God’s Will For Me

The following is yet another re-blog of an article by April Cassidy who blogs as Peacefulwife. I have read many articles concerning how to know God’s will for one’s life, but this is one of the best. Although some parts of the article are addressed specifically to wives, I believe there is much here for us guys as well.  I hope you enjoy it. RMF

April Cassidy

It’s easy to get hung up on wondering what God’s will is for me about specific situations like: what job to take, what man to marry, what church to attend, what school to send our children to, what house to buy, where to live, what missions to support, etc.

God’s primary will for me is to glorify Him – to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as He loves them!

There are actually many places in the Bible that spell out more of God’s will for me spiritually. I think often His will has a lot less to do with specific geographic places and specific jobs and a lot more to do with my attitude, my faith and trust in Him and my gratitude for all He has done for me. The specifics are important, but when I tune in to Him and really seek His face above all else – then He will be able to direct me to exactly what He has in mind. For God, a lot of His will is about my character, priorities, desires, focus and my relationship with Him – my willingness to sacrifice my desires, my will and my dreams. He longs to see me be willing to take up my cross daily and follow Christ, submitting to His will and saying, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Our powerful God can do ANYTHING with a believer who is submitted and yielded completely to Him like this! Get ready for an incredible adventure!

Ephesians 5:15-21

Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE PREPARE ME TO DO?

My dear friend found this connection a few weeks ago and was so excited as she shared it with me. We often focus on Ephesians 5:22-33 about marriage. But this passage above is what precedes the passage on God’s design for the marriage relationship, parent/child relationships and master/slave relationships.

She said we are able to be empowered to do all that God asks of us in His design for marriage and family relationships by really living out this preceding passage. I had never thought of this before – but it makes complete and total sense to me!

(There is much more than this one passage that describe God’s will for me – but this is a great place to start! To learn the specifics about God’s will for me in marriage, I study Ephesians 5:22-33, I Peter 3:1-2, Titus 2:2-5)

LET’S APPLY EPHESIANS 5:17-21 TO MY MARRIAGE! WHAT IS GOD’S WILL FOR ME RIGHT NOW, WHERE I LIVE… TODAY? HOW DO I PREPARE TO LIVE OUT GOD’S DESIGN FOR MY MARRIAGE?

I am to understand God’s design/will/purpose/dreams/wisdom for my marriage and not be foolish – tearing my husband, marriage and family apart with my own hands and words. God’s design is EXTREMELY different from the world’s design for marriage, femininity, masculinity, family and faith. I must study God’s Word, cleansing my soul of the polluting influence of our culture, and building ONLY on the foundation of Christ and His Word. I want ONLY His will and ALL of His will for my marriage, my family and every part of my life – nothing else will do!
I am to be sober, not a slave to a chemical or alcohol addiction that would lead me into sin and keep me from God’s empowering presence.
I am to be filled with the Spirit of God, empowered by Him, strengthened by Him, close and intimate with Him, spending the lavish amounts of time necessary to develop a rich relationship with my Lord, knowing His heart and His mind, being in tune with His Spirit.
I am to speak to my husband with encouraging words that honor and praise God (not preaching), singing songs of praise to God around the house that my husband and children can hear. My language in my marriage and family is CRITICAL! “Don’t let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building (your husband) up according to (his) needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to (your husband), forgiving (him) just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32
I am to sing and make music in my heart to the Lord in my marriage and all throughout the day every day.
I am to give thanks for everything God has given me in my husband and in my marriage, in my family and in my life. I must be willing to look and search for every gift, no matter how small. And when I write it down in thanksgiving or speak it out loud and name it, I am empowered to experience joy!
I seek what is best for my husband, placing his interests and his desires/plans/goals/dreams above my own.
Lord,  Teach us to seek Your will above our own! Help us to lay down and crucify our flesh, our sinful nature, our desires, our dreams, our plans, our will and be ready to accept Your will, Your dreams, Your plans, Your desires and Your Spirit with great joy!   Amen!

A Long-Lost Secret of God to Strengthen Our Prayer Lives and Marriages

The following link is a re-blog of an article written by a Christian blogger lady who is passionate about her relationship with God and being submissive to her husband in a godly manner.  The article is challenging to me and I struggle somewhat with the same sort of  ”objections” to the practice of women covering their heads during prayer that Peaceful Wife addresses.  I definitely appreciate her dedication and desire to be faithful to her understanding of what she sees as a scriptural mandate.  I hope you enjoy the thought process that she went through in reaching her decision.  RMF

A Long-Lost Secret of God to Strengthen Our Prayer Lives and Marriages.

Peaceful Wife

Avoiding Bad Influences

Reblogged from Mere Inkling:

In our last conversation, we considered the importance of friendship. It is truly a precious treasure. And it soothes the loneliness that scars our souls as a result of humanity’s fall.

Choosing to live our own lives, apart from our heavenly Father, has damaged every other relationship we experience. Our bonds with other human beings, even our own families, are twisted and stretched .

