVbYecBBa5vJ3rVHAm5ElCIzWXpuYP85mGVVBs3HWEh4tD7cE_JIXf13NGgMJ9hzT_xYyst_igmHTMPwKDKsEQ6ZzuXuL6Yoe-NPKpbjbjHcX_liXlNE1i0Q/s1600-h/empty+bible.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436020322663841666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMw3L8pCB0eWc36nVbYecBBa5vJ3rVHAm5ElCIzWXpuYP85mGVVBs3HWEh4tD7cE_JIXf13NGgMJ9hzT_xYyst_igmHTMPwKDKsEQ6ZzuXuL6Yoe-NPKpbjbjHcX_liXlNE1i0Q/s200/empty+bible.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 90px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Christianity,</span></span> in the hands of these <span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker-Sensitive </span><span style="font-style: italic;">churches</span> has diluted (and in many cases completely misrepresented) the divine message of Salvation as revealed in the Bible beginning in the Book of Genesis!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker Sensitive churches</span> have replaced the Glory of God with the satisfaction of human beings. They have neglected to teach -- or even understand -- the entire Story of Redemption which unfolds in every single page of the Bible. They have effectively done away with the Word of GOD. Except -- of course -- for it's soundbites: those selected "feel-good," "Jesus-loves-you" verses taken out of context to give the audience what it wants to hear.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">. . . </span><span style="color: #666666;">'cause who wants to hear the that we are sinners who deserve Hell?<br />
To be sure, the Book of Romans has been<br />
completely ripped out of the </span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">Seeker-Sensitive</span><span style="color: #666666;"> Bible.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">John MacA</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">rthur calls </span><span style="color: #336666;">the trend</span></span> "quasi-Christian, narcissism" and it is vividly characteristic of the false teaching we are warned about in II Timothy 3 where we are reminded, "Dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves." (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Timothy%203:1-2&version=NIV">II Timothy 3:1-2</a>)<br />
<br />
And because so much of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Seeker-Sensitive Movement</span> has infiltrated our churches, the Church of 2010 bears little -- if any -- similarity to the New Testament Christian Church.<br />
<br />
In today's culture, the use, meaning and expression of the word <span style="font-style: italic;">"Christian"</span> is indeed a poor descriptive of a person who has been saved by grace through faith. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:8&version=NIV">Ephesians 2:8</a>)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">"Christian is . . . a poor adjective."</span><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #999999; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Indeed!</span> <span style="color: #666666;">. . . so how did this all start?</span><br />
<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhintN-klBdL1rH3qeG5uJnVFv3tzmkTnqUjdpQQnWyFPgONpY9RbhCNARsTLHT34e6Vpx8cMZ9oSEe66trfk9-v8nZGC5DYYhTbMuTElZjWTb0T1sGkqIU3rUmAWPd6FIFs2dNUg/s1600-h/selfesteem.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436090976880001682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhintN-klBdL1rH3qeG5uJnVFv3tzmkTnqUjdpQQnWyFPgONpY9RbhCNARsTLHT34e6Vpx8cMZ9oSEe66trfk9-v8nZGC5DYYhTbMuTElZjWTb0T1sGkqIU3rUmAWPd6FIFs2dNUg/s200/selfesteem.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 132px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">In his bestselli</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ng book,</span></span> Schuller aggressively attacks the Protestant Reformation which began when Martin Luther published <span style="font-style: italic;">The Ninety-Five Theses</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>in 1517. Schuller writes: <span style="color: #333333;">"It is precisely at this point that classical theology has erred in its insistence that theology be 'God-centered' and not 'man-centered.'"</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">(1)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Excuse me?? But. . . <span style="color: #993300;"><span style="color: #993399;">*</span>W</span><span style="color: #006600;">h</span><span style="color: #000066;">a</span><span style="color: #660000;">T</span><span style="color: #993300;">!</span><span style="color: #006600;">!</span><span style="color: #000066;">?</span><span style="color: #663300;">?</span><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">In an attempt to define this "man-centered theology," Schuller explains,<span style="color: #333333;"> "This master plan of God is de</span><span style="color: #333333;">signed around the deepest needs of human beings -- self-dignity, self-respect, self-esteem." </span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(2)</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">Again: Huh??</div></div></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">He goes on. . . </span></span><span style="color: #333333;">"Success is to be defined as the gift of self-esteem that God gives us as a reward for our sacrificial service in building self-esteem in others. Win or lose: If we follow God's plan as faithfully as we can, we will feel good about ourselves. That is success!"</span> <span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(3)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">So. . . Self Esteem trumps Salvation??!!<br />
Anything but Biblical, Mr. Schuller.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;">"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,<br />
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Jesus</span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Schuller's not done.</span></span> Perhaps his most preposterous assertion comes when he writes, "Once a person believes he is an 'unworthy sinner,' it is doubtful if he can rally honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ."<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(4)</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Mr. Schuller, do you own a Bible?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Have you read it?</span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;">". . . for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."</span></div><div style="color: #666666; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Romans 3:23<br />
</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPNaPcnb6UGvpkFE4JiCL-JF1TN-UydSrDDZFgW8bnVIO5mHi7VKoZyhIaSoIF6ebe4wYflU23AMnPpgreOd113PGtQIKA6kHSoh3Hezkp3cfhnjw0GZ096ISMQ_TgZojPqIUQ/s1600-h/allaboutme.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436033771815796546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPNaPcnb6UGvpkFE4JiCL-JF1TN-UydSrDDZFgW8bnVIO5mHi7VKoZyhIaSoIF6ebe4wYflU23AMnPpgreOd113PGtQIKA6kHSoh3Hezkp3cfhnjw0GZ096ISMQ_TgZojPqIUQ/s200/allaboutme.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Sadly,</span></span> this "man-centered theology" is precisely the theology that the <span style="font-style: italic;">Seek</span><span style="font-style: italic;">er-Sensitive Movement </span>is teaching. And it exists at some level in the majority of mainline "Christian" churches today. Christianity is no longer about Christ. It's all about the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeker.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">What does the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeker </span>want?<br />
What does the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeker </span>think they need?<br />
What is truth according to the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeker?</span><br />
And how does the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeker </span>feel about that?</div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">If you want to be saved,</span></span> according to this new "gospel," you do not believe yourself to be a sinner. You just "accept Christ" because "God is Love." And -- more importantly -- you can't ever (ever!) tell anyone else that they are a sinner or even mention the word <span style="font-style: italic;">hell</span>!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">How distorted that?!<br />
<br />
</div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Any minister or teacher </span></span>who waters down the message of Salvation so that it is <u>less</u> confrontational and <u>more</u> popular, politically correct and appealing to the <span style="font-style: italic;">seekers</span>, is doing one thing and one thing only: promoting a cheap imitation of the Christian life, and corrupting the use, meaning and expression of the word <span style="font-style: italic;">CHRISTIAN.</span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">Mr. Bell's quote is completely dependent on how you define the term <span style="font-style: italic;">Christian</span>.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">“C</span>hristian is a great noun and a poor adjective.”</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">–Rob Bell</span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">*~*~*~*~*</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6BXLZjyE355MHhdrulhvS13ND5dCyh8Xv-RxlnrwC-RMTfKop91-1_GqH-gVUZ-Cfo23a9PENxTbZBCxZaAV6JrQF61AUR-ZtRS3_A1QtxBpIw8LL7agcXgz-2yJm3Al5_LypQ/s1600-h/sataninchurch.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436042260308781442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6BXLZjyE355MHhdrulhvS13ND5dCyh8Xv-RxlnrwC-RMTfKop91-1_GqH-gVUZ-Cfo23a9PENxTbZBCxZaAV6JrQF61AUR-ZtRS3_A1QtxBpIw8LL7agcXgz-2yJm3Al5_LypQ/s200/sataninchurch.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 144px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a></div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"O</span>ne of our great allies at present is the Church itself.<br />
Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church<br />
as we see her spread out through all time and space<br />
and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners.<br />
That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes<br />
our boldest tempters uneasy.<br />
But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans."</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">~ Screwtape, </span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">A senior devil, instruction a junior devil<br />
on how to tempt and trap humans.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">C.S. Lewis,</span> The Screwtape Letters</span></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3191372&id=92465456191#/pages/Esthermay-Bentley-GoossenWriter-Counselor/54555841235"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428678043160838146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqJNn8bX8JegMb7cKXUrRkedyKUprbfM7RoXvn5T8fCvGIoS_5tGItdV1W1mTs76GI4fuGwpF36Kwto3NMeFgwmoXCKKDh8hLNord2ihM22VlHJnwT3uYdEo4-ZneHrvSnfY8lw/s200/followmeonfacebook.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 19px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 125px;" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 85%;">NOTES:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(1)</span></span> <span style="font-size: 85%;">Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, Tex.: Word Publishing, 1982), 64.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(2)</span></span> <span style="font-size: 85%;">Ibid., 71.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(3) </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Ibid., 76.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #666666;">(4) </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Ibid., 98.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 95px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 70px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://tamiboesiger.blogspot.com/">Tami</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span>on her blog, <a href="http://tamiboesiger.blogspot.com/">The Next Step</a><a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/"><br />
</a></span></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-63739470595329265532010-01-26T00:15:00.032-05:002012-03-02T09:57:45.065-05:00Christians Will Have Enemies - No Doubt . . .<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp731zW7gLxCJtP34_E4pEtzutnThSPy-NjhdA3SSUfzS6vqDMTVAqEe3yTE2agf2E6ci1Srue9T86H_mGhQAvNiSTauSePHKPTGMUrtFa32MFPSomr6tVoB-Ls6Qy_NFfpZPUQ/s1600-h/sword1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430832942486775874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp731zW7gLxCJtP34_E4pEtzutnThSPy-NjhdA3SSUfzS6vqDMTVAqEe3yTE2agf2E6ci1Srue9T86H_mGhQAvNiSTauSePHKPTGMUrtFa32MFPSomr6tVoB-Ls6Qy_NFfpZPUQ/s200/sword1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 148px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />"D</span><span style="font-size: 130%;">o not suppose that I have come<br />to bring peace to the earth.<br />I did not come to bring peace,<br />but a sword."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Matthew 10:34</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />Taken all by itself</span></span> and completely out of context, Matthew 10:34 surely implies that Jesus' mission on earth was one of violence -- that He was most certainly <u>not</u> a <span style="font-style: italic;">peacekeeper </span>as so much theology likes to underscore.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">In fact</span></span> most of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010&version=NIV">Matthew Chapter 10</a>, finds Jesus proclaiming something seemingly and directly contrary to the message the angels proclaimed at His birth:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.”</div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Luke 2:14</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">So were those angels misinformed?</span></span> And what about Jesus' own words elsewhere in Scripture where He seems to agree with the angels and contradict Himself?<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #336666;">"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world </span><span style="color: #336666;">gives, give I unto you.<br />Let not your heart be troubl</span><span style="color: #336666;">ed, neither let it be afraid"</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ John 14:27</span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
. . . No sword here.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Confused?</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkN4nCCPeO0E3rveeiVCnu-csv0j464I7w09UGBQy7xwCJzI6KSuyMupa4DjLNxp5ixTY0Q9Drl4aS0W2H3lBa-uZJ2ftcnDAPIk7AuU4J3VeUQRw9Ld_tXEqW3Qa5hXPmBmBMQ/s1600-h/JesusTeaching.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430908275982284162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkN4nCCPeO0E3rveeiVCnu-csv0j464I7w09UGBQy7xwCJzI6KSuyMupa4DjLNxp5ixTY0Q9Drl4aS0W2H3lBa-uZJ2ftcnDAPIk7AuU4J3VeUQRw9Ld_tXEqW3Qa5hXPmBmBMQ/s200/JesusTeaching.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 122px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>Remember the Book of Matthew was written to all of us, but in terms of a specific audience, the Book is addressed to the Jewish people of Jesus' day. The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah who <span style="font-style: italic;">would </span>wage war. The use of the word <span style="font-style: italic;">sword</span> certainly fits with the image of war.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">Cont</span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">ext is everything.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">But it goes further</span></span> than the context of speaking to a Jewish audience. Look at the verses immediately following this idea of <span style="font-style: italic;">"a sword"</span> where Jesus quotes a passage from Micah 7:6 having to do with mistrust and betrayal within families:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">"For I have come to turn <span style="color: #336666;">'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against h</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #336666;">er mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'"</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Matthew 10:35-36</span></div>
<br />
Sounds very much like a passage earlier in the same Chapter:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child;<br />
children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death."</div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Matthew 10:21</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">It seems then</span></span> that the <span style="font-style: italic;">"sword"</span> that Jesus came to bring is symbolic of the division that will occur within families and friends (and even bodies of <span style="font-style: italic;">apparent</span> believers) as a result of His ministry. So the use of the word <span style="font-style: italic;">"sword"</span> is typical of Jesus' figurative way of speaking. He used a sharply definitive word to convey a very disturbing reality.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
The reality being: <u>Christians <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">will</span> have enemies.</u></div>
<br />
Look at the parallel verse in the Gospel of Luke:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Luke 12:51</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666;">See how Luke changes the metaphor into a factual statement?</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Throughout Scripture</span></span> we are confronted with the reality that Christians <u>will</u> have enemies. There will be division. Jesus Himself caused much division and had many enemies. <span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">(There's an understatement!)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">►</span></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvErzpGvc8pKH6j-9vZyy3HlycJ2OeTaJqONeK78ngy-hJXfZBU8933BvcLIa97vnYGcKFiYuc-n5Vv9OKghasRgc5XIfR8kM5no_b2x047fNEWCleKChC_e2-V12LYCyc-HC7Q/s1600-h/Judas.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430937590394024354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvErzpGvc8pKH6j-9vZyy3HlycJ2OeTaJqONeK78ngy-hJXfZBU8933BvcLIa97vnYGcKFiYuc-n5Vv9OKghasRgc5XIfR8kM5no_b2x047fNEWCleKChC_e2-V12LYCyc-HC7Q/s200/Judas.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 144px;" /></a>Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be despised and rejected by men some 700 years before His birth. Clearly the division was foreseen. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%2053:3&version=NIV">Isaiah 53:3</a>)<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">►</span></span> While blessing Jesus as a very small child, Simeon prophesied that His life would indeed act as a <span style="font-style: italic;">"sword"</span> and bring division in Israel. Clearly the division was forseen. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202:33-35&version=NIV">Luke 2:33-35</a>)<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />►</span></span> Judas -- one of the Twelve Disciples -- betrayed Jesus. Clearly there was division between Jesus and one of His own followers.<br />
(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2014:10-11&version=NIV">Mark 14:10-11</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">►</span></span> The Apostle Paul instructed believers that if an unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, that we should <span style="font-style: italic;">"let them leave."</span> Clearly being a believer can cause division in a marriage. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Cor%207:15&version=NIV">I Corinthians 7:15</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">►</span></span> In the Apostle Paul's closing words to Timothy, he warns about a man named Demas who deserted him. Paul also mentions Alexander the copper-smith, a man who opposed the message of the Gospel and did great harm to Paul. Clearly there was division between Paul and those who knew him.<br />
(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204:9-18&version=NIV">II Timothy 4:9-18</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">►</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBPkbn8bTDzIoZ14Z_KO8qWo7I7_HZEfVzufgtI89-FFqNduNLYhrgvWq8mcufvSKfqla9NWhK45O1g4VtJYLjimbaD_2Ic1P_Y8fCLNVSX1QBkVkVFpVkV2KpaOUeIrAZscM6w/s1600-h/ananias.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430937860811805410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBPkbn8bTDzIoZ14Z_KO8qWo7I7_HZEfVzufgtI89-FFqNduNLYhrgvWq8mcufvSKfqla9NWhK45O1g4VtJYLjimbaD_2Ic1P_Y8fCLNVSX1QBkVkVFpVkV2KpaOUeIrAZscM6w/s200/ananias.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 122px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a> In Acts Chapter 5, Peter exposes the lies and piousness of Ananias and Sapphira. Clearly there was even great division in the body of Christians known as the <span style="font-style: italic;">Church</span>. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%205&version=NIV">Acts 5</a>)</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">It becomes clear</span></span> as we read the New Testament that Jesus considered it a given that the world would despise Him and his Church. He says, <span style="font-style: italic;">"The world . . . hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil"</span> (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%207:7&version=NIV">John 7:7</a>).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">In other words,</span></span> the world's contempt for Jesus, His Church and His followers stems not from simple differences, but from a huge chasm -- a chasm created by a refusal to accept that human ways <span style="font-style: italic;">(human thought, human behavior, human philosophies. . . )</span> are evil.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness instead<br />
