Think on these things...

Listen to your wife...

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. (Gen 16:1-2)

Some might say that when men listen to their wives, they end up in a mess…
Adam listened to Eve, ate of the fruit and partnered in bringing the entry of sin to the world.
Abram ‘heeded the voice of Sarai,’ took Hagar as his wife, which resulted in lots of trouble at home and the birth of a ‘seed’ that would be a ‘wild-man,’ whose hand would be ‘against every man’ and be the birthing of the Arab nation.

So, is it right to say that men shouldn’t listen to their wives? Careful here… I don’t think that is the lesson… it’s not what they did, it’s what they didn’t do. They didn’t talk to the Lord after talking to their wives. This is essential… seeking the Lord and His will and giving Him the last word is the best pathway.

As Jeremiah said, Please, obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live (Jeremiah 38:20)

See ya later...

In my last post I wrote about greetings and ‘see ya laters.’

Here’s one of my very favorite ‘see ya laters,’ it is the concluding verses of Jude’s epistle…
How about committing it to memory and then instead of the usual ‘see ya later’ or ‘have a good one,’ say this…

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

How ya doin' ?

Do you ever think about how you greet people?
A very common expression in our culture is, “Hi, how are you doing?” Common response, “Fine, how are you?”
Nothing wrong with that, I guess, in fact it gives us a chance to interact and listen for tones of voice and attitudes, body language, facial expressions that can give us insight into how the person is ‘really doing.’ A lot can be communicated in those first few seconds, setting the tone for further conversation and relationship.
The ‘exit greeting’ varies from, “Bye, see you later” to “Have a good one” to “Talk to you later”…
As I said earlier, these are all fine and acceptable, but times of interaction and communication can also be an opportunity for ministry, encouragement and blessing.
In Paul’s letter to Titus, he greets him by writing: To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior (v.4)
Grace, mercy and peace… from God! Those are not just nice words, but God-words; declaring realities and power that are deeply rooted in the very persons of God! And when we speak them, God is present to bring their reality to minister life to the hearer.
James speaks to us about the power of the tongue… it can bless and it can curse. My desire is that my words bring blessing, blessing from God… so more and more I conclude conversations with “God bless you” and less and less with “Talk to you later.”

Understanding in all things

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things (2Tim 2:1-6)

Paul is pressing home the importance of living in the strengthening power of grace that is available to us as we walk with Jesus, and the priority of ‘committing to others’ the truths and pattern of life in Christ.
There is also a clear alert to the reality that walking with Jesus involves ‘hardship.’ Hardship involves troubles, afflictions difficulties… none are exempt, and there is plenty of scriptural evidence that the Lord uses hardship in furthering His developing and transforming work in our lives.

One more thing about these verses, I’m impressed with the many different contexts Paul uses so what he is saying can be understood… examples include:
1. Soldier / warfare
2. Competing in Athletics
3. Hard working farmer

Obviously he wants to be understood and effectively applies the truth he is communicating in a number of ways… "and may the Lord give you understanding in all things."

O Timothy!

Paul writes to Timothy in the last verses of his first letter:
O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge - by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you Amen.

I was impacted with the reality, as Paul wrote to Timothy, that each of us have things that 'have been committed to our trust' by God, that we are to 'guard.' These include of course our own life and witness (1Tim. 4:12-13), families, friends, areas of ministry and service...

As Paul wrote, I can feel the passion... O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust... don't be drawn into meaningless conversations and pursuits, but live in and live out the grace of God in every area of life.