Read more… 916 more words

This is a "re-blog" of a blog to which I subscribe and greatly appreciate, The blog's title, Mere Inkling, is derived from the name of one of the greatest writing communities ever to exist. Chief among the members of the Inklings who met weekly in Oxford were C.S. Lewis (of Narnia fame) and J.R.R. Tolkien (creator of Middle Earth). The adjective is taken from Lewis’ most significant nonfiction work, Mere Christianity. In the finest spirit of the Christians who went before him, he pushes aside the religious forest which obscures the heart of Christianity . . . and lifts up Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life upon a tree to purchase our redemption.  RMF

Is anything Wrong Anymore?

Is it ok for a person to do whatever they want to do? Are there any things you can do which are wrong? You might get the impression from the growing list of things which were previously considered wrong but which by today’s standards seem perfectly fine that “doing wrong” will soon become a meaningless concept.  It is starting to seem like the only thing a person can do which is wrong is to hold an opinion that something is indeed wrong.  Then that person will likely be labeled insensitive, intolerant, hopelessly conservative, or a hated bigot.    Following is a link to an article by one of my favorite apologetic authors, Ms. Amy Orr-Ewing.  In the article she addresses just one issue , pre-marital sex, which was formerly considered wrong but is now so commonplace that not having sex prior to marriage is considered unusual.  

Wedding Rings

Amy Orr-Ewing

Amy Orr-Ewing
Amy Orr-Ewing is Training Director of RZIM Zacharias Trust. She gained a first class degree in Theology at Christ Church, Oxford University, before receiving a Masters degree in Theology at King’s College, London. As well as overseeing the Trust’s apologetics training programme, Amy lectures at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and is also invited to speak at many universities, churches and conferences.

She has co-authored (with her husband, Vicor Frog Orr-Ewing) ‘Holy Warriors: A Fresh Look at the Face of Extreme Islam’ and has contributed to the book ‘God and the Generations’. Her new book ‘Why Trust the Bible?’ (published under the title ‘Is the Bible Intolerant?’ in North America) was shortlisted for the 2006 UK Christian Book Awards.  Click on the following link to access Ms. Orr-Ewing’s article.   RMF

https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/136c590c7f005e09

Looking West

Westward view just after sunset at Sanibel Island, Florida, April, 2010.

Technological Quagmiere

The following is a devotional thought from Jim Abernathy. Jim is pastor of the Westwood Baptist Church in Springfield, VA. I always appreciate the wit and wisdom in his writing. I especially enjoyed his thoughts which mirror the frustration most of us have experienced when seeking to use the technology available to us. And Jim’s suggestion for dealing with the irritation which so frequently accompanies these man-made marvels  is certainly on target.  RMF

Dr. Jim Abernathy
Pastor, Westwood Baptist Church

Technology is wonderful…when it works! I spent a few hours with some new friends today trying to get the cell phone I just purchased to work. Two technicians worked on it for forty-five minutes before they pronounced the phone defective and sent me out with a loaner phone while they got another of the model I wanted from another store. I came back a few hours later and met more new friends since the ones who helped me earlier in the day had now gone home. The new friends had the same luck that their predecessors had in trying to establish existing email accounts on the new phone. After trying for nearly an hour, the salesperson put me on the phone with the company representative. Thirty-seven minutes later he finally figured it out and emails started flooding in. I gathered up the box, manual, and other goodies that went with the phone and got in my car to go home. Before I left, however, I thought I would see if there were any emails that needed immediate response. The phone has a touch screen, so I touched the email icon and it opened to show me several emails that had come in. One by one I touched each email on the screen, and one by one, they did not open. I pushed an auxiliary button that offered specific commands and I touched “open” but nothing happened. With teeth firmly gritted, I got out of the car and approached the poor woman who had been working with me and tried to calmly tell her my dilemma. She tried to open the emails, but nothing happened. She pulled the battery to reset the phone (which took another several minutes to come back to life) but the emails could not be opened. It was then, after all that had been invested over the afternoon and evening, that she stared at the phone in disgust and told me that she had never sold this particular model and that in her opinion, the company that manufactured the phone was in real trouble.

Cell phone

Now when you have invested a good part of the day working with folks who cheerfully sold you the product that now condemn it, it is certainly a less than satisfactory buying experience. The store was near closing and I was near the peak of frustration, so I took the phone to see if, in reading the manual, I could find the problem. Of course, I assumed there was a manual inside the box. Foolish assumption on my part. There was a fold-out “how-to” guide with lovely pictures that instructed me to do what I had already done. It still didn’t work. The fold out “how-to” guide was missing one important subject that all good manuals should have…TROUBLESHOOTING!!!! I suppose, however, that these new “smart phones” make troubleshooting obsolete…or so it might be thought. Maybe it’s me that’s obsolete. No, that can’t be, for most of the difficulty was incurred by the technical staff of the store. Perhaps the smart phone has finally outsmarted the user.

