If I knew then what I know now

My Beginning of Wisdom site
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  • Eve & the Sacrifice of Work

    Posted on July 31st, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    “The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple.  They did not require any accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.”

    2 Kings 12:13-15

     

    I went to a performance of “Before: An Evening of Original Monologues”, produced by the Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (www.girls-gems.org).  They told the story of what happened before a 14 year old girl, Eve, became a commercially sexually exploited child.  It illustrated how circumstances can combine to put a young girl in danger of being recruited by a pimp.

     

    The young female writers were quite thoughtful, explaining that while they didn’t want to make anyone the “bad guy”, they wanted to show that different professionals had a chance to go “above & beyond”  to help Eve – but didn’t.  The police officer who investigated domestic violence reports at Eve’s house was angry because Eve’s mom wouldn’t prosecute Eve’s dad.  She could have given Eve’s mom a referral, but didn’t.  Eve’s schoolteacher was concerned enough to call social services when Eve started skipping school, but never took Eve aside to ask her what was going on or offer help.  The social services caseworker who investigated Eve’s home closed the case prematurely because she was underpaid, overworked, had clients who were “worse.  Also, she didn’t think it was important to investigate further just because a straight-A student suddenly started missing days from school.  She could have done a more thorough investigation, but didn’t.  Eve & her mom were mandated to see a therapist, who had a gut feeling that Eve was raped; but the therapist was angry because Eve & her mom never returned for more services.  She thought they were uncooperative and didn’t want services.  She could have interviewed Eve separately to see if she would open up, but didn’t.

     

    God convicted me through Before, because I work in human services.  I’m neither a therapist nor child abuse investigator, but I relate.  I saw Before at the end of a frustrating work-week that left me thinking about how disrespectful, indifferent, ungrateful and needy my clients are.  I was looking forward to formally closing their cases.  I was reminded that my job is not about me, but about honoring Him and serving His creation.  If I do my work as a sacrifice to the Lord, He’ll compensate me.

     

     

    “Stay in that house,

    eating and drinking whatever they give you,

    for the worker deserves his wages.”

    Luke 10:7

     

  • God is not Mocked

    Posted on July 24th, 2013 rhonda No comments

    “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,

    and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 

    Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you,

    but likes slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 

    Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

    because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

    Ephesians 6:5-8

     

    Most pastors now translate verses about slaves and masters in the context of the modern workplace.  Instead of slaves & masters, think workers & bosses.  One day it occurred to me that the boss is just one element of a work environment.  Some folks work without traditional benefits like sick pay, vacation pay, or even medical benefits.  Some people don’t get enough hours at work.  Some people are vastly underpaid for the work they do.  People have had delays in getting their paychecks or had payroll mistakes made with their paychecks.  There’s a growing trend of workers being paid via debit card, and having to pay fees for their paycheck (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/business/as-pay-cards-replace-paychecks-bank-fees-hurt-workers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0).  There is also a whole class of people who work as interns, apprentices, and volunteers.  They are working for free in the hopes that one day they can be paid for their labor. 

     

    Don’t be discouraged.  El-Roi is the God Who Sees (Gen. 16:13).  He also cannot be mocked (Gal. 6:7), and He believes that the worker deserves his wages (1 Timothy 5:18).  He can balance the scales of justice supernaturally.  He can also balance those scales through the authorities that He’s set in place.  For Americans, that authority is the United States Department of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm

     

     

    “And masters, treat you slaves in the same way. 

    Do not threaten them, since your know that

    He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,

    and there is no favoritism with Him”

    Ephesians 6:9

  • David Danced

    Posted on July 17th, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    David, wearing a linen ephod,

    danced before the Lord with all his might,

    while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with

    shouts and the sound of trumpets

    2 Samuel 6:14-15

     

    On Father’s Day, the men danced. 

     

    Pastor was raised in church where all the men just sat there – arms crossed.  Celebrating God was a feminine thing.  So he thought being stoic was manly behavior in church.  He learned he was wrong.  He also said that when we look back at all the things God has done for us, we should dance.  We should do a new dance every Sunday.