of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will<br />
not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."</div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ John 3:19-20</span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
Christian Truth will <u>never</u> be popular with the world. It will <u>always divide.</u></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Yes. . . Jesus brought </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Rokl8Oy3Das-aiaVqRLhoLCFnWoXsb9ZmJoaaU1g4XPtuvyNPyRB0Zzy6qBdzjjyLBMAM5HWFe8uWb5fdTwfxYzN4aW4PGi93KeF7oE5vRUyFrdgPdD6hIfIc-Gqwn4o5LEXcw/s1600-h/sword2.jpg" style="color: #336666;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430948640503386546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Rokl8Oy3Das-aiaVqRLhoLCFnWoXsb9ZmJoaaU1g4XPtuvyNPyRB0Zzy6qBdzjjyLBMAM5HWFe8uWb5fdTwfxYzN4aW4PGi93KeF7oE5vRUyFrdgPdD6hIfIc-Gqwn4o5LEXcw/s200/sword2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 173px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666;">peace</span></span> to earth. But that peace comes as an inner peace that is available only to those who put their full faith in Him as their Savior.<br />
<br />
Otherwise. . . His presence and His message only bring conflict. No accurate reading of Scripture can conclude anything different.<br />
<br />
The coming of Christ did not bring the peace the Jews had hoped for. Instead it brought even greater conflict because the presence of Truth causes those who deny it to become even more enraged and evil.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Wishing and hoping </span></span>for world peace is a ridiculous, hopeless and pointless task. Sin <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>the dominant force on this earth. The Bible tells us so. Scripturally speaking, <span style="font-style: italic;">"Peace on Earth"</span> is reserved <span style="font-style: italic;">only </span>for those who surrender to Him and live according to His will.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The Christian </span></span>will make enemies. No doubt.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">". . . but if to do the right, and to believe the true,<br />should cause him to lose every earthly friend,<br />he will count it but a small loss,<br />since his great Friend in heaven will be yet more friendly,<br />and reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. . . . </span></div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-style: italic;">"Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace and everlasting torment."</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~Charles H. Spurgeon</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=25Jan2010&meme=iow" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/graphic.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=25Jan2010&meme=iow" /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-42620637751744735632010-01-23T09:01:00.000-05:002012-03-09T23:42:01.871-05:00Who Wears the Millstone? Thoughts for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwUslTPl-qtoEyeGDaxrfpPzUitATKaic1pPs0NHZqYGk1jL6kSwP1HwAnaUoRqACThxlFBF1cjw9MgLBHsGDN0qZ7CQok9A_00u71tfbrf_40B0BoCMyKulOE2d6z2i_oe7inw/s1600-h/Precious+Little+One.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430045669928600002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwUslTPl-qtoEyeGDaxrfpPzUitATKaic1pPs0NHZqYGk1jL6kSwP1HwAnaUoRqACThxlFBF1cjw9MgLBHsGDN0qZ7CQok9A_00u71tfbrf_40B0BoCMyKulOE2d6z2i_oe7inw/s200/Precious+Little+One.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 126px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">I</span>f you were born after 1972, consider yourself a Survivor of the Abortion Holocaust. ONE-THIRD of your generation has been killed by abortion in the United States of America.</span></div><div style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~</div><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintbE1_jAwmUjKH1vIh-laev8YL4_kzsH2Tp_4PQ4EocEyMi3qjXcTsppIkGPSlRAwe9EyoXVOrTNmbST2zYuqdhdV20SIX_lmI3gOn6vL4vXOgTMcMSOC4WgR-og90CRISkjkNg/s1600-h/FiveMonths.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430065311068882258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintbE1_jAwmUjKH1vIh-laev8YL4_kzsH2Tp_4PQ4EocEyMi3qjXcTsppIkGPSlRAwe9EyoXVOrTNmbST2zYuqdhdV20SIX_lmI3gOn6vL4vXOgTMcMSOC4WgR-og90CRISkjkNg/s200/FiveMonths.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 133px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"Y</span>ou created my inmost being;<br />
you knit me together in my mother's womb.<br />
I praise you because I am fearfully and<br />
wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,<br />
I know that full well."</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~Psalm 139:13-14</span><br />
<br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCnq24WuqbszwNlX5qs6aWokm29XAqGJbo9nwZtRGFKtmi-hmyj2olLQ2TX9ebO4Gn8HBi-H7_2mJE0OP83oyiPYW60SllpvFt-U98vljvTrf6UnPj0lyPkrMXYiLaEuHozKk_A/s1600-h/abortionmurder.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430065421353584290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCnq24WuqbszwNlX5qs6aWokm29XAqGJbo9nwZtRGFKtmi-hmyj2olLQ2TX9ebO4Gn8HBi-H7_2mJE0OP83oyiPYW60SllpvFt-U98vljvTrf6UnPj0lyPkrMXYiLaEuHozKk_A/s200/abortionmurder.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 136px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"T</span>hen said He unto the disciples,</span></span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> 'It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they </span></span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">come! It were better for him that a <span style="color: #663300; font-weight: bold;"><u>millstone</u></span> were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than than he should offend one of these little ones.'"</span></span></div><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~Luke 17:1-2</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></div><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_pzJ3rZcn2IwzPOgHKiA_X3GSCoeRfMpQPznCPPLWe4GmB-6hdzdZHb4QtuwPxrFjNKyJo2vS-vyiUcLjzlyEGMHN8MDAyGMqesBqUkZya4QubKCr3GQGDitZ_JhNJBi4ucc3w/s1600-h/Baby+Rowan.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430047399744130594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_pzJ3rZcn2IwzPOgHKiA_X3GSCoeRfMpQPznCPPLWe4GmB-6hdzdZHb4QtuwPxrFjNKyJo2vS-vyiUcLjzlyEGMHN8MDAyGMqesBqUkZya4QubKCr3GQGDitZ_JhNJBi4ucc3w/s200/Baby+Rowan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 133px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
"If they [my daughters] make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ The President of the United States</span></div><br />
"The first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing I'd do."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~A Politician running for President of the </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">United States</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span><br />
<br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Pwo51pqHaNPcOrbYqSfvtW2TjoKGbHjs3mEQxRoc7eVtpcS-n4HFKgfO9BIEAIm_3kyOpfWn9LVYhsVA-UqR0eJgI7_VZo6Wpr9lYofBxrx2ntB018swYHweZc2A6-xAu9t7g/s1600-h/Proverbs.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430054976254244354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Pwo51pqHaNPcOrbYqSfvtW2TjoKGbHjs3mEQxRoc7eVtpcS-n4HFKgfO9BIEAIm_3kyOpfWn9LVYhsVA-UqR0eJgI7_VZo6Wpr9lYofBxrx2ntB018swYHweZc2A6-xAu9t7g/s200/Proverbs.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 115px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"G</span>ood leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds: sound leadership has a moral foundation."</span></span><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
~Proverbs 16:12</span></span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><br />
Who wears the <span style="color: #663300; font-weight: bold;"><u>millstone?</u></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1iEwP7p-LZHieWSti89eC_Ppu-dRHlYkWHAkLSp3JFuP3loYIPqJVgvKmh0V8xiyu7U_yxX-NOrHBWFXV7m2tQvTdKm8ppumARML_QrwRpZjzxsg5rBy0bpyclL1q7y1u7t6iw/s1600-h/deadinfants.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430055144126900738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1iEwP7p-LZHieWSti89eC_Ppu-dRHlYkWHAkLSp3JFuP3loYIPqJVgvKmh0V8xiyu7U_yxX-NOrHBWFXV7m2tQvTdKm8ppumARML_QrwRpZjzxsg5rBy0bpyclL1q7y1u7t6iw/s200/deadinfants.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 132px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;">The abortionist?<br />
The mother who chooses it?<br />
The citizens who support it?<br />
The politicians who fight for it?<br />
The electorate who vote for them?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The citizens who look the other way?. . .</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #336666;"><u>Who wears the <span style="color: #663333; font-weight: bold;">millstone?</span></u></span></div></div><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/pages/Esthermay-Bentley-GoossenWriter-Counselor/54555841235"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428678043160838146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqJNn8bX8JegMb7cKXUrRkedyKUprbfM7RoXvn5T8fCvGIoS_5tGItdV1W1mTs76GI4fuGwpF36Kwto3NMeFgwmoXCKKDh8hLNord2ihM22VlHJnwT3uYdEo4-ZneHrvSnfY8lw/s200/followmeonfacebook.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 19px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 125px;" /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-72219538168036179292010-01-19T23:24:00.007-05:002010-01-20T15:58:56.793-05:00The Message of the Earthquake --Ultimately Points to the Cross. . .<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy2biKPTAHecOFZCJNkxdaaScsPzJgE38CTdEJ8DfH7DedWIqh-yWbcBzyvnIUHjrU9nogj7j8jeVm783PK_XSolBx9YzjmpdCjufK8wrnH_cfNqmNEv68eERFNE3t1cHOCofrw/s1600-h/haitiearthquake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy2biKPTAHecOFZCJNkxdaaScsPzJgE38CTdEJ8DfH7DedWIqh-yWbcBzyvnIUHjrU9nogj7j8jeVm783PK_XSolBx9YzjmpdCjufK8wrnH_cfNqmNEv68eERFNE3t1cHOCofrw/s200/haitiearthquake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428574673977971746" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">“E</span>very happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.” </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~Malc</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">o</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">lm Muggeridge</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Rick Warren is w</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">rong</span></span> when he <a href="http://twitter.com/RickWarren">tweets</a> that God does not judge the world through catastrophes. Here's what God says:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who s</span><span style="font-style: italic;">uppress the truth by their wickedness</span>. . .<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~Romans 1:18</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?</span><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">~Amos 3:6<br /></span></div></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Pat Robertson is wrong</span></span> when he claims to know why the Haitian earthquake happened. Deuteronomy 29:29 says,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that w</span><span style="font-style: italic;">e may follow all the words of th</span><span style="font-style: italic;">is law.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Christian Apologi</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">st </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Malcolm</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> Muggeridge</span></span> does offer up some wisdom, however, when he says,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us,<br />and the art of life is to get the message.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">So what's the message?</span></span> Is there a message in an earthquake? Is there a message in any natural disaster? And if the art of life is to "get the message," how do we go about deciphering that message?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Much bad theol</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ogy</span></span> inevitably surfaces when Christians confront human suffering and look for answers. However, as John Piper writes, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. And wimpy Christians won't survive the days ahead.</span>" It's the wimpy Christians who will question human suffering and remain confused and bewildered, asking "Why?"<br /><br />If we have a solid biblical worldview, we will understand the message in a catastrophe like the recent earthquake in Haiti, for it is indeed found in God's Word . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Let's look at the principle players</span></span> involved in the unfolding of a natural disaster as outlined in Scripture so we can "get the message."<br /><br />. . . We've got GOD, Satan and -- of course -- Human Beings.<br /><br /><div id="text_expose_id_4b5544e2c34412a6c2354" class="comment_actual_text text_exposed"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><u>GOD</u></span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ9lNQhffXkwktcqxtKhVSPfQyzQICFzo9U0LvbYxh1AfsBjMFnFEu4fEORix4Z7cPmz5NwzOAkj1zABcglArfz8bxMAbNY6rujUvnbCnUHsdhVGTrPtyUMdeREqV91Dh0zKUqA/s1600-h/haitiearthquake2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ9lNQhffXkwktcqxtKhVSPfQyzQICFzo9U0LvbYxh1AfsBjMFnFEu4fEORix4Z7cPmz5NwzOAkj1zABcglArfz8bxMAbNY6rujUvnbCnUHsdhVGTrPtyUMdeREqV91Dh0zKUqA/s200/haitiearthquake2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428574746625966642" border="0" /></a>In His design for the world, God allows many events to run their course according to "time and chance" (see <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%209:11&version=NIV">Ecclesiastes 9:11</a>) and so -- for those affected --these many tragedies are seen as accidental and unforeseeable.<br /><br />God has also told us in His Word that natural disasters would grow in frequency and intensity as the end of the age approaches. This is to happen so that people will be shaken out of their complacency and lead them to seek Him. (See <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024:7&version=NIV">Matthew 24:7</a>; <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2021:25-26&version=NIV">Luke 21:25-26</a>; <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206:12&version=NIV">Revelation 6:12</a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2011:13&version=NIV">11:13</a>, and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016:18&version=NIV">16:18</a>.)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Even so, </span></span>as Christians, we are given these verses of comfort:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Therefore, there</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~ Romans 8:1</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in troubl</span><span style="font-style: italic;">e. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >Selah</span>. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >Selah</span>.</span><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ Psalm 46:1-7<br /></span></div> </div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Ultimate</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ly,</span></span> God controls everything either directly or indirectly by restraining His grace or allowing Satan a little longer leash. Either way, God is sovereign over everything and happily accepts responsibility for both "human suffering" <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> "blessings."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster;<br />I, the LORD, do all these things.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >~Isaiah 45:7</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><u>Satan</u></span></span><br /></div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%202:2&version=NIV">Ephesians 2:2</a> does tell us that Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air and that his spirit is at work in those who are disobedient. We should never underestimate the power of Satan.<br /><br />He does indeed rule in the hearts of many including some world leaders. It could be -- and has been -- argued that Satan therefore controls the nations. This would be a stretch! Satan does prowl about like a lion. . . but <span style="font-style: italic;">nowhere</span> in God's Word can we construe that Satan has control of nations or natural disasters.<br /><br />Satan does <span><u>not</u> control the weather or rule the nations. God alone is Sovereign.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><u>Human Beings</u></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7JLKV6B53PI4DNX4YMS85fWUEAmyxlwU8hMwDPl2f1tdJ3pd50nhAXd4-yEvBZ1toctmB6UUPpWKljskaEUGQS5eWEgR9DsPMMEy-tUWYFhp2YMzvhx-OUQVxwMS0zCraFyptw/s1600-h/haitiearthquake4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7JLKV6B53PI4DNX4YMS85fWUEAmyxlwU8hMwDPl2f1tdJ3pd50nhAXd4-yEvBZ1toctmB6UUPpWKljskaEUGQS5eWEgR9DsPMMEy-tUWYFhp2YMzvhx-OUQVxwMS0zCraFyptw/s200/haitiearthquake4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428578949981865346" border="0" /></a><span>There are only two groups of people on earth: pagans and Christians. Perhaps a over simplification? Yes. <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(i.e., natural man, carnal man, spiritual man. . .) </span> But for purposes of this discussion, Scripture is clear when it comes to human suffering:</span><br /></div><span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> the righteous and the unrighteous.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~Matthew 5:45</span></span></span><br /></div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Jesus g</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ave us</span></span> a very definitive statement on human suffering by way of catastrophes in Luke 13:1-5:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans<br />whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that<br />these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans bec</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ause they<br />suffered this way? I tell you, No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.<br />Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them --<br />do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?<br />I tell you No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.</span>"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRDK_Ir7T6BMli0mAEBR8_XtYwFBjRgWbuOinMO5XpqVHeFUJzI3VZB_6XxUUxVvu6Rf0EEiPqLFBcX3ZR0C2wPoXF65DOPhpg4xEPJUyKkhsNsRysY1Fe8qWJDAgzo8UFTgpjQ/s1600-h/haitiearthquake3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRDK_Ir7T6BMli0mAEBR8_XtYwFBjRgWbuOinMO5XpqVHeFUJzI3VZB_6XxUUxVvu6Rf0EEiPqLFBcX3ZR0C2wPoXF65DOPhpg4xEPJUyKkhsNsRysY1Fe8qWJDAgzo8UFTgpjQ/s200/haitiearthquake3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428574911026398818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Both believers and non-believers</span></span> are affected when God sends or allows a disaster.<br /><br />When God sends or allows disaster to non-believers, it could be for one of two reasons: either as judgment or as a call to repentance.<br /><br />Clearly a natural disaster such as an earthquake does not come close to the eternal punishment of hell, but it is a <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">taste</span> of God's wrath. How a non-believer responds to a disaster is far more important than the reality of the disaster in-and-of itself.<br /></div></div><br />When God sends or allows disaster to believers, He does so -- again -- for one of two reasons: to prune/refine us or to take us home to heaven! Christians are never victims of collateral damage and we should never think such. While there may or may not be a primary reason God sends or allows a disaster <span style="font-style: italic;">(Remember: God is GOD!)</span>, He always orchestrates every single detail. As Christian onlookers to disaster, we can respond in one of two ways: apathy or kindness.<br /><br />When God sends or allows disaster -- or judgment -- to come to an entire nation, each individual involved needs to determine why God caused or allowed him/herself to be harmed.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><u>Bottomline</u></span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDmciSebhFBPG9xdrKD04hXEhcBsZca_pKboo4vIs93czxQhnHA_nH0EjYhvv7_7K_K-den8HOVvZ1O-KqMn2pQ5EHglIbIfG6ZiGcQ3OE6r3xD04N4QRdzMpdVfCn4Sad8cMtw/s1600-h/crosspeople.