Genesis 11:30
"But Sarai was barren; she had no child."
This is the first metnion in the Bible of a woman being infertile. I don't know if she was the first ever woman to be infertile but it's the first mention of it.
Sarai and Abram are married. God promises a nation to Abram.
Genesis 12:2
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing."
Genesis 15:2
"And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless..."
Genesis 15:4
"And behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying... but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir."
Genesis 16:1-4
"Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid, and Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she concieved; and when she saw that she had concieved, her mistress was despised in her eyes."
Genesis 17:15-16
"And God said unto Abraham as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her."
Genesis 21:2
"For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
My thoughts:
God promised a nation, a great nation to Abraham yet his beloved wife Sarah was barren. God waited many years, Sarah was in her 90's when she finally became pregnant and she had only one son - Isaac. God tested Abraham with his son that was promised to make a nation out of and told Abraham to take him up and make an offering using his son. Abraham obeyed without question. Isaac asked his dad "where is the lamb?" They had everything else needed, but not knowing his father was going to use him. He said "God will provide one." While he trusted God even through this he made an alter, bound his son and placed him upon it. He even went as far as to pull out his knife and raise it above his child. When he was ready to offer his son, God said "Don't harm your son, look in the thicket." There was a ram stuck in the thicket. That was used for the offering. Imagine the conversation going home between son and father. Abraham was teaching Isaac that we need to trust God in every aspect. And as a mother of an only child - what would be our reaction to the news? The Bible doesn't let us know whether Sarah knew or not but could we see this as God's way of seeing what we were made of? Seeing if He could really trust us? This pictures the coming and dying of Jesus. God giving His only son as a sacrifice to save a nation of people.
Showing posts with label Bible/devotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible/devotions. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Journey through the Bible
So I decided a while ago that I was going to start reading through the Bible and anytime there was mention of a woman who struggled with having a baby I was going to write about it and see how God used that in their lives to bring them closer to Him and if He eventually blessed them. I started writing these in a journal but will now transfer them here for you all to read if you like. I will title them all starting with Journey and then the couple or woman's name to make it easier to follow along. I decided to start at the begining in Genesis.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
January 4th, 2011 - Day 1
I have decided that this year with the help of God I will read through the Bible for the first time! So pray for me please because I can't think of one thing that I have really stuck to for so long. My plan is to help me keep up with it I am going to make myself accountable to one blog a day to write about something that stuck out to me when reading. I am following a Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. So today I read the following: Matthew 1:1-17, Acts 1:1-11, Psalms 1 and Genesis 1-2. I read from the King James Version.
The majority of what stuck out to me was in Genesis and first it was Genesis 2:10-14, And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
My thoughts: Now you may be thinking... really why that? But I guess I never knew there was a river that split off 4 directions from the garden of Eden. And to mention that there is gold and it is good... imagine being in a place where you can just see gold in the earth? I mean I am sure that then that gold was nothing more than just beauty to them, they had no need to use it for money, but imagine seeing gold sparkling in the ground... It also surprises me that the same river that went out of Eden went to Ethiopia, a country which is one of the poorest in the world now.
Genesis 2:23-24, 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 shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
My thoughts: This is a concept not everyone can handle. The thought of "family first" superceeds their thoughts on this. But when a man marrys a woman, that woman becomes his family to put first. Of course it doesn't mean that the man should forget about his family but he has new priorities in life and for a mother or father or either the man or the woman to think that their child should put them above their spouse is just plain wrong and against God's word. God is first, and the spouse is second. He has new responsibilities. I won't go into too much detail on this one, you get the point. Let's just say its something I have had to deal with for over 5 years now.
The majority of what stuck out to me was in Genesis and first it was Genesis 2:10-14, And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
My thoughts: Now you may be thinking... really why that? But I guess I never knew there was a river that split off 4 directions from the garden of Eden. And to mention that there is gold and it is good... imagine being in a place where you can just see gold in the earth? I mean I am sure that then that gold was nothing more than just beauty to them, they had no need to use it for money, but imagine seeing gold sparkling in the ground... It also surprises me that the same river that went out of Eden went to Ethiopia, a country which is one of the poorest in the world now.
Genesis 2:23-24, 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 shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
My thoughts: This is a concept not everyone can handle. The thought of "family first" superceeds their thoughts on this. But when a man marrys a woman, that woman becomes his family to put first. Of course it doesn't mean that the man should forget about his family but he has new priorities in life and for a mother or father or either the man or the woman to think that their child should put them above their spouse is just plain wrong and against God's word. God is first, and the spouse is second. He has new responsibilities. I won't go into too much detail on this one, you get the point. Let's just say its something I have had to deal with for over 5 years now.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
I would have to say Jesus. He isn't the most popular "super hero" but if you think about it, what greater super hero is there? He created the entire world and everything in it in just 7 days, he then came to live on this earth without sinning at all and then decided he was going to die on a cross after being beaten to death to save our souls. There isn't a better super hero than that! He can change lives by quietly speaking to your heart and he can make the most impossible of miracles come true just by speaking them! So that is why Jesus is my favorite super hero!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Stop Praying and Start Moving!
I know what some of you are thinking... What? You are supposed to pray without ceasing... why would you stop praying about something so important? Well, that isn't really the message. I bought a book called Power of Praying Through the Bible and here is a mini devotional in it that really touched base for me.
"Read and Consider Exodus 14"
"Exodus 14:15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward"
"Many passages of Scripture speak of the importance of crying out to God in times of distress. In Lamentations we read "Arise, cry out in the night...pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord" There comes a point, however, when the time for crying out is past and our clear instruction from the Lord is to take action.
That's what God said to Moses. The Israelites didn't need to worry about the details; God would take care of everything. He would help His people by obstructing the sight of the Egyptians with clouds and darkness. He would give the Israelites light. he would cause the wind to dry up the sea bottom. They didn't need more desperate prayer. They needed to get moving!
They may have been tempted to just wait. "This can't be what God wants us to do! Its too dangerous! its too frightening! how do we know we'll make it? Let's just keep praying about this." Sometimes prayer is an excuse for inaction.
Famed missionary Amy Carmichael once wrote a simple rhyme to illustrate the importance of following through with action once we have thoroughly prayed over a matter.
"A centipede was happy till one day, a toad in fun said, "Pray which legs goes after which?" Which strained his mind to such a pitch, he lay distracted in a ditch, considering how to run."
When you hear God telling you to move in a certain direction take two words of advice: DO IT!!
If you delay, you may well find yourself "distracted in a ditch considering how to run." When the way is clear, remember the Lord's instruction to the Israelites through Moses - "MOVE ON!"
END OF DEVOTION.
This one really spoke to me. Many people think that seeking infertility treatments are rushing God's will and His plan for your life. Well, until you have been in my shoes, don't assume so. Becoming a mother is something I have known I would be from the time I was little girl. My friends and I would stuff our shirts with pillows pretending to be pregnant and carry around our baby dolls dressed in newborn outfits and diapers. We volunteered in the church nursery to be near babies and even tried to start a babysitting business, we went as far as to go to a class at the hospital for babysitting instruction and took up CPR classes. I wanted nothing more in life than to be a mom from the time I can remember. I know that God is not a cruel God and He simply would not have given me such a desire if He wasn't going to make that happen. Instead I think He gave me such a desire so that when it came to this time in my life I would fight with everything I have and not give up that desire! Because of the sin in the world our bodies have become corrupted through the decades - the reason we have a rise in health issues. I believe that God gave doctors the knowledge to come up with treatments and scientist the knowledge to come up with medication that can help and its irresponsible of us to not seek treatment when something is wrong. God expects us to take care of our bodies - His temples, its the reason we shouldn't drink or smoke, right?
This fight that I am in the middle of has made me stronger, its made me appreciate the simple things in life. If you have never suffered any infertility issues, miscarriage or infant loss, you take it all for granted. You can say you don't, but until you have been on my side of the fence - you really don't know. I am not saying it makes you lesser of a caring parent/mother. I am just saying you don't understand all that goes into having a family the way I do. I know this will personally make me a better mother because I won't take one second of it for granted!
Here is another devotion from Streams in the Dessert:
November 6th
"As many as I love I rebuke and chasten." Rev. 3:19
"God takes the most eminent and choicest of His servants for the choicest and most eminent afflictions. They who have received most grace from God. Affliction does not hit the saint by chance, but by direction. God does not draw His bow at a venture. Every one of His arrows goes upon a special errand and touches no breast but his against whom it is sent. It is not only the grace, but the glory of a believer when we can stand and take affliction quietly. - Joseph Caryl
If all my days were sunny, could I say,
"In His fair land He wipes all tears away"?
If I were never weary, could I keep
Close to my heart, "He gives His loved ones sleep"?
Were no graves mine, might I not come to deem
The Life Eternal but a baseless dream?
My winter, and my tears, and weariness,
Even my graves, may be His way to bless.
I call them ills; yet that can surely be
Nothing but love that shows my Lord to me!
"The most deeply taught Christians are generally those who have been brought into the searching fires of deep soul-anguish. If you have been praying to know more of Christ, do not be surprised if He takes you aside into a desert place, or leads you into a furnace of pain."
Do not punish me, Lord, by taking my cross from me, but comfort me by submitting me to Thy will, and by making me to love the cross. Give me that by which Thou shalt be best served... and let me hold it for the greatest of all Thy mercies, that Thou shouldst glorify Thy name in me, according to Thy will. - A Captive's Prayer.
END OF DEVOTION
God brings affliction in our life for many reasons. You can search out His reasons in prayer but try not to dwell there we won't always know what it is He is trying to teach us but we need to trust Him and know that He has our best interest at heart and wouldn't bring us to it if He couldn't bring us through it! If you are experiencing similar struggles (some of the hardest things in life to get through I believe) God has a lot of faith in you that you can handle it and come out a stronger person - so put that same faith back in Him that He is using you for a very special purpose.
I know that God would not have taken my baby away from us and not give us another. Not that one can be replaced with another but God used that pregnancy to teach me to have more faith in Him and has shown me how much He can comfort me since then. If you don't ever suffer pain you will never be able to experience the greatest Comforter there is. So I am embracing these trials and going to MOVE ON! It's time to take action!
"Read and Consider Exodus 14"
"Exodus 14:15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward"
"Many passages of Scripture speak of the importance of crying out to God in times of distress. In Lamentations we read "Arise, cry out in the night...pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord" There comes a point, however, when the time for crying out is past and our clear instruction from the Lord is to take action.
That's what God said to Moses. The Israelites didn't need to worry about the details; God would take care of everything. He would help His people by obstructing the sight of the Egyptians with clouds and darkness. He would give the Israelites light. he would cause the wind to dry up the sea bottom. They didn't need more desperate prayer. They needed to get moving!
They may have been tempted to just wait. "This can't be what God wants us to do! Its too dangerous! its too frightening! how do we know we'll make it? Let's just keep praying about this." Sometimes prayer is an excuse for inaction.
Famed missionary Amy Carmichael once wrote a simple rhyme to illustrate the importance of following through with action once we have thoroughly prayed over a matter.
