Walking in Wisdom, Even on Your Wedding Day

E. Albertson

English Composition 1

21 October 2016

Walking in Wisdom, Even on Your Wedding Day

            As Christian young adults we need to think about why we do what we do, and make choices based on our love for God and ever-increasing knowledge of His perspective.  When I was a freshman here at God’s Bible School, I enrolled in Wisdom Literature with Dr. Brown.  I had memorized Proverbs 3:5-8 as a child, but until taking this class I had not learned that “acknowledge” in verse 6 means “to know”.  Verses 5 and 6 would say this, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASB)  Dr. Brown emphasized the importance of the Christian man or woman finding out what God thinks and what God wants for us in every aspect of our lives.  If we are redeemed, we should be internally motivated to do God’s will, and thus to make the effort to find out what it is.  We have the most wonderful gifts at our disposal: God’s written Word and God’s Spirit to apply it to our hearts. 

Although we should seek the Lord’s guidance through His Word for every part of life, I specifically want to talk about one thing: how we do weddings.  When I look around I observe that the church in America often follows the trends of Western culture instead of conducting weddings in light of Scriptural wisdom.

American women know how weddings should be done.  They spend months planning every detail: the venue, the ceremony, the decorations, the guests, the meal or reception, and the entertainment.  The couple creates gift registries and also expects their friends to throw showers.  They schedule photographers and pay for a feast.   The brides choose their best friends to witness the occasion.   For all of the bridal party there are many special personal preparations to attend to: getting manicures, pedicures, and tans, having hair done, and laboring to quickly slim waists!   Everyone knows it is the bride’s special day, and everything should be just right.  Americans know how to do weddings, and do it well.

Perhaps one would be wise to pause and ask, “This is all so lovely, but is it appropriate?” 

I believe couples should be asking themselves these questions: What do the components of our wedding communicate about what we value?  What is the focus of the wedding?  What motivates us to do these things?  What or who is being celebrated?  How much is being spent and to what end?  Who are we trying to please?  Can our own answers to these questions reveal that God truly is central to our marriage, our wedding, and our hearts?  Does our wedding correspond to our profession of Christ? 

Someone may interject, “Weddings are supposed to be special!  They are only once in a lifetime!  Marriage is important, and weddings are worth spending extra time and money on.”  I think these reasonings are partially correct, but that there is more to consider if we want to make wise decisions.
            First of all, marriage was and still is God’s idea.  He designed the husband and wife’s relationship to correspond to the relationship between His Son and the Church (Ephesians 5).  I love the way the Kellers explore this and help us rightly enter the discussion of headship and submission. “The husband’s authority (like [Christ’s] over us) is never used to please himself but only to serve the interests of his wife” (241).  It’s amazing to think of how Jesus gave Himself for the Church, and then to think of the responsibility of a husband to do the same!  Christ, as head over the church, and a husband, as head over his wife, makes the final decisions, and in doing so, takes responsibility for the consequences (243).  The burden is on him.  On the other hand, a submissive wife “...is never to be merely compliant but is to use her resources to empower” (241).  Has not Jesus charged His bride with many responsibilities to further His Kingdom and glory?  Ought not a wife to eagerly assist her husband in fulfilling his work, by whatever means is appropriate?   Truly, marriage is not to be taken lightly.  Thus, I would contend that much greater attention should be given to becoming the husband or wife God calls us to be, than in having everything about a particular day exactly to our liking.

Secondly, I believe a wedding is only the threshold of marriage.  Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 that the new birth is the entrance to the Kingdom of God.  This implies that salvation is essential, but only a doorway to all that God has for us.  In the same way, a wedding service is both significant and possibly necessary, but is merely a beginning of a couple’s life together.  We must balance our attention to wedding day arrangements with giving adequate thought to our lifetime of marriage.

Another matter of concern I have regarding our present conventions is that so much is done in a prideful spirit.  Maybe it is the parents of the couple who feel they have to out-do their friends in giving their children an expensive wedding.  Or perhaps it is the couple, who want to have the most-unique wedding possible, and go to extreme lengths to impress others.  (It is not that personalized weddings are wrong, but that people’s motivation can tend to be wrong in this context.)  Throughout the Bible, we see that humility is precious in God’s sight.  Humility is a right perception of self, others, and God.  It helps me not need to seek others’ applause.  It helps me value the things God does, and find self-worth in Him.

