revolutionary...

March 30, 2012

1 Timothy 2:l1 let a woman learn in silence with all submission

I find it ironic that Christianity has gotten sort of a bad wrap for making women subservient to men. It’s not true by the way, but that’s a post for another day. When in actuality the early church had an unheard of view of women; when every culture around the early church viewed women as possessions, God desired them to be treated as His children. This was revolutionary. Women in this day in time were not educated. They were kept under the total control of the men in their lives. In this verse Paul isn’t saying that women should be quiet and NOT learn. No, not that at all. He is merely teaching how they are to learn. In fact Paul is commanding that they learn, that they be taught. Can you imagine how these early Christian women must have felt? To go from being treated like cattle to being taught, to learning; I can imagine that this would have been amazing. Perhaps, even some of these women might have gotten a bit carried away with this new-found freedom, and decided to go even further. Yet, God has given us, all of us, men and women, a hierarchy of authority. Being respectful of authority is not being suppressed; everyone has someone they must submit to. Paul is merely reminding these women and all women this concept.   

the reflection of our words...

March 29, 2012

1 Timothy 2:10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works

It’s just not enough to make sure that my clothes are modest or to make sure that I’m not trying to gain undue attention with my wardrobe choices. I must make sure that how I conduct myself reflects my words. If everyone around me knows that I am a Christian; if I have proclaimed with my lips (or in my case my keyboard and blog) that I am a woman who loves God. Then my actions had better back that up. Words are meaningless unless I’m willing to live it out. I will say that I don’t believe that this is an area that we will ever really achieve total success at. I think instead, that we will continue to grow in it; God will continue to show us areas in our lives that we need to work on, areas where our actions don’t reflect our words. The point is that if we are going to proclaim ourselves to be Godly women we should at least try our very best to act like it. How sad would it be if our children or anyone close to us were never able to tell from our actions that we loved God?

just being a gal...

March 28, 2012

1 Timothy 2:9 …braided hair or gold or costly clothing

I have to admit I stumble on this verse every time. I mean, hey, I’m a girl all the way; no tomboy tendencies at all in me. I love to fix my hair, wear jewelry, and even match my purse to my outfit. So, how am I to take this verse; am I not allowed to revel in my womanhood, am I not allowed to accentuate the characteristics that make me a woman? In Proverbs 31 we see this great woman of scripture also likes to be a girl too, “…her clothing is fine linen and purple.” Since I know without a doubt that God’s word will NEVER contradict itself, there must be a way to be both girly and a godly woman. How? Well according to MacArthur the women that Paul was addressing here wanted to call attention to themselves. They weren’t braiding their hair, or putting on jewelry for the simple fun of it, but so that others would see them. They wanted to incite jealousy in the poorer women who couldn’t afford such things. They were malicious in their femininity. This, of course, is not ok. This would never bring God glory, so should not be a part of our lives. So, once again we must go back to our hearts. I simply like to be a girl; I have no intention what so ever to bring attention to myself or to interrupt the worship of God by what I have on. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, what we wear should only be a reflection of God’s generous blessing. Examining our hearts should tell us if we are guilty of wanting attention or just having fun being a gal!

and self-control...

March 27, 2012

1 Timothy 2:9…and self-control

Oh, the dreaded self-control, I mean who likes it? Not me, it’s hard. It’s hard to deny your self what you really want. No matter if it’s a second piece of cake, or to scream, or to stay up later than you should. Take your pick, anything you have to make yourself do that it doesn’t want to do is difficult. Yet, here in His word, God is quit clear that we, as women, are to have self-control. Now, God isn’t saying that only women need it, of course not, but at this moment, in this verse He is addressing women. I think it’s easier to get upset about the differences in what God expects between men and women, than to get serious and change our lives to obey His word. If we are concentrating on what we can’t do and what men can, then we don’t have to battle our flesh for control. God is clear He expects those women who are His to conduct themselves with self-control; can you imagine how much drama could be avoided if we did.

the hard question of modesty...

