When nothing whereon to lean remains,

When strongholds crumble to dust,

When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,

That's just the time to trust.

'Tis better to walk by faith than sight

In this path of yours and mine,

In the pitch black night with no outer light,

That's the time for faith to shine.

Author Unknown

A WOMAN’S QUESTION

A WOMAN’S QUESTION

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing


Ever made by the hand above?


A woman’s heart, and a woman’s life–


And a woman’s wonderful love.

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing


As a child might ask for a toy?


Demanding what others have died to win


With the reckless dash of a boy.

You have written my lesson of duty out, 


Manlike, you have questioned me.


Now stand at the bars of my woman’s soul


Until I shall question thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot,


Your socks and your shirt be whole;


I require your heart be as true as God’s stars


And as pure as His heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef,


I require a far greater thing;


A seamstress you’re wanting for socks and shirts—


I look for a man and a king.

A king for the beautiful realm called Home,


And a man that his Maker, God,


Shall look upon as he did on the first


And say: “It is very good.”

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade


From this soft young cheek one day;


Will you love me then, ‘mid the falling leaves


As you did ‘mong the blossoms of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and true,


I may launch my all on its tide?


A loving woman finds heaven or hell


On the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true,


All things that a man should be;


If you give this all, I would stake my life


To be all you demand of me.

If you cannot be this, a laundress and cook


You can hire and little to pay;


But a woman’s heart and a woman’s life


Are not to be won that way.

Lena Lathrop

A Tautological Phrase

“Life-Long Marriage” a Tautological Phrase

Just recently, I wrote the phrase ‘life-long marriage’ for the first time. It is a phrase I was very familiar with, and had even used. But I had never written it before. And when I did, I had to stop and consider it because of the thought that came to mind. The thought was this: “God never used the phrase ‘life-long marriage’. The idea (as well as the institution and command) is certainly in the Scriptures, but not the phrase. So is the phrase necessary? Why do we use it? Does the very word marriage mean life-long?”

First, I looked up the definition of the word marriage (using of course, my very handy and trusty Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language). Here is what it says: “Marriage: The act of uniting a man a woman for life: the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them.” Wonder of wonders! The very word marriage was once understood to mean life-long without saying so before the word! Yes!!! Praise God! And not only does Webster say it once, but three times! Read it again! “for life, …for life, … till death.” Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less by a man who had been saved by the grace of God and who believed the Bible. Sadly, many today profess the same, and yet reject this vital doctrine without a second thought.

What God says about marriage (in brief):

1. It is for life. Mark 10:2-9 “2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” This doctrine of marriage being for life is essential to the doctrine of our death in Christ, as spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Rom. 7:1-3. While Paul was not speaking of marriage directly, but rather using it to illustrate and teach of our death in the death of Christ, there is no clearer statement of this doctrine of marriage being for life contained within the Word of God. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly states that the law binds a husband and wife for life, and the only thing which can separate that union is real, physical, death. To deny either in word or practice that marriage is for life, is to give a false testimony of our salvation in Jesus Christ: that we are dead through his death to sin and the law, and that we are espoused to Him. (See Rom. 6-8; 1Cor. 6:15-20; 2Cor. 11:2)

2. The two are become one. Gen. 2:24 “and they shall be one flesh.” There is no going back! They are one, forged together for all of life! And that by God himself! They are inseparable, as God ordained from the beginning. Let not man attempt to put them asunder! Matt. 19:6

3. Marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Anything else is an abomination to God.

So what do I mean that the phrase “life-long marriage” is tautological? Well, the word tautological means, “repeating the same thing”. Since the word marriage already means ‘life-long’ by definition, then to add ‘life- long’ to the beginning of it is tautological; it is extra, repetitious. But is it then wrong to say “life-long marriage” simply because it is tautological? No, I’m not saying that it is wrong. In fact, with society’s view of marriage, I’d say it is necessary to say it that way. But what I don’t want to forget is that marriage is for life – whether we say so or not. Not because Webster so defined it, but because God instituted and commands it that way.