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDmciSebhFBPG9xdrKD04hXEhcBsZca_pKboo4vIs93czxQhnHA_nH0EjYhvv7_7K_K-den8HOVvZ1O-KqMn2pQ5EHglIbIfG6ZiGcQ3OE6r3xD04N4QRdzMpdVfCn4Sad8cMtw/s200/crosspeople.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428586678434754898" border="0" /></a>God gets the credit for the earthquake. Yet he is not to "blame" since God is never to "blame" for anything. He is sovereign and always does the exact right thing at precisely the correct time.<br /><br />God sends a taste of His wrath to non-believers that they might look to the Cross and find Salvation. God prunes and refines Christians that we will live in greater gratitude for what Jesus did to rescue us from eternal destruction.<br /><br />As Christians, we should use the tragedy of the recent earthquake in Haiti as a reminder of the brevity of life and the equality of death as it happens on this earth. More importantly, we should use it as a springboard in sharing the ultimate solution to this world's problems.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">God seeks to glorify His Son</span></span> in all He does. Including catastrophes. Catastrophes -- like everything else in life -- are about finding our way to the Cross of Jesus Christ!<br /></div><br />~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /><br /><a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkname=The%20Message%20of%20the%20Earthquake%20Ultimately%20Points%20to%20the%20Cross...&linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftheheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fmessage-of-earthquake-points-to-cross.html"><img src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" alt="Share/Bookmark" width="171" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">a2a_linkname="The Message of the Earthquake Ultimately Points to the Cross...";a2a_linkurl="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2010/01/message-of-earthquake-points-to-cross.html";</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.addtoany.com/menu/page.js"></script><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3191372&id=92465456191#/pages/Esthermay-Bentley-GoossenWriter-Counselor/54555841235"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 19px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqJNn8bX8JegMb7cKXUrRkedyKUprbfM7RoXvn5T8fCvGIoS_5tGItdV1W1mTs76GI4fuGwpF36Kwto3NMeFgwmoXCKKDh8hLNord2ihM22VlHJnwT3uYdEo4-ZneHrvSnfY8lw/s200/followmeonfacebook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428678043160838146" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://www.expectanthearts.blogspot.com/">Kathryn</a><br />on her blog, <a href="http://www.expectanthearts.blogspot.com/">Expectant Hearts</a><a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/"><br /></a></div></span></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-29645755127467021082010-01-13T02:00:00.007-05:002010-01-13T02:11:07.266-05:00The Treasures of the Snow . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge35Sl2m7m_CfOBnRMCIShY2b7ja9jDMGqcRTK6WTbiY8lBCh1yLnPIxFNtqDRlCmTXTt9p8Si8cXTWbTIZERJ0vRH5eCGplqoulc_Jh86KszYOQFkjp9DlcIRzDnVfRJwjvvwGQ/s1600-h/Treasuresofsnow.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge35Sl2m7m_CfOBnRMCIShY2b7ja9jDMGqcRTK6WTbiY8lBCh1yLnPIxFNtqDRlCmTXTt9p8Si8cXTWbTIZERJ0vRH5eCGplqoulc_Jh86KszYOQFkjp9DlcIRzDnVfRJwjvvwGQ/s400/Treasuresofsnow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426118170988741890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This week's hostess for WordFilled Wednesday is </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.allyouhavetogive.com/">Lori</a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.allyouhavetogive.com/"> </a>@ </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.allyouhavetogive.com/">All You Have to Give</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br /></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-13422734181127950082010-01-12T08:48:00.014-05:002012-03-09T22:57:43.994-05:00Blessing: The Mystery of its Meaning . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/S0vyzefIX4I/AAAAAAAADh8/OOrp4-A4TOc/s1600-h/raining.jpg"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTLkmv_EoxNvbCuSlqJafgm1VwItNuh5O-lzGWS5SNq-DkntkMEEwmQKeQawsPiiC19ZnKymGlcHut_NL5ot6pnXZEh7CarMR6axoB4BOka93qnj4natMzgx8avnHWrZtp80uvg/s1600/blessed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTLkmv_EoxNvbCuSlqJafgm1VwItNuh5O-lzGWS5SNq-DkntkMEEwmQKeQawsPiiC19ZnKymGlcHut_NL5ot6pnXZEh7CarMR6axoB4BOka93qnj4natMzgx8avnHWrZtp80uvg/s200/blessed.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 210%;">"G</span><span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">od can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways."</span></div></div><div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ 2 Corinthians 9:9 (The Message)<br />
</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">So what precisely </span><span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic;">is</span><span style="color: #336666;"> a blessing?</span></span> Is it a reward? Is it a miracle? According to Scripture, what exactly does it mean to be <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> by God? And should it be a mystery to us?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Ther</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">e are numerous</span></span> Hebrew and Greek words throughout Scripture which when translated mean <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">bless</span>, <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessed </span></span>or<span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span>. </span>Viewed collectively they mean "<span style="font-style: italic;">to declare happy, to speak well of, v</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ery happy. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Lamentably,</span></span> popular Christianity has twisted the concept of being blessed by God to mean something entirely different than what God intended. Way too many Christians have readily bought into the lie that to be <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> is to enjoy material favor with God as a result of <span style="font-style: italic;">faith</span>. And the avenue by which these <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessings</span> reach us can be surprising, unsuspecting, even magical.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #333333; text-align: right;">If we follow this logic, then the wealth gained by way of Wall-Street is a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing. </span>Right?<br />
Why are the results of a person's free will classified as sinful <span style="font-style: italic;">greed</span> in one case,<br />
and as a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span> in another?<br />
The logic is flawed.<br />
<div style="color: #006600; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666;">The mystery remains. . . </span><br />
<br />
</div></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Much of the hear</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">t</span></span> of New Testame<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5APmPM1SL6FRBEHDoosXzSiOY6j9y4_bP8oI_2sCVeNkKSz3947JP25O1XKDrGYgpbKQVPsoUPhe6BdFJQL33QUziv9UzWemDC9icQ1GjVnh4WQ5rKBZphbdSJAm6S7U0LXAMLw/s1600-h/moneyblessing.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425924225335348834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5APmPM1SL6FRBEHDoosXzSiOY6j9y4_bP8oI_2sCVeNkKSz3947JP25O1XKDrGYgpbKQVPsoUPhe6BdFJQL33QUziv9UzWemDC9icQ1GjVnh4WQ5rKBZphbdSJAm6S7U0LXAMLw/s200/moneyblessing.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 141px;" /></a>nt Christianity has been completely corrupted in the pursuit of being <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span>. Too many teachers and preachers have taken the focus off of sound doctrine and true worship and placed it instead to the idea of being <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> with things, stuff, money, bigger buildings, larger ministries -- which even non-believers know cannot bring real happiness.<br />
<br />
The <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">[wrong]</span></span> thinking is that if God loves you and you are in His will, you exercise faith, and His favor rests upon you, then He will <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">bless</span> you with a lot of extra things above and beyond what you'd have if you were just an ordinary believer. And we've fooled ourselves into thinking that if we do have some material wealth, it was God who <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> </span>us with it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">This is no</span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">t </span></span>what the Bible teaches. What <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>a <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span>? And is it a result of faith?<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #336666;">Herein lies the mystery. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Hebrews Chapter 11</span></span> is often called the "Hall of Faith" It is the Scriptural record of those individuals throughout biblical history who had great faith. The examples we find here are a roadmap -- a guide -- to understanding true faith and the result of that faith. Look at verses 36-40:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAHXpmtRcQ0ZpyfH9YR6eAaLw-UOO66J_125uamPtJS7GVLgKEWhaB_ej0cdpbHJ4cdL8uhNzL_cDbzUsO0eTcTPh5JgNAxY5Caa1UC-QicBJVs8DP7_jdxejx72kmc1liuiooQ/s1600-h/desert.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425923586239207362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAHXpmtRcQ0ZpyfH9YR6eAaLw-UOO66J_125uamPtJS7GVLgKEWhaB_ej0cdpbHJ4cdL8uhNzL_cDbzUsO0eTcTPh5JgNAxY5Caa1UC-QicBJVs8DP7_jdxejx72kmc1liuiooQ/s200/desert.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 130px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to d</span><span style="font-style: italic;">eath by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they </span><span style="font-style: italic;">be made perfect.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Wow! Where are the "astonishing" blessings here??!<br />
. . . Certainly doesn't match the depiction of being </span><span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span><span style="color: #666666;"> as taught by </span><a href="http://www.bennyhinn.org/default.cfm" style="color: #666666;">Benny Hinn</a><span style="color: #666666;">,<br />
</span><a href="http://www.paulawhite.org/" style="color: #666666;">Paula White</a><span style="color: #666666;">, </span><a href="http://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Index.aspx" style="color: #666666;">Joel Osteen</a><span style="color: #666666;"> or a host of others.</span></div><br />
Even well-intended Christians have tainted the notion of being <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> by God to mean something other than simply enjoying what God has intended.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">What did God intend? </span></span>What is God's idea of a <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span>?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit </span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">of the womb is a <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">reward</span>.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #333333;">~Psalm 127:3</span></span> <span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;"><br />
<br />
[Esau] lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, "Who are these with you?" So he said, "The children whom God has <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">graciously given</span> your servant."<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #333333;">~Genesis 33:5</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." So </span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">he s</span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">aid, "Br</span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">ing them to me, please, that I may <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">bless </span>them."<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #333333;">~Genesis 48:9</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ah1eH7-bE0mDArd0B5Xk3mvBsJhlc6fc3NKUjrnbQLxQwZvTKdmHL5akjmu8tYn7amey1uS2bH1E8pk2sdO4UgW0YtXB4ePx8Is8e8wm_zbQOqkBRexc8kps5goXSxGo6AnuAQ/s1600-h/childrenhappy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425923404694684946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ah1eH7-bE0mDArd0B5Xk3mvBsJhlc6fc3NKUjrnbQLxQwZvTKdmHL5akjmu8tYn7amey1uS2bH1E8pk2sdO4UgW0YtXB4ePx8Is8e8wm_zbQOqkBRexc8kps5goXSxGo6AnuAQ/s200/childrenhappy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 124px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">God <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessed</span> them; and God said to them,<br />
"Be fruitful and multiply..."<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #333333;">~Genesis 1:28</span></span> <span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;"><br />
<br />
For I will <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">have respect unto you</span>, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">establish my covenant</span> with you.<br />
~Leviticus 26:9</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;"><br />
<br />
The Lord <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessed </span>the latter days of Job more than his beginning and. . . he had seven sons and three daughters." Job 42:12-13</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Now the time had come </span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">for Elizabeth to give birth and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">displayed his great mercy</span> toward her<br />
and they were rejoicing with her.<br />
Luke 1:58</span> </div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">And as Eugene Peterson puts it</span></span> <span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">in </span></span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%; font-style: italic;">The Message</span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">, </span></span>God can and does pour out His blessings in "astonishing" ways. Revisit <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/index.php?search=genesis%2012&version=NIV">Genesis Chapter 12 </a> where the Lord told Abram:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;<br />
an</span><span style="font-style: italic;">d all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."</span><br />
Genesis 12:3-2</div><br />
<div style="color: #333333; text-align: right;">. . . and how did God do this?<br />
Yes. . . By way of the blessing him with children. <u>Many</u> of them!<br />
Culminating in the lineage of JESUS CHRIST! (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%201&version=NIV"><span style="font-style: italic;">Matthew 1:1-16</span></a>)<br />
<br />
</div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">The idea of being </span><span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic;">blessed</span></span> with children as emphasized over and over in Scripture is one of the most overlooked lessons in God's Word. The family is no longer considered a <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span> by today's standards. Christians no longer guard their families at all costs. We see children as a nuisance instead of gifts from God. Children are often a burden, not a joy. We complain about the cost of raising them. Mothers <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSzRMHkNyrYdDH9G8QuvVmJxSliF0GT6HhAaoKLWJRql_C0r2O3poLzCvzd-9gomhQ5fBSWwjWb8eLoRSVToT2eopXtcaZp5nUIACpdMJ7r-oYGqbnP9AqhwJnoK8GHa6IFNZlQ/s1600-h/sad+children.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425922364285229330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSzRMHkNyrYdDH9G8QuvVmJxSliF0GT6HhAaoKLWJRql_C0r2O3poLzCvzd-9gomhQ5fBSWwjWb8eLoRSVToT2eopXtcaZp5nUIACpdMJ7r-oYGqbnP9AqhwJnoK8GHa6IFNZlQ/s200/sad+children.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 120px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>complain that children are a hindrance to their career. Dad's lament that children are a drain on the finances. Children often become trophies for soccer moms and dads who have to keep up appearances. And the number of women choosing to kill God's<span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> blessing</span> of a child is approaching 50 million since 1973.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #333333; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #666666;">Yet, when the parent or family burdened by</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">[</span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">the </span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;"> of</span><span style="color: #666666;">] children receives an unexpected</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">check or materialistic serendipity, they call it a </span><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span><span style="color: #666666;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">That's backwards thinking!</span><br />
<div style="color: #336666; text-align: center;">This must be a mystery to God.</div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">And lest you believe</span></span> I've concluded the only blessing of the Bible is children, lets look at some more:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;"> blessed</span> us in the heavenly realms<br />
with every <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">spiritual </span><span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span> in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation<br />
of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~Ephesians 1:3-4</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Blessed be the Lord, who daily <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">loadeth </span>us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. <span style="color: #666666;">Selah.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~Psalm 68:19<br />
<br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Are we to assume</span></span> that God is going to <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">bless</span> us in any materialistic way (either personally or as a society) when we've chosen to ignore the biblical definition of <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span>??<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~ 2 Corinthians 9:9 (The Message)</span></div><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">I like Eugene Peterson's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Message</span>; and in context is a wonderful story of redemption<br />
beginning in Genesis all the way through to Revelation. But as with any translation<br />
of the Bible, a single verse set aside as a lesson can be seriously misinterpreted.<br />
Take time to read the full text of 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 in the<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Corinthians%209:6-9&version=NIV"> NIV</a> or <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Corinthians%209:6-9&version=KJV">KJV </a><br />
and see if you have the same impression of the term <span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">"blessing</span>. "<br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />
<span style="color: #336666;">Let's just not be so nearsighted</span></span> that we misunderstand what a <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span> really is. Joel Osteen is absolutely right in saying that the Gospel promises our "best life now." He’s just utterly and thoroughly mistaken on what the form of that life is.<br />
<br />
Throughout the Bible we come to understand the theme of redemption and that Jesus was God’s <span style="color: #336666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">blessing</span> to us -- <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">sent as a child</span></span> to live among us and He alone is the example, shape, description and picture of our "best life. . . ."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,<br />
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~Mark 10:45</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">~I Timothy 6:6-8</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #336666;">Mystery solved!</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">~~*~*~*~~<br />
<br />
I asked God for strength that I might achieve.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I asked for health that I might do greater things.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I was given infirmity that I might do better things.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I asked for riches that I might be happy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I was given poverty that I might be wise.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I was given life that I might enjoy all things.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-weight: bold;">I am, among all men, most richly <u>BLESSED</u>.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