     

    He recounted the story of David’s bringing the ark back to Jerusalem.  The ark represented the presence of God.  Pastor said that David mishandled the ark, and that’s why people died while David was trying to do a good thing.  Finally, David realized that when God gives you something, you need to handle it with care.  We need to treat God’s gifts according the God’s instructions regarding the gift.  The ark wasn’t to be transported via cart, it was supposed to be carried on the shoulders of men.  (Joseph Prince says it symbolizes our lifting our champion on high.)

     

    Finally, David figured it out.  Every 6 steps, David and the entire house of Israel stopped to build an altar and worship God.  Imagine how long it took them to get the ark to Jerusalem.  The quick way is not always the proper way.  It’s proper to glorify the Lord.  When he donned the linen ephod, David assumed leadership for the praise and worship.  God anointed David the King of Israel.  Aware of his blessings, he blessed others by giving “a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women” (verse 19).

     

    In my last post, I mentioned an all-male choir.  They got the message.  Moved by the Holy Spirit, some men got up and were jogging around the stage, some were jumping up and down in praise to the Lord.  I’ve never seen Christian men do that on stage.  It was great to see.

     

    I will celebrate before the Lord. 

    I will become even more undignified than this,

     and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. 

    But by these slave girls you spoke of,

    I will be held in honor.

    2 Samuel 6:21-22

     

     

     

  • Stalking in Sodom: A Prayer Request

    Posted on July 16th, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.  When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.  “My Lords”, he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house.  You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”

    “No”, the answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

    But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.  He prepared a meal for them, baking break without yeast, and they ate.  Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house.  They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight?  Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

    Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends.  Don’t do this wicked thing.  Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man.  Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them.  But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

    “Get out of our way,” they replied.  And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge!  We’ll treat you worse than them.”

    They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

    But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.  Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

    Genesis 19:1-11

    The Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking (IAST) sent out the following article, “Stalkers use Online Sex Ads as a Weapon”.  I had to stop reading after the first couple of paragraphs because it made me so angry.  Genesis 19 was the first thing that popped into my head.  The activity described in the article is the same type of immorality that brought judgment against Sodom & Gomorrah.  Please pray that (1) the vulnerable are protected, (2) that the justice system responds quickly, (3) that online sites quickly remove false ads and that (4) the hearts of evil-doers be changed by the love and mercy of Christ.

     

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/i-live-in-fear-of-anyone-coming-to-my-door/2013/07/14/26c11442-e359-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_story.html

     

  • We Have Come to Worship

    Posted on July 10th, 2013 rhonda No comments

    They performed the service of their God and the service of purification,

    as did also the singers and gatekeepers,

    according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. 

    For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph,

    there had been directors for the singers and for the

    songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

    Nehemiah 12:45-46

    It was a blessing to attend Father’s Day service and see a choir of 21 men softly singing “We have come to worship”.  Before service started, I was overwhelmed with emotion, because I was reminded of the church I was raised in as a child.

    The church I attended on Father’s Day was a powerful & beautiful “homecoming” for me.  Every man in the choir wore a white shirt and tie.  The women & children in the audience were dressed up, which I see as an expression of reverence for God and self-respect.  The clothes and, more importantly, what they represent, are God’s gifts to us.

    I started to cry when the choir sang God Is, a song I haven’t heard since my childhood.  Here are some of the lyrics:

     God is my joy in time of sorrow.
    God, God is my all in all.
    God is my today and tomorrow.
    God, my God is, my all in all.

    God is the joy and
    the strength of my life,
    He moves all pain, misery, and strife.

    He promised to keep me,
    never to leave me.
    He’s never ever come short of His word.

    I’ve got to fast and pray,
    stay in His narrow way,
    I’ve got to keep my life clean everyday;
    I want to go with Him when He comes back,
    I’ve come this far and I’ll never turn back.

    The Pastor took his sermon from 2 Samuel 6:14-23, where David danced before the Lord while escorting the ark back to Jerusalem.

