And The LORD GOD said, “It in not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
Out of the ground The LORD GOD formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
And The LORD GOD caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and HE took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which The LORD GOD had taken from man HE made into a woman, and HE brought her to the man.
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.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:18-25
Adam was given personal capacities: an appreciation of beauty (Gen 2:8-9), joy in meaningful work (v 15), and ethical responsibilty (vv 16-17). Yet Adam realized something was lacking, and so GOD made Eve and called her a “suitable helper” (v 20). GOD’S method, taking a rib from Adam, speaks of man and woman having a common identity: They are equals, sharing in GOD’S Image and Likeness. (vv 21-25).
The movie The Princess Bride has a wedding scene in which the marrying minister says, “Marriage…is what brings us together today.”
While his delivery of that line was meant to be humorous, he spoke a great truth. Marriage is indeed a great unifier. It is a solemn, respectable institution created by GOD HIMSELF, and it joins together a man and a woman in amazing oneness.
Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves of the Grand Plan for marriage spelled out in Scripture.
Marriage creates one new family out of two: Adam said, ” ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Gen 2:23-24).
It provides a pure outlet for a divinely designed desire: “Because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband” (1 Cor 7:2).
It forms a mutually helpful team: “The heart of her husband safely trusts her….She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (Prov 31:11-12).
Marriage GOD’S Way brings a man and a woman together to honor HIM and help society. Celebrate marriage for the ways it brings us together in GOD’S Name.
GOD Created husband and wife
to complement each other.
TAKEN FROM: Our Daily Bread
Filed under: Daily Reading on October 24th, 2010 | No Comments »
What then shall we say to these things? If GOD is for us, who can be against us? HE Who did not spare HIS Own SON, but delivered HIM up for us all, how shall HE not with HIM also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against GOD’S Elect? It is GOD Who Justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is CHRIST Who died, and furthermore is also risen, Who is even at the Right Hand of GOD, Who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the Love of CHRIST? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through HIM Who Loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death or life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other Created thing, shall be able to separate us from the Love of GOD which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD. Romans 8:31-39
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of America’s Civil War. One of the focal points of the conflict was a rocky knoll called Little Round Top where Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the men of the 20th Maine Infantry stood their ground. Had the Confederate troops gotten past Chamberlain’s men, some historians believe the Union army would have been surrounded–possibly leading to the loss of the war. The “20th Maine” was the last line of defense.
Followers of CHRIST are also engaged in a vital war. As we battle “the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11), we are called to wear the Armor of GOD and to Stand firm in the conflict (vv 10-18).
And like the Gettysburg soldiers, we have a “last line of defense.” For us, though, this defense is greater than any human force. In Romans 8:31-39, Paul says that our ultimate confidence is in the undying Love of CHRIST. So complete is our protection that nothing can “separate us from the Love of GOD which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD” (v 39).
When the enemy seems overwhelming and all seems lost, remember, we have an unbeatable last line of defense: “We are more than conquerors through HIM Who Loved us” (v 37).
TAKEN FROM: OUR DAILY BREAD
Filed under: Daily Reading on October 17th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Rejoice in The LORD always. Again I will say, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The LORD is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by Prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to GOD; and the Peace of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS. Philippians 4:4-7
As the high school chorale prepared to sing Horatio G Spafford’s classic hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” a teen stepped forward to tell the song’s familiar history. Spafford wrote the song while on a ship that was near the spot at sea where his four daughters perished.
As I listened to that introduction and then the words sung by the teenagers, a flood of emotions washed over me. “Where his four daughters perished” were hard words to grasp as I listened again to Spafford’s words of Faith. Having lost one daughter suddenly, I find the idea of losing four unfathomable.
How could it be “well” for Spafford in his grief? I hear the words “When peace like a river attendeth my way” and remember where Peace can be found. Paul says in Philippians 4 that it can be found as our Heart-Prayers are voiced to GOD (v.6). By trustful Praying, we unburden our hearts, divest our anxieties, and release the grip on our grief. And we can gain “the Peace of GOD” (v.7)–an inexplicable, Divine calmness of Spirit. This Peace supersedes our ability to understand our circumstances (v.7), and it is a guard on our heart, through JESUS, that protects us enough to allow us to whisper, even in the pain, “It is well with my Soul.”
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll–
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
TAKEN FROM: OUR DAILY BREAD
Filed under: Daily Reading on October 8th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold Grace of GOD. 1 Peter 4:10
Morever, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are Saved, if you hold fast that Word I preached to you–unless you Believed in vain.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that CHRIST died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that HE was buried, and that HE rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that HE was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. After that HE was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remains to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that HE was seen by James, then by all the Apostles. Then last of all HE was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
For I am the least of the Apostles, who am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of GOD. But by the Grace of GOD I am what I am, and HIS Grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the Grace of GOD which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you Believed. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Last week I had several oppurtunities to show Grace. I wasn’t perfect, but I was pleased with the way I handled one situation in particular. Instead of getting angry, Isaid, “I understand how that could have happened. I’ve certainly made my share of mistakes,” and I left it at that.