~The Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier<br />
</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 95px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 70px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://deborahshank.blogspot.com/">Deborah</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">on her blog, <a href="http://deborahshank.blogspot.com/">Chocolate and Coffee</a><a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/"><br />
</a></span></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-18207146598216463372009-12-22T10:03:00.005-05:002009-12-22T11:24:46.652-05:00"I Bring You Good News. . ."Of Incarnation!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDq7e1IB6I/AAAAAAAADeI/sGNcn_Dyn9A/s1600-h/incarnateChrist.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDq7e1IB6I/AAAAAAAADeI/sGNcn_Dyn9A/s200/incarnateChrist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418088659335776162" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >“L</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">et us remember the proclamation of the angel: 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord' (</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Luke 2:10-11</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">).</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">M</span>ay our hearts go out to the unconverted people…who have no blessed Christmas day. 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord.'” (<span style="font-style: italic;">Nehemiah 8:10</span>).<br /></div><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ Mrs. L.B. Cowm</span><span style="font-size:85%;">an<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Strea</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ms in the Desert</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It is entirely accurate</span></span> to say that Christians get too caught up in the “story” of Baby Jesus at Christmastime. We take the whole manger thing way too far. We revel in the tender side of God’s nature and we completely set aside the reality of sin and redemption which is the premise of the entire Bible!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">We dress up children</span></span> in costumes and sing angelic-sounding songs. It’s really all very precious, isn't it? . . . Listening to a child read from the Book of Luke? . . . As other little ones parade about as angels and shepherds? It's almost too much to bear if you're a parent or grandparent.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzCFfOsy-NI/AAAAAAAADdo/1keOxgt-V4M/s1600-h/FocusOfScripture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzCFfOsy-NI/AAAAAAAADdo/1keOxgt-V4M/s200/FocusOfScripture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417977123295131858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Don’t get me wrong.</span></span> This aspect of Jesus’ story is important -- even vital to understanding the Messiah. But the biblical focus on Jesus is not on His birth. The real focus is some thirty years later at an execution scene. There was no tender angelic moment at that place. Instead, the air was ripe with evil. The baby of the manger was murdered.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">May our hearts go out to the unconverted people…who have no blessed Christmas day. </span><br /></div><br />Do the "unconverted" understand that He was murdered for them? Do they understand that <span style="font-style: italic;">[really rather simple]</span> theology of "The Incarnation?"<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Birth brought God’s Son</span></span> into the world and gave Him a human body -- just like you and me -- for one reason and one reason only: To redeem us back unto Himself.<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">The Christian'ese terminology would be "to covert us."<br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">So doesn't it follow </span></span>that the celebration of His birth be focused on those who have not yet been redeemed? Should we not focus our energy on reaching out to those who don't yet celebrate His redeeming power, but instead focus on the angels and shepherds <span style="font-style: italic;">(and choice foods and sweet drinks)</span>?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">In all reality,</span></span> the "unconverted" do not have a "blessed Christmas day," -- as Mrs. Cowman puts it. They do not understand why He came in the first place! All they really have are the pretty angel songs and precious visions of all those Children's Christmas Pageants -- and of course the food and festivities of the Season. They do not hold to the truth of -- nor really even understand -- the words of John 1:14:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzCGkp7D2uI/AAAAAAAADdw/NX7lQI_kHsE/s1600-h/incarnation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzCGkp7D2uI/AAAAAAAADdw/NX7lQI_kHsE/s200/incarnation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417978316013689570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Why? Why did He come? </span></span>Surely the Incarnation of Christ is one of the hardest truths to grasp. Let alone explain to someone who has no "blessed Christmas day." Some of the greatest theologians have taken great effort to offer a good clarification.<br /><br />But the infamous Paul Harvey provides one of the most unique explanations of the Incarnation. One very special installment of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Rest of The Story</span> which first aired in 1981 revealed wonderful insight into the verses in John Chapter 1:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">In the beginning was the Word, and the</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">Word was with God, and the word was God. . . .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;"><br />The word became flesh and dwelt among us.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">~*~*~*~</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">...the story opens</span></span> with an apathetic, disinterested husband and father who just was not getting into the Christmas spirit. He turned down an invitation to attend a church Christmas program with his family, boldly stating his disbelief in the miracle of the Incarnation. He simply did not believe that God became a man.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">His family left</span></span> for the program and he settled in for a quiet evening at home. Outside a winter storm was gathering force. The winds were beginning to pick up when he heard a strange noise -- a tapping sound on the windowpanes. Opening the curtains, he discovered a flock of birds desperately seeking shelter from the storm and being attracted to the light emanating from the window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDdQ-3n4TI/AAAAAAAADd4/K_tPuvAWjKs/s1600-h/Flockofbirds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDdQ-3n4TI/AAAAAAAADd4/K_tPuvAWjKs/s200/Flockofbirds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418073635550650674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Feeling compassion </span></span>for these birds, he threw on his wraps and headed towards the barn. He flung open the doors for the birds, but they did not come. He turned the barn lights on to attract them, but that did not work either. He got bread from the house and made a trail of crumbs, but that too failed. He rushed behind the flock to steer them toward the barn, but they only scattered.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Finally in disgust,</span></span> he thought to himself,<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">If only I could become a bird to show them where to go for warmth and safety. </span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Just then </span></span>in the distant village, he heard the church bells and an illuminating truth began to dawn in his soul:<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Is it possible that the reason for that first Christmas<br />– with a tiny baby named Jesus –<br />was for God to become like us in order to help us?</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />~*~*~*~</span><br /></div></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">nd now,</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">you know the rest of the story. . . .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">. . . Share it with someone</span></span> who doesn't have a blessed Christmas day. "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared." Generosity, unexpected kindnesses and "good will" have come to exemplify the Christmas Season to even the "unconverted."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDqQHHTVPI/AAAAAAAADeA/l6gB1C5o3nI/s1600-h/bible21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SzDqQHHTVPI/AAAAAAAADeA/l6gB1C5o3nI/s200/bible21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418087914235188466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">. . . But more important</span></span> than sharing the food and sweet drinks and other unexpected kindnesses, share the Incarnation of Christ. "The day is most assuredly sacred to to our Lord."<br /><br />There are far too many in our world -- you know some!! -- who do not believe in CHRISTmas at all! And more tragic is the very real fact that many who call themselves Christians and <u>do</u> believe in Christmas have not accepted the Plan of Redemption that the Incarnation brings!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It's tragic because . . . </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">. . .at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~ Pilippinas 2:10</span></span>-11<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The Incarnation</span></span> is is the single most important fact of all history. There will most assuredly come a day when when His Incarnation is undeniable. Share it!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://www.typingone-handed.com/">Patricia</a><br />on her blog, <a href="http://www.typingone-handed.com/">Typing One Handed</a></div></span></div><a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/"><br /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-75363612309229060882009-12-16T00:01:00.002-05:002009-12-16T00:58:33.544-05:00WordFilled Wednesday . . . The Birds of the Heavens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SyhozHdUW8I/AAAAAAAADcM/HhJOuEXxzh8/s1600-h/birdtracks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SyhozHdUW8I/AAAAAAAADcM/HhJOuEXxzh8/s400/birdtracks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415693779297655746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >This week's hostess for WordFilled Wednesday is <a href="http://crittyjoy.typepad.com/">Christy</a> @ <a href="http://crittyjoy.typepad.com/">Critty Joy</a>.</span><br /></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-67521043259974790152009-12-01T12:49:00.009-05:002009-12-01T17:42:00.005-05:00The Danger of Sunday Morning Church . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxS3bcgK4LI/AAAAAAAADX8/pVdF92zXDr8/s1600/Worship+Service.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxS3bcgK4LI/AAAAAAAADX8/pVdF92zXDr8/s200/Worship+Service.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410150734514282674" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">“M</span>artha was busy for Jesus,</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">and that left her too busy to be with Jesus.”</span><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ Jon Walker<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Growing with Purpose: Connecting with God Every Day</span><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: right; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I haven't seen</span></span> the government warnings yet, but there are some very real risks for Christians who attend church on Sunday mornings. Seriously! See, for a lot of us Christians, church has just become a <span style="font-style: italic;">habit --</span> an event on our busy, busy calendar – we come, we sing, we worship, we listen (<span style="font-style: italic;">hopefully!</span>) to Truth from God's Word which explains life: our wretched condition before God, how to remedy that, how we should live, what we are supposed to do, and how we are to react to the situations which confront us. And we all pay attention. We are encouraged. We are stirred. We nod our heads in agreement. We are spiritually fed. Sometimes we even leave on a spiritual high. Right?.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxVB-97LAlI/AAAAAAAADYU/zSIWed73sVY/s1600/kitchenwork.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxVB-97LAlI/AAAAAAAADYU/zSIWed73sVY/s200/kitchenwork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410303077385962066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Then Monday morning arrives</span></span> and we go back to our families, our work, our business, our classes, our kitchen, our homes -- the plain-old, everyday circumstances of life -- and we forget all about our spiritual high of twenty-four hours earlier! Right?<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">It puts us in spiritual jeopardy!<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">This is precisely</span></span> the dilemma presented by the account of Martha in the Gospels. . .<br /><br />. . . Mary and Martha had been to the synagogue together that day and evidently Jesus had been teaching there. It was of course unlike any church service that you or I would attend. But surely they did leave with something similar to that spiritual high that we've experienced at our own churches. It had to have been an exciting morning when Jesus Himself began to open the Scriptures!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">But then Mary and Martha went home</span></span>. And guess who came for dinner that day? JESUS Himself was their guest! Martha went into the kitchen and completely and utterly forgot everything and all she had learned in synagogue. She began to stew and fret about how to get dinner ready. She bustled around, and couldn't find things, and spilled the coffee, and scorched the potatoes, and burned her fingers. She got all upset, and distracted, and then finally came bursting into the living room and blamed the whole mess on Jesus.<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">. . . and I totally get this. Martha was clearly a kitchen-nut. I am a kitchen-nut who blames others for the less-than-perfect condition of things in my precious kitchen. We could examine all this kitchen-nuttery and that would be fun -- comparing notes and such. But that's not the point here.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's what Martha cried out:</span><br /></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"Lord, why didn't you tell my sister to come out and help me? It's all your fault!"</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Luke 10:40 </span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">And do you remember </span></span>how Jesus replied?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxU4dbLUqlI/AAAAAAAADYM/81yDC5hi_dA/s1600/marymartha.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxU4dbLUqlI/AAAAAAAADYM/81yDC5hi_dA/s200/marymartha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410292605518129746" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">"Martha, Martha, you are full of care. You've gotten everything out of perspective. Life is out of focus for you, and you've let these insignificant little trivialities mount up to a tremendous problem.<br />But only one thing is necessary. . ." </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~ Luke 10:41-42 </span></span><br /></div><br />What is that <span style="font-style: italic;">o<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ne thing</span>?</span> What is the one fundamental thing which is necessary?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The one thing is</span></span> to see things the way they really are!<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Really . . . Did Jesus come to observe Martha's culinary genius?<br />Or did He come to fellowship and commune with the women?</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The one thing is</span></span> to face reality and to deal with things realistically -- to know and understand and live-out what the Apostle Paul came to realize: "For me, to live is Christ!"<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">Is it realistic for Martha to blame Jesus for her short-temper and less-than-perfect kitchen skills?<br />If Martha were "living for Christ," would she blame Him for anything?</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Martha's fault</span></span> was not that she chose to celebrate so grand-a-guest by serving a feast. Her fault was that she threw her entire soul into the process and grew encumbered by the task. In doing that she forgot JESUS! The only thing on her mind and her heart was her service.<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;"><br />This happens a lot in churches. . . ever notice at Christmastime how the decorating or the children's program or the live nativity or the <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">[you-name-the-program] </span>takes away from the real meaning. I've witnessed it first-hand. It breaks your heart when you see it from reality-perspective.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It is way easier</span></span> to serve and work and get caught up in our tasks for Jesus (or our church) than to simply commune with HIM. . .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">As a counselor, I believe this explains the phenomena of the perfectionist spot-on.<br />But that's for another time </span>:-)<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">We ought to be Mary and Martha in one!</span></span> After all, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>dead. (James 2:17)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">"Mary has chosen that good portion.<br />She has taken the time to sit and listen and get her perspectives straight,<br />to put things back into focus, and I'm not going to take it away from her," Jesus said.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Luke 10:42</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If this "good portion" </span></span>is not the basis of your operations in your family, your work, your business, your classes, your kitchen, your homes, your church, then you are off to the wrong start in the Kingdom of God. And of course everything is going to go awry! What's the point of going to church on Sunday morning in the first place?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If you are familiar</span></span> with the beautiful symbols of the Old Testament, you can easily interpret this passage:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">"The LORD said to Moses, "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil<br />from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning continually.<br />Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order<br />from evening to morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute for<br />ever throughout your generations. He shall keep the lamps in order upon the<br />lampstand of pure gold before the LORD continually." </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Leviticus 24:1-4</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxVQFHLpiGI/AAAAAAAADYc/TdUFnyP9gWQ/s1600/25-aaron-with-lampstand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/SxVQFHLpiGI/AAAAAAAADYc/TdUFnyP9gWQ/s200/25-aaron-with-lampstand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410318576112994402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Pure olive oil </span></span>brought by the people was to be the fuel which produced the light of the candelabra. It was to burn continuously and it was especially not be allowed to go out at night. From evening to morning Aaron was responsible to keep the light going to illuminate the tabernacle with that light placed on the golden candlestick.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">There is nothing </span></span>more desperately needed for today's Christians than to personally and individually expose our hearts and minds and thoughts to the LIGHT <u>continuously</u>. (Not just when surrounded by other Christians in church on Sunday and/or church functions and programs throughout the week.)<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">What is our LIGHT today</span></span> -- some four-thousand years after the time of Aaron and the golden lampstand? It is Christ Jesus and the Truth of His Word; and we need to expose our hearts and minds and thoughts to it continuously. We simply cannot leave it at church [synagogue] and go on with our tasks like Martha did.<br /><br />When we do this and consistently practice looking at life as HE tells us <span style="font-style: italic;">-- not as the world outside of Sunday morning church tells us -- and not as our feelings tell us -</span>- we will learn how to be both Mary and Martha in one!