"A centipede was happy till one day, a toad in fun said, "Pray which legs goes after which?" Which strained his mind to such a pitch, he lay distracted in a ditch, considering how to run."
When you hear God telling you to move in a certain direction take two words of advice: DO IT!!
If you delay, you may well find yourself "distracted in a ditch considering how to run." When the way is clear, remember the Lord's instruction to the Israelites through Moses - "MOVE ON!"
END OF DEVOTION.
This one really spoke to me. Many people think that seeking infertility treatments are rushing God's will and His plan for your life. Well, until you have been in my shoes, don't assume so. Becoming a mother is something I have known I would be from the time I was little girl. My friends and I would stuff our shirts with pillows pretending to be pregnant and carry around our baby dolls dressed in newborn outfits and diapers. We volunteered in the church nursery to be near babies and even tried to start a babysitting business, we went as far as to go to a class at the hospital for babysitting instruction and took up CPR classes. I wanted nothing more in life than to be a mom from the time I can remember. I know that God is not a cruel God and He simply would not have given me such a desire if He wasn't going to make that happen. Instead I think He gave me such a desire so that when it came to this time in my life I would fight with everything I have and not give up that desire! Because of the sin in the world our bodies have become corrupted through the decades - the reason we have a rise in health issues. I believe that God gave doctors the knowledge to come up with treatments and scientist the knowledge to come up with medication that can help and its irresponsible of us to not seek treatment when something is wrong. God expects us to take care of our bodies - His temples, its the reason we shouldn't drink or smoke, right?
This fight that I am in the middle of has made me stronger, its made me appreciate the simple things in life. If you have never suffered any infertility issues, miscarriage or infant loss, you take it all for granted. You can say you don't, but until you have been on my side of the fence - you really don't know. I am not saying it makes you lesser of a caring parent/mother. I am just saying you don't understand all that goes into having a family the way I do. I know this will personally make me a better mother because I won't take one second of it for granted!
Here is another devotion from Streams in the Dessert:
November 6th
"As many as I love I rebuke and chasten." Rev. 3:19
"God takes the most eminent and choicest of His servants for the choicest and most eminent afflictions. They who have received most grace from God. Affliction does not hit the saint by chance, but by direction. God does not draw His bow at a venture. Every one of His arrows goes upon a special errand and touches no breast but his against whom it is sent. It is not only the grace, but the glory of a believer when we can stand and take affliction quietly. - Joseph Caryl
If all my days were sunny, could I say,
"In His fair land He wipes all tears away"?
If I were never weary, could I keep
Close to my heart, "He gives His loved ones sleep"?
Were no graves mine, might I not come to deem
The Life Eternal but a baseless dream?
My winter, and my tears, and weariness,
Even my graves, may be His way to bless.
I call them ills; yet that can surely be
Nothing but love that shows my Lord to me!
"The most deeply taught Christians are generally those who have been brought into the searching fires of deep soul-anguish. If you have been praying to know more of Christ, do not be surprised if He takes you aside into a desert place, or leads you into a furnace of pain."
Do not punish me, Lord, by taking my cross from me, but comfort me by submitting me to Thy will, and by making me to love the cross. Give me that by which Thou shalt be best served... and let me hold it for the greatest of all Thy mercies, that Thou shouldst glorify Thy name in me, according to Thy will. - A Captive's Prayer.
END OF DEVOTION
God brings affliction in our life for many reasons. You can search out His reasons in prayer but try not to dwell there we won't always know what it is He is trying to teach us but we need to trust Him and know that He has our best interest at heart and wouldn't bring us to it if He couldn't bring us through it! If you are experiencing similar struggles (some of the hardest things in life to get through I believe) God has a lot of faith in you that you can handle it and come out a stronger person - so put that same faith back in Him that He is using you for a very special purpose.
I know that God would not have taken my baby away from us and not give us another. Not that one can be replaced with another but God used that pregnancy to teach me to have more faith in Him and has shown me how much He can comfort me since then. If you don't ever suffer pain you will never be able to experience the greatest Comforter there is. So I am embracing these trials and going to MOVE ON! It's time to take action!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Lesson in Dealing with those Suffering through Infertility
These are in the book Hannah's Hope by Jennifer Saake in a section at the end of each chapter called "Burden Bearers" The **** means it has really hit home with me, while those I have listed here are issues that have affected me, along with all my other friends suffering through this with me, please take the time to read through them.
"When you are meeting someone new, don't start your conversation with "So, do you have any kids?" While innocent enough, such questions can make me feel like a deer caught in your headlights."
*****"Please don't tell me I am being punished. I am already probing my heart with a microscope to see if there are any offensive ways standing in the way of my relationship with God. Infertility and bereavement carry many painful emotions, often including a false sense of guilt and self-blame. Please be careful not to try to play the role of the Holy Spirit in my life. If you truly believe my fertility challenges are entangled with sin issues, prayerfully approach me with loving-kindess rather than condemnation, in keeping with Matthew 18, Galations 6 and James 5:19-20"
"Just because my miscarriage was "early" don't think my baby was any less a person, any less my child, any less significant, than if he had died later in life. Don't tell me that my baby's death was probably"for the best". I know all about birth defects, better timing in my life, and so forth, but MY CHILD IS DEAD. I know that somehow God can work even this for His good purpose, but right now I need you to validate my grief."
"Sexual tensions often run high during infertility. After the death of a baby, physical intimacy is emotionally entangled with the creation (and loss) of life. Statements such as "Do you guys know how babies are made?" or "At least you can have fun trying!" cut me to the core."
"Fertility isses are very personal. If I choose to share with you, I am placing a deep level of trust in our friendship. Before passing my news along to anyone else, please ask my permission. Most fertility related issues are medical problems, often entailing many complex issues. Infertility causes stress, but it is extremely rare for stress to be the sole cause of interiltiy. "Relaxing" will NOT cure endometriosis, open blocked fallopian tubes, enable deformed sperm to fertilize an egg, or change my odds of carrying a child with genetic defects.
Don't suggest that my infertility will be resolved if I "just adopt". Adoption may (or may not) be a part of God's plan for us, but both infertility and adoption are issues we need to workt through one step at a time. A healthy period of grieving for the biological child we may never have may be needed before we are ready to even consider adoption. And while I'm sure you know someone who adopted then got pregnant, statistically, adoption does not increase my chances of future pregnancy.
Please do not offer advice unless I ask you for it. I have probably already heard about (and tried) boxer shorts, vacation, and sexual techniques to improve our chances of conception. You might make very different choices in our situation, but as you are not in our situation, please keep your opinions to yourself unless you think we are acting in explicit contradictions to clear-cut biblical principals."
"Wondering if God's perfect plan for my life will include children, or even realistically expressing painful doubts about my dwindling hope for the possibility of parenthood, does not equate to doubting God. Please don't judge my loss of hope about having a child to loss of hope in Christ.
You may say, "I just know God is going to give you a baby." But how do you know? Has He given you a revelation that He hasn't given me? Please be careful speaking for the Lord unless you are sure. (Prophets of old were stoned when they presumed to speak and their prophecies were found to be untrue.)"
*****"As I seek to find my place as an infertile woman in the body of Christ, it may take some adjustments for me to find where I feel best used of the Lord. For instance, the church nursery might be exactly where I WANT to be on some days when my arms just ache to hold a baby, but it might just as easily become a place that stabs my heart with envy and grief over what I do not have. Our woman's Bible study may feel more like a "mom's club" where I'm an outsider, than a place I can freely fellowship and nourish my soul on the Word of God.
"I fully agree with the Bible that children are a blessing. I only ask that our church be aware that many of us cannot take such a gift for granted. Please don't elevate parenthood to the point where I feel cursed because I have not been so blessed. An honest "I dont know the right thing to say or do" or simple "I'm sorry" is a great start. I don't usually want or expect to be fixed, nearly as much as I need a listening ear, a friendly hug, and lots of prayer."
"While I'm waiting, please don't ask me if I'm pregnant yet each time you see me."
"Intended encouragment such as "Well, at least you know you can get pregnant now" or "You can always have another one" are not comforting in the face of loss. Would you say to a widow, "Don't worry, You can always get married again?"
(end of excerpts from the book)
I have heard it all, things like:
Its just not God's time (how would you know when God's time is?)
You just need to relax, don't think about it (relaxing doesn't cure medical conditions and not thinking about it is like asking me to not breathe, unless you have been in my situation, dont pretend to have the answers)
It will happen when you stop trying (no, it won't. Once again medical issues causing infertility don't cure themselves without a doctors intervention or medication)
Are you sure you're ready to deal with this - as your child screams (is not a comfort to me, I am well aware of the pains and stress of children)
The list could go on but these are the ones that bother me the most. And please, don't complain about your children or your 'horrible pregnancy' to me, I have NO sympathy for you! Because I pray for the worst morning sickness in the world to only have the chance to be pregnant! I would gladly trade places with you, so don't come to me to complain about how hard you have it with your kids. Be thankful for them and find someone else to get sympathy from when you are having a rough pregnancy because I would give ANYTHING to be pregnant.
"When you are meeting someone new, don't start your conversation with "So, do you have any kids?" While innocent enough, such questions can make me feel like a deer caught in your headlights."
*****"Please don't tell me I am being punished. I am already probing my heart with a microscope to see if there are any offensive ways standing in the way of my relationship with God. Infertility and bereavement carry many painful emotions, often including a false sense of guilt and self-blame. Please be careful not to try to play the role of the Holy Spirit in my life. If you truly believe my fertility challenges are entangled with sin issues, prayerfully approach me with loving-kindess rather than condemnation, in keeping with Matthew 18, Galations 6 and James 5:19-20"
"Just because my miscarriage was "early" don't think my baby was any less a person, any less my child, any less significant, than if he had died later in life. Don't tell me that my baby's death was probably"for the best". I know all about birth defects, better timing in my life, and so forth, but MY CHILD IS DEAD. I know that somehow God can work even this for His good purpose, but right now I need you to validate my grief."
"Sexual tensions often run high during infertility. After the death of a baby, physical intimacy is emotionally entangled with the creation (and loss) of life. Statements such as "Do you guys know how babies are made?" or "At least you can have fun trying!" cut me to the core."
"Fertility isses are very personal. If I choose to share with you, I am placing a deep level of trust in our friendship. Before passing my news along to anyone else, please ask my permission. Most fertility related issues are medical problems, often entailing many complex issues. Infertility causes stress, but it is extremely rare for stress to be the sole cause of interiltiy. "Relaxing" will NOT cure endometriosis, open blocked fallopian tubes, enable deformed sperm to fertilize an egg, or change my odds of carrying a child with genetic defects.
Don't suggest that my infertility will be resolved if I "just adopt". Adoption may (or may not) be a part of God's plan for us, but both infertility and adoption are issues we need to workt through one step at a time. A healthy period of grieving for the biological child we may never have may be needed before we are ready to even consider adoption. And while I'm sure you know someone who adopted then got pregnant, statistically, adoption does not increase my chances of future pregnancy.
