Whatsoever He Hath Pleased

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. (Psalms 115:1-3 KJV)

God has made Himself known. Throughout the Bible we are told of God. He appointed certain men across the ages to prophesy and to write of fulfillment. We are given the qualities the Messiah would display and we were given the “good news” – the gospel – of His birth, life, death and resurrection. Paul wrote to the Galatians about listening to a different gospel:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-10 KJV)

I am not responsible for another’s belief – just to speak out of my own. I will be judged about telling them about our Lord, but I will not be judged for their decision.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV)

Give God the thanks for what is accomplished.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD. (1 Chronicles 16:34-36 KJV)

Oh, to have been in Jerusalem when this occurred and shared in the glory of God:

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. (2 Chronicles 5:13-14 KJV)

Let us pray that this glory of the Lord shall fill the house of God here, in our time.

At Home

A lot of women I know will look askance at the CNN article on Stay At Home Wives. Two in particular come to mind. In conversations we’ve had, those two did not understand why a woman would not utilize her education and increase the household income.

They didn’t understand me. For the last twelve years of my career, my husband was the stay-at-home. Had we both been working, we could have bought a lot more “things.”

Instead, he was able to do what Anne Marie Davis describes as: “… a lifestyle, Davis says, that has made her happier and brought her closer to her husband. ‘We're no longer stressed out,’ she says”

These are not stay at home moms being discussed. These couples have no children. Isn’t it wonderful that a woman can feel sufficiently free not to be tied to the work force? There is no stress as to whose promotion is most necessary, more important. No contention as to scheduling vacations, days off. No competition as to income nor titles.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it. Yet, this is considered unusual. Just as stay at home moms, especially those home schooling, seem unusual.

Shouldn’t be. The feminist movement touted freedom for we females. How can they complain about how we use that freedom?

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; … So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (Ephesians 5:21-25, 28 KJV)

Now there’s a beautiful portrait of loving husbands and wives – and the Christ who connects us all. The strength of the triangle is so apparent in this portrait.

The scripture continues to paint a broader picture of this mystery, saying that it is one:

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Ephesians 5:32-33 KJV)

Know God’s will for your own life, and may the Lord increase the joy of marriage for you.

Sound Doctrine

I’ve enjoyed Dr. Charles Stanley’s radio programs, and I’ve visited his In Touch website. A friend mails me their daily devotionals and I especially enjoyed this paragraph from a recent topic on false teachers:

"Those who have a sound doctrine won’t be led astray. That’s why it is so important for our faith to rest on biblical truth—for example, Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, and Christians will be resurrected bodily. Defeating false teachers takes more than 'my pastor says . . .' When confronted, we must defend our faith with Scripture we ourselves have studied. By regularly reading and applying God’s Word, we will be better prepared when confronted with untruth."

Christ’s doctrine was astonishing:

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: (Matthew 7:28 KJV)

And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. (Matthew 22:33 KJV)

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. (Luke 4:32 KJV)

And, Christ gave the source for His doctrine:

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:16-17 KJV)

Paul explained how not to be those who would be lead astray:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:13-14 KJV)

And Paul taught us through Timothy how to achieve this:

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:16 KJV)

The result for us? Again it’s laid out in the Bible:

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9 KJV)

To what doctrine do you hold fast? Based on what scriptures?

Need some good news?

Need some good news? Try our newest local newspaper, Southern Wise Times. OK, so I’m very biased – the July 5 issue not only had a front page article about our First Baptist Church of Cottondale Vacation Bible School, but an entire page filled with 2”x3” photos of the week’s activities. My daughter holding a baby, my son-in-law in his Indy (not the race this time) outfit, Courtney with her painted face, so many of the children and their activities!

This is really good news! But that’s not the only great story from this newspaper’s front page – how about the First Baptist Church, Paradise and their group traveling to Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada. Great story on their trip and their hosts.

Not enough? Go to the top of the page and learn about World Changers, sponsored by the North American Missions Board and Southern Baptist Convention. These 300 teenagers completed twenty four projects with “hard work but had fun and fellowship.”

Yes, there are things wrong in our country – but there are many, many things right – not just here in Wise county.

Look around you and see what your own church is doing. Go past the scheduled services, look at what your teens are doing. If there are no youth activities, find out why. Could be the church needs volunteers. At a recent pastor’s meeting, another asked our pastor about our bus program – they had the buses, they had kids lined up, but there were no volunteers within their congregation who would drive a bus.

Oh, there’s no need to list the needs of my church. You need to list the needs you are aware of in yours. I can’t help in your congregation. You can.