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The Apostle Paul </span></span>understood the habit of church. He understood religiosity. But when he found Christ, his passion was ignited in a whole new way -- he learned how to be Mary and Martha in one:<br /><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-29367"><br /></sup><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Philippians 1:21-24</span></span><br /></div><span style="visibility: visible; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="visibility: visible; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">"Whatever you <em>do</em> whether you eat or drink, <em>do unto the glory of God</em>" </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="visibility: visible; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">~1 Corinthians 10:31</span></span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">~~~<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Martha was busy and hurried,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Serving the friend divine,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Cleansing the cups and platters,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Bringing the bread and wine;</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">But Martha was careful and anxious</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Fretted in thought and in word,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">She had no time to be sitting</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">While she was serving the Lord,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">For Martha was "cumbered with serving,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Martha was "troubled" with "things"---</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Those that would pass with the using---</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">She was forgetting her wings.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Mary was quiet and peaceful,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Learning to love and to live.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Mary was hearing His precepts,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Mary was letting Him give---</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Give of the riches eternal,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Treasures of mind and of heart;</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Learning the mind of the Master,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Choosing the better part.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Do we ever labor at serving</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Till voices grow fretful and shrill,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Forgetting how to be loving,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Forgetting how to be still?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Do we strive for "things" in possession,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">And toil for the perishing meat,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Neglecting the one thing needful---</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Sitting at Jesus' feet?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Service is good when he asks it,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Labor is right in it's place,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">But there is one thing better,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Looking up in his face;</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">There is so much he can tell us,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Truths that are precious and deep;</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">This is the place where he wants us,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Things are the things we can keep.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" >~Annie Johnson Flint</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/">Debbie</a><br />on her blog, <a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/">Heart Choices</a></div></span></div><a href="http://www.heartchoices.com/"><br /></a>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-36872532542294864102009-11-10T00:01:00.010-05:002009-11-10T13:27:34.503-05:00Pragmatism - - In Other Words, Whatever Works. . . <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFfiUTGhJBH85aIeiXdYxrouLPUFbp58r5hfDcbFteR1wBD-Px4CTYCuKgjB8xZg-YK4KeDpHF1okpfSBKWsCdRazOK0yMTtskV8Z-Hd8F_B9WmbIqNM6PRI8R4T8oHGgCkc5fg/s1600-h/GiantRedwood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFfiUTGhJBH85aIeiXdYxrouLPUFbp58r5hfDcbFteR1wBD-Px4CTYCuKgjB8xZg-YK4KeDpHF1okpfSBKWsCdRazOK0yMTtskV8Z-Hd8F_B9WmbIqNM6PRI8R4T8oHGgCkc5fg/s200/GiantRedwood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402276708288193394" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >"W</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">e Americans are pragmatists to the max.<br />We want results. And we want them yesterday.<br />We want them without too much pondering<br />and too much pain....</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">We have developed all kinds of Chris</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">t-coated remedies that are shallow and short-lived. We are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~ John Piper<br /><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Christian theologian</span></span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._I._Packer">James Packer</a> has compared the Puritans of our early American history to the Great Redwoods of California:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Puritans were giants whose roots were incredibly deep in the Bible,<br />and whose branches reached to the heavens, and whose trunks were so strong and durable they could endure forest fires that scar them but don't kill them. . . "</span><br /></div><br />But then Packer looks out over the pragmatic American landscape of our quick fixes for life's problems and our impatience with depth and complexity and pain and adds,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">"Affluence seems for the past generations to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us."<br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">So what exactly is "Pragmatism?" </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >*</span> See <a href="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/dangers-of-pragmatism.html">John MacArthur</a> discuss Pragmatism <a href="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/dangers-of-pragmatism.html">HERE</a>.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-ujlpNpV9ZeFh5U_XzMP8nF_OwQ_4ebw_oRlrcd2Z_nGa44T9lQd3v0G_bdkORGP3OaFtYKX7cMuWp3SyrFAr_28-NPpXOi7z-idk_M55YR0qp-YLwVSnUgqfaTlK688kwsDiA/s1600-h/pragmatism.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-ujlpNpV9ZeFh5U_XzMP8nF_OwQ_4ebw_oRlrcd2Z_nGa44T9lQd3v0G_bdkORGP3OaFtYKX7cMuWp3SyrFAr_28-NPpXOi7z-idk_M55YR0qp-YLwVSnUgqfaTlK688kwsDiA/s200/pragmatism.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402286664170639234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The first time</span></span> I heard the word "Pragmatism," my thoughts were not immediately drawn to the concept of a really bad school of philosophy which is in complete opposition to the Truth of God's Word. No. Instead, I was thinking <span style="font-style: italic;">. . . old-fashion disease</span>. You know, like the story your grandma told you about how she came down with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Pragmatism</span> when she was a girl.<br /><br />Sadly, this is about as deep as most Christians go when they hear the word. That's alarming since Pragmatism is a completely unbiblical worldview that has been gaining a foothold in churches for the last 100 years. It is destroying the Gospel of Salvation -- replacing it with man-made quick-fixes. And when true Christians are unable to identify it, they can very easily be caught up in its snare!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The Philosop</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">hy </span></span>of Pragmatism was founded by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sanders_Peirce">Char</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sanders_Peirce">les Peirce</a>, popularized by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James">William James</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey">John Dewy</a> and recognized as a movement in the early 1900's. Pragmatism argues that the best way to determine whether or not to embrace a certain idea or proposition is not by its <u>truth</u>fulness but by its <u>use</u>fulness. Essentially, it makes no difference if the idea or proposition is true. The important thing is that it <u>works</u>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Pragmatism</span></span> gets its name from the Greek word pragma (δράση) which means <span style="font-style: italic;">action</span>. Consequently, pragmatism is a philosophy of action. It says basically that if an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application, consequence, or immediate resulting action then it is of no use.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJnAKDM0J59ZJN3f5_PdSWUTQaNY844X_8tOEboh9Lwb2OM0VAaCh8AzUXdcDJSkVtuOGGsiN_hFKjbtE0WgbYCeJCQD2wXjUtIojdWIEP6s694x42D0b7vhcFCeL8UxinNLNKA/s1600-h/Bible3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJnAKDM0J59ZJN3f5_PdSWUTQaNY844X_8tOEboh9Lwb2OM0VAaCh8AzUXdcDJSkVtuOGGsiN_hFKjbtE0WgbYCeJCQD2wXjUtIojdWIEP6s694x42D0b7vhcFCeL8UxinNLNKA/s200/Bible3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402287707185003410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Imagine the implications</span></span> on the Truth of God's Word?<br /><br />Pragmatists don't believe in universal Truth. Pragmatists do not embrace the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Rather, they think that what we know and hold as fact is simply that which <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">works</span> -- not necessarily that which is <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">True</span>.<br /><br />Again, imagine the implications on the Truth of God's Word?!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Here's one example:</span></span> If the desired "action" is to get people saved and grow membership, the pragmatic church appeals not to the Truth of Salvation by Grace, but to the idea that receiving Jesus will bring peace to our lives -- completely skipping over the issue of sin and the cost of salvation! After all, preaching that we are sinners might be offensive to someone!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">Jesus' approach was markedly different.<br />Jesus pointed out sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness.<br />He also warned those who wanted to follow Him to consider the cost.<br /></div><br />I agree with James Packer. "Affluence [or simply living in today's society] seems to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us." I yearn to be the kind of deeply-grounded saint John Piper refers to . . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If you think</span></span> you haven't been affected, here are a few ways that pragmatism has inched its way into our churches:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A great number</span></span> of churches and denominations h<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkkUQB1cw85FlY7v362UfHfqU2fGv-3fRyYxyy2jxq6D7XFj2W7QKdKHYjMDHyPxcmCFgGxaaqDbgR170KU-hB3rRQtR6039GADZiF7iIPbfKQ0rLwtnrfxso-79kiW_l49E1WQ/s1600-h/empty+bible.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkkUQB1cw85FlY7v362UfHfqU2fGv-3fRyYxyy2jxq6D7XFj2W7QKdKHYjMDHyPxcmCFgGxaaqDbgR170KU-hB3rRQtR6039GADZiF7iIPbfKQ0rLwtnrfxso-79kiW_l49E1WQ/s200/empty+bible.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402305661214213874" border="0" /></a>ave adopted the idea that the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible</span> is simply not adequate to meet the challenges of today's society, or sufficient for winning people to Christ. So . . . they turn to "felt-need" and "feel-good" sermons, entertainment, drama, and exciting music that can manipulate people's egos and focus on fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, self esteem, successful living, emotional issues and other practical but completely worldly themes. They are providing "Christ-coated remedies" often without any mention of Scripture at all! <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Nothing deeply-grounded here.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A great number</span></span> of churches and denominations have come to believe that God's Word is insufficient for achieving Christian growth, so they turn to therapy groups and popular psychology which rely on worldly methods. Even Bible studies have turned into the study of books written <span style="font-style: italic;">by</span> people <span style="font-style: italic;">about</span> the Bible. To rely solely on God's Word would indicate weakness and a refusal to accept man's scientific advancement and <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">blah, blah, blah . . . </span> Again: "Christ-coated remedies."<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Nothing deeply-grounded here.</span><br /></div> <span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A great number</span></span> of churches and denominations hold that God's Word is insufficient for making God's Will known; so they look for external signs and revelations. "Christ-coated remedies."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A great number</span></span> of churches and denominations see that God's Word is inadequate for changing our societal and political troubles, so they establish evangelical lobby groups and work to elect "Christian" politicians. They seek to change the status quo by power and politics and money and lose sight completely of the Truth of God's Word. They become as confused as the candidate they fight against. . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Don't get me wro</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ng.</span></span> None of these methods is wrong in and of itself. Even Jesus used parables to get people's attention. But . . .<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJrInsvmvtKPvXKNCQHoCqXlEk3A7MeTNruj2mr7h88vqrRi13kgdeZ9aX6G1eV_B2S1XnQRn_5WtM56WVKFBY95b3K0tXQF8F7fnjGr2azQyBqnlhzWQo9MXX0kiZrSoHk76QQ/s1600-h/selfconfidence.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJrInsvmvtKPvXKNCQHoCqXlEk3A7MeTNruj2mr7h88vqrRi13kgdeZ9aX6G1eV_B2S1XnQRn_5WtM56WVKFBY95b3K0tXQF8F7fnjGr2azQyBqnlhzWQo9MXX0kiZrSoHk76QQ/s200/selfconfidence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400375393432383042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If any of these "methods"</span></span> is giving new meaning to -- or replacing -- the Bible's words, pouring secular, therapeutic content into spiritual terminology because that is what seems to <span style="font-style: italic;">work</span> . . . well, that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If sin</span></span> has become "dysfunctional" behavior, that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If the gospel </span></span>of self-esteem or wholeness has replaced the Gospel of Salvation, that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If Jesus</span></span> has become an example of morality and right living and not "<span style="font-style: italic;">. . . the way and the truth and the life. [No one comes to the Father except through me]</span>" . . . that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If Sunday after Sunday</span></span> people are told how to have happy marriages and prosper financially and get along with co-workers, but not how to get right with God . . . that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">If the m</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">essage</span></span> from the pulpit is tolerance instead of taking the Gospel of Salvation to those we are called to tolerate. . . that's pragmatism.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">Do you see the pattern here?<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN2lRvLHdfkIIBbdRlbnKoj_4hxBBGgunfvTR-se89i5APTWsy9xsY6Ir1zqwjAD6VJ3oUqKYYdcIVMJVhOeMVvUKZ8OnEzNhV6UQkoqYbhh5KrGBkIsiHO0y_i71d3H9LD4vnA/s1600-h/happiness.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN2lRvLHdfkIIBbdRlbnKoj_4hxBBGgunfvTR-se89i5APTWsy9xsY6Ir1zqwjAD6VJ3oUqKYYdcIVMJVhOeMVvUKZ8OnEzNhV6UQkoqYbhh5KrGBkIsiHO0y_i71d3H9LD4vnA/s200/happiness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402318374081497106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Pragmatis</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">m lies to people</span></span> about what they really need. Pragmatists have no particular interest in the Truth of the Bible because it does not cultivate an immediate fix for any given human predicament at any given moment. . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">. . . and that </span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">brings us back</span></span> to the very definition of Pragmatism: If an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application or consequence, then it is of no use. The important thing is that is <span style="font-style: italic;">works</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The number one agenda</span></span> of the Christian is God's Will. The method for carrying out God's Will is found in Scripture. It's Truth. It's God's Word. The trouble begins when we look for what works best <span style="font-style: italic;">right now </span> instead of what works for <span style="font-weight: bold;">God's Glory</span>.<br /><br />John Piper is absolutely right when he says we want <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">results yesterday</span> and that,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">". . .we are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."<br /></div><br />Lamentably, our forefather's Puritan values have evolved into a satirical label for "what's wrong with America." Some mainline denominations even believe that too much Puritanism survives and that it hinders "free thought" and "tolerance."<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Probably the pragmatists.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/Svjlt_o8jLI/AAAAAAAADUk/yPTnlyU0jkE/s1600-h/bible_open_glasses.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4ZMlp3IpkLE/Svjlt_o8jLI/AAAAAAAADUk/yPTnlyU0jkE/s200/bible_open_glasses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402320331370958002" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >There are others</span> who sincerely believe that the breakdowns of our society -- including the emergence of pragmatism in the church -- are the direct consequence of the dilution of Puritan disciplines and ideals of our forefathers.<br /><div style="text-align: right; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I think I am of this belief.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">God's Word</span></span> is ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Our deeply grounded forefathers understood that.<br /><br />I'm not sure many of us today really do . . . .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2009 The Heart of a</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >*</span> For more on the <a style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);" href="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/dangers-of-pragmatism.html">Dangers of Pragmatism</a>,<br /><u>Please</u> watch the three-part video series from John MacArthur in the <a href="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/dangers-of-pragmatism.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">previous post</span></a>.<br />Or click <a style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);" href="http://theheartofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/dangers-of-pragmatism.html">HERE</a>.<br /></span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * *</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * *</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * *</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * </span><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=09Nov2009&meme=iow"><img src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/graphic.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=09Nov2009&meme=iow" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * *</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * *</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Thank you for joining InOtherWords today! For </span><span style="font-size:85%;">more information about InOtherW</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ords, please visit <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">Writing Canvas</a> (the home of <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">IOW</a>) or visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388&ref=ts">InOtherWords</a> on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388&ref=ts">Facebook</a>.