Family

Children and Your Marriage

/ T. A. Blankenship / 2 Comments

There are many Christian couples who were married and expected to have children and found out after a few years or so that they were unable to have children.  The children are often seen as a blessing to the marriage and children making a house a home.  To those married couples who have longed to have children, but cannot, I can only say one thing, and that is the blessing of children is from the Lord, and He must have something different in mind for you.  I do not mean that to be a cold or harsh statement, but He may have a different blessing for you, so that you can bless children who need help or parents.

My intention is not to deal with having children in marriage, but that in most marriages children do come along as God’s blessing on us.  Most people who have children will realize this some time as the child or children grow, and that is this; these children will put your marriage to the test.  It is for that purpose I write this, and to encourage every young couple to be sure to devote time to their marriage.

Some young couples with children will probably be angered by what I am about to tell you, but it needs to be said.  When that boy or girl gets to two years or so they will start testing your marriage.  Couples need to nourish that marriage at every opportunity they have.  Your marriage made strong through your commitment to one another, your devotion to one another, your love for one another is the greatest thing, other than Jesus and the gospel, that you can give that child. 

By the time a child is five years or so, they will begin to realize that they can cause Mom and Dad a little trouble by dividing them, in matters of discipline, or guidance.  That is why before you have children you need to be sure that you agree on the matters of discipline and direction for your child.  If you have not, and that child sees Mom disagreeing with Dad in a matter of discipline, then that child will know how to get his/her way.  Do not disagree over disciplinary issues in the presence of your children.

In one of the churches God gave me the joy of serving as pastor, there was a woman who told of an event in their home where their daughter tried to divide her Mom and Dad over an issue of discipline.  The daughter did not like the way Dad had disciplined her, and went to her Mom, and said, “Aren’t you going to take my side on this?”, to which Mom said, “I have know him longer than I have you”.  That made an excellent point. 

The home is built around a strong, solid, Biblical marriage with Jesus Christ at its center.  If the marriage is not built according to Biblical principles and on the couples love for Christ Jesus and one another, that is a home that will not stand.  Our children will grow up and leave home.  That is how it should be.  That is how it is supposed to be.  If you do not have a strong marriage while the children are at home, then you are going to have problems after they are gone.

The best thing you as a man can give your children is letting them see you love their mother, and that nothing they say or do is going to divide you. 

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…”  Ephesians 5:25.

“Nevertheless let each one of you in  particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”  Ephesians 5:33 (NKJV)

Husbands and wives must both work at nourishing that marriage, even in the midst of a housefull of children.  If your home is built around the children, that marriage is most certainly doomed for failure.

Submission

/ T. A. Blankenship / Leave a comment

With our third installment of TWO FOR TUESDAY concerning marriage I want to invite your opinion and ask for your help as well.  This would be much more interesting if we could get some “Good Marriage” articles written by some of our readers.  Just write an article about someone you know who has been married 25 years or more whose marriage has been an inspiration to you.  I will give you credit for the article and a link to your site when I choose to use it.  You may email your article to isaiah4031(at)mo-net(dot)com. and if I choose to use it; it will be posted on the next available Tuesday.  Look forward to hearing from you.

Submission

Many times we hear this phrase using the word “Submission”, and in our society of this day it does sound like a word of bondage.  Is it bondage?  Is there something we have been missing?  In answer to the first question it is bondage when it is perceived the wrong way.  It is freedom for a marriage when it is seen in light of its true meaning.  So, yes, there is something that has also been missing.

From the Bible we see Paul the apostle writing this:

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Savior of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”  Ephesians 5:21-24 (KJV).

Submission is a two fold deal.  The husband must submit to his wife in the sense of being his only one.  His only wife.  His only lover.  His only woman.  He submits to her on those grounds.  He submits to her as being equally created in the image of God human being.  He submits to her dreams for their marriage, their home, their children.  To the husband his wife is his chief joy for life, other than Jesus Christ.

Men, that means that cars, boats, guns, football games, baseball games, boxing matches, hunting, fishing, camping – you get the idea – takes a back seat to your wife.  She is more precious than those things.  She wants and needs your love (this does not necessarily include sex), attention, and time.  We represent Jesus Christ and His love for the church.  How does He love His bride [the church]?  He gave His life for her.

Wives submission for you is to cherish your husband, commending him before his peers, encouraging him in his work and ministry, and like Sarah of old even seeing Abraham as lord (Genesis 18:12), even when she believed they would have no children.  It was an endearing term for Sarah, but also a term of respect.  That only means that in submission the wife is to respect her husband, his strengths, abilities, and his person.  In submission to him the wife should also see her husband as an equal of the creation of God’s image.  The wife should see her husband as the chief object of her affection, love, and life; after her love for Jesus Christ.