Please do not offer advice unless I ask you for it. I have probably already heard about (and tried) boxer shorts, vacation, and sexual techniques to improve our chances of conception. You might make very different choices in our situation, but as you are not in our situation, please keep your opinions to yourself unless you think we are acting in explicit contradictions to clear-cut biblical principals."
"Wondering if God's perfect plan for my life will include children, or even realistically expressing painful doubts about my dwindling hope for the possibility of parenthood, does not equate to doubting God. Please don't judge my loss of hope about having a child to loss of hope in Christ.
You may say, "I just know God is going to give you a baby." But how do you know? Has He given you a revelation that He hasn't given me? Please be careful speaking for the Lord unless you are sure. (Prophets of old were stoned when they presumed to speak and their prophecies were found to be untrue.)"
*****"As I seek to find my place as an infertile woman in the body of Christ, it may take some adjustments for me to find where I feel best used of the Lord. For instance, the church nursery might be exactly where I WANT to be on some days when my arms just ache to hold a baby, but it might just as easily become a place that stabs my heart with envy and grief over what I do not have. Our woman's Bible study may feel more like a "mom's club" where I'm an outsider, than a place I can freely fellowship and nourish my soul on the Word of God.
"I fully agree with the Bible that children are a blessing. I only ask that our church be aware that many of us cannot take such a gift for granted. Please don't elevate parenthood to the point where I feel cursed because I have not been so blessed. An honest "I dont know the right thing to say or do" or simple "I'm sorry" is a great start. I don't usually want or expect to be fixed, nearly as much as I need a listening ear, a friendly hug, and lots of prayer."
"While I'm waiting, please don't ask me if I'm pregnant yet each time you see me."
"Intended encouragment such as "Well, at least you know you can get pregnant now" or "You can always have another one" are not comforting in the face of loss. Would you say to a widow, "Don't worry, You can always get married again?"
(end of excerpts from the book)
I have heard it all, things like:
Its just not God's time (how would you know when God's time is?)
You just need to relax, don't think about it (relaxing doesn't cure medical conditions and not thinking about it is like asking me to not breathe, unless you have been in my situation, dont pretend to have the answers)
It will happen when you stop trying (no, it won't. Once again medical issues causing infertility don't cure themselves without a doctors intervention or medication)
Are you sure you're ready to deal with this - as your child screams (is not a comfort to me, I am well aware of the pains and stress of children)
The list could go on but these are the ones that bother me the most. And please, don't complain about your children or your 'horrible pregnancy' to me, I have NO sympathy for you! Because I pray for the worst morning sickness in the world to only have the chance to be pregnant! I would gladly trade places with you, so don't come to me to complain about how hard you have it with your kids. Be thankful for them and find someone else to get sympathy from when you are having a rough pregnancy because I would give ANYTHING to be pregnant.
Friday, November 20, 2009
God is great!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
God is great!
Let me just tell you that with everything that has gone on in the past two weeks I can't help but still feel so thankful. Of course I am not glad that I lost my baby but God has shown me through all of this just how strong of a person I really am with His help and that when I lean on Him Completley He will carry me. He has taught me to live even more by faith than I already did. After tonight I just prayed and thanked God for really lifting me up. Through this I have done some things that I didn't think I had the courage to do and I am really starting to see why God put us where we are today (here in Italy, in Ceolini).
Here is the story...
Well I want to thank those of you who have been praying for us and our church. For the first time I went out and invited a couple people to church.I went and asked Sgt Woods and his family if they would like to come to our revival meetings and they said they couldn't make it Tuesday night but they would come on Wednesday night. I went next door to our brand new neighbors and invited them. They said they had heard about the church but didn't know where it was. I also invited my friend Anna (she's part Italian and part Arabic, (Muslim background) she came with me on Tuesday night and Bobbie came with me on Tuesday night. I didn't know if Anna was enjoying it or felt uncomfortable (she has a hard time understanding some English). But she said she could understand the pastor and after she went to Pastors wife and told her she had a good time and wanted to come back and bring her fiance who isin the military.
So Wednesday (today) I walked to the Woods house and they weren't home, so me and Bobbie went next door and started talking to the new neighbors again and when I realized it was getting late (6:30pm) I said I should get going to church and asked them one more time if they would like to come. She said to her husband "I think we should go" He agreed. She said she has felt bad because the only time she has ever missed church was when she was sick and she has gone her whole life and comes from a Baptist background, her husband too, and said she heard about the church from a friend in Japan. Well Pastor Olsen was in Japan when in the Navy a while ago and apparently the people that her dad knew, pastored this church before Pastor Olsen and also knew Pastor. So they said they would follow me there. When we pulled in the Woodswere pulling out and they seen me and turned back around. They thought that they got the time wrong since there were only two cars there. Well I walked in church with 9 other people and everyone's face lit up. Alan (a young single guy at our church) said "You brought the whole neighborhood" and I said "Yeah actually I did, they are all my neighbors".
So I called Anna and she said they were on their way and almost there. A few minutes later they walked in.Pastor Lancaster preached a good message of salvation and hell. Atinvitation time he asked who knew that they were saved and going to Heaven by raising their hand. Then he asked who didn't know that if they were to die today if they would go to Heaven, or who was concerned about what would happen if they died. And he asked for them to simply look at him and when his eyes caught theirs for them to bow their heads again and I heard one Amen. At invitation time he made it clear that he didn't want to embarrass anyone and it might be a hard thing to do, to walk forward, but he said he promised that nobody would make fun of them and infact everyone would rejoice with them. I could tell nobody had walked forward when he kept extending the invitation, hoping that they would walk forward. Then he said "at least one maybe two people were concerned and I won't embarrass you and I won't come to you and ask you but if you are still concerned and would like me to know please just look up here one more time".
So I heard again at least one maybe two "Amen, ok" After the service Anna's fiance came up to me and said that he wanted to talk to Pastor Lancaster but he also wanted to have a ciggarrette and asked me which he should do first. So I told him togo ahead and go outside and maybe by then he would be done talking. He came back in and got with Pastor and the rest of us walked away. They stayed at the front of the church for a little while, the rest of us by the fire and then they all came to join us to roast hotdogs. I don't know what happened but Philip (Anna's fiance) was smiling a lot. I have seen him many times but he never smiled. They stayed for a little bit and then left.
Everyone else stayed afterwards for fellowship and it was really nice. Pastor kept thanking me for my hard work in inviting these people, but I know it wasn't me. It was God. I told him "I didn't do the hard work, I just asked, they did the hard work by coming somewhere new" He smiled. I know it had to really make their day to see so many new faces in one day. All week we haven't had too many people and before we all got there they probably didn't think many more would show up. 11 visitors in one day. It was a good day.Sergio really wanted to come but they made him go back to work tonight after he wasn't supposed to (he had a class in the morning). So he couldn't make it and was pretty dissapointed.Our new neighbors seem very nice and come from the same kind of church background as us and its so amazing that God could have put them anywhere and He put them right next door to me! The people who were supposed to move in there said they were going to take the house couldn't because his family decided not to come over here. So I was so glad to learn that about my new neighbors. They seemed to have a good time and I really think they will come back and hopefully attend regularly.
I am hoping and would like to ask you to pray for Anna and Philip as well. Pray that they will come back again.
I invited both the new neighbor, Tiffany and Dana (Sgt Woods wife) to come to our Tuesday night Bible studies at my house and sheseemed interested. Since they both live so close maybe they will get to come. I really hope so. Well thanks for all your prayers, I just wanted to give you all an update onwhats going on at little Calvary Baptist Church.
God is great!
Let me just tell you that with everything that has gone on in the past two weeks I can't help but still feel so thankful. Of course I am not glad that I lost my baby but God has shown me through all of this just how strong of a person I really am with His help and that when I lean on Him Completley He will carry me. He has taught me to live even more by faith than I already did. After tonight I just prayed and thanked God for really lifting me up. Through this I have done some things that I didn't think I had the courage to do and I am really starting to see why God put us where we are today (here in Italy, in Ceolini).
Here is the story...
Well I want to thank those of you who have been praying for us and our church. For the first time I went out and invited a couple people to church.I went and asked Sgt Woods and his family if they would like to come to our revival meetings and they said they couldn't make it Tuesday night but they would come on Wednesday night. I went next door to our brand new neighbors and invited them. They said they had heard about the church but didn't know where it was. I also invited my friend Anna (she's part Italian and part Arabic, (Muslim background) she came with me on Tuesday night and Bobbie came with me on Tuesday night. I didn't know if Anna was enjoying it or felt uncomfortable (she has a hard time understanding some English). But she said she could understand the pastor and after she went to Pastors wife and told her she had a good time and wanted to come back and bring her fiance who isin the military.
So Wednesday (today) I walked to the Woods house and they weren't home, so me and Bobbie went next door and started talking to the new neighbors again and when I realized it was getting late (6:30pm) I said I should get going to church and asked them one more time if they would like to come. She said to her husband "I think we should go" He agreed. She said she has felt bad because the only time she has ever missed church was when she was sick and she has gone her whole life and comes from a Baptist background, her husband too, and said she heard about the church from a friend in Japan. Well Pastor Olsen was in Japan when in the Navy a while ago and apparently the people that her dad knew, pastored this church before Pastor Olsen and also knew Pastor. So they said they would follow me there. When we pulled in the Woodswere pulling out and they seen me and turned back around. They thought that they got the time wrong since there were only two cars there. Well I walked in church with 9 other people and everyone's face lit up. Alan (a young single guy at our church) said "You brought the whole neighborhood" and I said "Yeah actually I did, they are all my neighbors".
So I called Anna and she said they were on their way and almost there. A few minutes later they walked in.Pastor Lancaster preached a good message of salvation and hell. Atinvitation time he asked who knew that they were saved and going to Heaven by raising their hand. Then he asked who didn't know that if they were to die today if they would go to Heaven, or who was concerned about what would happen if they died. And he asked for them to simply look at him and when his eyes caught theirs for them to bow their heads again and I heard one Amen. At invitation time he made it clear that he didn't want to embarrass anyone and it might be a hard thing to do, to walk forward, but he said he promised that nobody would make fun of them and infact everyone would rejoice with them. I could tell nobody had walked forward when he kept extending the invitation, hoping that they would walk forward. Then he said "at least one maybe two people were concerned and I won't embarrass you and I won't come to you and ask you but if you are still concerned and would like me to know please just look up here one more time".
So I heard again at least one maybe two "Amen, ok" After the service Anna's fiance came up to me and said that he wanted to talk to Pastor Lancaster but he also wanted to have a ciggarrette and asked me which he should do first. So I told him togo ahead and go outside and maybe by then he would be done talking. He came back in and got with Pastor and the rest of us walked away. They stayed at the front of the church for a little while, the rest of us by the fire and then they all came to join us to roast hotdogs. I don't know what happened but Philip (Anna's fiance) was smiling a lot. I have seen him many times but he never smiled. They stayed for a little bit and then left.
