Open Your Eyes and See

It has been a while since I posted here.  I've been very busy and also kind of lazy when I have a chance to rest.

God opened my eyes on a couple of things this week in my 3 bible study classes.  Then I had a phone conversation about my eyes with my optometrist yesterday.  Those 2 things together just begged for a post :-). So, here we go!

Let's go with the physical issue first.  Near the end of last year when I went for my annual optometrist appointment, I happened to mention that my eyes sometimes get very dry.  I should have kept my mouth shut. She put dye in my eyes and agreed they were somewhat dry.  She gave me a prescription of Restasis. That stuff is expensive!  I used it in both eyes the first night and the next morning I could not open my eyes - no gunk sticking them shut or anything like that.  They just wouldn't open.  I finally used my fingers and pushed the lids open. No pain or anything; they just refused to open. I used the drops that day and that evening and had the exact same situation the next morning.  I have to say it scared the daylights out of me.  My optometrist and I both agreed it was too much of a coincidence that this would not be related to the Restasis since I've NEVER had this problem before.

Four plus months later the problem hasn't gone away.  Most mornings the eyes will eventually open on their own (kind of) but some mornings I still have to push the lids open.  Once they are open, I'm fine for the remainder of the day.

The optometrist has had me try anti-inflammatory drops and drops for allergies and neither have had any effect at all on the situation.  Her research found "Apraxia of lid opening" (ALO) as a possible cause.  Knowing what the name could be is not very helpful but it's another piece of information.  I guess I may eventually know for sure and know if this is a symptom of something else and whether I'll be stuck with this forever. I'm currently trying to get an appointment with a neurologist whose name the optometrist gave me.  She wants to rule out certain neurological conditions that it seems might be a possible cause.  In the meantime, I'm getting used to waking up with my eyes closed!  At least it doesn't freak me out anymore; it's now just an inconvenience.

So, that's the physical side.  Now, to the spiritual side.

Each of my 3 bible studies is on a different book of the bible:  Exodus, Isaiah, and Acts.  Exodus was recorded by Moses most likely between 1450 and 1410 B.C.; Isaiah was recorded by Isaiah the Prophet most likely between 740 and 680 B.C.; Acts was recorded by (Doctor) Luke in 61 A.D.  All of these books were written by God through men of His choosing.  While they were recorded hundreds and sometimes thousands of years apart, they fit together like a glove.

There were at least 2 things that were "ah ha" moments for me this week, i.e., God opened my eyes:

1. There are many people who believe that Peter is the "rock" upon which the Christian church was built.  I began to doubt that interpretation several years ago but, never actually pursued the matter. I did look at the original language through a good concordance that relates the individual words back to the original language.  That study supported the idea that Peter was NOT that rock.
   
   Then this week, I locked in my thinking when I really saw the following verses: 
   
   For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.  (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)
   
   Here Paul is describing Israel's exodus out of Egypt and all that God provided for them, despite their grumbling and idol worshiping, during the 40 years in the desert.  He clearly says "the rock is Christ"!  That confirmed all that I thought.  How many times have I read those verses in 1 Corinthians and not seen that?  I have no idea.  But, now God has opened my eyes to see it.      

• I never thought about the similarities between Jacob's son, Joseph, and Moses. After my Exodus class yesterday, now I see it!  Joseph started out a brash young man, was sold off by his brothers, was a slave in Egypt for a good number of years, was given the gift of interpreting dreams and eventually ended up as second in command of Egypt which allowed him to take in his family (Israel) during a famine.  Israel incubated in Egypt until they became a good-sized nation at which time Moses led them out of Egypt.  During all Joseph's travails God grew and trained him into the person he needed to be to accomplish the task that God had lined up for him.
  
  Now, look at Moses.  He was born a Jew but ended up being mostly raised in Pharaoh's palace where he learned the ins and outs of Egypt from the top.  When he was about 40 years old, he killed an Egyptian and was exiled to the desert in Midian where he lived for about 40 years.  He married there and had 2 sons.  He was a shepherd and learned how to survive and live in the desert.  When he was about 80 years old God sent him back to Egypt to bring Israel out.
  
  Moses was not a youngster when he went back to Egypt (understatement :-)) but he went.  I won't go into the details of all the things that went on between God and Pharaoh before Pharaoh finally let Israel go.  I think everyone probably knows that God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass on dry ground and then he brought waters back and drowned all of Pharaoh's army.  But, the part that was of interest to me as God opened my mind is that all that Moses went threw in Egypt, his exile, and his time in the desert was God's way of growing and training Moses up so he could complete God's task of shepherding God's people in the desert.  God was there with them all the time but Moses was His point man!

I love it when God opens my eyes and helps me to see something in His Word.  Learning more about God and His character is refreshing and helps me to know Him better.     