Both the husband and wife gave vows to one another; something like this;  I promise to love, honor and cherish you; in sickness and in health, in wealth or in poverty…, as long as we both shall live.  Marriage is a picture of Jesus Christ and the church.  Let us who know the Savior be mirror images of Him in our individual lives and in our marriages.

The Promise Continues

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

The Human Race Continues

In the following verses of Genesis chapter 10 we have the legacy of Noah and his sons. Human life, and all life would continue due to the amazing grace of our God and Savior. God used Noah for the continuation of life, and He chose to continue the human race for the ultimate saving of it. That is done through the sending of Messiah Jesus, and His death on the cross, His burial, and bodily resurrection. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we live eternally with Him. He returns to us what Adam lost.

We have a genealogy of the three sons in these verses. We will not see the genealogies of Ham or Japheth again. Shem’s genealogy is seen throughout the Scriptures; even to the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospel.

“Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.” Genesis 10:1-7 (KJV).

In these first seven verses are mentioned only the sons of Japheth and Ham. These are the descendants of Japheth – Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. These are the sons of Ham – Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan; with special note given to the sons of Cush; they being – Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabecha; and a couple of sons of Raamah being Sheba, and Dedan. Special note is given to one son of Cush who is not named among the others, and that is Nimrod in verses 8-14.

Japheth and Ham are the fathers of what were to become the Gentile nations. Following this genealogy we have no more genealogy for the Gentiles. There is virtually no way any one who is Gentile to trace and see from whom they came. We can know for certain that Noah came from Adam, and we are all descendents of them both.

In the new era following the flood Noah is almost like a second Adam, yet we have seen his sin in chapter nine by his drunkenness. Yet, he is like Adam in that he was given promise of a continuation of the human race, even unto the coming of the Savior, the Messiah. The Messiah would come through the lineage of Shem.

The people of the human race need to be assured that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. The penalty for sin is death. When we die there are two places for eternal beings to inhabit. One is a place of the glory and splendor of God. The other is a place of darkness, continual dying without dying, a place where your most innate desires go unmet, and your hatred for God is increased, but you cannot even curse Him. The only way to spend eternity in the glory and splendor of God is by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, His burial and resurrection. To go to the other all you need to do is nothing. It is already yours.

C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E Equals Compromise

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

Can you spell the word any differently than C-o-m-p-r-o-m-i-s-e?  Not at all.  It is a word which may mean different things to different people.  That is so with a lot of things in life.  None of us agree on everything all the time.  We get along most of the time because we compromise in order to do it.

I am a Baptist.  I also drive a school bus and work around people with a whole lot different beliefs than what I have.  We all get along really well most of the time.  I go and eat breakfast with one of the drivers who happens to be the pastor of a Church of Christ local church.  When we talk about anything “Religious” it is usually about “Pastoring” our churches.  I count him a friend.  I think we both know that there are areas of doctrine and things we disagree on, we are still friends.  I am saying this to get to something that has really got my blood boiling.

That is this.  Why is it in a Baptist Church this word C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E almost always comes up on the topic of the requirements of the pastor of a church, and the issue of marriage, divorce, and remarriage?  I have convictions on this matter, and some of the members of the church I pastor do as well.  This is usually concerning the “Husband of one wife” qualification.  This is found in 1 Timothy 3:2; “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”  In the Gospel of Matthew and the Sermon On the Mount Jesus says, “But I say to you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:32).

On the  qualification of a pastor being, “the husband of one wife” I have the conviction, as do many others that the pastor of the local church should not have been divorced and remarried.  The office of the Pastor, and the Deacon is a position of example.  His life should be an example to others, and especially in marriage.  It seems to me that a pastor who has been divorced and remarried would be a shame to a church when his home is reflecting the image of the world than the image of Christ and the Church.  I am not saying the pastor should be perfect.  We have all sinned.  I may have gotten away from what got my blood boiling.

Speaking with some people the other day concerning their work on a Pulpit Committee or Pastor Search Committee which was looking for a pastor.  There had been some disagreement concerning a former pastor whom they found out, after he resigned, that he had been divorced and was remarried.  There was dishonesty with this man in the first place – that they did not know this before hand. 

The Committee had discussed compromise  before looking at resume’s of prospective pastors.  What was the compromise?  To not even consider whether the man had been divorced and remarried before.  Who would have been making the compromise here?  Only those who had the conviction that a pastor should be “the husband of one wife”.  The others were making absolutely no compromise.  To overlook whether a man had been divorced and remarried would have caused them to violate their convictions.  Then, what kind of “convictions” would that be?  No conviction at all.