Everyone else stayed afterwards for fellowship and it was really nice. Pastor kept thanking me for my hard work in inviting these people, but I know it wasn't me. It was God. I told him "I didn't do the hard work, I just asked, they did the hard work by coming somewhere new" He smiled. I know it had to really make their day to see so many new faces in one day. All week we haven't had too many people and before we all got there they probably didn't think many more would show up. 11 visitors in one day. It was a good day.Sergio really wanted to come but they made him go back to work tonight after he wasn't supposed to (he had a class in the morning). So he couldn't make it and was pretty dissapointed.Our new neighbors seem very nice and come from the same kind of church background as us and its so amazing that God could have put them anywhere and He put them right next door to me! The people who were supposed to move in there said they were going to take the house couldn't because his family decided not to come over here. So I was so glad to learn that about my new neighbors. They seemed to have a good time and I really think they will come back and hopefully attend regularly.
I am hoping and would like to ask you to pray for Anna and Philip as well. Pray that they will come back again.
I invited both the new neighbor, Tiffany and Dana (Sgt Woods wife) to come to our Tuesday night Bible studies at my house and sheseemed interested. Since they both live so close maybe they will get to come. I really hope so. Well thanks for all your prayers, I just wanted to give you all an update onwhats going on at little Calvary Baptist Church.
New Year brings new joy
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
New Year brings new joy
Current mood: blessed
This year is going to be one of the best I think so far. But to get to this new year we have to start back a few months....
My grandparents were here and for a while now I have known that I needed to actually join the great church that I had been attending for a while. So what better time then when my grandparents are here? So after the service, during invitation time, I walked forward and told the Pastor that I wanted to join the church. He was so happy. I know he had been wondering for a while when I finally would. The congregation accepted me with a hearty Amen and my grandpa closed the service with prayer. I know he had a hard time as he was so filled with emotion. My grandparents have been able to witness a lot of spiritual growth in me recently. I grew up in church and went regularly but then hit my rebellious teenage years and it took me a while to get back. A time in my life I am not proud of but I guess it brought me to where I am today in life.
So I have been attending this church regularly and participating in a lot of church functions. Its a really small church but they have a lot of fun together and they are just awesome people!
We had been trying for a while now to get pregnant and each month I was disappointed when "aunt scarlet" would come to visit. I finally decided that this was something I had to turn over to God. He is the one who gives life after all. So, realizing that it wasn't my timing but His. I finally told Him, that I would accept whatever it was he had in store for my life but if my fate was that I wasn't ever going to be a mother I needed His help to accept that because there was no way I could accept that on my own. So everynight I prayed that God would give me the desire of my heart - to be a mother - and the desire of my grandparents hearts - to one day hold my baby. Two months later.... we get a positive on the pregnancy test! God is wonderful and faith is the most important thing anyone can have. When you put ALL your trust in Him, He really comes through and works miracles in your life. I honestly thought that I would never be able to have children, it was just a strong feeling I had.
So, Sergio decided he was ready to move forward too. He got saved in July, lead by the Pastor at his home and now was ready to take the next step and get baptised. One Sunday night he went forward and Pastor presented him to the church for baptism and another hearty Amen. So the very next week we were all set for the baptism service. About 15 mins to the end of the service and a very cold Nita walked in - she walked the almost 3 miles to church. She sat down and got warm by the fire and at the close of the service she too went forward for baptism. It was such a beautiful night and December 30th, on my 2nd year anniversary my husband and friend both got baptised.
So 2008 brings two new believeing members to our church and a new baby.
Thank God for His many blessings in my life!!
When you put God first everything else will fall in line in your life. That is a guarentee!! Try it and you will be suprised and what will happen.
New Year brings new joy
Current mood: blessed
This year is going to be one of the best I think so far. But to get to this new year we have to start back a few months....
My grandparents were here and for a while now I have known that I needed to actually join the great church that I had been attending for a while. So what better time then when my grandparents are here? So after the service, during invitation time, I walked forward and told the Pastor that I wanted to join the church. He was so happy. I know he had been wondering for a while when I finally would. The congregation accepted me with a hearty Amen and my grandpa closed the service with prayer. I know he had a hard time as he was so filled with emotion. My grandparents have been able to witness a lot of spiritual growth in me recently. I grew up in church and went regularly but then hit my rebellious teenage years and it took me a while to get back. A time in my life I am not proud of but I guess it brought me to where I am today in life.
So I have been attending this church regularly and participating in a lot of church functions. Its a really small church but they have a lot of fun together and they are just awesome people!
We had been trying for a while now to get pregnant and each month I was disappointed when "aunt scarlet" would come to visit. I finally decided that this was something I had to turn over to God. He is the one who gives life after all. So, realizing that it wasn't my timing but His. I finally told Him, that I would accept whatever it was he had in store for my life but if my fate was that I wasn't ever going to be a mother I needed His help to accept that because there was no way I could accept that on my own. So everynight I prayed that God would give me the desire of my heart - to be a mother - and the desire of my grandparents hearts - to one day hold my baby. Two months later.... we get a positive on the pregnancy test! God is wonderful and faith is the most important thing anyone can have. When you put ALL your trust in Him, He really comes through and works miracles in your life. I honestly thought that I would never be able to have children, it was just a strong feeling I had.
So, Sergio decided he was ready to move forward too. He got saved in July, lead by the Pastor at his home and now was ready to take the next step and get baptised. One Sunday night he went forward and Pastor presented him to the church for baptism and another hearty Amen. So the very next week we were all set for the baptism service. About 15 mins to the end of the service and a very cold Nita walked in - she walked the almost 3 miles to church. She sat down and got warm by the fire and at the close of the service she too went forward for baptism. It was such a beautiful night and December 30th, on my 2nd year anniversary my husband and friend both got baptised.
So 2008 brings two new believeing members to our church and a new baby.
Thank God for His many blessings in my life!!
When you put God first everything else will fall in line in your life. That is a guarentee!! Try it and you will be suprised and what will happen.
Thankful
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thankful
Well today is Thanksgiving and so I thought I would write in a blog some of the things that I am thankful for in my life. I am sure I won't be able to list them all because God has given me so much to be thankful to Him for, but I will try to list the top things.
I am thankful for my salvation first and foremost. I am thankful that God placed me in a loving Christian family, despite my father. My mother is an angel and did a wonderful job raising her children alone and teaching them right from wrong, even if we do mess up from time to time.
Which is why I am thankful for God's forgiveness. Without that, where would I be? So many times I have fallen off the path but God is so forgiving He just picks me back up off my feet and still loves me just the same. I know I can turn to Him and everything will be alright.
I am thankful for my faith. God says if we have only the faith of a mustard seed (very small) than we have the strength to move a mountain. I am glad that I know God and know He is real, He proves it to me every single day of my life by answering prayers.
I am thankful for my husband, hes a great, sweet, loving guy who always supports my ideas and decisions. I am so glad that we found each other and hopefully one day we will be able to add to our little family.
I am thankful for my family as I mentioned above, each and everyone of them have a special place in my heart even if we aren't on speaking terms right now.
I am thankful for my good friends, you guys bring a smile to my face and have a way with words that make me feel better when I am going through a tough time and don't know what to do. You have been there for me through all the hard times. There are some of you who have been with me through harder times than others, you know who you are. I am so thankful for you guys. We have known each other a long time and have hurt each other many times but always seem to get through it with a stronger friendship.
I am thankful for life. How many of you wake up each day glad that you have another day to live? I thank God everynight for giving me another day. I know that when I die I will go to a better place but hey, I am human and I am not in a hurry to get there. I have things I would like to accomplish here on earth first.
I am even thankful for God putting us here in Italy, we are where God wants us. At first I was kind of bitter about the idea of moving so far from all of you, but I have met so many wonderful people here in Italy and the experience is amazing. The sights are wonderful, I walk through castles and it takes me back to what it was like in their day and this country is just so old that it blows my mind, but yet so beautiful. Some of you have no idea how much beauty there is in other parts of the world, I am so thankful to have this oppourtunity to explore other parts of God's beautiful land.
I am thankful for the church I have found here. Its a good fundamental church that isn't willing to change to make people "feel good" like other churches do these days.
The list goes on but I will stop here, these are the important things in my life.
Thankful
Well today is Thanksgiving and so I thought I would write in a blog some of the things that I am thankful for in my life. I am sure I won't be able to list them all because God has given me so much to be thankful to Him for, but I will try to list the top things.
I am thankful for my salvation first and foremost. I am thankful that God placed me in a loving Christian family, despite my father. My mother is an angel and did a wonderful job raising her children alone and teaching them right from wrong, even if we do mess up from time to time.
Which is why I am thankful for God's forgiveness. Without that, where would I be? So many times I have fallen off the path but God is so forgiving He just picks me back up off my feet and still loves me just the same. I know I can turn to Him and everything will be alright.
I am thankful for my faith. God says if we have only the faith of a mustard seed (very small) than we have the strength to move a mountain. I am glad that I know God and know He is real, He proves it to me every single day of my life by answering prayers.
I am thankful for my husband, hes a great, sweet, loving guy who always supports my ideas and decisions. I am so glad that we found each other and hopefully one day we will be able to add to our little family.
I am thankful for my family as I mentioned above, each and everyone of them have a special place in my heart even if we aren't on speaking terms right now.
I am thankful for my good friends, you guys bring a smile to my face and have a way with words that make me feel better when I am going through a tough time and don't know what to do. You have been there for me through all the hard times. There are some of you who have been with me through harder times than others, you know who you are. I am so thankful for you guys. We have known each other a long time and have hurt each other many times but always seem to get through it with a stronger friendship.
I am thankful for life. How many of you wake up each day glad that you have another day to live? I thank God everynight for giving me another day. I know that when I die I will go to a better place but hey, I am human and I am not in a hurry to get there. I have things I would like to accomplish here on earth first.
I am even thankful for God putting us here in Italy, we are where God wants us. At first I was kind of bitter about the idea of moving so far from all of you, but I have met so many wonderful people here in Italy and the experience is amazing. The sights are wonderful, I walk through castles and it takes me back to what it was like in their day and this country is just so old that it blows my mind, but yet so beautiful. Some of you have no idea how much beauty there is in other parts of the world, I am so thankful to have this oppourtunity to explore other parts of God's beautiful land.
I am thankful for the church I have found here. Its a good fundamental church that isn't willing to change to make people "feel good" like other churches do these days.
The list goes on but I will stop here, these are the important things in my life.
Questions & Answers about life and the meaning
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Questions and Answers about life and the meaning
Current mood: jubilant
Latley I have been asked some questions and so I decided to find some answers to these questions. I actually learned a lot. So, if you want to learn somethings about this wonderful world of ours and find answers to questions based off science and not just the Bible... follow along below.
UFOs and Extraterrestrials (Aliens) http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i4/et.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v25/i1/fiction.asp
Why a loving God allowes tragedies such as Katrina, 9-11, Tsunami http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/death_suffering.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0923rita.asp
9-11 and the real enemy http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i1/enemy.asp
Does God exist? http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/answersbook/existence1.asp and http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t002.html
Racism; Love is more than skin deep http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i1/skindeep.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i4/racism.asp
Why do we have different races? The real meaning of the term Race. http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ310.html#wp1249448
How can we all come from Adam and Eve and Noah and his Wife? http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/races18.asp
Inter-racial marriage http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i3/interracial.asp
Dinasours http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ25.html#wp1614541
Well, I hope you enjoyed this information as much as I did. It answered a lot of questions for me that is for sure. And anyone who is having doubts or questions and just want to get some sound evidence or reasoning, this website is a great answer source. There are many topics that I haven't listed here that you can read about.