I hope you all are studying God's Word and drinking from the knowledge of the All Powerful, All Knowing creator of all that has been created.

Blessings,

Mary

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

Sunday at church our wonderful Aire To The Throne sang a couple of worship songs.  "God Wants To Hear You Sing" especially moved me.  It reminded me that God wants to hear from us in both good times and bad.

Sometimes we thank Him and praise Him for the good things He has provided for us or is working in our lives but when something bad or unfortunate or uncomfortable happens in our lives, we get so wrapped up in that and we neglect turning to God in our need.

Sometimes it's the other way around:  we ignore God when things are going well thinking we have it all under control.  Then when things turn bad, we turn to Him.  In those times, we may not know how to approach Him.

God wants us to keep in contact with Him through prayer and staying in His Word.  If we do that in good times and bad, we stay tight with Him and feel comfortable turning to Him in any and all situations.  This is as it should be and I suspect it makes God happy.

Perhaps you will join me in praying daily at any time about any thing and spending time in His Word.

Blessings,

Mary

Keep Praying - God is Listening

I was reading an article the other day and came across a quote from David Gooding's book "According to Luke:  A New Exposition of the Third Gospel" which said:


"To cease praying would be to call in question the very character of God." 

Wow!  What an indictment that was!  I wonder if you sometimes suffer from the same thing I do:  I occasionally get discouraged when my prayers aren't answered IN MY TIME.  I pray and pray and pray and don't see any progress.  It seems God is not listening.  Well, actually, I know He is always listening but sometimes it seems He is not answering.  I get discouraged and stop praying for the item or items of my frustration or disappointment.

This statement above made me rethink my prayer life.  I now realize I need to keep praying no matter how long it takes whether I see movement or not.  I needed to be reminded that God does things in HIS time; not MINE.  How arrogant of me.  That shows me yet again that I have a very long way to go in my journey to be more Christ-like.

Perhaps I will meet you along that path and we can walk it together.

Blessings,

Mary

Pakistani lawmaker says women mentally torture men

I came across the following on Yahoo News the other day:

By ASHRAF KHAN, Associated Press – Thu Mar 10, 5:51 am ET

KARACHI, Pakistan – A male Pakistani lawmaker has drawn jeers for proposing a committee to stop the "mental torture" of men by women.

Jam Tamachi Unar suggested the idea Thursday, after the assembly in Sindh province resolved to create a panel to investigate the torture of women in the country's rural areas.

The proposal drew shouts of "Shame!" from female assembly members. Most of the women stormed out of the session, while some of the men laughed.

Unar told The Associated Press that he was only joking but that it's a "bitter truth that the same way women are tortured in rural areas, men are the victims of mental torture in urban neighborhoods."

Violence against women is common in Pakistan, partly thanks to patriarchal attitudes and lax law enforcement.

When I first read this, I laughed out loud.  Then I stopped and thought a bit.  I believe much (if not all) of Pakistan is Muslim and Islam is pretty well documented as not allowing woman many rights and, in many cases, severely abusing women.  So, where in the world does this guy come up with this?  I don't have an answer for that BUT, it brought the beginning of man to mind.  While God told Adam and Eve NOT to eat of the fruit of a particular tree, the serpent convinced Eve that it was OK. Adam failed to step up and stop her but rather he ate the fruit as well.  That sets the scene for the following:

 ¹²The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

 ¹³Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

 ¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent,
         "Because you have done this,
         Cursed are you more than all cattle,
         And more than every beast of the field;
         On your belly you will go,
         And dust you will eat
         All the days of your life;
    ¹⁵And I will put enmity
         Between you and the woman,
         And between your seed and her seed;
         He shall bruise you on the head,
         And you shall bruise him on the heel."

 ¹⁶To the woman He said,
         "I will greatly multiply
         Your pain in childbirth,
         In pain you will bring forth children;
         Yet your desire will be for your husband,  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
         And he will rule over you."

 ¹⁷Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it';
         Cursed is the ground because of you;
         In toil you will eat of it
         All the days of your life.
    ¹⁸"Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
         And you will eat the plants of the field;
    ¹⁹By the sweat of your face
         You will eat bread,
         Till you return to the ground,
         Because from it you were taken;
         For you are dust,
         And to dust you shall return."

                                                          --Genesis 3:12-19

God punished Adam and Eve.  They would now age and suffer all the things that humans suffer today and eventually they would die.  Adam would have to work to provide for his family.  Eve would experience pain during child birth AND she would have a desire to rule over her husband!  God sure knows the worst consequences.

A bit over 2,000 years later God laid out how to make marriage work despite the consequences he levied in Genesis 3.    

²²Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

 ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
 ²⁴But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
 ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
 ²⁶so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
 ²⁷that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
 ²⁸So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
 ²⁹for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
 ³⁰because we are members of His body.
 ³¹FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.