In a very real sense, humility is the remedy of the selfishness many brides have, the ones who think Our wedding is my day.  It is all about me and what I want.  That all-too-typical attitude is inconsistent with our goal of being like Jesus.  Jesus was always selfless.  Assumably we are endeavoring to live selfless lives, and we should not make an exception for our wedding day. Also, if we aren’t self-absorbed in our wedding service, we will have mental energy to gratefully acknowledge others’ great investment in our lives.  We will have time to consider others’ needs.  For example, if we consider the guests’ time precious, we might think about taking wedding pictures on another day or after every one is gone.  Or we could have guests going through the food line while we are greeting others.  Of course, one must think of all the ramifications and what would be best for the particular situation, but I think couples can and should be more considerate of guests.

I would also contend that humility helps us to honor God while living simply.  When I think of the normal costs of weddings here in the United States, I am horrified.  In a study done by The Knot, it was found that on average American couples marrying in 2015 spent $32,641 for their weddings (XO Group).  How is it even possible to spend so much for one day’s events?  Christians for the most part wouldn’t be spending so much, but even those who are frugal must guard against too great of expenditure. The savings of parents and in-laws –maybe even borrowed funds– could be consumed so quickly. 

Where is the money going?  It is paid out to people and companies for the services they provide, space rental, and various things from food to clothing and decorations.  As followers of Christ, I believe that our approach to financial decisions must be based on how God intends for us to spend money.  Larry Burkett taught what Jesus did: we must consider ourselves stewards of what actually belongs to God (40). 

In 2 Timothy 6:8, Paul identifies food and covering as two basic human needs (NASB).  I would propose that God entrusts finances to us primarily for provision of our current and future needs.  In the case of people getting married, they will soon have housing and food expenses to face.  To neglect provision for real future needs while splurging on an impressive wedding affair would be foolish.  On the other hand, it is appropriate to allocate extra funds for such a special occasion.  When Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet in John 12, He told us it was not wasted.  Her recipient was utterly worthy of her lavish, extravagant gift.   Based on these two perspectives, I would argue that we should not consume now what God has provided us for later use, as happens frequently in our culture, but we should be willing to spend some money on things that make a wedding special.

In all of these considerations, I do not present a specific way of conducting weddings, I only beg each unmarried reader to think Biblically when making their own plans.  We should live humbly – even on a wedding day, be wise with the resources God has entrusted to us, and most importantly, understand the significance of what marriage pictures.   I believe the style of our wedding celebrations should reflect our Biblical value systems.

Works Cited

The Bible.  New American Standard Bible, La Habra: 1996. Print.

Brown, Allan. Wisdom Literature course, spring semester 2014, God’s Bible School and
College, Cincinnati, OH. Lecture.

Burkett, Larry. Your Finances in Changing Times. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1975. 40. Print.

Keller, Timothy, and Kathy Keller. The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2011. 241-44. Print.

“Wedding Spend Reaches All-Time High As Couples Look To Make The Ultimate Personal Statement, According To The Knot 2015 Real Weddings Study.” PRNewswire.  XO Group, 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

"If the Lord wills..." or "Lord-willing..."

Today I again shared with someone the current step that my heavenly Father has led me to take; following that by sharing my current understanding* of His plan for my future: purposefully adding the meaningful, sincerely-spoken phrase, "Lord-willing."

Tonight I was reminded (as I've thought about a few times in this time of transition), of the place that phrase comes from: James 4:13-16.  As it happens, "my" goals are very similar to those of the people James was writing.

In this passage, James calls our attention to the fact that our very life is in God's hand, moment by moment.  No one, saved or lost, is an exception.  Whether each of us choose to acknowledge it or not.  God's will: the length of my life.

But further, for the Christian, whose aim it is to please God in all things, and to do what God wants, this "if the Lord wills..." is a statement of surrender.  It is an intentional commitment to walk in the Spirit, and follow the voice of the Shepherd.

If the Lord wills, I will live...
If the Lord wills, I will do this or that...