So, I have been practicing my deep breathing exercises, trying not to be overcome by my frustrations over what seemed to be such a simple thing…getting a new phone. I have quoted scripture, hummed familiar hymn tunes, done everything I can to keep the evil phone spirits at bay. Tomorrow morning I will go back to the store, take advantage of their fourteen-day return policy, and choose a very different phone, perhaps one a little less smart.

How do you handle frustration? The Psalmists often spoke of the storms of life that so often brought frustration, worry, and fear. In the 46th Psalm the writer speaks of God as refuge and strength, even when the struggles mount. His conclusion is a powerful tool for facing the frustrations of life…”Be still and know that I am God.” Now I wouldn’t compare my frustrations today to the struggles of life that pose greater threats to our physical and spiritual well being. But even the smallest things can seem much larger than they are when you’re stuck in the middle with no help in sight.

George Will’s Son, Jon

With the Nationals baseball team coming to life this spring my interest in the sport has reawakened.  There is superb pitching, great team attitude, excellent fielding, and hitting that has been spotty but good enough when coupled with the pitching and fielding.  Altogether the team is off to an excellent start — but I try and refrain from getting overly excited because a great start (18 wins, 9 loses) can quickly turn into not so great.  Anyway, be that as it may, my very favorite baseball fan has been Washington Post columnist George Will.  That is until last week.  Last week Mr. Will penned an article about his son, Jon.  Jon is now my favorite baseball fan.  When you read the article I believe you’ll understand why.  RMF 

The big 4-0
Jon Will’s gift

By George F. Will 

George Will

When Jonathan Frederick Will was born 40 years ago — on May 4, 1972, his father’s 31st birthday — the life expectancy for people with Down syndrome was about 20 years. That is understandable.

The day after Jon was born, a doctor told Jon’s parents that the first question for them was whether they intended to take Jon home from the hospital. Nonplussed, they said they thought that is what parents do with newborns. Not doing so was, however, still considered an acceptable choice for parents who might prefer to institutionalize or put up for adoption children thought to have necessarily bleak futures. Whether warehoused or just allowed to languish from lack of stimulation and attention, people with Down syndrome, not given early and continuing interventions, were generally thought to be incapable of living well, and hence usually did not live as long as they could have.

Down syndrome is a congenital condition resulting from a chromosomal defect — an extra 21st chromosome. It causes varying degrees of mental retardation and some physical abnormalities, including small stature, a single crease across the center of the palms, flatness of the back of the head, a configuration of the tongue that impedes articulation, and a slight upward slant of the eyes. In 1972, people with Down syndrome were still commonly called Mongoloids.

George Will Family

Now they are called American citizens, about 400,000 of them, and their life expectancy is 60. Much has improved. There has, however, been moral regression as well.

Jon Will

Jon was born just 19 years after James Watson and Francis Crick published their discoveries concerning the structure of DNA, discoveries that would enhance understanding of the structure of Jon, whose every cell is imprinted with Down syndrome. Jon was born just as prenatal genetic testing, which can detect Down syndrome, was becoming common. And Jon was born eight months before Roe v. Wade inaugurated this era of the casual destruction of pre-born babies.

This era has coincided, not just coincidentally, with the full, garish flowering of the baby boomers’ vast sense of entitlement, which encompasses an entitlement to exemption from nature’s mishaps, and to a perfect baby. So today science enables what the ethos ratifies, the choice of killing children with Down syndrome before birth. That is what happens to 90 percent of those whose parents receive a Down syndrome diagnosis through prenatal testing.

Which is unfortunate, and not just for them. Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome, who are quite nice, as humans go. It is said we are all born brave, trusting and greedy, and remain greedy. People with Down syndrome must remain brave in order to navigate society’s complexities. They have no choice but to be trusting because, with limited understanding, and limited abilities to communicate misunderstanding, they, like Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” always depend on the kindness of strangers. Judging by Jon’s experience, they almost always receive it.

George Will Family

Two things that have enhanced Jon’s life are the Washington subway system, which opened in 1976, and the Washington Nationals baseball team, which arrived in 2005. He navigates the subway expertly, riding it to the Nationals ballpark, where he enters the clubhouse a few hours before game time and does a chore or two. The players, who have climbed to the pinnacle of a steep athletic pyramid, know that although hard work got them there, they have extraordinary aptitudes because they are winners of life’s lottery. Major leaguers, all of whom understand what it is to be gifted, have been uniformly and extraordinarily welcoming to Jon, who is not.

Except he is, in a way. He has the gift of serenity, in this sense:

The eldest of four siblings, he has seen two brothers and a sister surpass him in size, and acquire cars and college educations. He, however, with an underdeveloped entitlement mentality, has been equable about life’s sometimes careless allocation of equity. Perhaps this is partly because, given the nature of Down syndrome, neither he nor his parents have any tormenting sense of what might have been. Down syndrome did not alter the trajectory of his life; Jon was Jon from conception on.

This year Jon will spend his birthday where every year he spends 81 spring, summer and autumn days and evenings, at Nationals Park, in his seat behind the home team’s dugout. The Phillies will be in town, and Jon will be wishing them ruination, just another man, beer in hand, among equals in the republic of baseball.