                                                              --Ephesians 5:22-31

 We definitely should be following God's will in marriage today but even many Christians do not follow God's rules.  As we walk down a different path than God mandated, it's important to remember that there are always consequences for not being in God's will (read Genesis 3:12-19 again if you don't get that :-)).   

I remember back about 12 or 13 years ago (before I really knew God).  I was at a wedding and the ceremony used what modern man considers "old fashioned" vows.  They included the "love and obey" clause for the wife's vow.  I, along with several other women in the row of seats, just looked at each other and quietly tittered.  Obey?  Boy, that's old fashioned.  Who would say that today?

Now that I know God, I know that I would willingly use those words (assuming I ever got married again) IF the man I was marrying was a Godly man who believed in and followed Ephesians 5:25-30.  What a glorious marriage that could be!    

Back to the Pakistani man/woman situation:  I'm guessing that the Pakistani lawmaker was struggling, as many marriages struggle, with not being aware of Genesis 3 and its relief in Ephesians 5.  

Blessings,

Mary

"The Same Sun that Softens the Wax Hardens the Clay"

My Precept Bible Study is studying Exodus 4-7 this week so, when I saw the verse listed in Greg Laurie's Daily Devotion, I was interested to read the Devotional right away!  As I read it, it hit home. I've highlighted the sentence that hit me hardest.  It made me really think.

While I think I am reading, studying and applying God's Word in my life, I realized there have been times (and probably will be again) when I read something I don't particularly care for and simply ignore it.  It is usually not a conscious effort on my part, but it happens none the less.  Wow!  This has made me way more aware of my need to continually ask God to open my mind and soften my heart to be totally open to His Word and what He expects of me in thought, word and deed.  I need to not play the role of Pharaoh when it comes to the Word of God.    

If you have a similar situation, perhaps you also would consider asking God to open your mind and soften your heart to hear and obey His Word.

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 Be Careful How You Listen So the Lord said to Moses: "Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go." — Exodus 7:14 When is the easiest time to get a hardened heart? The answer may surprise you. It is not while hanging around godless people, doing godless things. The easiest time to get a hardened heart—an attitude of indifference toward the things of God—is when you are hearing the Word of God. Of course that also can be a place to have your heart softened. But as I have said before, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. If you have an attitude that says, "I don't want it. I am not hearing it," then your heart will grow hard. The Bible says, "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1). The idea being that the person who gets a hard heart is someone who hears the truth and rejects it. A good illustration of this is Pharaoh. He saw miracle after miracle performed by the hand of Moses. And what do we read? Pharaoh hardened his heart. He saw a rock turned into a snake, and he hardened his heart. The Nile turned to blood, and he hardened his heart. God sent plagues of lice and flies and frogs, and Pharaoh hardened his heart. Ultimately, we read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Some people are confused by that detail. How is it that Pharaoh hardened his heart and then God hardened his heart? The answer is that God waits for us to make our move, and then He will confirm us in it. Pharaoh hardened his heart, and God strengthened him in that decision, even though it was wrong. So be careful. You can get a hardened heart while hearing the Word of God. It is all in how you listen. Don't let it happen to you. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him! Greg@harvest.org To subscribe to Paster Greg Laurie's Daily Devotional or to learn more about Harvest Ministries, please visit here. Blessings, Mary

The Bible Is Still Number 1!

It has been a really really busy couple of weeks.  But, I couldn't resist taking the time today to post on this:

Today Brother Steve's sermon was titled "Be Encouraged - You are Family!" teaching on 1 Peter 1:22-2:3.  One of the points he made is that scripture is a believer's food and we should feed on it regularly.  He talked about the Bible being #1 on a list of favorite books.  I searched and found the poll he was speaking about.  Here is what CompuServe What's New had to say (highlighting is mine):

Top 10 Favorite Books of All Time

When it comes to books, we are very old-fashioned. Our favorite book in the United States--across all demographic groups--is the Bible, undoubtedly the same book our great-grandparents favored, too.
That's the word from a Harris Poll that asked 2,413 U.S. adults to name their favorite books. While Margaret Mitchell's Civil War classic, "Gone With the Wind" came in No. 2, much of the top 10 list is dominated by fantasy fiction and mystery.
The top 10 favorite books of all time:
1. The Bible
2. "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell
3. "Lord of the Rings," by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. "Harry Potter" series, by J.K. Rowling
5. "The Stand," by Stephen King
6. "The Da Vinci Code," by Dan Brown
7. "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee
8. "Angels and Demons," by Dan Brown
9. "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand
10. "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger
While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a big difference in the choice for the No. 2 favorite book:

• Men chose "Lord of the Rings."
• Women chose "Gone With the Wind."-
• Those 18 to 31 chose the "Harry Potter" series.
• Those 32 to 43 were split between "The Stand" and "Angels and Demons."
• Those 44 to 62 and those 63 and over both chose "Gone With the Wind."