*I am already very cognizant of the truth that my understanding of God's purposes for my life change as I walk with Him, though He changes not.

"Even down to old age, all My people shall prove, My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable LOVE!"

Don't discount the value of the elderly in your life.  They have much to invest into your life; and you can repay them with gratitude-- usually shown by intentionally taking time to listen to and just be with them.  They are not strangers to the troubles, temptations, and wonderings of youth.  They not only deal with aching bodies, but also know emotional and spiritual struggles as you do.  Proverbs 16:31 (NKJV) says, "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness."

There is an elderly Christian man my family knows who has been a real blessing to us.  He purposes to not be grumpy as so many afflicted seniors.  He lives joyful in the Lord, grateful.  He presses on in battle for souls -- witnessing nearly every day: he goes to an ice cream shop and there reads his Bible and prays; then God brings people for him to talk to and pray with.

Recently, when we saw him, we saw a very discouraged man.  He found himself able to share the burden that was on him-- the attacks of Satan; the accusations of the Devil.  I was reminded once again that Satan does come to "steal, kill, and destroy."  He does not give up until people reach eternity.  He especially fights those who are working to advance God's Kingdom as they strive to win people to Jesus!

But I was AMAZED at what the Enemy was fighting this dear brother with.

Endeavoring to make this brother feel like a failure, the devil used several "arrows":
- Plaguing his emotions with the nagging, experiential memory of the impossibility of pleasing his father (as a child).
- Causing him to despair over human frailty: mental dullness, scholastic ineptitude, lack of success
- Blaming him for the lost condition of his children

Fighting to isolate him from God's people, the Enemy wanted him to feel unloved:
- Lack of personal connection with other church people
- Destruction of courage to even go to church when he's feeling so down.
- Not feeling valuable to the church.  What can he give?  Who needs him?

Discouraging him, by lying to him: you are alone:
- His peers and heroes have already gone on to Heaven. Some others have given up on serving Jesus, though they are still physically alive.

As you can see, the devil fights Christians of all ages in much the same way.  But praise God!  He has the victory for His people.  He has saved us and He has all the grace we need to make it safely to Heaven.  He's not going to bring us so far and then leave us to be ruined by Satan.

Besides praying for our brother's victory over all of the Adversary's attacks, he asked us to pray for him that:
- He keep Heaven in view, its entrance his chief objective
- He have power to speak the gospel just as he ought
- He keep sweet in all of old age
- He help his family come to knowledge of salvation

Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Parallel Testimonies - Lord, do it again!

I've been reading in Luke the past few days.  Today a "regular" story jumped out at me, because it's not just "regular," it's the account of a man being saved: and that's never "regular," that is always something to stop and meditate and praise the Lord about.  So that's where I camped.
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Luke 5:4-11
4 When [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
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Then the account of Isaiah's vision came to my mind, same pattern, different means.
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Isaiah 6:1-9a
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,           “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,          The whole earth is full of His glory.”4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,          “Woe is me, for I am ruined!          Because I am a man of unclean lips,          And I live among a people of unclean lips;          For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people..."
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Also Apostle Paul, when he was brought from darkness to light, while on the Damascus road.

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Acts 9:1-19
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with himstood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, andthough his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man fromTarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.
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In each of these three men's experiences, they shared these 5 realities:
1. They encountered GOD / Jesus.  Because they saw Him for who He is,
2. They were convicted of their unholy (sinful) hearts.
3. They, agreeing with God, confessed that they were sinful.
4. They were cleansed from all sin!
5. They were commissioned as ambassadors of the Lord.
6. History was changed because they became "vessels for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." (2 Tim 2:21)


Amazing!  I worship You, Jesus.  I ask You to do Your work in hearts today: reveal Yourself, and one's sin.  Bring people to repentance. Help them to be cleansed "from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)  Commission them as Your ambassadors, so that the world might know You, and bow before You.

Dear Sarah

Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (KJV)

Dear Sarah,

In my time of devotions this evening, the Lord was speaking to me from this verse.  I thought it may be of some help to you also, since you are young, and following in my footsteps, as I try to walk with the Lord.  That's why I decided to write you.