    Pastor told the men that church was the place for them to drop their stoicism, be transparent, and truly celebrate before the Lord, as David did.  So, on Father’s Day, the men danced.  We all did.

     

     

     

  • Power to Witness

    Posted on July 3rd, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    “These women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it.  Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.  But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment . . . . When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the Apostles.  But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”

    Luke 23:55 and 24:9-11

    The woman preaching the Women’s Day sermon said the Holy Spirit empowered women to be witnesses.  She defined and listed the types of witnesses there are.

    EYE-WITNESSES:  These witnesses are present at the event, and can tell people what happened.  Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and Susanna were all eye-witnesses of different events, because they followed Jesus closely.  They were eye-witnesses to an empty tomb.  You and I are not eye-witnesses to the life of Jesus while He walked the earth, but we are eye-witnesses to what He’s done in our lives.

    EXPERT-WITNESSES:  These witnesses, by virtue of their education, profession, or experience, are believed to have better-than-average knowledge of situation.  They’re considered experts.  You and I might not have gone to seminary, however, we are the experts in our own lives.  You know what Jesus did for you.

    CHARACTER-WITNESSES:  These witnesses are people who know the character, or personality & ways, of the person being spoken about.  We didn’t meet Jesus face-to-face when He walked this earth; but we all met Him.

     “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

    Acts 1:8

     

  • Women’s Day

    Posted on June 27th, 2013 rhonda No comments

    “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.  These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”

    Luke 8:1-3

     

    I went to a Women’s Day service recently.  In this male-dominated culture, I was happy to see women in charge.  In this youth-obsessed culture, I was proud to see old women in charge.  The first two rows of pews were filled with white-haired women dressed in white.  I loved it.  It was powerful to witness the Grand March of dignified and well-dressed African American women who marched around the church, and then down to the front of the church, to deliver their tithes & offerings to the Lord.  Twenty or thirty years ago, Women’s Day did not impress me.

     

    The first time I read the entire Bible, I concluded that God didn’t like women.  God didn’t seem concerned with horrific acts of violence against (innocent) women (Genesis 19:6-8); and didn’t mind making violent, humiliating and scary references to women (Nahum 3:5). The Bible can be a hard book for women to read.  Women’s Day didn’t answer the tough questions about how some women are treated in the Bible; but Women’s Day did remind me of other women – women who were clearly friends of God.

     

    The woman preacher reminded me that some women – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others – received a healing from Jehovah Rophe (the God who Heals).  They supplied Jesus and the disciples from their own money.  They loved Him enough to follow Him wherever He went, even to the cross; and after the crucifixion, they sought out his body to prepare it for burial.

     

    The women at Women’s Day received their healing.  The women raised the funds for Women’s Day.  These women love Jesus enough to continually seek Him out; continuing the tradition set thousands of years ago by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many other women.

     

    “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord:

    Look to the rock from which you were hewn;

    look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth.”

    Isaiah 51:1-2

  • Succoth v. Seir

    Posted on June 19th, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    “But Jacob said to him . . . .

    So let my lord go on ahead of his servant,

    while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.

    So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 

    Jacob, however, went to Succoth . . . .”

    Genesis 33:13-16

     

    In my last post, I wrote about Jacob & Esau, which prompted me to read through their story again.  During that last reading, I caught another of Jacob’s betrayals.

     

    Esau was not only ready to forgive Jacob for receiving his birthright, but eager to visit  with his younger brother.  Jacob kept stalling, and ultimately lied.  He said he would catch up to Esau in Seir.  After Esau was out of sight, Jacob went to Succoth.  The Bible doesn’t mention them ever meeting again.  Imagine how much hurt Esau to realize that his brother ducked him – again.  If he’d been ready to forgive, I can see how Jacob’s side-stepping would have reopened that wound, resulting in cold war between two nations.

     

    Guilt and anxiety can hurt a person and their relationships.  Genesis 32 reveals that Jacob was afraid his brother would kill him; so he took several precautionary measures.  Esau’s warm greeting did not allay Jacob’s fears.