By geographical area, the No. 2 favorite book is:

• East: "Lord of the Rings"
• South: "Gone With the Wind"
• Midwest: "Gone With the Wind"
• West: "The Stand"

--From the Editors at Netscape

Given the secularism running rampant in the U.S. today, this is quite encouraging.

That brings me to one of the reasons I have been so remiss at posting to this blog:  I am juggling 3 bible studies and the resultant 8 to 10 hours of homework a week while filling in teaching more defensive driving classes after one of our instructors had unexpected open heart surgery.  Phew!  It has been a rough couple of weeks (for both me and the other instructor) but there is light at the end of the tunnel as the other instructor should be able to start taking back some of his classes little by little within the next 4 or 5 weeks and things should settle down a bit.

A friend sent me an email of "God's little notes." Of course, they aren't really notes from God but they are cute and several of them are thought provoking and good reminders.  The one I especially like today said:

Don't let your worries get the best of you; 

Remember, 

Moses started out as a basket case.

This caught my attention because one of my bible studies is just starting a study of the Book of Exodus which features Moses prominently in a very excellent role in the history of God's chosen people, Israel.  We're just starting so I don't have much to say from the study itself at this point but perhaps at a later date . . .

Blessings,

Mary  

Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle

Sometimes discerning what God wants us to do requires much prayer, study of His Word and patience.  Other times His will is totally obvious.  Personally, I tend to get quite frustrated when I am having difficulty discerning His direction for me.  Then I have to pray for patience!  And, sometimes we think we know God's will and we start off down the path we think he wants us to take only to discover that wasn't His path at all.

I once asked one of my favorite pastors how you can know what God's will is.  He told me we need to validate that it is consistent with His word and perhaps discuss it with a couple of Christian friends to make sure we are not fooling ourselves.  Sometimes, even when we do those things and start down the path, we find out it wasn't God's will at all.  I asked what we should do then.  The answer was to back up to the point where we knew we were in God's will and start the process over.  That may involve cleaning up some things along the way as we backtrack but we need and want to be in God's will.  Wouldn't it be nice if God would just send us an email?  :-)  I think he really just wants us to be in His Word and in Prayer; email would not accomplish that.      

Has God ever made it very clear to you what direction He wishes you to take but it differs from the direction you want to take?  I'm guessing most of us have been in that situation.  I particularly liked Greg Laurie's Daily Devotion today.  I liked it so much that I'm posting the entire thing here.  If you have an interest in subscribing or just learning more about his organization, you can find out more here. 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011 From Resisting to Resting And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." — Genesis 32:28 Jacob, the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, was a conniver. He just couldn't wait on God's timing. On the day that Jacob and his twin brother Esau were born, Esau came first, with Jacob holding on to his brother's foot. That is how Jacob earned his name, which means "heel-catcher." When they were older, Jacob not only convinced Esau to sell him his birthright for some stew, but he also tricked their father into giving him the blessing that was intended for Esau. Esau wanted to kill him, so Jacob went into exile and ended up working for a guy he really deserved: Laban, who was as much of a conniver as Jacob was. Eventually Jacob made the journey back home again, and on the way, the Bible tells us in Genesis 32 that "Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day" (verse 24). It was as though God said, "You are always struggling and fighting with me, so let's go for it." Now Jacob was one tough guy, and he wouldn't give up. Consequently, God touched the socket of his hip so that it was out of joint. That made Jacob cling to this messenger from heaven, and he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" (verse 26). Jacob went from resisting to resting. Instead of fighting with God, he was surrendering to God, so God gave him a new name. Are you wrestling with God? We wrestle with Him when He reveals His will to us and we say we want our will instead. How much better it is when we surrender to Him. Corrie ten Boom said, "Don't wrestle, just nestle." Don't fight with the One who has your best interests in mind. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!Greg@harvest.org Mary's Notes:   For those who are not familiar with this particular part of God's word, I thought it would be instructive to note that the man Jacob wrestled with was God Himself (most likely the Son).  Jacob would not have asked Him to bless him otherwise.  The name God gave to Jacob is Israel and from Jacob/Israel, God created the nation of Israel.  So, you see, the nation of Israel was not established in 1948 as most non-Christians believe; it actually began almost 4,000 years ago in the same location as today but the original Israel had a lot more land. I especially like Corrie ten Boom's quote "Don't wrestle, just nestle" which, of course, is why I chose it as the title for this post.  While we worship the one true God who created all that has been created, who is all powerful, all knowing and all loving (among other things), when I die I picture myself running and jumping up into my Heavenly Father's lap and nestling. Blessings, Mary