It's all too easy for me to recite a verse like this, without letting it speak into my daily life situations.  Why, I'm not even being persecuted... how could this apply to me?

The instructions are only to a select group of people.  Those who "would" follow Jesus.  Those who have decided to love and obey Him.  Those who are devoted to thinking like He thinks, and doing what He does; to obeying the Father as He obeyed the Father.  "If any man will come after Me..."

"...let him deny himself..."  What is this "denial"?  What is being denied?  Food... clothing?  No.  Not specifically.  Rather, MY self; my SELF.  My "rights":
My way of being and doing,
My right to personal security, even that of knowing what the path ahead is, and the natural stubbornness that makes me unwilling to move a muscle, until I know what the provision of the future will be.
My right to not be a failure,
My right to feel the reward of a job well done,
My right to be appreciated and recognized,
My right to have people enjoy being around me,
My right to be comfortable,
My right to be right: the first time and every time.
My right to be perfect.  hmm... (maybe my right to think I'm perfect?)
.......................................
My right to have servants who are submissive...  wait a minute?  really?

I am called to deny it all.  But what does "DENY" mean anyway?  It means to disown, to reject, and to refuse.  To take as fact the truth that I have no rights.  To completely disengage myself from these mindsets and patterns of living that are so worldly.  When I am Jesus' disciple I am nobody else than who I am in Him.  I have none of these aspects of my previous identity, but take my value in His grace. I rest upon not what I can do on my own, but instead, on the solid, unchanging Rock, Christ Jesus.

Sarah, I wonder:  what does it mean to take up one's cross?  I know that when Jesus was bearing His cross on the road to Golgotha, He was not thinking about the fun He had yesterday, or the good times next week.  In other words, Jesus wasn't living for pleasure. His goal wasn't pleasure.  On the other hand, His goal wasn't even pain. He was there with the distinct purpose of doing God's will, and He was going to accomplish God's plan without surrender to his body's cries of pain, to his emotions giving up, and to the mental torture.  So as He was on that road, with the cross on His shoulder, He was preparing to die.

How about me?  Am I living for God?  for God's purposes?  (Not just God's purposes for ME and MY life but His purposes to be accomplished in the world?  His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it (always) is in Heaven?)  Am I living with the same faithful obedience Jesus showed, that resulted in resolve and seriousness?

"... and follow Me."  Follow His example.  Follow His path of denial and suffering while fulfilling God's purposes.  Follow His word.  Follow the Holy Spirit as He shows us how to walk, how to live for God, just as Jesus did.

Dear Sarah, I hope this has somehow helped you to think through your current life situations from a Biblical perspective.  As for me, I want to draw closer to Jesus everyday: know Him better, love Him more, hear Him more clearly, follow Him more readily, understand Him more completely.  And let me remind you: the best thing in the whole world is to love Jesus.

Your friend,
Lady Theophilus

Praise God!

I was reading this morning in my devotions, where Paul was telling the Romans about what it was like before he was saved.  One of the pictures of his life before he surrendered to the Lordship of Christ shows that he was powerless to live righteously.  He says (speaking from the perspective of that time), "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not." (NASB, emphasis mine)   That is how every person is who is not Christ's own.  (Remember Peter and the other disciples, to whom Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.") We have no strength in ourselves to do right or to not do wrong.  

We would be helpless sinners were it not for GOD!!   But God has made every provision necessary for our full salvation!  In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (NKJV)  
I am so glad that we serve an all-powerful Savior and Lord!  I am so glad that He will impart the DESIRE and POWER to live His righteousness to ALL His own.  I am so thankful He makes it possible for us to each have salvation ("work out your own salvation"), deliverance from the power of sin!  

Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Christ gives us power to be all He created us to be!
"Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian!  Lift up your voice and sing eternal 'Hallelujahs' to Jesus Christ the King!" - Alfred Ackley

(Thank you to BibleGateway.com for these verses being already typed up!)

This Night's Noted Nuggets

"The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." - Job 1:21 B

Nugget: The Lord is Blessed even if He takes away, because He isn't "Blessed" because of His gift.  He is blessed forever, regardless of our experience.

Psalm 72:18-19, "Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!  And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen."