I just find it appalling that those who cry for COMPROMISE on some issues want the one’s who have conviction to compromise, but they compromise nothing.  May God help us have CONVICTION.  A conviction is something you believe strongly enough you stand on it; live or die.  A conviction is something for which there is no compromise.  On this issue of divorce there are many who have no conviction.

Though the world and the “Church” is equal in the numbers of divorces; that alone should cause those of us who are the spiritual leaders of our churches to stand and say we are going to be different than the world around us, have a strong family life, and encourage the families of our churches to build strong families, and homes.  That will start by having CONVICTIONS WITHOUT COMPROMISE.  

Go Forth

/ Tim A. / 4 Comments

Go Forth

“And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.” Genesis 8:13-19 (KJV)

This is the first time we are told that God spoke to Noah since He called he and his family into the ark, and closed the door, “and the LORD shut him in” (7:16). O, how reassuring and comforting it must have been to Noah to hear the voice of God again. How do we respond when we do not hear God? Times of God’s silence seem like darkness. If you have never experienced these times then, you will not understand of what I am writing. It just seems like you are alone. You hardly know where to turn, what to do, or know if you should do anything at all. It is especially difficult when you have grown use to knowing and enjoying His speaking to you. What did Noah do during that year of silence?

Here is what Noah did. He did what he had been given commandment to do. When you have heard God speak in the light, and He has given guidance, commandment, or commission, then, that is what you are to do in the dark. Someone has said, “Never doubt in the dark, what God has spoken in the light”. That is good.

Noah uses the faith God has given him, the wisdom, the patience to follow through with everything God has taught him. Then, when all is ready; God speaks again. Going through the flood in that ark was Noah’s assurance that God was going to bring them through. When you experience God’s silence remember His Ark of safety in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. The presence, power and glory of God’s Spirit in you is God’s assurance He is going to bring you through.

“Go forth of the ark” was God’s word to Noah. It was God’s word for the living things and fowl, and cattle that were all on the ark. God’s Word to us is for the whole world. God’s Word is to go, fill the earth.

Again, Noah did all that God had commanded him to do. Though the words are not used he follows God directions. Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives all came off the ark; and all the animals, insects, and fowl came off as well. God’s command was “Go” in this text. It was not come. Noah had to get out of the “sanctuary” of the ark. As Christians we are to be in the world, but not of it. That means we are not to seek living in solitude away from the world; but to be in the world, and not of it. Showing the world by our lives and living faith what Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection means to us, and how He has changed our lives.

BF&M – The Family

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

This will be the final article on the Articles of our Statement of Faith, called the “Baptist Faith and Message”.

This Article was added to the 1963 version of the BF&M in the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention.  It was a needed article.  It clarifies where we as Southern Baptists stand on family issues.  It does make clear that marriage is to be one man and one woman, thus ruling out homosexual conduct, and all sexual immorality.

The family is the foundational institution which God created from the beginning.  God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, and He created the woman from the rib of Adam, making her his wife, friend, confidant, and lover.  The family was instituted before the Church, it was instituted before human government; thus it is an integral part of humanity and godliness.

Here is our Statement of Faith on “The Family”:

XVIII. The Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.

This Article shows the order for the Biblical/Christian family.  If there is to be order in any business, church, government, or organization; there will of necessity be leaders who will be designated to make decisions based on recommendations from others.  The same is true in families.  God has ordained that the man be the “Head of the wife”, as Christ is the “Head of the Church” (Ephesians 5:22-23), and I like the way this is worded in the BF&M statement, “A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.”; especially “…to the servant leadership of her husband…”.  Men this is not a matter of having your way.  It is a matter of love, and “Servant leadership”.

This Article also deals with the children, and their discipline.  One of my thoughts on the things we give our children is, and I have often told others; “The best thing we can give our kids, is to let them see Dad loving and cherishing their Mother”.  A marriage should never be divided by the children.  The marriage came first, in the Biblical situation, and you will be living with your spouse for the rest of  your life.  That should not be so of your children.  They are to go out from your home and make a life for themselves.

In the healthy, godly home there will be no abusive situation.