The very least you can do is pray. Spend some time asking our Lord to bring out the volunteers your church needs.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (Matthew 7:7 KJV)

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22 KJV)

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:10 KJV)

Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? (John 16:31 KJV)

Contention

There is no need to argue about our beliefs.

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (2 Timothy 2:23-25 KJV)

Avoiding those foolish questions can be a bit difficult. There are so many agendas being posted. Trust me, I have one, too. And, I include a lot of questions in my posts. If they appear foolish and unlearned, you may avoid them – or you may instruct me, allowing the acknowledgement of His truth.

Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. (Proverbs 22:10 KJV)

And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; (Acts 15:39 KJV)

Was this contention part of God’s plan? To broaden the spreading of His good news? Someday we’ll know for certain, but in my heart I doubt it. It has, through centuries, been studied, preached and used as examples, but the separation had to have been painful. ‘Sharp’ brings to mind painful.

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: (Philippians 1:16 KJV)

This is one verse whose meaning is lessened by removing from it’s context. It would appear that preaching a contentious Christ was painful to Paul – a valid conclusion. But the surrounding verses give a fuller picture – and an added conclusion:

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18 KJV)

Rejoice!!! Christ is preached!

So, I won’t mind when I read one child of God’s contemptuous comments on another child of God’s beliefs, keeping in mind that He is the judge and He has promised:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11 KJV)

Today's Prayer List

There are quite a few physical difficulties on my prayer list right now:

A young mother under testing to determine whether or not she has MS, ALS, thyroid imbalance and/or a combination;

A woman more my age whose memory difficulties may indicate Alzheimer’s, and her husband who is experiencing mini-strokes;

A young man, previously in Iraq and scheduled to return this fall, but will not because of an accident Sunday that put him in ICU with a broken neck;

A young woman awaiting a liver transplant, living with the physical pressure of fluid build up and subsequent drainage as she waits for someone healthy to die.

An older man having bits and pieces of his joints removed over the years – this time’s a knee – knowing the surgery and the therapy are worth it, but the exchange of one pain for another ...

Another man losing a portion of his body due to cancer, hoping by doing so that the spreading of the disease will be stopped;

A woman older than I working with her doctor to get a pacemaker set correctly to keep her heart from stopping.

What do they have in common besides prayers being said for them? A conviction that Jesus Christ is their Lord.

Does that mean each will experience a miracle and be healed? Probably not on this earth.

Then why the prayers? The “Why” is what makes being a Christian not a simple thing. We do not believe that physical miracles are an every day occurrence among Christians. We understand that being born into this world leads eventually to death. That is the natural course of events. It occurs from the cellular level through the celestial

We know that each of these loved ones will eventually die, but they will do so In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Titus 1:2 KJV)

They also know that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (Romans 5:3-4 KJV)

It is not a rose garden, but heaven itself that is promised for Christians: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21 KJV)

OK, all of that is well and good – but, if it’s a natural progression, why pray? Because we’ve been shown it is God’s will, and it matters:

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (James 5:13-14 KJV)

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV)

And, our example – which does not request miracles, just God’s will:

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Young Man

For just a moment I see him as I did the first time. Thirteen, hair longer than I’m used to. As I gave a hug to one of my Sunday School girls and told her how much I enjoyed seeing her, he asked “Aren’t you glad to see me?”

So I took a second look and confirmed that, yes, I was glad to see all of our youth, but I didn’t know his name. He took pains to be certain I got it right, and I’ve never forgotten his name. I cannot possibly forget him.

I’ve heard him speak in public, and he does it very well. I’ve heard him witness to others, and he does that very well, too. I’ve seen him baptized, and openly live the life he’s chosen to give our Lord. It is a blessing to be around him.

Sunday mornings he comes up to adults, shaking hands and asking after their health, their family, their plans for the coming week.

Yes, I’m glad to see him – Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, throughout Vacation Bible School. I’m glad to see him at work, I’m glad to see him at play. I’m glad to see him set an example for the younger boys who look up to him. I’m glad to see him with his brother and with his little sister. He loves, and he shows it.

I see him as Paul saw Timothy: If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (1 Timothy 4:6 KJV)

Although this young man has given his life to Christ, he has not indicated a call to dedicate his life to work as a minister – yet that is how I see him now. Do I know what he does not yet? Only time will tell.

There have been teachers over the years that believed one of their students were called to His service – and they did not. Some left their beliefs and turned away from His service. Were we wrong to think so? Or did they fail to believe that when they held their peace God would provide another? Do they look around to see who took their place? Who witnessed to the lost in their place? There are times that I do.

I shall pray for this young man over the coming years. I shall be available to him as an example, myself. I shall enjoy his company and read scriptures to him, such as:

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:15-16 KJV)