Questions and Answers about life and the meaning
Current mood: jubilant
Latley I have been asked some questions and so I decided to find some answers to these questions. I actually learned a lot. So, if you want to learn somethings about this wonderful world of ours and find answers to questions based off science and not just the Bible... follow along below.
UFOs and Extraterrestrials (Aliens) http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i4/et.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v25/i1/fiction.asp
Why a loving God allowes tragedies such as Katrina, 9-11, Tsunami http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/death_suffering.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0923rita.asp
9-11 and the real enemy http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i1/enemy.asp
Does God exist? http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/answersbook/existence1.asp and http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t002.html
Racism; Love is more than skin deep http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i1/skindeep.asp and http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i4/racism.asp
Why do we have different races? The real meaning of the term Race. http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ310.html#wp1249448
How can we all come from Adam and Eve and Noah and his Wife? http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/races18.asp
Inter-racial marriage http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i3/interracial.asp
Dinasours http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ25.html#wp1614541
Well, I hope you enjoyed this information as much as I did. It answered a lot of questions for me that is for sure. And anyone who is having doubts or questions and just want to get some sound evidence or reasoning, this website is a great answer source. There are many topics that I haven't listed here that you can read about.
Naturalism, Logic, & Reality
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Naturalism, Logic and Reality
Current mood: curious
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Naturalism, logic and reality
Those arguing against creation may not even be conscious of their most basic presupposition, one which excludes God a priori, namely naturalism/materialism (everything came from matter, there is no supernatural, no prior creative intelligence).2 The following two real-life examples highlight some problems with that assumption:
A young man approached me at a seminar and stated, 'Well, I still believe in the big bang, and that we arrived here by chance random processes. I don't believe in God.' I answered him, 'Well, then obviously your brain, and your thought processes, are also the product of randomness. So you don't know whether it evolved the right way, or even what right would mean in that context. Young man, you don't know if you're making correct statements or even whether you're asking me the right questions.'
The young man looked at me and blurted out, 'What was that book you recommended?' He finally realized that his belief undercut its own foundations —such 'reasoning' destroys the very basis for reason.
On another occasion, a man came to me after a seminar and said, 'Actually, I'm an atheist. Because I don't believe in God, I don't believe in absolutes, so I recognize that I can't even be sure of reality.' I responded, 'Then how do you know you're really here making this statement?' 'Good point,' he replied. 'What point?' I asked. The man looked at me, smiled, and said, 'Maybe I should go home.' I stated, 'Maybe it won't be there.' 'Good point,' the man said. 'What point?' I replied.
This man certainly got the message. If there is no God, ultimately, philosophically, how can one talk about reality? How can one even rationally believe that there is such a thing as truth, let alone decide what it is?
This information was found on this website, check it out it has a lot of useful information. http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v22/i1/creation.asp
Naturalism, Logic and Reality
Current mood: curious
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Naturalism, logic and reality
Those arguing against creation may not even be conscious of their most basic presupposition, one which excludes God a priori, namely naturalism/materialism (everything came from matter, there is no supernatural, no prior creative intelligence).2 The following two real-life examples highlight some problems with that assumption:
A young man approached me at a seminar and stated, 'Well, I still believe in the big bang, and that we arrived here by chance random processes. I don't believe in God.' I answered him, 'Well, then obviously your brain, and your thought processes, are also the product of randomness. So you don't know whether it evolved the right way, or even what right would mean in that context. Young man, you don't know if you're making correct statements or even whether you're asking me the right questions.'
The young man looked at me and blurted out, 'What was that book you recommended?' He finally realized that his belief undercut its own foundations —such 'reasoning' destroys the very basis for reason.
On another occasion, a man came to me after a seminar and said, 'Actually, I'm an atheist. Because I don't believe in God, I don't believe in absolutes, so I recognize that I can't even be sure of reality.' I responded, 'Then how do you know you're really here making this statement?' 'Good point,' he replied. 'What point?' I asked. The man looked at me, smiled, and said, 'Maybe I should go home.' I stated, 'Maybe it won't be there.' 'Good point,' the man said. 'What point?' I replied.
This man certainly got the message. If there is no God, ultimately, philosophically, how can one talk about reality? How can one even rationally believe that there is such a thing as truth, let alone decide what it is?
This information was found on this website, check it out it has a lot of useful information. http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v22/i1/creation.asp
Who is God 4of4
SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT
We need to be able to see God with the eyes of the Spirit to truly know Him. One of our major problems in fellowshipping with the Lord is that we do not know Him as He really is. Therefore, we are not able to serve Him in the way we would like. To be a victorious, overcoming Christian, we need to actually have three revelations:
(1) "To know who God is."
(2) "To know who we are."
(3) "To know who we are in Him" or rather "To know who He is in us."
First, we must know Who God Is. Some people say that no man can see God and live because a portion of Scripture in Exodus 33:20 that says, And he (the Lord) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. Yet we see that Isaiah ...saw the Lord... (Isaiah 6:1). Looking at these two verses, there appears to be a contradiction. However, if we ask the Holy Spirit to give us revelation concerning these Scriptures, we discover that they are really not in opposition after all. We only need to view them in the proper perspective and context. This is particularly true of these Scriptures.
Doctrinal error emerges when people take a few Scriptures and build a doctrine on them. Because they are taken out of context, or out of balance, they don t interpret them to mean what the Bible is really portraying. The proper way to deal with Scripture is to view each portion of the Scripture as a part of the whole. In II Corinthians 3:6, we find this verse, Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. An able minister will not take the letter of the law and make a doctrine, but will allow the Spirit to reveal each portion of the Scripture as a part of the whole. Perhaps a better way for us to understand this would be to see that if we took one letter out of a word, we wouldn't have a complete word; or if we took one word out of a sentence, we wouldn't understand the sentence.
The same is true of the Word of God. We should study it in its totality and not isolate one portion of Scripture if we are to get the whole meaning. To do this we must remember that the great theme and whole message of the Bible is that God loved us and sent a Saviour, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins that we might have life through Him. He came to save us and give us abundant life. If we lose this message in any of our Scriptures, we lose the true identity and knowledge of God. We cannot love, worship and serve a God we cannot know. We must study other portions of God's word that deal with the same subject if we are to get complete light.
Keeping this principle in mind, let us look at our verses in Exodus and Isaiah again. The former verse says, No man can see God and live, and the latter, "... I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple" . He goes on to say in Isaiah 6:5, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts".
If we spiritually understand this, we will know that any man that really sees God will die. The old creature will die and the new creature will be born again. If we ever really get a glimpse of God and see Him for who He really is, we will die. Just as Isaiah here had the experience of seeing God, suddenly something else happened; he saw himself. He saw what he looked like and knew who he was -- a man with unclean lips.
We need this same revelation of who we are today. When we come to know the Lord, we find that there is nothing good in us; ...there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). We see our sin in the light of His holiness. We see our unworthiness, our shame, our guilt; we see our need for the Saviour.
Sometimes we try to gain favor with God by our works, thinking if we do enough good things we can please Him. It is not our works that will attain a position in God, it's our relationship. Our works come as an overflow of our being with Jesus. As we fellowship with our Father, we begin to take on His nature. We desire that nature when we have seen the beauty of the Father. I caught a glimpse of that beauty and that is what I wanted, even though I thought, I am so weak, I could never be like Him. How could I ever attain anything in God, knowing all my faults and failures? It will be too hard; I will be doing good just to get to heaven.
The Lord revealed to me these were thoughts the devil was bringing to my mind, and that it was possible to overcome and walk in victory. Though I was weak, He was strong. I needed that revelation of "Who I was in Christ " or rather "Who He was in me". He wanted me to know, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he (the Holy Spirit) that is in you, than he (the devil) that is in the world (I John 4:4). All He asks us to do is to yield ourselves completely to Him, and He will do the overcoming. He desires us to commit our lives totally, and He will do the changing and the molding. He changes our old natures to His new nature; old desires pass away and we have new desires.
Some people are afraid that if they yield everything to God they will lose their will and their personality. This is not true. He simply changes our will and our desires and brings our personalities to bloom. We really cannot become all that He intends until we give Him the right to begin that work. He creates within us a new nature.
We sometimes think that walking with God is hard when, in actuality, it is easy. We are the ones that make it hard. We often struggle and try so hard to please God with our good works and attempts to change our old nature, while His way is not difficult at all. Matthew 11:29-30 says, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. By this verse we can see if we are yoked with Him and have ceased to be rebellious to the will of God, we will have an easy walk with Him. The oxen represents a broken or tamed animal. We, in our old nature are untamed, but as we yield to the Lord, we will learn brokenness.
We are so concerned many times that if we go left instead of right, the Lord will be so angry with us and strike us with a big stick for missing Him. Our ideas of God are so warped. He is a beautiful Person and when we are truly trying to please Him, He is not angry with us.
If we think He is a harsh taskmaster, we miss the beauty of loving Him and fellowshipping with Him. If we allow Him to work in our lives, we find that we can overcome all obstacles and every problem the enemy uses to discourage us. In Him, we can do all things. Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. If I know who God is, that is, His nature, His power and His love, and if I know that in me there is no good thing (so that I am not tempted to be lifted in pride and take credit for things that should be credited to Jesus), then I also must know that in Him I have all of His power and authority to overcome anything. Praise God for this beautiful truth! We do not need to lead defeated Christian lives, but can walk in victory every day! It is essential to have these revelations in the proper order, too.
If we discover Who God is without the other two revelations, we may have an abnormal view of God. If we find out who we are without the knowledge of God, we will not be able to bear it. That is why so many commit suicide. They see themselves and can find no answers within, and therefore see no way out of their problems but to kill themselves. If we discover who we are in Christ or who Christ is in us before we get a glimpse of ourselves, we become lifted in pride, soon forgetting that it is not us accomplishing the works of God, but it is the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. So we need to make our discovery of God first, ourselves second, and then ourselves in Christ third. With these three revelations we truly can be overcomers.
This was found at http://www.bible.com/ which answers any questions anyone could have concerning the Bible or God.
We need to be able to see God with the eyes of the Spirit to truly know Him. One of our major problems in fellowshipping with the Lord is that we do not know Him as He really is. Therefore, we are not able to serve Him in the way we would like. To be a victorious, overcoming Christian, we need to actually have three revelations:
(1) "To know who God is."
(2) "To know who we are."
(3) "To know who we are in Him" or rather "To know who He is in us."
First, we must know Who God Is. Some people say that no man can see God and live because a portion of Scripture in Exodus 33:20 that says, And he (the Lord) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. Yet we see that Isaiah ...saw the Lord... (Isaiah 6:1). Looking at these two verses, there appears to be a contradiction. However, if we ask the Holy Spirit to give us revelation concerning these Scriptures, we discover that they are really not in opposition after all. We only need to view them in the proper perspective and context. This is particularly true of these Scriptures.
