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Genesis 2:24 – Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Two become one flesh…
This is what the Lord explained to Adam after the woman God made from his rib was brought to him. Adam said, And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (Genesis 2:23). Though we are two people, in the eyes of God we are one flesh.
Very often today, many people in ministry are giving themselves over to lustful desires. Where much of this is based upon the lack of self-control and obedience to the Lord (James 1:13-15), there are also means from which those in ministry can and should protect themselves. Therefore, foundational principles should be established for those that are married (in ministry).
Many days you think about when you’ll become ‘somebody.’ You want more money, a larger position at work, and be famous (among our peers). You want it so much that you may forget about the beauty that surrounds you everyday.
You are a father. You are a mother. You are a brother or sister. You are a family member. You are a co-worker. You are a supervisor. You are a friend. You are a children of God.
There is great beauty in who you are right now. Take a moment to consider the beauty of the relationships that surround you. May you see the benefit of your current job. May you love coming home to our family. May you see the grace and mercy given to you by God everyday. May you enjoy where the Lord has you, for there is a purpose in you being there.
Each person around you has value. May you see their value and not overlook them at the expense of other stuff that may never come. May you come to understand the significance of your own value as the Lord has shed His love on you through His Son.
Psalm 118:24 – This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/tonivc. Image covered under Creative Commons License.
Proverbs 4:25 – Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Take the example of the horse with its blinders. It is unable to see what is on its left or right – only what is straight ahead of it. The purpose for the blinders is to keep the horse from being distracted or spooked. Then, the horse is allowed to travel uninterrupted to its intended location based upon the descretion of the driver.
Many of us (on the other hand) like to look around. We gaze at whatever moves, talks, or remains still. In the midst of looking around, however, we see many things we wish we hadn’t. We see many distractions to our lives of faith and righteousness before God. Much of what we see or hear can lead us into all sorts of tempting thoughts and sin. And this occurs because we chose to look around.
Am I enough?
When you consider the grandeur, majesty, grace, and love of God, this question should rest upon your thoughts and heart. When you think about the many things that stand in the way of you and the Lord, is He enough? In the midst of temptation, is He enough? Is He worth more than money and status? Is the Lord enough for you to turn from sin and live for Him. That’s it. It’s just that simple.
Am I enough?
Luke 18:9-14 – And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
If we’re not careful, we can use the things we do for God or as Christians as a means to ‘measure’ ourselves to others. We may come to believe we’re more spiritual than other people because we’re (1) praying and studying longer; (2) involved in more ministries at church; (3) volunteering at various outreach services; and/or (4) giving more money.
Matthew 14:13-14– When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
Jesus had heard of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. As the scriptures read, it seems that he traveled to a distant place possibly to mourn his death. When the people heard of Jesus’ travels, they followed Him on foot out of the cities. Through Jesus’ compassion for those that came to Him, there are a number of principles that can be learned:
Romans 10:17 – So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith in the Lord begins with hearing His Word. More often, we receive the hearing of the Word though preachers that are sent by God (as described in Romans 10:11-15). Within this context, many are given the opportunity and privilege of receiving God’s purpose of love through His Son Jesus.
In most societies today, people would only come in contact with their church preacher once or twice per week (Bible Study and Sunday Service). These same individuals would probably agree that 2.5-3 hours per week of the Bible is not enough to sustain a person from the perils of the world or even their flesh and the enemy. With such verses as Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 119:1-2, Psalm 119:97, an emphasis exists on consistent reading and meditation of God’s Word. Additionally, James 1:22-25 adds the completion of not only being a reader of God’s Word, but a doer most importantly.
Ephesians 5:16 – Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
In our lives before God, many of us would find that we’re not good at managing our time. Not only that, but we spend much of our day doing things that draw us further away from our purposes in the Lord. We consider free time as time to do nothing but watch TV and weekends and holidays as the same. After some time (or even at the end of a year), we look back and wonder where all the time went…only to repeat the same course of action the following year.
Sound familiar?!
There are many things we can do in this life, but only those that were in Christ will remain. Once you use your time, there are no refunds or exchanges. Once it’s gone…it’s gone. So, how do we redeem our time?!
Jesus spoke to the multitude on a parable of a sower (Luke 8:5-8). His disciples would ask the meaning of the parable. In His response, He said:
Luke 8:11-15 – Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
When the Word of God is heard four things can happen (as described in the parable). It is important that we ensure we are able to receive the Word of God in the manner and method that brings forth fruit.
In our lives exists a shadow. This shadow can be compared to our own shadow, but it has different intentions. The shadows from the sun reflect our image unto another object. However, the shadow of sin seeks to reflect its own image within our own lives.
The intention of the shadow of sin is to control the object in which it follows. It wants nothing more than to control the life that it tracks. It wants to be in control and will wait for its moment. It often seems like at every moment, turn, and direction of our day, temptation and sin are waiting. So what must we do? Are we forever doomed to live under the shadow of sin and darkness?! NO!
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