Foundational Truths in Psalm 90

We have been reading through the Psalms in family devotions lately. Each of us uses a different version so that we can compare wording/meaning as we read: King James, New King James, New International, and English Standard versions. When we've read one or more Psalms, we choose verses, talk about them and what they tell us about God, ourselves, etc., etc., and put some kind of mark by them, so that we will always remember what we've learned and discussed.

Today we read Psalm 90, and many things stood out to us!

In verse 2, God is established as eternal. He always was, and always will be: before, during, and after what we call "time". He was before Creation, and was the Creator. (See ALSO Hebrews 11:3, Genesis 1:1, and John 1:1-4)

In verses 3, 5-6, the mortality of man is revealed. And verse 4 adds to the meaning of the vapor called "time".

Verses 7-8 make clear that death is the result of our sin. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." James 1:15, "...And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

Verse 8 also shows that God knows every sin, secret or not. He will bring all into account. (MORE VERSES)

Verses 9-10, 12 beg us to realize the brevity of life.

In conjunction with verses 16 and 17, these verses (9-10, 12) teach us the futility of life's work, apart from the Lord's working in and through us. Those works that are established by the Lord will bring reward beyond one's lifetime.

Verse 17 is truly our prayer, "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." The reason Christ has left the redeemed on earth for as long as chooses, is that His glory and salvation might be revealed through their lives to those who are unsaved. If others see His beauty in us, some will realize their need of getting right with Him, and the gift of salvation that is available.

Reflection Thoughts from Hebrews 11

When reading Hebrews 11 recently, and praying about what I was reading, these are some things I gleaned from it.


Faith leads a person to obey God when he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.

Faith makes a man walk on with God when nothing exciting is happening.

Faith makes a man believe God when what He says doesn’t make sense to a human mind.

Faith drives a man to give God what He wants, without altering or replacing the gift.

Faith enables a man to know that God is true, what He says is ultimate truth, and is what will happen, before it is even accomplished.

Faith brings a man to know that God is God the Creator, because He who can not lie has told us.

Faith makes man believes that God is, and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Faith gives the impetus for a man to work when the Guiding Eye warns or directs, and souls are saved from destruction because of it.

Faith makes a man realize that we are just players in God’s theater. In His time, in His direction, He will fulfill His purpose. All of Creation revolves around the Creator.

Faith brings parents to the decision to obey God rather than men, when it comes to ungodly authorities’ directions.

Faith enables a man to courageously pursue the purpose of God, regardless of personal cost.

Asleep, Drunk, or Awake?

In the past couple weeks, I've learned a lot. I've also noticed a lot of things.

Tonight, I was looking for a particular Bible verse. Though I didn't come across it, I did read several things through which God spoke to me. One of the sections I read was this (1 Thessalonians 5:7-8), "⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation." This is in some paragraphs talking about the Lord's return, and how, for those who are unsaved, it will be like a thief coming unexpectedly, but how for those who are saved, it is not something to be terrified about; "For God did not appoint us to wrath..." (5:9), but rather, we have the "hope of [His] salvation."

I began to wonder what "sleep"ing, and "drunk" would be pictures of.


ASLEEP
Let's see. When someone is asleep, they are unaware of what is happening (they are unconscious). They may think they know what is going on, because they are having a realistic dream, but they are completely oblivious to the truth.

For example...
This morning I got up at an early hour, so that I could make sure to get done all of my morning preparations before going to work. About half way through my preparations, I realized that I had plenty of time for everything else and could take the time for a little nap. I did this, and woke up with adequate time to finish getting ready. But while I napped, I dreamed. There were some accurate facts in my dream, such as the fact that it was Saturday morning and I was at home preparing to go to work at the store. All true. But there was other activities in my dream that were not true at all -- thankfully! When I woke up I realized that no, my brother was not vomiting, and my family was still all sleeping, not awake as in the dream.

My point?
There are many people who have some facts right, do some right things, and think they are on the right track. They pray, they have a pastor come counsel them, they have standards of what is right and wrong (and don't do wrong), they believe in "Hope", "Joy", and "Love", the classics that are plastered to every little trinket in Christian book stores. They believe that Heaven Is For Real, but the problem is, that so often they believe in their hearts that everyone is headed there, and fail to realize that hell is default, not heaven. They can fail to see that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23). They look to God as the answer for the problems they face, but they do not realize "that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will." (John 9:31) (See also Isaiah 59:2.)