Problem With Mixed Marriages

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Genesis 6:1-22 continuing…

In chapter four we had the story of the genealogy of Cain, and that was following his murdering his brother Abel. Cain’s record is a record of the ungodly. “Cain went out from the presence of the LORD…” (4:16). The New Testament speaks of Cain as being one who hated God; Jude 11 mentions “the way of Cain” that would be not to seek the Lord, and attempt his own way of worship. First John chapter three and verse twelve tells us, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”

In chapter five we have the story of the genealogy of Seth, “The Appointed”, and within it the story of redemption and the glory of God. Its story runs from Seth through Noah, and includes his three sons; Shem, Ham and Japheth.

It is my conclusion that since we have the genealogies of Cain and Seth here – back to back so to speak – that chapter six is referring to the Cainites as producing the “Daughters of men”, and the “Sons of God” are reference to the lineage of Seth. That does not give us a real bright picture of Seth’s sons, but that is how I will be presenting this.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:1-2 (KJV).

In looking at this we have to take it back to even before the lineage of Cain is given. It was then that people were beginning to populate the earth. We must remember that Adam and Eve had other children other than what is written in the pages in the early chapters of Genesis. With Cain and Seth we are given the truth of God that there are generally two types of people on the earth. Those who love God, because they have themselves received God’s love for them; and then, there are those like Cain who had no heart for God. This is the story that must be seen if we are to believe that men/women are accounted for their actions.

The women or “daughters of men” must have been very alluring, attractive, and seductive. Sometimes even the best of men will fall for something of beauty. These daughters of men, being from the lineage of Cain would, most likely, had no problem deceiving, luring, and lying to the sons of God, in order to achieve what they desired, thus luring many of them away from God. Those men who are named in the godly line of Seth were probably the ones who maintained somewhat of a fellowship with God, the LORD. It this is all there were, then, wickedness would surely have had a strangle hold on their society.

There are some who believe that the “sons of God” are fallen angels, as those mentioned in Jude 6, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day”, and also they refer to Job 1:6 and 2:1 where it says, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.”, and 2:1 stating, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.” My question concerning this idea is, What would an angel, even a fallen angel, see in the “daughters of men”? There is no problem with seeing these “sons of God” as being from the lineage of Seth. As a matter of fact it solves a whole passel of problems. I am not going to deal with the matter of the angels here, because I do not see them as being involved in this text.

You could call the joining of the godly line with the ungodly line a case of “Mixed Marriages”. That is forbidden by God in the Scriptures today, though, there would have been no law concerning the matter in the early parts of the Beginning. Surely some sense of decency and thoughts of right and wrong would have been there, but maybe not. God now definitely forbids the Christian from marrying a non Christian. There are far too many “Mixed Marriages” in our society and it could be a death knell to the family. We are told in the New Testament,

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (KJV).

Now there are many people who have heard this taught and preached again and again. Young ladies who know better, professing to be Christian; marry a man who is the dream of her life, but he is not a Christian, and she finds out later that life with this man is a nightmare, they cannot agree on much, if anything, and he gets more and more rebellious toward the things of God as life goes along. In some rare cases the man comes to faith in Christ, and things can get better. God does not approve of Mixed Marriages concerning faith.

A Writing of Divorce

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Matthew 5:21-48 continuing…

“It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32 (KJV).

We live in a day when divorce is running rampant. The Christian family is as infected as is the people outside the Christian faith. The percentage runs about 50 percent. Half of all marriages end in divorce according to statistics. For me to say that Christians are getting divorces as much as those who are not Christians really grieves my heart.

I cannot believe that anyone who has been divorced entered the marriage thinking, “I am going to get married for a few years, and then, get a divorce”. I may be wrong, but I cannot imagine that. I do believe there are some who give their vows to one another thinking, “If this does not work out we can always get a divorce”. I think that is why many get a divorce. There is no bonding. No commitment to the relationship.

It seems that Jesus is referring to a passage of scripture in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 having to do with the process of divorce. The religious leaders of the day had been teaching that a man could divorce his wife for burning the toast. The divorce laws today just as well not exist. They are so lenient that there is no reason needed to get one. NO FAULT divorce.

It might help us to understand this law better to realize that women in the time of Moses had no rights in marriage. The woman was at the mercy of her husband, and in almost every situation if not every situation, she had to marry whom her parents – her father – decided. The only legitimate divorce was if there was proof that she was not a virgin when she and her husband were married. When a husband brought such charges, and if they were false, the parents had the wedding night bedding, and could produce evidence of her virginity. If they had no proof of her virginity, then he could give her a writing of divorce, and she could go and be another man’s wife (See Deuteronomy 22:13-21). Women had no legitimate means of support, except a husband. In many situations their only other alternative was harlotry/prostitution. For a man to give a writing of divorce for another reason other than that mentioned caused her to commit adultery by marrying another man, and the man committed adultery as well. If a man became jealous suspecting his wife of unfaithfulness they had a means of caring for this also (See Numbers 5:11-31).