Doctrinal error emerges when people take a few Scriptures and build a doctrine on them. Because they are taken out of context, or out of balance, they don t interpret them to mean what the Bible is really portraying. The proper way to deal with Scripture is to view each portion of the Scripture as a part of the whole. In II Corinthians 3:6, we find this verse, Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. An able minister will not take the letter of the law and make a doctrine, but will allow the Spirit to reveal each portion of the Scripture as a part of the whole. Perhaps a better way for us to understand this would be to see that if we took one letter out of a word, we wouldn't have a complete word; or if we took one word out of a sentence, we wouldn't understand the sentence.
The same is true of the Word of God. We should study it in its totality and not isolate one portion of Scripture if we are to get the whole meaning. To do this we must remember that the great theme and whole message of the Bible is that God loved us and sent a Saviour, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins that we might have life through Him. He came to save us and give us abundant life. If we lose this message in any of our Scriptures, we lose the true identity and knowledge of God. We cannot love, worship and serve a God we cannot know. We must study other portions of God's word that deal with the same subject if we are to get complete light.
Keeping this principle in mind, let us look at our verses in Exodus and Isaiah again. The former verse says, No man can see God and live, and the latter, "... I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple" . He goes on to say in Isaiah 6:5, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts".
If we spiritually understand this, we will know that any man that really sees God will die. The old creature will die and the new creature will be born again. If we ever really get a glimpse of God and see Him for who He really is, we will die. Just as Isaiah here had the experience of seeing God, suddenly something else happened; he saw himself. He saw what he looked like and knew who he was -- a man with unclean lips.
We need this same revelation of who we are today. When we come to know the Lord, we find that there is nothing good in us; ...there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). We see our sin in the light of His holiness. We see our unworthiness, our shame, our guilt; we see our need for the Saviour.
Sometimes we try to gain favor with God by our works, thinking if we do enough good things we can please Him. It is not our works that will attain a position in God, it's our relationship. Our works come as an overflow of our being with Jesus. As we fellowship with our Father, we begin to take on His nature. We desire that nature when we have seen the beauty of the Father. I caught a glimpse of that beauty and that is what I wanted, even though I thought, I am so weak, I could never be like Him. How could I ever attain anything in God, knowing all my faults and failures? It will be too hard; I will be doing good just to get to heaven.
The Lord revealed to me these were thoughts the devil was bringing to my mind, and that it was possible to overcome and walk in victory. Though I was weak, He was strong. I needed that revelation of "Who I was in Christ " or rather "Who He was in me". He wanted me to know, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he (the Holy Spirit) that is in you, than he (the devil) that is in the world (I John 4:4). All He asks us to do is to yield ourselves completely to Him, and He will do the overcoming. He desires us to commit our lives totally, and He will do the changing and the molding. He changes our old natures to His new nature; old desires pass away and we have new desires.
Some people are afraid that if they yield everything to God they will lose their will and their personality. This is not true. He simply changes our will and our desires and brings our personalities to bloom. We really cannot become all that He intends until we give Him the right to begin that work. He creates within us a new nature.
We sometimes think that walking with God is hard when, in actuality, it is easy. We are the ones that make it hard. We often struggle and try so hard to please God with our good works and attempts to change our old nature, while His way is not difficult at all. Matthew 11:29-30 says, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. By this verse we can see if we are yoked with Him and have ceased to be rebellious to the will of God, we will have an easy walk with Him. The oxen represents a broken or tamed animal. We, in our old nature are untamed, but as we yield to the Lord, we will learn brokenness.
We are so concerned many times that if we go left instead of right, the Lord will be so angry with us and strike us with a big stick for missing Him. Our ideas of God are so warped. He is a beautiful Person and when we are truly trying to please Him, He is not angry with us.
If we think He is a harsh taskmaster, we miss the beauty of loving Him and fellowshipping with Him. If we allow Him to work in our lives, we find that we can overcome all obstacles and every problem the enemy uses to discourage us. In Him, we can do all things. Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. If I know who God is, that is, His nature, His power and His love, and if I know that in me there is no good thing (so that I am not tempted to be lifted in pride and take credit for things that should be credited to Jesus), then I also must know that in Him I have all of His power and authority to overcome anything. Praise God for this beautiful truth! We do not need to lead defeated Christian lives, but can walk in victory every day! It is essential to have these revelations in the proper order, too.
If we discover Who God is without the other two revelations, we may have an abnormal view of God. If we find out who we are without the knowledge of God, we will not be able to bear it. That is why so many commit suicide. They see themselves and can find no answers within, and therefore see no way out of their problems but to kill themselves. If we discover who we are in Christ or who Christ is in us before we get a glimpse of ourselves, we become lifted in pride, soon forgetting that it is not us accomplishing the works of God, but it is the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. So we need to make our discovery of God first, ourselves second, and then ourselves in Christ third. With these three revelations we truly can be overcomers.
This was found at http://www.bible.com/ which answers any questions anyone could have concerning the Bible or God.
Who is God 3of4
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
The three most important things that hasten our daily growth are daily prayer, Bible study and fellowship with like believers. God does not want us to remain babies, but wants us to grow to maturity in Him. Spiritual growth is not measured in earthly years, as our progression can be rapid or slow depending on our submission and obedience to the Lord.
Another important factor that determines our rate of growth is the keeping of a right heart attitude before Him. We must guard this daily lest a wrong attitude settle in our heart and cause us to break fellowship with God. We must quickly repent and ask God to forgive us so we can resume our relationship. I John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
One of the most effective devices Satan uses to hinder our growth in God is to send an accident, tragedy, illness, financial crisis, etc., and then blame it on God and convince us that God is chastising us for some wrong. This is a lie of the enemy. Our precious Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins and save us. If he gave us His most priceless possession, do you think He would deny us any good thing? No, our God came to redeem us from the curse, not put one on us. Satan is the troublemaker, the robber, the thief, the destroyer and the master liar. Jesus, while on earth, went around doing good, healing the sick, setting the captives free and ministering the message of love.
The Lord chastises us through His Word and by the Spirit. When we do wrong, our spirits are chastised and the Holy Spirit speaks to us of our wrong. We step out of God's will by our own choice, thus leaving ourselves open for an attack of the enemy. This is one way the enemy can gain legal ground to bring his forces upon us.
Ignorance of God's Word is another means by which Satan can put things on us. Hosea 4:6, says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The enemy constantly tries to bring things on us; if we do not know our rights in Christ and resist him, he can succeed. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Satan tries to prevent us from moving foward in the Lord because he knows that when we do, we eventually overcome and defeat him. When we are determined to serve the Lord, then the Lord can take what Satan has meant for evil in our lives and turn it to good. Let us defend the Father and place the blame for evil on Satan where it belongs.
We must get a revelation of who God is and what His will is for us, or we will believe the lies of the devil; and he will destroy our faith. This is the main target of the enemy: our faith. He only uses the problems to get at our faith. He knows if he can destroy our faith in the Lord, he then can destroy us.
The three most important things that hasten our daily growth are daily prayer, Bible study and fellowship with like believers. God does not want us to remain babies, but wants us to grow to maturity in Him. Spiritual growth is not measured in earthly years, as our progression can be rapid or slow depending on our submission and obedience to the Lord.
Another important factor that determines our rate of growth is the keeping of a right heart attitude before Him. We must guard this daily lest a wrong attitude settle in our heart and cause us to break fellowship with God. We must quickly repent and ask God to forgive us so we can resume our relationship. I John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
One of the most effective devices Satan uses to hinder our growth in God is to send an accident, tragedy, illness, financial crisis, etc., and then blame it on God and convince us that God is chastising us for some wrong. This is a lie of the enemy. Our precious Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins and save us. If he gave us His most priceless possession, do you think He would deny us any good thing? No, our God came to redeem us from the curse, not put one on us. Satan is the troublemaker, the robber, the thief, the destroyer and the master liar. Jesus, while on earth, went around doing good, healing the sick, setting the captives free and ministering the message of love.
The Lord chastises us through His Word and by the Spirit. When we do wrong, our spirits are chastised and the Holy Spirit speaks to us of our wrong. We step out of God's will by our own choice, thus leaving ourselves open for an attack of the enemy. This is one way the enemy can gain legal ground to bring his forces upon us.
Ignorance of God's Word is another means by which Satan can put things on us. Hosea 4:6, says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The enemy constantly tries to bring things on us; if we do not know our rights in Christ and resist him, he can succeed. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Satan tries to prevent us from moving foward in the Lord because he knows that when we do, we eventually overcome and defeat him. When we are determined to serve the Lord, then the Lord can take what Satan has meant for evil in our lives and turn it to good. Let us defend the Father and place the blame for evil on Satan where it belongs.
We must get a revelation of who God is and what His will is for us, or we will believe the lies of the devil; and he will destroy our faith. This is the main target of the enemy: our faith. He only uses the problems to get at our faith. He knows if he can destroy our faith in the Lord, he then can destroy us.
Who is God? 2of4
THE BORN AGAIN EXPERIENCE
How can we receive this eyesight? John 12:44-46 tells us; Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. If we simply believe on Him and turn from our wickedness with a repentant heart, He saves us and gives us new eyesight. Old things pass away and we become new creatures in Him. We not only are born again with a new Father, but within us is the potential to become just like His firstborn Son, Jesus.
John 14:12 goes on to say, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
What kind of works was Jesus doing? He went about preaching, teaching, healing the sick, opening blind eyes, opening deaf ears; He performed miracle after miracle. These same works we can do. How can such a thing be possible? This can only be possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:13-21 continues: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:7 gives us the key for becoming like Jesus, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. How can we become like Jesus? Very simply, it is accomplished by abiding or fellowshipping with Jesus and keeping His words. That is why Bible study is an imperative part of our walk with God. The Bible reveals to us the nature of God. The greaest attribute of God is that He is a God of Love.
In I John 4:7-16 we find these words: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
The kind of love that is mentioned here is not the kind of love that is in the world. God's love is selfless. He gave up His Son that we might live. In Greek there are three words for love: (1) Love that is divine, called "agape"; (2) Love of high ideals, called "phileo" (our city of Philadelphia is named for this brotherly love); and (3) Love of physical passion, called "eros" (our word "erotic" stems from this word). Since the original text of the New Testament was written in Greek we know the verse above was referring to agape love and not the other two. This is evident when we research the Greek manuscripts. (The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with a few passages in Aramaic.)
In studying the Gospels, we find that Jesus died an innocent death on a cross two thousand years ago to pay the penalty for your sins and mine. It was God's great love for us that allowed His Son to suffer death. Jesus conquered sin, death and hell on the cross because He fulfilled the Father's demand for a perfect sacrifice which was an innocent Man without sin. The grave and hell could not hold Him, so He arose victorious and now lives, seated at the right hand of God until the hour for His second coming to this earth. His death and blood atoned for our sins, and if we accept what He has done for us, we need not take the penalty of hell, since He took it for us. Praise God for this sacrifice of love! John 3:16-18 tells of this love: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
To sum up all the verses I have quoted, we conclude that God cannot be seen physically, but we can look at Jesus and see what He did for us on the cross. We see God's love through the sacrificial death of His Son. When we accept what Jesus did, and turn from our sins, we are then born again in the spirit and have new spiritual eyes with which to see God.