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-85914379071597767612009-11-10T00:00:00.001-05:002009-11-10T03:46:56.565-05:00The Dangers of Pragmatism . . .<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yb1XZ1A5afA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yb1XZ1A5afA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6_GTAkJmbo0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6_GTAkJmbo0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ubqL-ynIRP4&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ubqL-ynIRP4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-34457640887470674292009-11-03T00:30:00.017-05:002009-11-03T16:06:20.768-05:00A Thankful Heart . . . Is a Guarded Heart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkG5W-kN5bui5uQNIQ3Eq0XxSzaQpoY9CNo-RMzquK_iJNom2GTQl6LFVD8_mPe6z1mDWM_JS2vIRA2CSk6Cb-6ezuD-aAa7qLkjBiasyKsjmqBD1rIs0bRTTBU1lXl5qc_mpYQ/s1600-h/doxology.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkG5W-kN5bui5uQNIQ3Eq0XxSzaQpoY9CNo-RMzquK_iJNom2GTQl6LFVD8_mPe6z1mDWM_JS2vIRA2CSk6Cb-6ezuD-aAa7qLkjBiasyKsjmqBD1rIs0bRTTBU1lXl5qc_mpYQ/s200/doxology.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399969596049993714" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">"P</span>eace of Christ guards our heart when<br />we pray with thanksgiving.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" >A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />~ Wayne Cordeiro</span></span><br /></div></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqjAJCt8mp_xNaTsB3TjNBs8QPN_U5ApUxID2A-7SIKVLchaNPNz8LTSeSr48z9xhYRCfLKouAXQnjQqFIxUz5xYHSzHfTziJOQmWushNMmt3y_MKywnpxvsrzRhgcaUEzmKYaQ/s1600-h/facebook-logosquare.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 60px; height: 60px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqjAJCt8mp_xNaTsB3TjNBs8QPN_U5ApUxID2A-7SIKVLchaNPNz8LTSeSr48z9xhYRCfLKouAXQnjQqFIxUz5xYHSzHfTziJOQmWushNMmt3y_MKywnpxvsrzRhgcaUEzmKYaQ/s200/facebook-logosquare.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399969668716467410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Are you on Facebook? </span></span>I admit it . . . I misuse and discard valuable time on Facebook. But, I have noticed a trend on my homepage lately: So many of my friends use their status update to offer up their <span style="font-style: italic;">dilem</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ma of the </span><span style="font-style: italic;">day</span> only to then use the opportunity to quote Ephesians 5:20:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.<br />Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "<br /></div><br />Or Philippians 4:6:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,<br />let your requests be made known to God.”</span><br /></div><br />I do have to ask myself, "Do people quote these verses only for the value of being able to quote Scripture? Or are they really living out the verse?"<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">Honestly, I don't always live out the verse. Do you?<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It's probably a toss up</span></span> -- some people do just like to put up a Bible verse. But I give the benefit of the doubt to my Facebook friends. Some of them truly are suffering <span style="font-style: italic;">yet </span>sincerely live out the act of thanksgiving! And not-so-surprisingly, they are somehow supernaturally <span style="font-style: italic;">guarded </span>from the discouragement, despair, hollowness, and hopelessness that so many others dwell in . . . .<br /><br />I have Facebook friends enduring cancer treatments. I have Facebook friends with terminally-ill children. I have Facebook friends who are military moms -- daily facing the uncertainty, uneasiness, and horror of our world's unstable political and military conditions. I have Facebook friends who are in <span style="font-style: italic;">true </span>financial despair. I have a Facebook friend whose son was murdered last month. . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Yet . . .</span></span> in the midst of their suffering, they seem to possess a peace. I really believe that the peace of Christ has guarded their hearts in the midst of some greatly undeserved suffering.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The quandary of undeserved suffering</span></span> is a puzzling mystery and an age-old question. Why does God allow the righteous to suffer? And why is it so hard for us to understand that resting in His peace is as easy as simply being <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Thankful?</span> It’s the question that the Book of Job addresses:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMICzFOpSfLYo2NLixjlWkSSl5AShcNvWcuR9x97pKqaFxxL-9e0c63j6-IbFm4yAzQeeWN4b5u1xXir4gkI9yrOlenB4SnuI1GXpdLuhOya7WgTpsA148FfY866lcg3cEUIZoNA/s1600-h/job.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMICzFOpSfLYo2NLixjlWkSSl5AShcNvWcuR9x97pKqaFxxL-9e0c63j6-IbFm4yAzQeeWN4b5u1xXir4gkI9yrOlenB4SnuI1GXpdLuhOya7WgTpsA148FfY866lcg3cEUIZoNA/s200/job.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399939269629872722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">In just a matter of hours</span></span> an especially righteous and notably wealthy man loses <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> of his material possessions, each of his children are killed, and his good health is snatched away from him.<br /><br />Next, to add misery to despair, Job’s friends condemn him rather than console him. And then his wife turns on him! Worst of all, the God he loves and serves refuses to answer his cries and rise to his defense and do something. Anything!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">By the time</span></span> we reach Chapter 38 in the Book of Job, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of Job’s affliction. We’ve wallowed in his misery, we’ve undeniably considered our own suffering, we’ve listened to Job's smart-aleck friends offer their own pretentious and useless wisdom, and we’ve perhaps ourselves questioned God’s role in the whole mess. At this point we are left pretty much famished for spiritual food and drink.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >Enter: <span>GOD.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> </span><br />. . .Not through another “counselor,” but by direct revelation!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">God speaks for 70 verses</span></span> in these next two chapters before Job has an opportunity to respond. And when he does, Job only mumbles words suggesting that God’s speech has undone him:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />I put my hand over my mouth. </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I spoke once, but I have no answer—</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />twice, but I will say no more."</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~ Job 40:3-5</span></span><br /></div><p></p><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Q:</span></span> What is it in the words of Job Chapters 38 and 39 that evoke such a change from the defiant Job of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2031:35&version=NIV">Job 31:35</a> to the abashed Job of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2040:3-4&version=NIV">Job 40:3</a>?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMmEXObqGRxrdB6n51fVuC8gH5Li4THeCdrfGE7KEZ3vuhDcCcr9311Wjfl-uE5odBGu06lQT_iDqqQWKE1eM0BASsHGZmjtyyk25ICeX7O98Fx-5yBoD9AaOw1zTS0t0pRL3dg/s1600-h/to_touch_heaven.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMmEXObqGRxrdB6n51fVuC8gH5Li4THeCdrfGE7KEZ3vuhDcCcr9311Wjfl-uE5odBGu06lQT_iDqqQWKE1eM0BASsHGZmjtyyk25ICeX7O98Fx-5yBoD9AaOw1zTS0t0pRL3dg/s200/to_touch_heaven.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399960756060856642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> Speaking from a whirlwind</span></span> of a mighty storm, God – surprisingly – does not answer any of Job’s questions. Instead of answering Job’s charge of abandonment, God challenges Job to respond as He defends the design of His creation and the very existence of the entire universe.<br /><br />As we read these poetic verses, it is obvious that God’s questions could not possibly be answered by any human. The Divine questions reveal to Job that he does not know the ways of God. And if Job is ignorant of the earth’s natural order, it’s ridiculous to think that he (or any human) could comprehend the moral order of God!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">There is a purpose</span></span> in creation that God knows but Job does not.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >There is a purpose</span> in human suffering that God knows but Job does not.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">God's great power and wisdom</span></span> is certainly a contrast to Job's limited ability and understanding. Overwhelmed, Job admits his unworthiness and inability to answer. But, God is not through with Job yet. God continues for 53 more verses! You could say Job was silenced and humiliated by his own self-centeredness and pity.<br /><br />Henry M. Morris writes these words<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">. . . even Christians have become self-centered instead of God-centered. We emphasize personal Christianity, personal experience, self-image, inter-personal</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;"> relationships, and what Jesus can do to meet our needs. All these have their place in the Christian life, but not when they relegate God and his purpose in creation to only a peripheral role. . . .</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(The Remarkable Record of Job </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">©1988</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">)</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I would contend</span></span> that most Christians in today's world have become so self-centered that we have completely and utterly forgotten to be <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">THANKFUL</span> for our very existence. We have forgotten to be <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:100%;" >THANKFUL</span> for the very existence of the universe. We have forgotten to be <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >THANKFUL</span> that God is GOD.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7hYBrpjslJdqNPT9evDGv1rI8yF6T_bJldh2KDcG5gGA56VJ3_Kn3YIGeLC-Bk4x89N-YT7Q590EDd5x7a-0ZAxM0dhirB4YD6IDt1OMMsK6zPBo3Mh7bzlC-JVfyRuVDG6hSg/s1600-h/doxology.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7hYBrpjslJdqNPT9evDGv1rI8yF6T_bJldh2KDcG5gGA56VJ3_Kn3YIGeLC-Bk4x89N-YT7Q590EDd5x7a-0ZAxM0dhirB4YD6IDt1OMMsK6zPBo3Mh7bzlC-JVfyRuVDG6hSg/s200/doxology.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399962842183583314" border="0" /></a>. . . When faced with majesty and sovereignty and power and wisdom of GOD, there is little else to do but be thankful, to submit our suffering to Him, to rest <span style="font-style: italic;">guardedly</span> in his care.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"Peace of Christ guards our heart when we pray with thanksgiving.<br />A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> ~ Wayne Cordeiro</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> * * * * * * * </span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://www.karijofluffy.blogspot.com/">Karen</a><br />on her blog, <a href="http://www.karijofluffy.blogspot.com/">In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus</a>.</div></span></div><br /><br /></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-9812713687183189452009-10-27T00:29:00.017-04:002009-10-27T17:44:15.674-04:00Self-Help vs. PEACE . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcsNs1gf2vAXlAX6FokDl_s5BTWKcrkhMktmUeLoj9WN5pU5w1VV-UdSsAdtv4Iy5Gs7rZIRJKsuHUlTYllWjJSgU6xfttpBAqRPRypRIqFyUh4MJuUexXnnHG10T8C2xmanMaA/s1600-h/counselor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcsNs1gf2vAXlAX6FokDl_s5BTWKcrkhMktmUeLoj9WN5pU5w1VV-UdSsAdtv4Iy5Gs7rZIRJKsuHUlTYllWjJSgU6xfttpBAqRPRypRIqFyUh4MJuUexXnnHG10T8C2xmanMaA/s200/counselor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397165611825837090" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />“P</span><span style="font-size:130%;">eace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.<br />Do not let your heart be troubled,<br />nor let it be fearful.” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~ John 14:27</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />When people seek </span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">counseling</span></span> they almost invariably come with two problems. First, they have the problem that has troubled them – probably for quite some time -- for which they want a solution. </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">But their second (often more pronounced) problem is the depressed, distressed, agitated attitude they have toward their problem: the frayed and burdened feelings they have about the problem that blocks their reasoning power and reduces them to a very narrow and rigid view of the problem.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A good counselor</span></span> knows that there is no use trying to address the person’s initial problem until you first solve the obvious problem they present: Themselves!<span style=""> </span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">They need to be taught how to have peace. If and when they can approach the initial problem with a sense of peace, the dilemma unravels itself.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Jesus said,</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as t</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">he world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">~John 14:27 </span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">This peace</span></span> that Jesus gives is what a good counselor might well describe as "the ability to cope."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLtuCwn11-az2rZUlc9PDq5Q6BhBpgkrofK2WRadylDknzYe2WxxTwUWcjyFwJ135v7J-wxlwkYGc-8IQJ29kTjcMwke17quWHixNDp7TML1RsggwamI5qNQ_pH_hSu9ythyphenhyphen_VA/s1600-h/selfhelp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLtuCwn11-az2rZUlc9PDq5Q6BhBpgkrofK2WRadylDknzYe2WxxTwUWcjyFwJ135v7J-wxlwkYGc-8IQJ29kTjcMwke17quWHixNDp7TML1RsggwamI5qNQ_pH_hSu9ythyphenhyphen_VA/s200/selfhelp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397168649906063298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Yet, sadly,</span></span> one of the spirituality-coated social phenomena of our culture is the <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">self-help </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">movement</span>, wherein peace with ourselves and our circumstances and our past and our future is found miraculously in human achievement. And way too often, when the self-help route takes too long, we resort to other measures like drugs -- prescription and otherwise.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >The self-help movement</span> preserves the notion that somewhere and somehow there are secret powers out there that when honed can -- and do -- develop hidden abilities to bring us into a new and higher level of life and experience and spirituality. . .<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">. . . and blah blah blah.</span><br /></div><br />I will say this straight-up: As a Christian counselor, I very much dislike the whole self-help movement.<br /><br />See, as long we remain in and of the world and apart from Jesus, we will never know the remarkable secret of HIS peace! Apart from Jesus, peace is just another humanistic pursuit. We spend valuable time and resources searching for and learning techniques and secrets and in the pursuit, are led farther and farther away from the real thing!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Peace is the bequest</span></span> of Jesus to His followers – the inheritance of true Christians. Without HIM, we can only resort to self-help; and it is a pathetic substitution for the real thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Q: How does the world give peace?</span></span><span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A: </span></span>The self-help movement is a given. And at the risk of being labeled judgmental and narrow-minded and other colorful things, (I've certainly already alienated the self-help crowd) I’m just going to say it:<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Prescription drugs.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_x0Y53g51BfQzNHCrjc2Vq_8H0ypbY77jd9QKhj_iEJpHcE1G6dTbFyjWsJAQN59qC1OJ-C1k3EFsa7oYIyZjVceH_8sGYwieWwu-zMP5e0kZNi9SlWR25nzdL7ZyfLkkIhwFQ/s1600-h/pills.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_x0Y53g51BfQzNHCrjc2Vq_8H0ypbY77jd9QKhj_iEJpHcE1G6dTbFyjWsJAQN59qC1OJ-C1k3EFsa7oYIyZjVceH_8sGYwieWwu-zMP5e0kZNi9SlWR25nzdL7ZyfLkkIhwFQ/s200/pills.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397305634503107298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">We’re all familiar</span></span> with the scenario:<span style=""> </span>If/when we are altogether upset over something to the point of being unable to function normally – we probably visit our family doctor for help.<span style=""> </span>It’s just the way we’ve learned to do things in our culture.<span style=""> </span>We ask the doctor for help and he probably gives us some Zanax or Valium or Klonapin or Librium -- chemical peace! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But it wears off.<span style=""> </span>And we’re right back where we were before we took the pill. We have to take more until our mind is dulled and we are half-sedated. This is how the world gives peace.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Oh! Absolutely there are situations</span></span> where pharmaceuticals are warranted. There aren't too many Christian counselors that have a zero-tolerance policy toward prescription drugs. We do live in a fallen world. But understand: Pharmaceuticals are the WORLD's way to give peace. Not God's!<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-lTsGlX1vuo8pefxqqF4HASwI__BPceQnzeryl3Zgb9SG-3J7BMXxBsFfZ60_oFixrEQLuNQUG3WoJwX2LpmG1Kl1FQgzZ66J8sk5VetPDND8EPRsLERMYfNbS8_fxjqotqhqg/s1600-h/passion-of-the-christ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-lTsGlX1vuo8pefxqqF4HASwI__BPceQnzeryl3Zgb9SG-3J7BMXxBsFfZ60_oFixrEQLuNQUG3WoJwX2LpmG1Kl1FQgzZ66J8sk5VetPDND8EPRsLERMYfNbS8_fxjqotqhqg/s200/passion-of-the-christ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397305968237778130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Consider God's Peace: </span></span> Consider the serenity with which Jesus moves through all the striking events of his last week on this earth. Consider the moments He stood as a prisoner before Pilate and Herod and the chief priests and the angry mob.<br /><br />Now consider the peace and serenity He possessed and realize fully what he says . . .<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"<u>My</u></span></span> peace I give unto you."<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">In other words:<br />"The peace I possess, I want to give to YOU.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">"<br /></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Jesus speaks here </span></span>of what Paul calls "peace that passes understanding" (<span style="font-size:85%;">Philippians 4:7)</span>. Events do not affect it. Circumstances do not affect it. Our past does not affect it. Our uncertain future does not affect it. Trials and tribulations do not affect it. Other people do not affect it. Political upheaval does not effect it. Economic turmoil does not affect it. (Get the picture?)<br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> Peace from Jesus is internal.</span></span> It is not subject to anything external. It is not subject to any self-help formula. It is not contingent upon complimentary drug therapy. It is a peace that is entirely baffling to the world, but freely imparted to the true believer. It baffles the world because there is nothing scientific or medical or even "spiritual" <span style="font-style: italic;">(in the word's definition)</span> to explain it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The peace</span></span> that "passes understanding" is ours because a part of the <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Triune God of the Universe</span> dwells IN us. And that Spirit in us is able to handle and overcome every external problem in this world . . . . We have complete and <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">TRUE PEACE.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">~John 14:27 </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Need Peace? It begins at the Cross:</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205:1&version=NIV">Romans 5:1,</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2010:15&version=KJV">Romans 10:15,</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:14&version=NIV">Ephesian 2:14,</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201:20&version=NIV">Colossians 1:20,</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2026:3&version=NIV">Isaiah 26:3,</a></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://www.typingone-handed.com/2009/10/i-am-hosting-in-other-words-today-true.html">Patricia</a><br />on her blog, <a href="http://www.typingone-handed.com/2009/10/i-am-hosting-in-other-words-today-true.html">Typing One Handed</a>.