     

    There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things.  If Jacob wanted a blessing, he should have asked God.  Then he would not have to live in guilt and fear.  If he was still afraid of his brother, he should have talked to his brother.  He maybe should have apologized, not lie and run.

     

    I’ve had relationships end – in right ways and in wrong ways.  I know from experience that the manner of the ending makes a difference.  Paul & Barnabas argued and separated for a while (Acts 15:36-41), but later reunited and worked together (I Corinthians 9:6).  What’s your experience been?  Make a comment.

     

    “Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?”

    I Corinthians 9:6

  • Don’t Stand Aloof

    Posted on June 13th, 2013 rhonda No comments

     

    “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,

    You will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

    On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and

    foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem,

    You were like one of them.”

    Obadiah 2:10-11

     

    I read through Obadiah.  God punished the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) because they “stood aloof” while the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob) were being attacked by other nations.  Esau & Jacob were brothers, and Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright.  The last time we read about the brothers seeing one another, Esau & Jacob parted ways without tension.  Esau never followed through on his threat to kill Jacob.  In fact, they had a sweet reunion (Genesis 33).  Apparently Esau forgave Jacob.  However, Obadiah makes me believe there must have been a root of bitterness left over that festered for generations; and allowed the Edomites to stand aside & not help Israel defend itself.

     

    After giving Esau’s birthright to Jacob, Isaac couldn’t richly bless his firstborn, but God could – and did.  The Lord speaks to Edom (Obadiah 2:4) and says, “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the starts, from there I will bring you down”.  If Edom wasn’t blessed, how could he be soaring like an eagle?

     

    Pastor taught me that forgiveness meant refusing to bring the offense to the attention and memory of (1) the person who offended us, (2) other people and (3) ourselves.  Obadiah caused me to believe that developing a willingness to help our enemies actually completes the forgiveness process.  Pastor also taught me that words like “love” and “forgiveness” are not emotions, but actions.  I can forgive someone without having warm & fuzzy feelings about them. 

     

    Praise God for making me a different person.  I have prayed for my enemies; and I actually did a favor for someone that I believe wronged me in the past.  I have learned how to forgive.  What’s your experience been with forgiveness?  Let us know.

     

    “He put a new song in my mouth,

    A hymn of praise to our God.”

    Psalm 40:3

  • My Soul Looks Back & Wonders

    Posted on June 6th, 2013 rhonda No comments

    “How I got over, how I got over
    How I got over, how I got over
    My soul looks back and wonder how I got over . . . .

    I wanna thank Him because He brought me
    I wanna thank Him because He taught me
    I wanna thank Him because He kept me
    I wanna thank Him because He never left me”

    I woke up on Friday with a song in my head – Aretha Franklin’s version of How I Got Over.  To wonder means “to stand back in awe and amazement; to marvel at”.  I listened to the song a few times before I went to work.  By midday, I was wondering at God.

     

    Previously I wrote about how the last few years have been a struggle for me.  I was angry at God.  I was angry, in part, because I felt God allowed my enemies to harass and exploit me.  I wrote to God, and actually asked Him if He loved me.  If He did, then when was He going to get revenge for me?  Well, now I can see His justice on the horizon.  There are a group of individuals who have been a thorn in my side for a while.  On Friday, I got news that they were starting to be exposed for what they are.  That bit of news lifted my spirits. 
    When my soul did look back and wondered about how I got over, I know that it was staying in the presence of God.  In addition to Sunday, I started going to mid-week and evening services as often as I could.  I shared a lot of what I was taught on this site.  Months ago, I wrote about a sermon where the Pastor told us to celebrate, in preparation for the victory, because the “Egyptian” that’s pursuing us, is an “Egyptian” we will never see again.  Hallelujah.

     

    When your soul looks back and wonders, how did you get over?  Let us know.

    “And the God of all grace,

    Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,

    After you have suffered a little while,

    Will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.

    To Him be the power for ever and ever.

    Amen”

    I Peter 5:10-11