March 26, 2012

1 Timothy 2:9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel…

Part 2

Modesty, it’s a hard concept to define. I mean on the surface it’s easy, we can avoid clothes that show too much. But it’s more than that I think. It’s mostly a matter of the heart, really. One person can look at a shirt and see a perfectly acceptable article of clothing, nothing wrong with it; yet, another can look at that same shirt and say that it is immodest. Who is wrong? That’s where modesty becomes difficult to define. If a woman, in her heart, before God fully believes that her wardrobe is modest, who’s to tell her it’s not? Can’t any man find something to lust over even if a lady is fully clothed from head to toe?  So, that leads me back to the heart. If I believe, in my heart, that I’m not immodest then what more can I do? If, however, my intention is to grab the attention of every man in the room, then of course, I’m no longer modest; no matter what I’m wearing. So, perhaps we should spend more time examining our hearts than we spend examining our wardrobes because really it’s much harder!

being pretty...

March 23, 2012

1 Timothy 2:9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel…

I recently read an article that was entitled something like “The Death of Pretty…”. That might not have been the exact title, but it was about how women had changed from wanting to be pretty to wanting to be HOT! I was struck by how true that was; yet, I had never thought of it. When we make the choice to be “hot” instead of “pretty” we change how people view us; we change from wanting to look nice and have fun being women, to a woman who only wants to be noticed for the merits of her body and nothing else. A woman who desires to be pretty realizes that she has so much more to offer than just her body; God created us as women to have great influence on those around us. As Christian women being pretty is ok…in fact I think that it’s a wonderful thing to embrace being a woman. BUT never should we allow that to overtake who we are in Christ nor should we take advantage of what our “bodies” can give us!

clinging to Him...

March 22, 2012

Psalm 66:12 …we went through fire and through water—yet, you have brought us out to a place of abundance

I have recently been reminded of this verse in my life. As so often is the case, God will use our lives to make His word come alive. I have traveled through “fire and water” with God. I have clung to Him when all else seemed to fail me; even what should have been strong. Yet, in that I have learned that God is always firm. I have clung to Him when there was nothing else. Yet, in that I have learned that He is enough. Now, I know that He is the giver of abundance and sometimes it’s only after the rain that we can see that. I thank God for His rain and for His abundance.

being unpolluted...

March 21, 2012

1 Timothy 2:7-8

V 8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting

Paul here is instructing who should lead pray and worship when the church meets together; the men, he is quiet clear on the subject of who needs to step up and lead. He also instructs them on what their lives should look like. He tells them that their lives should be holy and godly and free from any worldly pollutant. Now, as I said Paul is specifically talking to men here but isn’t this a characteristic that all people should have in their hearts while worshiping. I, as a woman, can’t lead corporate but I can, and should, participate in it. A life that is godly, holy and unpolluted by the world is essential for worship and prayer.

our ransom...

March 20, 2012

1 Timothy 2:2-6

V 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time

Do we think about Jesus being our ransom? I think that we mainly just take advantage of it; we enjoy the fact that we will have eternal life and never really concern ourselves with how we got it. We need to live in the reality of our salvation every day. We need to never let a morning go by that we do not thank God for His provision in His Son. We need to thank Jesus for paying our ransom. For without it we would suffer God’s wrath…

living with godliness...

March 19, 2012

1 Timothy 2:2 …in all godliness and reverence.

Paul in 1 Timothy spends lots of time talking about godliness; it’s a theme through out his book. We can assume that godliness is something that is necessary for our lives. MacArthur describes godliness as “holy living”, great definition I thought. In all things, we should have an attitude that is worthy of God. In all places, we should behave in a manner that only brings glory to God. That’s an easy thing to do, in theory. Yet, totally different to carry out in real life with real life issues, heart ache, and emotions; all of which tend to get the better of us. Reverence refers to how we behave before me. It’s how our godliness is shown to others. It’s staying quiet when we would rather yell. It’s forgiving when we would rather retaliate.

peace, quiet, and no drama...

March 16, 2012

1 Timothy 2:2 …that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life,

Here MacArthur breaks things down a little bit. “Quiet” refers to the absence to problems on the outside, maybe problems that we have a hand in creating. “Peaceable” refers to the absence of problems on the inside, within ourselves. We, as believers, are not called to live in what I’ll just call “drama”; you know what I’m talking about. We are not called to live in a bubble of constant agitation; either of our own creation or someone else’s! As the church, we are the representation of Christ, we are His bride. This is a great responsibility. That we should take great care to live out correctly. It’s easy to get caught up in what “we” want, what “we” think should happen, or how “we” have been wronged, but the fact is “we” shouldn’t ever enter into it. Our focus should be in what God wants, and if that is our main objective, our only one, we will live “…a quiet and peaceable life.”

politics and prayer...