Taking the name of Christ is a far different thing than taking his nature. Being born again is not first a change of name, but of heart and thus nature. When the new heart and nature is what is vital, how sad it is that so few seek it, but claim the name! "To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other." Charles Spurgeon May we each be certain that we have been truly born again, for "Ye must be born again."

Wait

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate…

And the Master so gently said, “Wait.”

“Wait? You say wait?” my indignant reply.

“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not hear?

By faith I have asked, and I’m claiming your Word.

“My future and all to which I relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to ‘Wait?’

I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign.

Or even a ‘no’, to which I’ll resign.

“You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:

I’m weary of asking! I need a reply.”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied again, “Wait.”

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,

And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting… for what?”

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine…

And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.

You’d have what you want, but you wouldn’t know me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint.

You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.

“You’d not learn to see through clouds of despair.

You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence are all you can see.

“You’d never experience the fullness of love

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

“The glow of My comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that’s beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

“You’d never know should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss, if I lost what I’m doing in you.

“So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to truly know Me.

And though oft’ My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still, ‘Wait’. “

-By Russell Kelfer

Copied

New Year's Resolutions

This is the first year in my life that I have ever set "New Year's Resolutions", though the fact of it is that I started before the new year. The reason I will share a little later. I spent a lot of time considering whether or not to do so, if it is right or wrong, or even if it matters at all. Below are some of my thoughts along the way. 

A friend recently posted that "New Year's Resolutions are merely the confessions of past years failures." This is often very true. But there is another truth concerning New Year's Resolutions: they are aspirations of doing better in the coming year than one did in the past. Both are true. Personally, my New Year's Resolutions reflect both aspects. The fact of it is, they should. We are taught repeatedly in the Scriptures (more by example than command) that we are to confess our sins to the Lord. We are also taught that we are to strive to live more in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ today than we did yesterday. See Colossians 3:1-17 The Apostle Paul spoke of this in reference to himself when he said "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I PRESS TOWARD THE MARK FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS." Philippians 3:12-14 Note well what he says: 'I am not perfect, but that is what I'm striving toward.' Constantly reaching forth, continually sanctifying himself from all that is ungodly. This is how we are to live. Jesus did not save us simply that we might continue as we were; rather he says "Go, and sin no more." He says "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48 

So what constitutes good New Year's Resolutions? I would say any that are godly, are good. This comes to the reason for the resolutions. If the reason is merely for our physical, fleshly, earthly benefit, then it's not worth much and may very well be as good as harmful. But if the reason for the resolution is that we might not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and that we might present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, then is it a good resolution because it is first godly. This does not mean that any resolution that concerns our fleshly body (as opposed to one we might consider spiritual) is wrong, for it can still have as its basis the gospel of Jesus Christ (which gospel tells us that our old man has been crucified with Christ, and that we are to yield ourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead. See Romans 6). For instance, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I should have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Here is a practice of Paul's, a resolution so to speak, concerning his body. Yet is had as its basis that which is spiritual. And then there is the areas we would typically think of as being spiritual (though they must have their out workings in the body, the physical). One example of this is found in 2 Peter 1:5-7.  

As to making New Year's Resolutions for the new year, I have one problem. That is, if a thing is right to be done because it is wrong (sin) not to do it, then it ought to be begun immediately, and not only at the beginning of the new year. This is the reason I started some of mine before the beginning of the new year. 

I hope that if you have made New Year's Resolutions, that you will consider to be be sure that they are godly; for if they be godly, you may be sure that they are good. And if they be good, THEN DON'T GIVE UP! Press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God upon your life!  "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18 May God bless your New Year!!!

                                    4:12:00 PM

Well, I'm still trying to figure this whole blog thing out! :) I decided several months ago to do a blog, but was so busy with other things that I never fully got it set up. So... here it is! Hope everyone enjoys!