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A Joy Filled Woman - Galatians 1:11-13

1/28/2018

Paul's Testimony is Amazing to Me
Here he is owning that he had a personal and intimate revelation from Jesus. He is facing a crowd and admitting how intensely he was persecuting the church.
From Spiritual Revelation to Testimony
As I read these words, I think of the many testimonies I have heard from people who have had an intensely spiritual revelation from Jesus that completely altered their lives. Sex, drugs, and addictive, outlaw behavior are left behind in the dark shadows of a painful lifestyle. Their path in life has changed 180 degrees. In the past they would awake to a new day by the light of the physical sun. Now they wake up with the light of the Son shining from within and to a new day. Honestly, only a divine intervention can explain the testimony of Paul and the countless brothers and sisters who have had similar revelations.
I Stand in Awe of the Lord
He shows us his power by transforming people who no one else would want, into his strongest servants! Saul was responsible for the deaths of many people. He killed them because they followed Jesus and taught the teachings of Jesus. His conversion was totally unexpected. I am sure there were people familiar with Saul who saw this transformation and were at a loss to explain what had happened. Can you imagine being his mother, father, or synagogue teacher?
"It is hard to explain what happened to me. I was blinded by this light on the way to Damascus and the Lord talked to me. He called me to follow Him even though I was killing his people. Then, I had to find my way to Damascus and find a man who could teach me about Jesus and heal my blindness. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I knew it was the Lord. I know I am giving up a lot, but I am following my call."
All of us can imagine the conversations Saul would have had with family members can't we?
Persecutor Turned Teacher
Early church members thought Saul was just finding a new way to seek out Christians to persecute and kill. However, that thought was proven wrong as the newly named Paul began his ministry.
As I sit here reading Paul's words, I gain a sense of how miraculous his conversion truly was.
How does a Roman citizen/zealous Pharisee who is bent on seeking and destroying heretical Jews change like this? At the heart of this question is my personal belief that Saul must have loved the Lord. Yes, he channeled his belief into killing people, but I think he must have had a love of God, too. This is sheer speculation on my part, but it is based upon my own life experiences with Jesus. However, what matters more than my speculation, is that after his Damascus road experience, Paul spent the rest of his life as an obedient servant to Jesus Christ and he shared the teachings of Jesus with others every single day that he was alive.
Saul's conversion experience was indeed a divine appointment.
The persecutor became an evangelist because of his life changing encounter. Many Christians do not have this type of encounter, but that is okay because they do not have to learn lessons the hard way. I was a hard head and had to learn lessons the hard way and when I met Jesus it changed my life forever. Giving your life to Jesus is a life changing experience. Has your life changed since you met Jesus?

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Washed by Jesus - John 13:8

1/27/2018

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Jesus taught by example.
Can you see the servant king kneeling before each of his disciples so he could wash their feet? I wonder how each of them felt as they watched Jesus wash their brother's feet? He laid aside self-seeking and practiced self-sacrifice. He laid aside pride and practiced love.
Let Jesus kneel down before you and wash your feet.
He wants to be closer to you. You don't have to pay the bills, cook meals, work 12 hours a day, or work on your car alone.
Come on, let Jesus wash away your dirt and stains. He is waiting to wash your sin dirt away. Even the stubborn stains will yield to his cleansing wash. Do not be stubborn and say, "I can do it myself!" You can do it yourself, however you won't know Jesus.
Come on, what are you waiting for?
You can be washed in the water of Jesus' love and forgiveness. Jesus knows how hard it is to lay down your burden. After all, "I can do it myself!" are some of the first words a toddler learns to say. My mom tells me that my first words were,"Do it myself!"
Jesus is a servant king.
He is a king waiting for his brothers and sisters to come to him, weary from their travels through this life, dirty and stained. He is waiting for you, holding a bowl of water and a washcloth in his hands, waiting and ready to wash away the grit and grime of your journey.
Jesus knows what I am and loves me anyway.
I was an unbeliever, who wanted to do everything myself. I started out with a foundation laid upon Jesus, thanks to my mom. However, I left that behind at the ripe old age of 17. Yes, I had plans for my life. Military service, drinking, drugs, physical relationships, broken marriages, and children were all a part of my plan.

I sought things that made me feel good, but that feeling of being content just didn't stay with me for long until I finally decided that I needed Jesus to help me. Yes, I let Jesus wash the stains and grime from my heart and soul when I surrendered my life to Jesus.

Jesus knows the idols, influences, and behaviors in my life: money, advertisements for alcohol filled with attractive people having a good time, my computer that is a gateway into all sorts of enticements, a tendency to gossip and an occasional bout with sarcasm.

But when I accepted Jesus' offer to be washed clean from the dirt and stains that were clinging to me.
I accepted where I was at in life and where I was at in my relationship with Jesus. Yes, Jesus was right there, waiting for me to accept his help. So I say, "What are you waiting for? Get up, get baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on his name."
Do you already know Jesus? Then come on, let him sit at your feet and wash the grit and grime from this world off of you.

Acts 22:16
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, get baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.'
1 Corinthians 12:2
"You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray by mute idols."
Ephesians 2:2
in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience."