According to my own grading scale, I deserved a high score. Not perfect, but close. Lurking in the back of my mind (I hate to admit) was the thought that maybe by being Gracious I could expect to be treated that way at some future date.
The following Sunday morning our congregation was singing “Amazing Grace,” and suddenly the audacity of my attitude came through to me in the words, “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that Saved a wretch like me.”
What in the world was I thinking?! The Grace we show to others is not our own. The only reason we can “give” Grace to anyone is because GOD has already given it to us. We can pass along only that which we have received from HIM.
Good Stewards look for oppurtunities to pass along to others what we have received from The LORD. May all of us be “good stewards of the manifold Grace of GOD” (1 Peter 4:10).
TAKEN FROM: OUR DAILY BREAD
Filed under: Daily Reading on September 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is Your Name in all the Earth, Who have set Your Glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have Ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your Hands, the moon and the stars, which You have Ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the Angels, and You have Crowned him with Glory and Honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your Hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen–even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is Your Name in all the Earth! Psalm 8
–INSIGHT–
Psalm 8 is considered one of the “Creation History” psalms, because it uses the evidence of Creation to prompt the singer to give Praise to The CREATOR. In verse 3, the focus is on the heavens. In verses 4-6, humanity is in view; and verses 7-8 consider the natural realms of animals, birds, and fish. In it all, however, The CREATOR is the Priority, and HIS relationship to people is lifted up as reason to be amazed and to give Praise to the GOD Who made heaven and earth.
–COMMENTARY–
An African proverb states, “The one who asks questions doesn’t lose his way.” That concept can be helpful as we consider David’s questions in the Psalms. He was clearly seeking GOD’S Guidance for the way he should go.
Look, for example, at some of the questions he asked:
“O LORD–how long?” (6:3). A question of eagerness to see GOD’S plan accomplished.
“What is man that You are mindful of him?” (8:4). A question of awe that GOD even cares about sinful man.
“Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (10:1). A question that reveals a longing for GOD’S Presence.
“LORD, who may abide in Your Tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your Holy Hill?” (15:1). The ultimate question of who may Live with GOD.
David had some tough questions for GOD. He had discovered what it was like to lose his way when he excluded GOD and followed his own sinful path. But as he penned the Psalms, he was a man in search of Godliness, which meant he probed GOD’S Mind about difficult subjects.
Questions. Like David, you have them. Keep asking. Then, through Faith in GOD’S WORD and the work of the Holy SPIRIT, listen as HE Leads you in HIS Way.
TAKEN FROM: OUR DAILY BREAD
Filed under: Daily Reading on September 19th, 2010 | No Comments »
LORD, You have been our Dwelling Place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the Earth and the World, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are GOD.
You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: In the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers.
For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the Light of Your Countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the Power of Your anger? For as the Fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your Mercy, that we may Rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your Glory to their children. And let the Beauty of the LORD our GOD be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90
On October 19, 2008, I heard the news that Levi Stubbs, lead singer for Motown’s vocal group The Four Tops, had died at age 72. As a boy, I enjoyed the Four Tops, especially Stubbs’ emotion-filled, passionate voice. I had never met him or heard the group in concert, yet his passing affected me at an unexpected level.
Behind my sadness, I think, was the reminder that I too am getting older. The death of someone I listened to when I was young reminded me that time isn’t marching on–it’s running out!
In the only psalm attributed to Moses, he wrote, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (90:10). Those aren’t words we want to hear. We want to remain forever young, but Scripture reminds us that the years pass and death will one day arrive.
That leaves us to wrestle with two essential questions: Am I ready to “fly away” at life’s end, having Trusted CHRIST as my SAVIOR? And am I using my fleeting days to please the ONE Who Loves me Eternally?
How are you doing–no matter what your age–with the challenges raised by The Brevity of Life?
Taken from: Our Daily Bread
Filed under: Daily Reading on September 5th, 2010 | No Comments »
And seeing the multitudes, HE went up on a mountain, and when HE was seated HIS Diciples came to HIM. Then HE opened HIS mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of GOD. Blessed are those who are persecuted for Righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for MY sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your Reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the Prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:1-12
–INSIGHT–
Matthew 5 describes how the true Christian should develop character. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount deals with conduct that grows out of character. In Matthew 5:1-16, JESUS shows us that True Righteousness is inward; and in verses 17-48, HE points out that sin is also inward. Thus, HE exposed the false Righteousness of the Pharisees, who taught that Holiness consisted in religious actions, and that sin was what was done outwardly.
–COMMENTARY–
JESUS taught that the world seen from GOD’S viewpoint is tilted in favor of the oppressed. This teaching emerges in the Sermon on the Mount and other statements of JESUS: the first will be last (Matt 19.30; Mark 10.31; Luke 13.30), and he who humbles himself will be Exalted (Luke 14.11; 18.14). But why would GOD single out the oppressed for special attention?