DRUNK
What are people like when they are drunk? Again, they are unaware of how things really are, and think they have a clear picture. But their view isn't just off-base as the sleepies', it is twisted. Thus some, when drunk, stagger, some cause car wrecks through contorted sight and over-reaction.

Those who are spiritually drunk then, would be those who have completely wrong world-views, many of whom have been brainwashed in wrong beliefs about mankind, God, the beginning and ending of the world, etc. etc. This keeps them from understanding "the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God" (2 Corinthians 1:12) Our Christian testimony is meaningless to the "drunk", because it doesn't make sense. They see the outside, the weirdness of our externals, but cannot understand the reason behind it all; the main point; the gospel of Jesus Christ: the truth about all mankind being sinners, separated from God, the truth of Jesus dying for our sins, so that we can be freed from them, and become right with God, by having Jesus' righteousness imparted to us. It all doesn't make sense, because they have long been used to getting along in life by themselves, not being dependent on the crutch of religion. (Proverbs 18:10 confirms the need and provision of a "crutch" for those who realize their weakness. "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.")


AWAKE

"Let us who are of the day be sober..." (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

One major thing about being "sober" is not listening to or letting wrong doctrines or beliefs take hold in one's life.

Today I was working in the front of the store. My boss came up to check on how things were going and to see how I was doing. As we were talking I saw someone park his bike and head for our door. Now, most of the time, if I'm visiting with managers or co-workers and I see a customer coming, I say, "Here comes a customer!" to make sure we turn our attention to the work and away from whatever other work-related thing we were talking about. Thus I did then, and was about to say "Good morning! What can we help you find today?" as usual, when my boss did something strange. He started speaking firmly to the man, telling him to leave immediately. After about two minutes of this, the man finally turned away. Then my boss told me that he has only ever been a shoplifter; never a customer. He always has stolen lots of things, every-time he came in. It makes sense that an owner of merchandise wants nothing to do with such-- a perpetual thief.

A person could think, "That's not good customer service! That's not something to make people want to shop at your store--to be so firm and rude!" But it was utterly necessary in this situation. Just as it is essential that we Christians not listen to wrong doctrine and philosophies. There are verses in the Bible that make Paul and Barnabas look just as "unChristian and rude". Galatians 2:4-5 say, "...false brethren secretly brought in...to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you." There are some things that we MUST not give on. Truths that the Devil is making every effort to erode in our hearts, through deceitful and innocent looking, or even good looking ways of thinking, through things people say, and through wrong attitudes that creep in to our lives.

[I want to interject here to mention that for the owner and boss to be there at the moment that particular man tried to enter the store, was an answer to prayer. Mother or Daddy always pray with us before we go to work, and as we work, and often, in those prayers they pray for no one to come in that would harm or shoplift. Had my boss not been there, I would have welcomed the apparent customer unknowingly, and he would have gotten by with more of his devious work.]

My boss told me, that if ever I see the man coming in again, I should do as he did, earnestly demanding that he leave. But something more. I, being the lowest frog on the toad-pole at work, inexperienced and weak comparatively, need to also call a manager to the front to help me with the situation when it happens again.

This reminds me of something about young Christians, especially. Yes, when we are facing temptation we need to fight the good fight with the Sword (Ephesians 6:17, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."), resisting the Devil in the same manner Jesus did, by quoting and banking on the Word of God. But for we who are weaker, we NEED to call for help when facing strange doctrine, or when we are unsure of the trust-worthiness of a "truth". Whether that spiritual support system is found in godly parents, or some other people, we need to have their wisdom and support and knowledge of Scripture.

In conclusion, Ephesians 5:14, "Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.'"

Prayers for Work Needs

Written for the girls receiving God's Girls Newsletter, January 2012.