What great love to take our punishment upon Himself! He did not deserve it; He never sinned. It was due to His love for you and me that this great sacrifice was made.
Not only did Jesus make a sacrifice by laying down His life, but the Father bore much grief also. God had to forsake His own Son at His most agonizing moment because He, being Holy, could not look upon sin.
Matthew 27:46 says, ... Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ... My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The Father's heart was broken too, as He turned His back on Jesus while He was made to be a sin offering for us. II Corinthians 5:21 states, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Holy Spirit of God was grieved, as He too endured the shame and suffering of the cross. Since Jesus offered Himself ... through the eternal Spirit ... (Hebrews 9:14), all the members of the Godhead shared equally in the cost of the amazing plan of redemption. What an act of love! God the Father, loving us; God the Son, loving us; and God the Holy Spirit, loving us. It is difficult for man to realize the agony the blessed Trinity experienced for man. These past few pages have covered the plan of salvation and the miracle of God, the new birth. Nicodemus, a man that came to Jesus, did not understand this and asked Jesus what it meant. You can read that story in John 3. Jesus words in John 3:6-7 were, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
When we experience the new birth we enter into the kingdom of God as a newborn baby, and we must do certain things so that we can grow spiritually.
How can we receive this eyesight? John 12:44-46 tells us; Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. If we simply believe on Him and turn from our wickedness with a repentant heart, He saves us and gives us new eyesight. Old things pass away and we become new creatures in Him. We not only are born again with a new Father, but within us is the potential to become just like His firstborn Son, Jesus.
John 14:12 goes on to say, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
What kind of works was Jesus doing? He went about preaching, teaching, healing the sick, opening blind eyes, opening deaf ears; He performed miracle after miracle. These same works we can do. How can such a thing be possible? This can only be possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:13-21 continues: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:7 gives us the key for becoming like Jesus, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. How can we become like Jesus? Very simply, it is accomplished by abiding or fellowshipping with Jesus and keeping His words. That is why Bible study is an imperative part of our walk with God. The Bible reveals to us the nature of God. The greaest attribute of God is that He is a God of Love.
In I John 4:7-16 we find these words: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
The kind of love that is mentioned here is not the kind of love that is in the world. God's love is selfless. He gave up His Son that we might live. In Greek there are three words for love: (1) Love that is divine, called "agape"; (2) Love of high ideals, called "phileo" (our city of Philadelphia is named for this brotherly love); and (3) Love of physical passion, called "eros" (our word "erotic" stems from this word). Since the original text of the New Testament was written in Greek we know the verse above was referring to agape love and not the other two. This is evident when we research the Greek manuscripts. (The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with a few passages in Aramaic.)
In studying the Gospels, we find that Jesus died an innocent death on a cross two thousand years ago to pay the penalty for your sins and mine. It was God's great love for us that allowed His Son to suffer death. Jesus conquered sin, death and hell on the cross because He fulfilled the Father's demand for a perfect sacrifice which was an innocent Man without sin. The grave and hell could not hold Him, so He arose victorious and now lives, seated at the right hand of God until the hour for His second coming to this earth. His death and blood atoned for our sins, and if we accept what He has done for us, we need not take the penalty of hell, since He took it for us. Praise God for this sacrifice of love! John 3:16-18 tells of this love: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
To sum up all the verses I have quoted, we conclude that God cannot be seen physically, but we can look at Jesus and see what He did for us on the cross. We see God's love through the sacrificial death of His Son. When we accept what Jesus did, and turn from our sins, we are then born again in the spirit and have new spiritual eyes with which to see God.
What great love to take our punishment upon Himself! He did not deserve it; He never sinned. It was due to His love for you and me that this great sacrifice was made.
Not only did Jesus make a sacrifice by laying down His life, but the Father bore much grief also. God had to forsake His own Son at His most agonizing moment because He, being Holy, could not look upon sin.
Matthew 27:46 says, ... Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ... My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The Father's heart was broken too, as He turned His back on Jesus while He was made to be a sin offering for us. II Corinthians 5:21 states, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Holy Spirit of God was grieved, as He too endured the shame and suffering of the cross. Since Jesus offered Himself ... through the eternal Spirit ... (Hebrews 9:14), all the members of the Godhead shared equally in the cost of the amazing plan of redemption. What an act of love! God the Father, loving us; God the Son, loving us; and God the Holy Spirit, loving us. It is difficult for man to realize the agony the blessed Trinity experienced for man. These past few pages have covered the plan of salvation and the miracle of God, the new birth. Nicodemus, a man that came to Jesus, did not understand this and asked Jesus what it meant. You can read that story in John 3. Jesus words in John 3:6-7 were, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
When we experience the new birth we enter into the kingdom of God as a newborn baby, and we must do certain things so that we can grow spiritually.
Who is God? 1of4
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Who is God?
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Religion and Philosophy
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...
GOD?
THE TRUE GOD
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
KNOWING GOD
It may be difficult for some of us to believe that we can really know God, yet it is true that we can. What does God look like? When we think of God, what kind of image comes to our mind's eye? Do we see God as some sort of superpower that hits us over the head with a big stick when we have been bad? Or does our image of God seem so ethereal that we cannot even imagine that, as humans, we could possibly see Him?
Perhaps we see God in the flowers, the birds, the blue sky, the tall pine trees and the mountains, and that is God to us. Some may even view Him as a kindly old man with a white beard and robe, sitting on a golden throne someplace out there called heaven. Maybe our position is that it is impossible to see God.
What is the real truth about God? What does He look like? Can we really see God? To answer this question, I want to share with you from my own personal experience. Not only have I seen God, but He is my dearest friend, and as His friend, I want to introduce others to Him. We can see and know Him if we turn to Him with our whole heart. Jeremiah 24:7 says, And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
How did I discover Him? Like a lot of other people, I was told about Him. You see He wrote a book, the Bible, and I was given a copy to read. While reading it I discovered that God had a son named Jesus. He sent Him to this world on the greatest mission of all time. The Book He inspired was unlike any book I had ever read. Many things I did not understand, but some of the lines actually seemed to be alive, and seemed as though someone were speaking directly to me through that Book.
Now after many years of reading the Bible, I am very well acquainted with that Someone ; He is the Holy Spirit. He has been a real comfort and a tremendous teacher in my life. I found the Bible was written for the very purpose of answering the question posed at the beginning of this section, What does God look like? We truly can know what God looks like, and not only that, we can know Him very intimately. By reading His Book, the Bible, we can also find the answers to all of our questions and problems.
The first thing we must realize about God is that He loves us. The book of John in the Bible reveals His love in a very beautiful way. He loves us, He created us, and He has a plan for our lives. It is a very exciting and fulfilling plan, and we can know what that plan is for each of us individually. To understand God's plan, we must read His Word, or guide Book. Most of our problems in understanding God stem from things we have heard other people say about Him. Since there are so many people with so many different ideas, we then end up with a multitude of misconceptions about God.
Some parts of the world are blessed to hear more truth about God than others. Yet, much of what we hear is still contaminated with man's ideas and traditions. People in many lands are seeking to know God, but because some have never read or heard His Word or received Him in their hearts personally, they have devised gods of their own. We see this prevalent in many different belief systems ranging from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and others.
If we are going to know God, we must give His Book and His Word the final authority over every issue in our lives. There has to be one way, and one standard for man to follow. Confusion results when one voice is saying, This is the way, and another says, No, this is the way. Each man has a different way -- his own way.
The Bible tells us about this in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 21:2 says, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. In Proverbs 16:25 we find, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
What is the right way to find God? What does God look like? Perhaps the most simple answer to this question is, God looks like Jesus. We see God by looking at Jesus. How do we look at Him? We accomplish this by studying the record of His life as recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 14:1-9 records this account of Jesus words: " Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it'sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father....".
Who is God?
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Religion and Philosophy
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...
GOD?
THE TRUE GOD
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
KNOWING GOD
It may be difficult for some of us to believe that we can really know God, yet it is true that we can. What does God look like? When we think of God, what kind of image comes to our mind's eye? Do we see God as some sort of superpower that hits us over the head with a big stick when we have been bad? Or does our image of God seem so ethereal that we cannot even imagine that, as humans, we could possibly see Him?
Perhaps we see God in the flowers, the birds, the blue sky, the tall pine trees and the mountains, and that is God to us. Some may even view Him as a kindly old man with a white beard and robe, sitting on a golden throne someplace out there called heaven. Maybe our position is that it is impossible to see God.
What is the real truth about God? What does He look like? Can we really see God? To answer this question, I want to share with you from my own personal experience. Not only have I seen God, but He is my dearest friend, and as His friend, I want to introduce others to Him. We can see and know Him if we turn to Him with our whole heart. Jeremiah 24:7 says, And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
How did I discover Him? Like a lot of other people, I was told about Him. You see He wrote a book, the Bible, and I was given a copy to read. While reading it I discovered that God had a son named Jesus. He sent Him to this world on the greatest mission of all time. The Book He inspired was unlike any book I had ever read. Many things I did not understand, but some of the lines actually seemed to be alive, and seemed as though someone were speaking directly to me through that Book.
Now after many years of reading the Bible, I am very well acquainted with that Someone ; He is the Holy Spirit. He has been a real comfort and a tremendous teacher in my life. I found the Bible was written for the very purpose of answering the question posed at the beginning of this section, What does God look like? We truly can know what God looks like, and not only that, we can know Him very intimately. By reading His Book, the Bible, we can also find the answers to all of our questions and problems.
The first thing we must realize about God is that He loves us. The book of John in the Bible reveals His love in a very beautiful way. He loves us, He created us, and He has a plan for our lives. It is a very exciting and fulfilling plan, and we can know what that plan is for each of us individually. To understand God's plan, we must read His Word, or guide Book. Most of our problems in understanding God stem from things we have heard other people say about Him. Since there are so many people with so many different ideas, we then end up with a multitude of misconceptions about God.
Some parts of the world are blessed to hear more truth about God than others. Yet, much of what we hear is still contaminated with man's ideas and traditions. People in many lands are seeking to know God, but because some have never read or heard His Word or received Him in their hearts personally, they have devised gods of their own. We see this prevalent in many different belief systems ranging from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and others.
If we are going to know God, we must give His Book and His Word the final authority over every issue in our lives. There has to be one way, and one standard for man to follow. Confusion results when one voice is saying, This is the way, and another says, No, this is the way. Each man has a different way -- his own way.
The Bible tells us about this in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 21:2 says, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. In Proverbs 16:25 we find, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
What is the right way to find God? What does God look like? Perhaps the most simple answer to this question is, God looks like Jesus. We see God by looking at Jesus. How do we look at Him? We accomplish this by studying the record of His life as recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 14:1-9 records this account of Jesus words: " Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it'sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father....".