1. Suffering helps us realize our urgent need for Redemption.
2. Suffering helps us experience our dependence on GOD and our interdependence with each other.
3. Suffering helps us distinguish between necessities and luxuries.
4. Suffering helps us respond to the Call of the Gospel because we may have become so desperate that we cry out to GOD.
The poor, the hungry, the mourners, and those who suffer are Blessed (Matt 5.3-6) because their lack of self-sufficiency is obvious to them every day. They must turn somewhere for Strength. People who are rich, successful, and beautiful may go through life relying on their natural gifts. But people who are needy, despondent, and dissatisfied with life are more likely to welcome GOD’S Free Gift of Love.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Why? Because “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5.3).
TAKEN FROM: Our Daily Bread
Filed under: Daily Reading on August 29th, 2010 | No Comments »
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 hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops…. Remember that JESUS CHRIST, of the Seed of David, was Raised from the dead according to my Gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the Word of GOD is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the Salvation which is in CHRIST JESUS…..
This is a Faithful saying: For if we died with HIM, we shall also Live with HIM. If we endure, we shall also Reign with HIM. If we deny HIM, HE also will deny us. If we are Faithless, HE remains Faithful; HE cannot deny HIMSELF.
Remind them of these things, charging them before The LORD not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to GOD, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing The Word of Truth. 2 Timothy 2:1-15
INSIGHT–
The starting point for “rightly dividing the Truth” (v 15) is “hermeneutics,” which is the science of interpretation. When we study the Bible we should ask three questions: What does the passage say? What does it mean? How does it apply to my life?
In her amusing book Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss bemoans the problem of poor punctuation in today’s world. To illustrate, she tells the funny story of a panda who enters a cafe, orders a sandwich, eats it, and then pulls out a gun and starts shooting. When a waiter asks him to explain his behavior, the panda hands him a poorly punctuated wildlife guide and asks him to look up the description of a panda. It reads” “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
Having a comma after the word eats is an error that changes the whole meaning of the last sentence. The words shoots and leaves become actions, instead of plants to eat.
This idea of being careful with language is important in Bible study as well. Paul described this process as “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2Tim 2:15). The phrase translated “rightly dividing” was used of a skilled craftsman cutting something straight. In the context of Bible study, it means taking the time for diligent and careful study, while prayerfully asking for The HOLY SPIRIT’S Guidance. It means teaching the Truth directly and correctly. Accurately discerning and passing on GOD’S Truth must be the priority of every conscientious Believer.
Filed under: Daily Reading on August 22nd, 2010 | No Comments »
Let Your Hand become my Help. Psalm 119:173
Where can I go from Your SPIRIT? Or where can I flee from Your Presence? If I ascend into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your Hand shall lead me, and Your Right Hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:7-12
Recently I was fishing with some friends and waded into a current that was too strong for my old legs. I should have known better; it’s a well know fact that you can wade into flows that you can’t back out of.
I got that panicky feeling you get when you realize you’re in deep trouble. One more step and I would have been swept away.
I did the only thing I could think of: I called out to a friend nearby who is younger and stronger than I. “Hey, Pete!” I shouted. “Give me a hand, will you?” My friend waded into the current, reached out his strong hand, and pulled me into quiet water.
A few days later as I read Psalm 119, I came across verse 173: “Let Your Hand become my Help.” I thought of that day on the stream and other days when I have “waded” into difficult situations, overestimating my feeble abilities and putting myself or my loved ones in jeopardy. Perhaps you find yourself in that place today.
There is Help nearby, a Friend much stronger than you or I–One Whose Hand can Hold us (Psm 139:10). The psalmist also says of Him, “You have a Mighty Arm; strong is Your Hand” (89:13). You can call out to GOD: “Give me a Hand!” and He will rush to your side.
When adversity strikes us,
GOD is ready to strengthen us.
Taken from: Our Daily Bread
Filed under: Daily Reading on August 15th, 2010 | No Comments »
Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The Promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” (Gen 12:7) meaning one person, Who Is CHRIST. What I mean is this: The Law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the Covenant previously Established by GOD and thus do away with the Promise. For if the Inheritance depends on the Law, then it no longer depends on a Promise; but GOD in HIS Grace Gave it to Abraham through a Promise.
What, then, is the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions until the SEED to Whom the Promise referred had Come. The Law was put into effect through Angels by a Mediator. A Mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but GOD Is One.
Is the Law, therefore, opposed to the Promises of GOD? Absolutely not! For if a Law had been given that could Impart Life, then Righteousness would certainly have come by the Law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was Promised, being Given through Faith In JESUS CHRIST, might be Given to those who Believe.
Before this Faith came, we were held prisoners by the Law, locked up until Faith should be revealed. So the Law was put in charge to lead us to CHRIST that we might be Justified by Faith. Now that Faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law. Galatians 3:15-25
Filed under: Daily Reading on February 7th, 2010 | No Comments »