</div></span></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-46015653614650495562009-10-22T16:44:00.001-04:002009-10-22T13:01:04.059-04:00Can the Government Help Us?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivurX48AKtj4mxLs7sZZRC6s1I-39waMk21w6IgIG7FfadY6_4fB76SWnMCondjI6mOFnmHBTNNyHDRCGpxu1K4reYTvuS9n6Y3zLQNL0RxLeI6Ib7OGDgzZ0SDBpze7-X8VjmHg/s1600-h/gov2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivurX48AKtj4mxLs7sZZRC6s1I-39waMk21w6IgIG7FfadY6_4fB76SWnMCondjI6mOFnmHBTNNyHDRCGpxu1K4reYTvuS9n6Y3zLQNL0RxLeI6Ib7OGDgzZ0SDBpze7-X8VjmHg/s200/gov2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394418420696505906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">My nephew Jacob Bentley</span></span> is conducting a survey for his Senior Government Class and he e-mailed me a link to a survey he'd set up on <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/">SurveyMonkey.com</a>.<br /><br />I took his survey, but the open-ended essay question at the end of the survey absorbed me entirely. Jacob asked, <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">"What can the government do to help with problems like teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies and STD's?"</span><br /><br />You could say the question struck a nerve in me. Because the truth is . . .<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >There is very little - if anything -</span> the government can do at this point in our country's history to "fix" the issues of teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies, STD's, etc.<br /><br />Each of these issues is a matter of personal responsibility which choices are based entirely upon one's own moral compass.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">There is no moral compass</span></span> provided by the "government." The one and only moral compass provided to us as human beings was removed from the public school system by the "government" decades ago. The willful rejection of the Bible as our source of divine authority is a direct cause of the current state of immorality in our country. In the years that followed -- and continuing to this day -- the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted, eliminated, and otherwise rejected by both our government and society as a whole.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">In the early public schools</span></span> of this country, the BIBLE was one of the main textbooks -- if not the <span style="font-style: italic;">only </span>textbook. But on June 17, 1963 in Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court removed the BIBLE and it's readings from public education. The matters suggested in Jacob's question are a direct result of this decision.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfam8SJu3S_Wo3Ex9nwMguOhyphenhyphenSlJV-nXyqWmHlp4kpZdPcopdU5XVud3Zrij7Baa_7xAKD79o4ThjPIqYRPSFAzpwS5gT3fyMRjmETxSDuL3koG1Rix28TfQwlAzDaH8i8XK2d_w/s1600-h/chartdisease.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfam8SJu3S_Wo3Ex9nwMguOhyphenhyphenSlJV-nXyqWmHlp4kpZdPcopdU5XVud3Zrij7Baa_7xAKD79o4ThjPIqYRPSFAzpwS5gT3fyMRjmETxSDuL3koG1Rix28TfQwlAzDaH8i8XK2d_w/s200/chartdisease.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394417341123817298" border="0" /></a>Data from the Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Resources and Human Services and Statistical/Abstracts of United States PROVE that rape, murder, alcohol abuse, robbery, suicide, gang warfare, assault, absenteeism, pregnancies, burglary, vandalism, abortions, arson, extortion, venereal disease, bombings, and drug abuse have SKYROCKETED since 1963.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Not so surprisingly,</span></span> all of society including media, entertainment, criminal behavior, family trends, etc. (even the behaviors of those claiming to be "Christians") have followed the trend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvt24u47gnFGTDXVboX_hnfBI26VNj_ZfUFoUCESZ61rtE7Ooiuxb7AI9oWPtTlwmr2QtoUeV2uKj7aQqmH7FLmfDsTMG6h77zYbJbGmr0FbMVmMtyN75WJFquYpIhJODDk2gkMQ/s1600-h/noahwebster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvt24u47gnFGTDXVboX_hnfBI26VNj_ZfUFoUCESZ61rtE7Ooiuxb7AI9oWPtTlwmr2QtoUeV2uKj7aQqmH7FLmfDsTMG6h77zYbJbGmr0FbMVmMtyN75WJFquYpIhJODDk2gkMQ/s200/noahwebster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394417780673124210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">When it came to education,</span></span> Noah Webster (of Webster's Dictionary fame) stated: "Education is useless without the BIBLE . God's word, contained in the BIBLE , has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."<br /><br />The apostle Paul said, "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3) are hid in Christ Jesus. Education without Christ, who is "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13, & John 1:1-3) will be void of the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that comes only from our Creator.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuQDCSMvHE_hLCpMZzK_85nj-as1pkCG9Q3hdg4-7yjtbONo_vf-bbaen9o71fbE5cyr5nVqUMkFPYZM3ovo36DuK1noLFiMorfTHU33BRIKpEzGAcp8xA_IWANJYgmCNXGez0w/s1600-h/declaration_400x300_image.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuQDCSMvHE_hLCpMZzK_85nj-as1pkCG9Q3hdg4-7yjtbONo_vf-bbaen9o71fbE5cyr5nVqUMkFPYZM3ovo36DuK1noLFiMorfTHU33BRIKpEzGAcp8xA_IWANJYgmCNXGez0w/s200/declaration_400x300_image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394418094661933666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The ONLY thing</span></span> government should be doing to fix the issues suggested in Jacob's question is to humble itself before God and return to the fundamental documents on which our country was founded: The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Virtually every one of the ten articles contained in the Bill of Rights has <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Biblical foundation.</span><br /><br />Even America's constitutional form of government consisting of three co-equal branches, legislative, executive and judicial is taken directly from Isaiah 33:22.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Our current government</span></span> -- including our lawmakers, our court systems, and the current presidential administration -- is completely ignoring and egregiously violating the laws and principles contained in our founding documents. As such, our lawmakers have destroyed the country. . . .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">There is a way that seems right to a man, </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">but in the end it leads to death.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Proverbs 16:25</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">~Psalm 14:1<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span></span></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-46089847900888217272009-08-18T00:30:00.020-04:002009-08-18T09:30:41.831-04:00Are We Defending God's Truth? Or Tolerating the Enemy's Lies . . . <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIu9lHqjkSTFqL5oy8xppwdRxHHRW8GjOM-oAbwCh-URVGkBSlkM67PvMyBU5HpYdQ-y8k_dq7jZU1r3oNsepsRk54xYXNm3E6kbKydu1j1Jcw5JWsxxifKdWeO2t9Uh2B-duFiQ/s1600-h/dog_barking.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIu9lHqjkSTFqL5oy8xppwdRxHHRW8GjOM-oAbwCh-URVGkBSlkM67PvMyBU5HpYdQ-y8k_dq7jZU1r3oNsepsRk54xYXNm3E6kbKydu1j1Jcw5JWsxxifKdWeO2t9Uh2B-duFiQ/s200/dog_barking.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371069084153010370" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">"A</span> <span style="font-size:130%;">dog barks when his master is attacked.<br />I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >~ John Calvin</span><br /></div><br />. . . It's sorta' the theme of my entire blog. <span style="font-style: italic;">(See the definition of </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Apologia </span><span style="font-style: italic;">in scrolling text of the header.)</span> And I have learned over the years that one of the most challenging places to stand firm and defend the truth of God's Word is in the company of other church-goers.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Are you tilting yo</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">ur head wondering, "uHmmm??!"</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It doesn't take </span></span>too many clicks of your television remote, or even a trip through a grocery store checkout aisle, to be convinced that we live in a time of complete spiritual confusion and blind exploration. Satan has indeed conquered the world in terms of winning it over. Which makes one of Satan's most preferred workplaces in our current culture -- the "church." The spiritual confusion is just as readily found inside the church as it is outside the church. Just because you're sitting in a church building does not mean you are surrounded by Bible-believing saints!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,<br />so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel . . . "<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~ II Corinthians 4:4</span></span><br /><br /></div></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Peer pressure</span></span> within the Christian world to "match-up" our faith with fellow Christians is great. And the pressure to accept and <span style="font-style: italic;">tolerate</span> ideas and doctrines and theories that are flat-out against God's Word is rampant. Satan has become very proficient at working within this subset of culture known as the Evangelical Church.<br /><br />Making matters worse in the fact that so few churches really offer expository preaching/teaching <span style="font-style: italic;">from</span> the Bible anymore -- nor do they teach people how to <span style="font-style: italic;">study</span> the Bible. One well-known mainstream Christian pastor has admitted that certain passages of Scripture are offensive to his followers and he will not preach from them. How can Christians defend something they are not familiar with?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The Result:</span></span> Satan has been given a place of honor in the life of every Christian who is unable to or refuses to defend God's Word.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSzoZoDDDyh46HLC_LXSUoOVFVh8GtiKxFN62YkYyCPWQKjeO3P5-n5-1bXuykssMGxRHkI4i7QUD_brZV5RQDnOKVnqCH3DDQ9y20MGSbnSnk7g2xQjf-8ieq5ujk589LkUE-g/s1600-h/harry-potter2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSzoZoDDDyh46HLC_LXSUoOVFVh8GtiKxFN62YkYyCPWQKjeO3P5-n5-1bXuykssMGxRHkI4i7QUD_brZV5RQDnOKVnqCH3DDQ9y20MGSbnSnk7g2xQjf-8ieq5ujk589LkUE-g/s200/harry-potter2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371082043395527650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Take the Harry Potter</span></span> craze for an example. The Bible is very clear about the sin of witchcraft, abstaining from the appearance of evil, and about casting down imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. End of discussion.<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">Or is it?</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Satan's job</span></span> is to attack God's Word and to twist it and to confuse its true message and cause Christians to accept or <span style="font-style: italic;">tolerate </span>the <span style="font-style: italic;">un</span>truths and he does not rest in his quest to achieve this goal. Enter: J.K. Rowling. How many Christian kids do you know who are fans of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? And how many Christian parents do you know who <span style="font-style: italic;">tolerate </span>it. Whose fault is this?<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The parents?<br />The church?<br />The pastor?<br />How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">What about the self-help industry?</span></span> Consumer psychology and the self-help industry are among the biggest money generators in our society. And the biggest problem in the self-help industry is that many (not all) promoters make false promises. They promise hugely unrealistic results, as if reading a single book or attending a single seminar will produce all the permanent changes you need to make your life absolutely perfect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdFeAjkkCztxHhn1HICo36CzBi2Pqlbw46GJ1LffyZwYfm-21Xqe9RhyphenhypheneGGgENB-hlIGcbyJgKIrdusDPLWaduUgygrbQ3UrMpqnyoGA9Lr1fYp1sT9O2G89WdyywxDixAyuMcw/s1600-h/selfhelplies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdFeAjkkCztxHhn1HICo36CzBi2Pqlbw46GJ1LffyZwYfm-21Xqe9RhyphenhypheneGGgENB-hlIGcbyJgKIrdusDPLWaduUgygrbQ3UrMpqnyoGA9Lr1fYp1sT9O2G89WdyywxDixAyuMcw/s200/selfhelplies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371083651347805314" border="0" /></a>Yet Christians still purchase these products as frequently as non-Christians because they really want to believe the marketers are telling the truth. And probably more notably, people are keenly aware that they do indeed need help.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">For the most part</span></span>, secular psychology has attacked if not completely dismissed God's Word. And lamentably, many Christians have accepted it. And if they haven't accepted secular psychology for their own lives, they have learned to accept and <span style="font-style: italic;">tolerate</span> it in the lives of their friends and family .<br /><br />If <span style="font-style: italic;">ever</span><span style="font-style: italic;">y </span>God-fearing Christian (there is no other kind) would stand up for God's Word and God's plan for psychological wholeness, the self-help industry would most certainly go broke! <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203:23-24;&version=31;">Romans 3:23-24</a> says more about self-improvement than 10,000 self-help books. But until God's Truth is spoken and defended and accepted and one's attitude is changed, Satan wins the battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but dismissed.<br /><br />How many Christian friends do you know who are caught up in secular psychology? Whose fault is this?<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The psychologist?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The person's friends?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">Family?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The church?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PO_y7ztDzK-hXXYF5vc46xw89kIIjMrdFRzseRZZH2ewk23lyeinrOGQzu3mCFTXNRxirMxXIxu0EKNXH9pTkleI3eYBslqBXLQEIUkeCxQaM_LsZHb9cs7S5UWlyfaLisU2_w/s1600-h/politicalprotest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PO_y7ztDzK-hXXYF5vc46xw89kIIjMrdFRzseRZZH2ewk23lyeinrOGQzu3mCFTXNRxirMxXIxu0EKNXH9pTkleI3eYBslqBXLQEIUkeCxQaM_LsZHb9cs7S5UWlyfaLisU2_w/s200/politicalprotest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371121460112725346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Let's talk politics.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">Okay. . . second thought, let's not.</span><br /></div><br />But surely you can fill in the blanks here. To try and put GOD and the Truth of HIS Word into the confining and humanistic box of politics makes Him a very,<span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> small God.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Yet . . . </span></span> it is abundantly clear that our current political climate has made a mockery of God's Truth on everything from the value of human life itself to the work ethic of those who <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> allowed to live. Whose fault is this?<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The politicians?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The President?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">The church?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent?!</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">When Ch</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ristians choose</span></span> to remain silent when God's Word is attacked, we have effectively learned to accept and <span style="font-style: italic;">tolerate</span> the Enemy's lies and Satan does indeed gain a foothold; and this primes the church for accepting the New Age Movement much more easily.<br /><br />Sure . . . as "good Christians" we can pick and choose our causes. We can rail against abortion or pre-marital sex or witchcraft or even Mormonism or Catholicism. Some of us even like to take on "false versions" of the Bible in order to gain credibility as a "real Christian." Our individuality does drive us to hand-pick what we will defend from God's Word. But this is NOT what the Gospel calls us to do!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Christians </span></span>must "bark" when our Master is attacked. On any subject. If we don't, then Satan wins another battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but eventually dismissed altogether. And then . . . what's the point?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" >"A dog barks when his master is attacked.<br />I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked<br />and yet would remain silent."</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >~ John Calvin</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,<br />you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,<br />to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . . "</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">~Ephesians 6:13-14</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">[This article also submitted for outside publication]</span><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />* * * * * * * * * *</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpXeXET7m5tOIzVeevURnNXN7OkChbBvfR2_mmavIyJnR-4IKt1cQ0suUSOeJ8T8YwaUpwCxuEXIIuzPuM5tt7W20hWalvMSvS0r_zaPAsm5uZYa4sufN4K-6hMUNhJEXmIBzVQ/s200/InOtherWords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371155473116343506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Thank you for joining InOtherWords today! For more information about InOtherWords, please visit <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">Writing Canvas</a> (the home of <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">IOW</a>) or visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388&ref=ts">InOtherWords</a> on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52290975388&ref=ts">Facebook</a>.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=17Aug2009&meme=iow"><img src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/graphic.php?owner=theheartofapastorswife&postid=17Aug2009&meme=iow" border="0" /></a></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-11378033025159301782009-08-11T05:02:00.004-04:002009-08-11T23:23:07.702-04:00Loneliness . . .. . . and "Yada, Yada, Yada"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwpJcvhgiSaLHHFucw8UKQ3SqgfG_BrmzYpvO-f8k4hEWaoIoDhJuZOyp9h4n8B3G8pf93tY577mv5ld_FzkmwRI5KZoLgiXhmu3ZJq64qNH0hgCto2K2BeUxKhMU1PuZFaUnfQ/s1600-h/loneliness2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwpJcvhgiSaLHHFucw8UKQ3SqgfG_BrmzYpvO-f8k4hEWaoIoDhJuZOyp9h4n8B3G8pf93tY577mv5ld_FzkmwRI5KZoLgiXhmu3ZJq64qNH0hgCto2K2BeUxKhMU1PuZFaUnfQ/s200/loneliness2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368430274210347730" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:130%;">“R</span>ather than turn from loneliness,<br />what if we turned toward it?<br />Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .<br />but a gift?<br />A gift from God?”<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~Max Lucado,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-style: italic;">Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23</span><br /></span></div><br />It was the 153rd Episode -- the 19th Episode of the 8th Season of the TV show, <span style="font-style: italic;">Seinfeld</span>. The "Yada, Yada, Yada" episode. Surely you remember it . . . .<br /><br />George is -- as usual -- overanxious and sensitive. He is concerned about his girlfriend's use of the phrase, "yada, yada, yada," as a way of getting past what to her are meaningless details.<br /><br />Alas, Elaine steps in to reassure George . . .<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">George</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;"> You don't think she'd yada yada sex?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elaine</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">I've yada yada'd sex.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">George</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Really?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elaine</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, I met this guy. We went out to dinner. I had the lobster bisque. We went back to his place. Yada, y</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ada, yada. I never heard from him again.