March 14, 2012

1 Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in high positions

Even in Paul’s day political figures often hated the things of God, sounds familiar right? I think that we often think that we have the market on what is bad, that we are the worst at whatever, and I’m certainly not saying we aren’t because we are. Yet, even in Paul’s day, maybe especially in Paul’s day, Christians were persecuted and hated by those in authority. What was Paul’s response? Pray for them…should we do any less?

praying like we believe...

March 9, 2012

1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then I urge that supplications…

The Greek word for supplication means “to lack” or “to be without”…that’s from John MacArthur not any knowledge of my own about Greek!  So, we are to pray with supplication when we need something. Specifically we are to pray for others when they need or lack something, and the main thing others may lack is salvation. We are to pray in earnest for the salvation of those around us! Do we? I mean do we pray daily for the salvation of our family members? Do we pray like we believe Hell is real and without salvations those we love will end up there?

Jimminy Cricket and boat rudders...

March 7, 2012

1 Timothy 1:19 …holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this some have made a shipwreck of their faith

To say that I love Disney is somewhat an understatement…but I’ll go ahead and say it, “I Love Disney.” As the fireworks blast over Cinderella’s castle, you can hear Jiminy Cricket say his famous words, “Let your conscience be your guide.” Now who knows if Jiminy was quoting scripture here but God’s word is clear that He, God, gave us our consciences’ to guide us. MacArthur says that “A good conscience serves as the rudder that steers the believer through the rocks and reefs of sin and error.” We need our consciences and we need to listen to them. On some days, I think if I have to tell my children something one more time I will just scream, or the desire to just give up and give in will hit me hard. Why? Well mainly because no one is listening to me. I’m talking but the words may as well be gibberish for all anyone pays attention. I wonder if our consciences are like that. Over and over it will tell us that our behavior, thoughts, or attitudes are wrong and the more we don’t listen the softer the voice becomes; until we are left with our hand on the steering wheels of our lives and not our God given consciences.

entrusted...

March 6, 2012

1 Timothy 1:18 this charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare

Now granted Timothy had a big job ahead of him. He was being entrusted with the church at Ephesus, which is big enough but he was helping to start Christianity. This was so new and different in so many aspects; no one had ever seen or heard of it before. It was up to Timothy to tell others about it. Our jobs are a bit different; many have heard the name of Christ, especially in this area where we live. Yet, isn’t it the same gospel that we are entrusted with. Isn’t it the same Holy God that we are to tell others about? Yes it is. To entrust means to “charge with responsibility”; we are responsible with the gospel. We are responsible in how we handle it, how we tell others about it, how we use it.

praise in our actions...

March 5, 2012

1 Timothy 1 :17 To the king of ages, immortal invisible, the only God be honor, and glory forever and ever Amen

We can and should give glory to God through the words on our lips; the bible tells us that ever the rocks will cry out His name. We can and should sing praise and worship to our Living God. Our voices can offer up praise all day long, and He will delight in the praise of His children. Yet, our words, our songs, and our voices aren’t the only way in which we can give praise. They are not even the loudest voice we can use, I would dare to say. We can and should use our actions. For it is in our actions that our true heart’s desires are reflected. As we know, we can say anything, but it’s what we do that matters.

doing patience perfectly...

March 2, 2012

1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life

“Perfect patience” don’t know about you but I love that phrase. Particularly when I know that it is applied to me and my life. I am constantly disappointing myself by running back to the same sinful habits that get me into so much trouble. I continually ask myself when will I learn. Yet, God is always forgiving; always patient. I am so thankful for that…

being the foremost..

March 1, 2012

1 Timothy 1:13-15

v 15  …Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost

“I am the foremost” not “I was the foremost”, Paul never denies his past sins; he never tries to cover up his persecution of Christians. He doesn’t offer up excuses, but he accepts responsibility and gives God credit for his salvation. What is I think the most amazing thing about Paul is that even after salvation and after he has given up his life to further the gospel, Paul still refers to himself as a chief sinner. He still sees himself as one of the worst sinners out there. Do we? Or do we assume that we are better than others simply because we are saved. Or ever worse, in my opinion, do we say we are “chief among sinners” but our actions don’t reflect that we really believe it. However, the truth is just like Paul, we are ALL the foremost sinner.