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
December 31st, 2008
I was doing my daily devotional today that I haven't been very good at reading daily. In fact this is the first time I have even opened it and it happens to be the last day of the year. HA. Well its in a book called Springs in the Valley which was written over 50 years ago! The copy I have was copywritten in 1939 and was given as a gift (handwritten in the front) December 5th, 1950!! The author is Chas E Cowman who was a missionary. Anyway, on to the devotional which those of you here in Italy will be able to picture the short story very well!
December 31st
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:14.
A great world conqueror was leading his victorious army back to Italy - and home. Onward they marched over rivers and plains, and through wooded forests until they reached the foothills of the towering Alps. Here the thinning ranks of the worn and tired soldiers began to falter as they trudged on over the rocky defiles of the mighty mountain passes. As they climbed higher and still higher, the blinding snow and stoms well nigh discouraged the stoutest hearts. Stopping on an eminence where he could overlook all his men and be heard by them, and pointing upward across the mighty barrier, the great general shouted, "Men, beyond those Alps lies Italy!"
Italy! Waving fields, beautiful orchards, sparkling fountains! Mother and fathers, wives and children, sweethhearts! Home! Ah, Sweet home!
Fainting hearts revived. Tired muscles found new strength. Onward and upward that brave army pressed against every obstacle and won! They reached home.
Another scene. All over the world are members of Prince Emmanuel's (Jesus) army. Many have won decisive battles with the enemy, great victories over sin. They have struggled along life's rugged highway, and many have become worn and weary in the conflict. Long have they marched, homeward bound. But now they have reached great mountains of difficulties, strifes, wars, threatened dissolution of all social and moral standards - the might Alps on the stream of time. To this vast army their Captain shouts, "Christian soldiers, beyond these mountains of difficulty lies Home!"
Heaven! Waving fields of living green, kingly forests with never-fading foliage, sparkling fountains! The tree of life, and the rive of life! Long-lost friends, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, children, loved ones! Thank God, we are nearing our heavenly home!
"I've been to the rim of the world, and beyond, But I'm headin' home tonight" - E.W. Patten.
This really spoke to me today as Sunday night my grandfather on my dad's side passed away. Its good to know that he is finally Home! He was saved and so I know that he is in a better place. He finally made it over those difficult mountains and made it to Heaven. We all are dying daily. Statistics show that the ratio for death is 1:1, we all will die someday. For my grandpa it was pretty unexpected, I mean this wasn't his first heart attack, we didn't really know it was his last either. We didn't get a warning that it was coming it just came. Nobody dies without God's "ok" so I have comfort in knowing that he is no longer in pain. I am glad that I can know for sure that I will one day see the baby I lost. I am sure that right now my grandpa is holding that baby. He wasn't able to stay here on earth to hold Amanda's baby like he wanted to, but he left and is now able to hold mine. One day I know I will see him again along with my great grandparents, uncles and aunts who have all gone before and it will be a great reunion!
December 31st
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:14.
A great world conqueror was leading his victorious army back to Italy - and home. Onward they marched over rivers and plains, and through wooded forests until they reached the foothills of the towering Alps. Here the thinning ranks of the worn and tired soldiers began to falter as they trudged on over the rocky defiles of the mighty mountain passes. As they climbed higher and still higher, the blinding snow and stoms well nigh discouraged the stoutest hearts. Stopping on an eminence where he could overlook all his men and be heard by them, and pointing upward across the mighty barrier, the great general shouted, "Men, beyond those Alps lies Italy!"
Italy! Waving fields, beautiful orchards, sparkling fountains! Mother and fathers, wives and children, sweethhearts! Home! Ah, Sweet home!
Fainting hearts revived. Tired muscles found new strength. Onward and upward that brave army pressed against every obstacle and won! They reached home.
Another scene. All over the world are members of Prince Emmanuel's (Jesus) army. Many have won decisive battles with the enemy, great victories over sin. They have struggled along life's rugged highway, and many have become worn and weary in the conflict. Long have they marched, homeward bound. But now they have reached great mountains of difficulties, strifes, wars, threatened dissolution of all social and moral standards - the might Alps on the stream of time. To this vast army their Captain shouts, "Christian soldiers, beyond these mountains of difficulty lies Home!"
Heaven! Waving fields of living green, kingly forests with never-fading foliage, sparkling fountains! The tree of life, and the rive of life! Long-lost friends, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, children, loved ones! Thank God, we are nearing our heavenly home!
"I've been to the rim of the world, and beyond, But I'm headin' home tonight" - E.W. Patten.
This really spoke to me today as Sunday night my grandfather on my dad's side passed away. Its good to know that he is finally Home! He was saved and so I know that he is in a better place. He finally made it over those difficult mountains and made it to Heaven. We all are dying daily. Statistics show that the ratio for death is 1:1, we all will die someday. For my grandpa it was pretty unexpected, I mean this wasn't his first heart attack, we didn't really know it was his last either. We didn't get a warning that it was coming it just came. Nobody dies without God's "ok" so I have comfort in knowing that he is no longer in pain. I am glad that I can know for sure that I will one day see the baby I lost. I am sure that right now my grandpa is holding that baby. He wasn't able to stay here on earth to hold Amanda's baby like he wanted to, but he left and is now able to hold mine. One day I know I will see him again along with my great grandparents, uncles and aunts who have all gone before and it will be a great reunion!
Just What I Needed
This blog was originally written October 6, 2008 by me.
Well this past weekend we had our 6th annual (for the church, my first) South of the Alps ladies retreat at the church. At first I didn't plan on going, but boy am I glad that I did.
It was just what the good Doctor (Jesus) ordered for me. Some of you may know but I have been struggling with a few things lately. Well without getting too deep into it, this really helped. The speaker was Sandy Hastings who, her and her husband have been missionaries to Germany for 38 years. Now that is dedication and love for God! If someone told me to live in Italy for 38 years... I would die! They don't minister to Americans at all, all Germans. They aren't near a military base so they don't even see Americans often. All their family is back in the states.
Putting the pieces together was the theme, and it fits! Life is a big puzzle and God is the designer. When all the pieces have been put together, by God, in other words, when we have fullfilled our purpose for being here, the puzzle is finished and we die. Well none of us knows when our puzzle is finished, only God does. So I truley believe that even though He gives us free choice, he is omnipotent and has all the control but since we have free will, He allows us to make our mistakes and choices, but He already knows the outcome so He has placed things in our paths that mold us.
I believe that He allows us to stay here long enough to fullfill our purpose or not fullfill it, you say, What other option is there? Well that is just it. If we fullfill what He has placed us here to do He may grant us a longer life or take us once we are finished (why the young die) or if we constantly refuse Him, he may take us early or allow us to live a fuller life but eventually puts that last piece in the puzzle when our time is up to accept Him. She used the example of her son in law in Iraq. She prays for Him but God already knows when his puzzle will be finished. So if His time to go Home is now it will happen in Iraq or if he was home in the states. If its not his time, God will not allow him to be killed over there. He can't be touched!
God has His protection over His children and satan can't touch us without His permission. So if God allows some tragedy into our life, such as my miscarriage. He has allowed it for a reason. Its my job to ask "What reason did God have for this? Or, What is God trying to teach me?" rather than "why me?" I had a problem with this for a while. I know its God's time but I often wondered why do the people who don't want them, who can't take care of them, who are so young, who are so neglectful get to have as many as they want, but I can't have just one? This was the wrong thinking.
I know that God was trying to teach me to have faith in Him. How can God show us He is the ultimate comforter if we never need comforting? How can God show us He is a healer if we never get sick? So God wanted me to see He could comfort me when my worst nightmare came true. He wanted me to have faith that He knows whats best that He sees the future, I can't. So I have accepted that.
I have completley given this desire for a baby over to God. In His time it will happen, I am sure of that, I have faith that He will bless us with a baby. But in His time.
Now some of you may be thinking "I told her she needed to just relax. I told her it would happen when it was meant to be. I told her it will happen in God's time." But until you have been in my situation. Until you have experienced it, you will never know how easy those words are to say, but how very hard they are to accept. Saying those things to someone who has lost a baby is no comfort but it hurts worse. Even though we know all that. When you are hurting, you can't accept that and when someone says it, it bothers you.
Its by God's grace I got through that. And its by God's grace I can now accept His will and plan for a baby in our life in His time.
Psalm 61:2 " From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I"
Well this past weekend we had our 6th annual (for the church, my first) South of the Alps ladies retreat at the church. At first I didn't plan on going, but boy am I glad that I did.
It was just what the good Doctor (Jesus) ordered for me. Some of you may know but I have been struggling with a few things lately. Well without getting too deep into it, this really helped. The speaker was Sandy Hastings who, her and her husband have been missionaries to Germany for 38 years. Now that is dedication and love for God! If someone told me to live in Italy for 38 years... I would die! They don't minister to Americans at all, all Germans. They aren't near a military base so they don't even see Americans often. All their family is back in the states.
Putting the pieces together was the theme, and it fits! Life is a big puzzle and God is the designer. When all the pieces have been put together, by God, in other words, when we have fullfilled our purpose for being here, the puzzle is finished and we die. Well none of us knows when our puzzle is finished, only God does. So I truley believe that even though He gives us free choice, he is omnipotent and has all the control but since we have free will, He allows us to make our mistakes and choices, but He already knows the outcome so He has placed things in our paths that mold us.
I believe that He allows us to stay here long enough to fullfill our purpose or not fullfill it, you say, What other option is there? Well that is just it. If we fullfill what He has placed us here to do He may grant us a longer life or take us once we are finished (why the young die) or if we constantly refuse Him, he may take us early or allow us to live a fuller life but eventually puts that last piece in the puzzle when our time is up to accept Him. She used the example of her son in law in Iraq. She prays for Him but God already knows when his puzzle will be finished. So if His time to go Home is now it will happen in Iraq or if he was home in the states. If its not his time, God will not allow him to be killed over there. He can't be touched!
God has His protection over His children and satan can't touch us without His permission. So if God allows some tragedy into our life, such as my miscarriage. He has allowed it for a reason. Its my job to ask "What reason did God have for this? Or, What is God trying to teach me?" rather than "why me?" I had a problem with this for a while. I know its God's time but I often wondered why do the people who don't want them, who can't take care of them, who are so young, who are so neglectful get to have as many as they want, but I can't have just one? This was the wrong thinking.
I know that God was trying to teach me to have faith in Him. How can God show us He is the ultimate comforter if we never need comforting? How can God show us He is a healer if we never get sick? So God wanted me to see He could comfort me when my worst nightmare came true. He wanted me to have faith that He knows whats best that He sees the future, I can't. So I have accepted that.
I have completley given this desire for a baby over to God. In His time it will happen, I am sure of that, I have faith that He will bless us with a baby. But in His time.
Now some of you may be thinking "I told her she needed to just relax. I told her it would happen when it was meant to be. I told her it will happen in God's time." But until you have been in my situation. Until you have experienced it, you will never know how easy those words are to say, but how very hard they are to accept. Saying those things to someone who has lost a baby is no comfort but it hurts worse. Even though we know all that. When you are hurting, you can't accept that and when someone says it, it bothers you.
Its by God's grace I got through that. And its by God's grace I can now accept His will and plan for a baby in our life in His time.
Psalm 61:2 " From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I"
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