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Wrap Your Marriage in the Word of God

1/22/2018

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Before Bill and I were married we had several talks about what we wanted in our bible-based marriage. We discussed our marriage roles as set out in Ephesians 5:21-33.

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

First, this verse doesn't say husbands and wives. It says one another, or fellow believers, out of reverence for Christ. I am going to be honest here. I had trouble with this idea. I am a strong personality and it took me awhile to realize I needed to rein myself in and yield the center of attention to others. It takes effort to consider other people, but that is what Jesus did. Out of my love for Jesus, I need to yield to my brothers, sisters, and my spouse.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

I surrendered to the Lord completely. I love Jesus with all my heart. My life is his and my desire is to do his will. This was my relationship with Jesus before my marriage, too. However, I didn't want to surrender any control to my husband. I am a strong and independent woman who didn't want my husband to be telling me what to do. However, this verse doesn't say my husband is going to boss me around, or be in control of me. Go back to verse 21 and reread what it says; submitting is yielding to each other because you both revere Jesus. Jesus is the authority of your faith and before your marriage you are both yielding to one another out of reverence for Jesus because you are fellow believers. At least you should be doing this. Bill looks at our marriage as a team and he wanted and wants an equal partner.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

These two verses were a stumbling block for me. I can submit to Christ because he is my Savior, but I did not want to apply this to my relationship with my husband, especially the part that says,"in everything." I am going to repeat that I am a strong and independent woman who doesn't want to surrender control of my decision making to my husband. My initial reaction was, "No way is he telling me what to do!" Bill and I talked about this and the analogy he used (that made and still makes sense to me) was that of partners in Team Bonham and one partner has 51% of the shares and the other partner has 49% of the shares. Both partners will talk about the major decisions and then the partner with 51% will make the decision. Yes, I had reservations about this, but I grudgingly gave my consent to this marriage model. That was 7 years ago and I can happily tell you that Bill rarely makes a final decision unless we are in total agreement. Why? because he wants me to be happy. He places my wants and needs above his own. Which brings us to verse 25.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Think about what these verses says and Jesus' actions. Husbands are told to love their wives in the same way Jesus loved the church. Jesus put the wants and needs of all mankind before his own. He reconciled man and God with his death upon the cross out of love. Unconditional love and grace was given to us by Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus made the church holy and blameless when each person submits to Jesus and takes their place within the body of the church. The following verses return to how husbands should love their wives.

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—
30 for we are members of his body.

These verses are clear as to the manner husbands should love their wives. However, I believe wives should also treat husbands in the same manner because of the opening verse, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." A marriage has to be balanced in the giving. If both spouses love, care, and feed each other just as Christ does the church, then both are giving of themselves to the other equally.
Intimacy is being close to and concerned for each other other. Christ knows his church intimately and he cares for the church spiritually. Husbands are the spiritual leaders of the home. A godly husband reflects the light of Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit. These verses express an ideal standard that both spouses should try to achieve.

31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

You are both on the same team. A victory for one is a victory for the other. Face each life challenge together. Support each other with unconditional love. Honestly, you cannot change each other. Get that idea out of your head. If you are single, do not go into a marriage believing you can change your spouse. You cannot change another person. All you can do is to love them as they are, just as Jesus loves you exactly where you are. More marriages end because a spouse keeps trying to change the other partner and both end up profoundly unhappy. Only God and Jesus can change someone. Pray for your partner when you are upset. Lift them up to God through Jesus and let the Lord take care of the situation.
Note: I am not talking about abusive behavior. Do not stay in an abusive relationship. These verses say to care for your spouse as you would feed and care for your body. Abuse isn't doing this.

32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Wives, please do not speak to your husband disrespectfully at anytime. The husband is the head of the family. He is the spiritual leader of the family. Show your spouse the same respect that you would show Jesus. Again I am referring back to the opening verse,"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Spouses must love each other as themselves and be respectful of each other. Being disrespectful to each other is destructive. It will end your chance for a happy marriage. Your spouse may "suck it up", but not forever. Sooner or later, they are going to quit trying to make you happy. Sarcasm is another destructive way of speaking to each other. It isn't respectful or showing the reverence of Christ.
You are going to have to communicate with your spouse. Just make sure your talks are phrased as "I messages" and not as blame. It takes practice to communicate with your spouse. It isn't going to happen overnight. However, if you are submitting to one another with the reverence of Christ, then you will be a team and learn how to be equal partners. Remember, this is why sports teams have practice - so they are working together and learning to act as one.

Another set of scripture that Bill and I adopted as our "marriage scriptures" is this one:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
In verse 12, the cord of three strands is the Lord, your spouse, and you. You are one cord made of three strands that is not quickly broken. Just make sure that the Lord is the first strand, your spouse is the second strand, and you are the third strand.

I want you to know that what I have written is not professional help. I'm not a counselor. What I am is a spirit-filled, child of God who is relating how my godly husband and I have based our marriage upon the bible. Our marriage is seven years old and our "honeymoon" period has not ended. We put the Lord first, each other second, and then ourselves every day. We have followed the biblical marriage model from the first day of our marriage and it is working for us. My hope is that you will try this biblical marriage model and strengthen your marriage too.

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A Joy Filled Woman - Galatians 1:11-13

Washed by Jesus - John 13:8

Wrap Your Marriage in the Word of God

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