Jesus’s words on divorce are quite strong. It causes many of us to question what He meant. It is clear. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife was for “the cause of fornication”, ie., sexual sin, sexual impurity. If a man divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and she marries another she commits adultery, and the man who marries her commits adultery. This can also be reversed for the woman and the man concerning our day. In Jesus’s day the woman was not allowed to seek a divorce. Women today can seek a divorce, so that is why I say the thing can be reversed with the woman seeking a divorce.

Divorce, as it is practiced in our society of 2007, does not make sense. It is almost always a losing proposition. The man loses, the woman loses, and if there are children they are the biggest losers, but not of their own doing.

Have a Wonderful Father’s Day

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

It is that one day a year when there is a special recognition of Fathers.  We are appreciated by our families.  At least, most of us are.  There are probably some fathers who come here to Fire and Hammer who may not feel too appreciated, but know that you are loved and cared for.

Our Heavenly Father cares for and loves you.  He may be the One who can make a wonderful difference between you and your family.  He loves you the way you are.  He can and will save you the way you are, and know this,  He loves you too much to leave any of us the way we are.

God bless you men, and have a great day in the Lord.

A Saturday in May

/ Tim A. / 4 Comments

I believe it has been some time since I posted anything on Fire and Hammer on a Saturday, and this will not be a very lengthy one.

Just wanted everyone to know that my wife and I are grandparents once again.  Our son Philip and his wife Sarah J., on Friday May 4, 2007 gave birth to Natalie Joyce.  She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces, and is 21 and one quarter inches in length.

There is a possibility that I will not have a post here on Monday 7th of  May as I usually do.  If I do it will be posted much later in the day than usual. 

If you come here and I have no new post then feel free to click on any one of the links which are listed here, and I am sure you will be blessed, or informed, and possibly both.

God bless you all, and have a great weekend.

The First Wedding

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Genesis 2:1-25 concluded..

These verses begin by showing Adam performing his God ordained task, as a matter of fact, he is showing a God-like quality. Just as God named the earth, the heavens, and man; Adam is given the ressonsibility to name the animals. This shows man in his ability to reason and to rule.

“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” (v. 20). As these animals pass before Adam he is shown that there is none like himself. This shows us that man is himself unique, and needs a unique help meet.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (vv. 21-22). In these verses we find the first surgery performed, and the FIRST MARRIAGE. This was a very unique surgery. A rib is removed from Adam. The rib taken from Adam is then, ‘Built’ into the likeness of Adam in female form. The way she is designed is even unique. Instead of being formed from the dust of the ground she is built from the side of the man “For Adam was first formed, then Eve” 1 Timothy 2:13. It has been said, “Woman was not taken from man’s feet to be trampled by him, or from his head to rule over him; but from his side, to be near his heart, and loved by him”. UNKNOWN. In name and nature man and woman were made for one another.

In type [portrait] we see Christ giving His life for His Bride. Here is how it can be seen; 1) Deep sleep – death; 2) the side opened – the spear thrust into His side, and the blood and water flowed. Jesus died on the cross. His side was opened by a soldier’s spear (John 19:34). Even as Adam awoke; Jesus arose from death and the grave. When Adam awoke he discovered the most beautiful of all of creation. When Jesus arose from death He had prepared the way for the building of His bride. Just as God brought Eve to Adam, God brings us to Christ, also ultimately into the garden (Rev. 22:1-2).

The first husband and wife are truly one – Eve was taken out of Adam. Just for noting: Adam does not name give the woman the name “Eve” until the twentieth verse of chapter three, and that is after the fall. They were one in purpose, one in flesh, one in God and in worship.

In their innocence they were unashamed. They were open. Everything was revealed. They expressed genuine love for one another without shame or fear of reprisal. Their communication with one another, and with God was straight forward. There was no need for politics, political correctness, diplomacy or tact. It must have been wonderful. There is no way at all we can begin to understand the joy they shared together.

Here in this portion of Scripture is given direction for all marriages to come. The man begins his own family and is to, himself, become the head of his wife; not his mother, father of her mother and father.

God performed the first wedding ceremony. If God were allowed to be central of every wedding/marriag, and the couples; there would be no spousal abuse, divorce, adultery, etc., except because of sin.

It seems that in this year of 2007 Domestic abuse or Spousal abuse is up over much of our country. O, that those who are married would love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25ff). Too many times the husbands are always expecting to receive from the wife, when it is our privilege to give to the wife the very best that we can give, even to our lives.