Tag Archives: Genesis

Getting married didn’t make me a grownup.

married

Getting married is one of the oldest rites of passage in human history. For believers, we see the first mention of what will become defined as the Judeaeo-Christian tradition of marriage in the first chapter of Genesis.

With great authority, Genesis states: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).

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Step back, pray, and allow the Lord to work

step back

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Step back. Over the last few months it seems life has been going at a frantic pace. I quit exercising and watching my diet. I quit revising one of my college courses I teach. There were other things that I simply either lost interest in or just didn’t have the desire to do. My personal Bible study, although still a part of my life, didn’t yield the fruit it once did. I was going through a real spiritual battle. But instead of taking a step back and seeking the Lord’s will, I decided to handle things on my own.

We pray for guidance…

Like many people, during this ordeal I was praying for the Lord to guide me in the direction I was sure He wanted me to go. It’s easy to think that the direction we are heading in is the direction the Lord wants us to go. We gain confidence as small obstacles are overcome and we continue on our way. We give lip service to the prayers about helping us to understand God’s will. At times, we do not want to see the Lord guiding us in any way other than the way we want to go. But the question remains: do we really want the Lord’s guidance? We often approach the Lord with what we want to do and not asking what He wants us to do.

But we don’t step back…

Often we do ask the Lord for guidance but instead of waiting to see what He does want, we find ourselves continuing on the same path. In Proverbs, we often read In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:6), but do we really acknowledge Him? The work, acknowledge, according to the Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary: to recognize the rights, authority, or status of; to disclose knowledge of or agreement with; to express gratitude or obligation for. In other words, it’s not just saying “the Lord is my God” while still holding on to your own plan or idea. It is saying “the Lord is my God and I recognize His authority in my life.”

It’s often difficult to do especially if you’re like me. I don’t like uncertainty and I don’t like waiting. In fact, one of the hardest things for me to do is to take vacations or days off from work. But sometimes that is exactly what the Lord wants us to do. He wants us to take the time to step back and let Him do a work in our lives. Sometimes that work is to set us on another path. Even David experienced this: He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (Psalms 40:2).

We waste our time…

Earlier this week, I found a passage that describes what I feel like I’ve done for the past three years: Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways (Haggai 1:5-7). It is easy to find ourselves in a place where we feel we are not making any traction in our lives. And it is these times where we become the most spiritually vulnerable.

For me, it become easy to take on new projects to occupy my time. And since most of those projects were church focused, I made excuses that I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do. Even though I was doing things that benefited the church, I was not in a place to receive any sort of spiritual blessing from it because it was not being done out of obedience. Looking back, I was doing those things more for myself than for any other reason. In other words, I was wasting my time, even though it was beneficial to my church, on things that has no eternal value.

We use our own understanding…

While in graduate school, I remember a discussion we had during an environmental policy class. A fellow student was arguing with the professor over what one of the laws we were discussing in class. What did the law mean  actually meant and what its purpose was. Rightly so, the professor told the student that it is important to understand what the courts have said about the law and even the best of intentions can be wrong if we act on what we think the law means. This is exactly what the Lord tells us to do: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

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Social creation of humankind

socialFrom a psychological viewpoint every person is designed to be a social creature. God’s plan is for each person to share their lives with others. The Bible offers this: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Genesis 2:8). This is especially relevant in understanding the basic psychology of what a social creature actually is. No one disputes that a dog by themselves do not enjoy life to its fullest and will appear down or depressed. Put that same dog with a human companion or even another animal companion, and immediately the dog’s attitude changes. Emotionally and mentally, the dog needs a companion to feel needed and complete. Humankind was wonderfully made by God to be the exact same way.

Parents: The early social influence of a child

I will be honest; if I were to rate my abilities as a parent I would give myself a failing grade for my first children who are now adults. For the child my wife and I had when I was 40, I would probably give myself a passing but needs improvement score. The difference is my relationship with the Lord. Instead of having a fleshly, and world focused view of life as I did before, I now have a Christ-centered world view. Therefore, the daughter I am raising now will, if the Lord is willing and blesses, not have to face the issues now faced by my adult children. Where before I was careless in what my children were exposed to, now I try to make sure my daughter are exposed to things that are beneficial to her. 

The apostle Paul was concerned about the spiritual health of those he ministered to during his missionary journeys. Just as in his world, we have the same basic things present that can add spiritual weight to our lives. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8). This may seem like a strange verse to include in this particular study, but I assure you it will soon make sense.

God’s plan for parenting – crafting a social influence

During the Israel’s exodus from Egypt, God gave a commandment directly to those who are responsible for the raising and teaching of children: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:7). There is a lot of responsibility God has placed on parents. Not only do I have the obligation to teach my children the things of the Lord, but I also have the obligation to teach them the things of life. And one of those things is the wisdom of the apostle Paul: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).

With these two verses together, parents have the responsibility to make sure that the friendships our children have are ones that will lift them to the Lord. It may mean that the child next door, who yours wants to hang around, is not the best friend for your child. We’ve got a young girl in our apartment complex who I limit (if not avoid) her having contact with my daughter. She’s in the second grade and will often wander to behind our townhouse. At first, she seemed like a nice child until I heard her using profane language and encouraging the other children to “use adult words.” I am 46 years old and was in the army for almost seven years; I still do not feel comfortable even hearing those words said in movies, much less say them myself! To hear a nine-year-old use them was a shock!

Being social: choosing who influences us matters too!

I am reminded of Psalms 34:13, Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. When I was fresh out of the army, I did have a profanity problem. In 2006, after receiving Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, I decided that my surrender to Him would be complete. This morning, while listening to the Dave Ramsey Show, guest host Chris Hogan said something pretty profound. He said, “When you’re giving something up, when it is a sacrifice, don’t count what you are giving up. Count what you are gaining.” In the process of my complete surrender, the Lord has laid it on my heart to get rid of things.

Paul wrote, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). For me, this meant getting rid of some of my DVDs, CDs, science-fiction books, and even some friendships. David had adopted a new attitude and wrote, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalms 101:3). For me, God expanded the meaning of this verse in my heart; if I were going to live the life that God has called me to do then I cannot be a participant in things that tie me to temptation or sin.

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