By Lady Theophilus

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” - Luke 2:52

I was hired last week as a part-time cashier for our local ACE Hardware store, which is the same store as two of my brothers have/are working for. This job was an answer to prayer. The newness of the job brings me excitement and nervousness. A bit of self-control and maturity bring a sense of responsibility, and bring to light the need for carefulness and critical thinking. In just the few hours I’ve spent in orientation and training thus far, I realize that to do my job well, I have a lot to learn in both facts and in labor (knowing what work to do and how to do it) so that I can help customers, my co-workers, and ultimately, the store. But as a Christian, there’s something more to consider when I think about my job responsibilities. The number one priority has to be to glorify Christ through the way I live.

My brothers hired on in August 2009 and February 2011 respectively. In the last couple of years, we have frequented the store and gotten more or less acquainted with the other employees. We’ve realized that we are not just “at” the store, but that God wants to use us in the lives of our co-workers. I think about the lady whose husband has been through so much trauma with cancer and chemo treatments, and I think about another lady who’s a single mom. God has us in that store to be a blessing to them, to help them see the way to God, to see the life of God. We’ve had opportunity to know how to pray for the different ones’ needs because of seeing them so often, and we pray every day that Christ’s light would shine through our lives, so that they will desire salvation for themselves.

On Sunday, one of my brothers wrote me “seven thoughts as you start your new job”: (1) Never shy away from saying you are a Christian. (2) Learn something from every person. (3) Learn as much as you can every day. (4) But have more passion for Jesus than for learning. (5) Never compromise. (6) Have Jesus’ love and care for people. (7) Be careful counting money. I really appreciated this advice.

The evening following my first few hours of orientation, I knelt down and prayed—and wrote down my prayer requests, which concerned my new work, as they came to me (not in order of importance). Today I added the verses (in blue) that went along with each prayer request.

1. That I will abide in Christ’s victory, so that I will not fall in temptation. Jude 1:24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…”
2. That my life and personal perspective (with all the newness of the job) not be self-focused. 1 Corinthians 10:24, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well -being.”
3. That I would not simply have “Christian talk”, but “show by good conduct that my actions are done in the meekness of wisdom.” (see James 3:13) Actually, James 3:13-18 and a few other verses have become good friends of mine this week.
4. YET, That I would not be afraid to speak up or answer as Christ wants me to. 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
5. That I would be careful and self-controlled to not say everything that comes to mind, that may cast a “bad light” on the Lord’s Name. I’m used to my family who understands what I mean, and who laugh at my humor; but when I’m with “strangers” I have to double check with the Lord before saying optional things. I have had experience in the past of being misunderstood to the harm of my testimony for the Lord. Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” And 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”
6. That I not be so over-whelmed by the new work that I fail to bless my family when I come home: with sweet facial expression, with working at chores, with kind words, and with selflessness. Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
7. That I be careful to not pick-up the wrong deeds, words, and attitudes of those who aren’t Christ’s followers. Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
8. That I be protected from the Evil One and those who are his. Matthew 6:13, “…deliver us from the evil one.” and John 17:15, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” And along with that, that I put on the full armor of God. (See Ephesians 6:11-18).
9. That I be courteous, helpful, and careful when dealing with customers, co-workers, and managers. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
10. That I serve the Lord first (see Colossians 3:22-23), but realize that that includes (not replaces) respectfulness toward bosses. Romans 12:11, “Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”
11. That I learn and understand my place and responsibilities. Romans 12:4, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function…”
12. That I will have opportunity and readiness to share the gospel with people. Colossians 4:3-6, “Praying… that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ… that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
13. That the Lord would give wisdom and strength in time of physical need. Psalm 27:1c, “…The LORD is the strength of my life…”
14. That I would be humble before God and those giving me advice, information, and instruction. Proverbs 22:4, “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life.” (See also Psalm 32:8-9.)
15. That I would not be too nervous to do what I need to do. 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
16. That there would be adequate amount of repetition for me to learn facts and methods. Isaiah 28:10, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

Just writing out my prayer needs and looking for verses to “speak” to those needs, has drawn me closer to the Lord. I hope it will be a blessing to you, even if you are not in the same place in life that I am in right now.

How about you? What has God been teaching you in your life experiences and through His Word? What has your family been thinking about or going through together that is teaching you lessons about God, being a Christian, or good family relationships? What are some practical ways to live as a Christian that you can share with the others?