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">But you yada yada'd over the best part.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elaine</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">No. I mentioned the bisque.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSiIcLvPXWAg6nnsxqEUedX5EF0dGhx81UOnZLprAItQ00x00s44YrhyDV8DGWOVdRDKN-NGU3XfDtk8adNDJWH06vwxDm-WdWp9kNKRFNOi984iKHiX-8Sh9Kepw4yk69Rtz5Q/s1600-h/yadayadayada.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSiIcLvPXWAg6nnsxqEUedX5EF0dGhx81UOnZLprAItQ00x00s44YrhyDV8DGWOVdRDKN-NGU3XfDtk8adNDJWH06vwxDm-WdWp9kNKRFNOi984iKHiX-8Sh9Kepw4yk69Rtz5Q/s200/yadayadayada.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368440164548904098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Needless to say,</span></span> Seinfeld fans everywhere have forever secured "Yada, Yada, Yada" in their unconscious thesaurus as a synonym for <span style="font-style: italic;">sex.</span><br /><br />Kinda' ironic since the Hebrew word "yada" refers to "knowing" another so intimately and completely that it is a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse. We read in Genesis 4:1 that "<span style="font-style: italic;">Adam knew</span>" ("yada") <span style="font-style: italic;">Eve his wife; and she</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> conceived and bare Cain....</span>"<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Forgive my sacrilege,</span></span> but this is precisely how too many Christians have come to describe the most important, personal and relational aspect of being a Christian -- Salvation. For the most part, we "yada, yada, yada" over the actual salvation experience, racing right past (or skipping altogether) the acceptance of our depravity before a Holy God and the cultivating of an intimate and deep relationship with the only ONE that can save us from our sin and depravity.<br /><br />A great number of churches today confuse human intellect and the ability to <u style="font-style: italic;">act</u> like a Christian and <u style="font-style: italic;">think</u> like a Christian and <u style="font-style: italic;">perform</u> like a Christian for the real thing! The defining characteristic of a Christian is not necessarily a lifestyle (or <span style="font-style: italic;">lack of </span>a certain [undesirable] lifestyle), but a relationship with Christ Jesus as Savior.<br /><br />Our ability to rationalize and convince others we are a "Christian" by the way we <span style="font-style: italic;">act</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">think </span><span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">peak </span></span><span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">behave </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">dress </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">vote</span> and how we spend our <span style="font-style: italic;">time</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">money</span></span> is a hilarious substitute for the real thing. A substitute with eternal consequences.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" >French philosopher</span> René Descartes coined the phrase, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cognito, ergo sum</span>, translated: <span style="font-style: italic;">I think, therefore I am. </span>Yeah, I've seen the various humor-indulged versions: <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I think, therefore I</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> imac, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br />I think, therefore I vote Repub</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">lican, </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">etc.</span><br /></div><br />Funny. But while our ability to think and reason and behave does indeed set us apart from the rest of Creation and make us unique among other human beings, a biblical understanding that we are created in the image of God makes us relational beings as well! Like our Creator, we have been created in such a way that we require both human and Divine connection. So much so that lack of connectedness (or <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">loneliness</span>) truly is a critical state of existence!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEmTNezysJDrSVCLYmpdcd3bKXXDsN5MVfMiQaVH_2jcRb2Z0bh5GjOXedDfGv1_u-Qr7vLh2kBV4oKa1NLnMS2u81eYBFxNLNtItdQwlsu-8sMvf8XKcXmAcZMUaacLdwsM-0w/s1600-h/separated_sm.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEmTNezysJDrSVCLYmpdcd3bKXXDsN5MVfMiQaVH_2jcRb2Z0bh5GjOXedDfGv1_u-Qr7vLh2kBV4oKa1NLnMS2u81eYBFxNLNtItdQwlsu-8sMvf8XKcXmAcZMUaacLdwsM-0w/s200/separated_sm.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368452958021552018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A</span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">nd . . . </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">[This</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> is key:]</span> a complete and full understanding of our condition before God shows us that it is not fellow human beings that we are disconnected from, but <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">God Himself!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Hence: The entire unfolding of the Plan of Salvation beginning in the Book of Genesis when human beings became <span style="font-style: italic;">lost</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">alone</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">cut-off</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">secluded</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">forlorn</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">abandoned</span>. . . . <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Hey! All synonyms for . . . </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">lonliness!<br />...So basically, </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">loneliness </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">defines the human condition!</span><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" >“R</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">ather than turn from loneliness,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">what if </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">we turned toward it?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">but a gift?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A gift from God?”</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">~Max Lucado</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABe317GC8-4Ira2hfQfGUaTjt8sy4VhhqqjvXOMpQxJK2gR7ly9SvjOef6Y1jKe6OU54SyZiJSyXJTFDju8KidfBD7SLOvCsrsw2naTlx-f2ucYKoWmr09usdBkR4hBVaGNcWIg/s1600-h/handofgod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABe317GC8-4Ira2hfQfGUaTjt8sy4VhhqqjvXOMpQxJK2gR7ly9SvjOef6Y1jKe6OU54SyZiJSyXJTFDju8KidfBD7SLOvCsrsw2naTlx-f2ucYKoWmr09usdBkR4hBVaGNcWIg/s200/handofgod.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368545203111659234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Is loneliness a "gift"</span></span> from the Creator sent that we might find a greater gift? The gift of Genuine Salvation? Salvation by Grace Alone? Salvation apart from our own ability to do anything? Even our ability to think and reason and rationalize . . . and perform?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I think so . . .</span></span><br /><br />I also think that the pseudo-loneliness that we feel when we are physically apart from -- or without -- friends and loved ones is <span style="font-style: italic;">greatly </span>diminished when we can truly rest in the arms of our Savior. We all know "lonely" people who have found immense joy in their Salvation. Joy that quashes human "loneliness." These people are not lonely - they are <span style="font-style: italic;">alone</span>. There is a big difference.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">Then . . .<br /></div>To confirm it -- this:<br /><br />I read this Status Update on my Facebook over the weekend and I just had to wrinkle my forehead a bit at its implications . . .<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxr37M8EebkbwDq8GC75kd9w7S4hNVog931u03rSL3YAaxMiY2PCD35YHZl17_n_t5qM-BUbUR8QymK-rHiTxlQgPYGHI3l3iK8tL3g2tUaGRZEv1y5BCyi1a7n3wpzI9PbhS6A/s1600-h/facebook-logosquare.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 65px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxr37M8EebkbwDq8GC75kd9w7S4hNVog931u03rSL3YAaxMiY2PCD35YHZl17_n_t5qM-BUbUR8QymK-rHiTxlQgPYGHI3l3iK8tL3g2tUaGRZEv1y5BCyi1a7n3wpzI9PbhS6A/s200/facebook-logosquare.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368418557848731634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Facebook Friend</span> lol oh! I mean L-O-N-E-L-Y. So <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">[bleep]</span></span> lonely. I'm hyper bored and so lonely layin in bed watchin tv and doing computer. FB is all I have. i should sleep but it’s too early. I’m just so lonely it hurts feels like i ant gonna find any friends ever. It hurts<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Sat at 7:41pm</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">·</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Comment</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">·</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Like</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I think my Facebook Friend has recieved the gift of lonliness, but hasn't yet unwrapped it . . . .<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">[This article also submitted for outside publication]</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">Loni</a> on her blog, <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com/">Writing Canvas</a>.</span></div></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-18503618950906290222009-06-29T20:27:00.006-04:002009-06-29T20:35:50.715-04:00I'll Be Back . . . This Blogger has. . . <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Gone Fishing!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55-zltgcEqZGIEfBf7K-5-AZgOPnKIl3pBsE370RcPb9mxUWE-pTLNBMWqGOTit3q6DA6PiDSaJS_bS24JR0Crb7kWxrdQUxPkyjqkf4qxJgLcJFvP2tQBISRQ7kb3se8x2Kn_g/s1600-h/GoneFishingDog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55-zltgcEqZGIEfBf7K-5-AZgOPnKIl3pBsE370RcPb9mxUWE-pTLNBMWqGOTit3q6DA6PiDSaJS_bS24JR0Crb7kWxrdQUxPkyjqkf4qxJgLcJFvP2tQBISRQ7kb3se8x2Kn_g/s320/GoneFishingDog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352910935196345538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Summer in Minnesota is so short . . . </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">I'll be back blogging soon enough.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Have a GREAT SUMMER, Friends!</span></span><br /><br /><br /></div>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-13916006794249439672009-05-19T00:00:00.009-04:002009-05-19T03:22:53.779-04:00In Other Words . . . So What if I Fall?The Heart of Diety Never Takes His Eyes Off of Me . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xMYxEWF2q3XS8K5Sg3dHcSQmOpBPE5rf7ywnVDg7uwIt84iamOpyoaua2epNGwyBCwbbyUl5rBJYJttqwpdc5hlsb4HCIddGiCxePTLcu1Tlzp8Bi8UodzQmbb_jW6r2YAnJ3Q/s1600-h/land.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xMYxEWF2q3XS8K5Sg3dHcSQmOpBPE5rf7ywnVDg7uwIt84iamOpyoaua2epNGwyBCwbbyUl5rBJYJttqwpdc5hlsb4HCIddGiCxePTLcu1Tlzp8Bi8UodzQmbb_jW6r2YAnJ3Q/s200/land.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337393540823456386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“What if I stumble, what if I fall?</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Will the love continue when my walk<br />becomes a crawl?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">What if I stumble, and what if I fall?”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Chorus from the song, "</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">What if I stumble?</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">"</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Artist: </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">DC Talk</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> / Album: </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Intermission</span><br /><br /></span></div></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It's a phenomenon I've noticed</span></span> often in Contemporary Christian Music: <br />So much use of the word "I."<br /><br />Why so much focus on ME? So what if I fall? It's a given that I will. And yes, His Great Love will go on even when my walk becomes a crawl.<br /><br />See, there is not a soul since the beginning of the world that has not stumbled. We all fall and make fools of<span style="font-style: italic;"> all </span>mankind. It's our nature. Yet God sees each and every one. Every time. Everywhere. He's the Creator!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord our God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" >- Deuteronomy 11:12</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">What land? What year?</span></span> It was around the year 1400 B.C. It was the Land of <span style="font-style: italic;">Milk and Honey</span>: The Promised Land. And in the context of this passage in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are being equipped to set out and possess the land. They did not yet physically control the land – their right to the territory hadn’t yet materialized. Yet they already seemed to have power over this land through eyes of faith.<br /><div style="text-align: right; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm fairly certain they were </span><u style="font-style: italic;">not</u><span style="font-style: italic;"> listening to DC Talk on thier IPods.<br />They were not worried about "falling."<br /></span></div><br />And guess what? This same beautiful illustration is -- should be -- ours in 2009: God’s caring and attentive eyes are always looking upon us. And we - like the Israelites - can put our concerns and uneasiness into God’s hand of infinite grace and possess strength to face the yet-unseen future.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“The eyes of the Lord…”</span></span> What precisely does that mean? Surely it is more than just Omniscience. I don't know for certain. But let’s just envision the delight and enchantment in the eyes of a loving and devoted parent as they watch their young child achieve something for the very first time. Let's say: <span style="font-style: italic;">walking</span>! (Lots of stumbling and falling here.) Do you see in your mind's eye the deep love of God’s eyes as He watches His creation stumble and fall . . . and learn?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">This </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">looking-after</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"> is not delegated</span></span> to some other heavenly creature. The Bible does not tell us that the eyes of the<span style="font-style: italic;"> angels</span> are watching over us. God Himself watches us! The heart of Deity looks after us! And he never stops watching after us. This special watch-care is unbroken. It’s continuous. This unwearied power of God toward His people has been uninterrupted since the creation of the world! No human effort, no lyricist, no gifted writer, no dramatist could ever sufficiently make plain or explain God’s watch-care over His own.<br /><br />He watches each of us with personal interest and He absolutely sees us stumble and fall-- knowing full well that the ensuing bruises only teach us better how to walk when we get up and continue on . . . .<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >It’s time we switched</span> to the flip side of all the songs and lyrics that focus on "<span style="font-style: italic;">I</span>." We need to take an honest look at <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">eyes</span>.<br /><br />If God is ceaselessly and unwarily watching us, should not our eyes be upon Him? Constantly?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuviS_ldmiNBb5lGcm3ayJb8AD-NDJXIHt3c8cUbUAxBoMMYMS4C4OXoMa-ImDTzlcJk5xrCWjPcBJs0bgoVfZUQz3bH5G4S11sNs0NxLjMZ-oaCe7rV3NBzh7GYkjSA8o4Bjp7g/s1600-h/fall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuviS_ldmiNBb5lGcm3ayJb8AD-NDJXIHt3c8cUbUAxBoMMYMS4C4OXoMa-ImDTzlcJk5xrCWjPcBJs0bgoVfZUQz3bH5G4S11sNs0NxLjMZ-oaCe7rV3NBzh7GYkjSA8o4Bjp7g/s200/fall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337392033450220466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Sad thing is</span></span> I’m afraid we don’t even come close. We get caught up in our days -- setting our sights on the temporal and the frivolous – and we don’t look for Him or see Him at all. And that's when we ask,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:130%;">"What if I stumble, what if I fall?"<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /><br /><br />~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife</span></span></span></span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />This installment of <span style="font-style: italic;">InOtherWords</span> is hosted by <a href="http://mipasmonologue.blogspot.com/">Miriam</a> on her blog, <a href="http://mipasmonologue.blogspot.com/">Miriam Pauline's Monolouge</a>.</span>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-82190750749071526802009-05-06T06:35:00.000-04:002009-05-06T11:32:15.697-04:00Problems or Pearls . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3030/1443/1600/oyster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3030/1443/320/oyster.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>he little pearl oyster receiving accidentally into its shell a rough fragment of rock or sand tries in vain to expel the intruding and irritant substance and only suffers in the struggle until rasped and bleeding it gives up in agony and helplessness. Then a new force comes into play. From its peculiar physiological system the little mollusk sends forth a crystal fluid which covers and coats the rough piece of rock with a soft crystalline cushion and as this grows and hardens it becomes a beautiful pearl. It ceases to irritate and soothes and rests the wounded side of the little creature until the curse has become a blessing, and some days later the pearl fisher discovers the hidden treasure, opens the shell and takes forth a gem of purest luster and boundless value which is worn in the coronets of kings and adorns the highest rank and grandest occasions. So someday our sorrows, irritations and wrongs, having first been sweetened by the Holy Spirit into heavenly virtues, will become the jewels of an immortal crown and will shine in the diadem of Jesus and adorn our brow forever!</span><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ A. B. Simpson<em></em></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">A.B. Simpson’s words</span></span> are tender and poignant. The pearl oyster embodies so many human problems, sorrows, and emotional suffering. Like the oyster, we encounter “irritants,” but we have a tendency to try and avoid them. We’re human – it’s inborn.<br /><br />Christian counselors will tell you that the basis of almost all mental illness is the tendency to <em>avoid </em>problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them. It was renowned physician Carl Jung who said, “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. “<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">The tragedy,</span></span> of course, is that the substitute for our suffering ultimately becomes more painful that the original suffering we are trying to avoid! Does this explain why the wisest saints among us are often the people who endure pain rather than escape it? These saints are men and woman who are “acquainted with grief.” I believe this describes Job. How about our Savior Jesus Christ?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows,<br />and acquainted with grief." </span></span><br /></em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span><span style="font-family:georgia;">~ Isaiah 53:3</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></em></span><br /><em></em></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><em style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br /></em></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><em style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“…yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” </em></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >~ Hebrews 5:8</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Are you trying to avoid </span></span>problems and the suffering that comes with them? Maybe you have several dozen problems today. If you listen to the voices around you, you’ll search for a substitute – an escape route. You’ll miss the fact that your problems are God-appointed – fashioned to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom come with each irritating-piece-of-sand-kind-of-a-problem. And what emerges is an exquisite gem of purest luster and boundless value!<br /></div></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div align="right"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife<br /></span><br /></span> </span></span></div></span>Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.com9