A Woman God Can Use - Part 2

Let’s take a closer look at these women mentioned in Matthew 1.  The first woman mentioned was Tamar.  Her story is found in Genesis 38.  She was a Canaanite woman that married two of Judah’s sons.  Eventually, she posed as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law Judah and became pregnant with twins.

How could God use a woman like Tamar?   Her story sounds pretty awful by our standards today.  But actually, by ancient Hebrew standards, her actions were legal and considered moral.  According to the Levirate Law, a child born of marriage to the brother of a dead older brother was the heir of the dead husband. He was also the heir of his real father. In this way, family property was preserved and consolidated. It was not only a disgrace for Tamar not to have a child, it meant that she had no way of providing for herself.  She had no property or inheritance without a son. 
Judah had promised her his youngest son Shelah after the other two older sons had both died, but Judah did not keep his promise. Even though Tamar had to trick Judah into producing an heir with her, she was doing the right thing.  Judah eventually called her “righteous” (Genesis 38:26) because he knew that he was the one that actually was in the wrong.    
Tamar was a strong woman.  She was widowed twice, publicly embarrassed by her 2^nd husband’s actions and sent back home to her parents to live in disgrace.  Instead of feeling sorry for herself and just accepting her life as it was, she took action and God worked all of it out for her good.  He blessed her with two sons, one of which was included in the direct lineage of Jesus.

What can we learn from Tamar?   She knew her rights, and she acted upon them.  As children of God, we are co-heirs with Christ and we need to know our rights!  We need to act on them!  We don’t just sit back and wait for God to bless us, we need to get out there and bless others.  We must study the life of Jesus, and pattern our lives after His.  He used His authority and so can we!  No matter what life throws at you, know that ALL of it will work together for your good if you are a child of His.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.  What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:28-31 NIV

A Woman God Can Use - Part 1

Matt 1:1-6 NLT - This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon.  Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.  Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah)....Matt 1:16 NLT  - Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

I know that you just skimmed over all of those names! I have done the same thing many times. But go back and read them! Most of us just skip over these scriptures entirely because we can’t pronounce most of the names. One Sunday morning, while the preacher was reading out of Matthew 1, something just jumped out at me.  Look back at the entire scripture…verses 1-16.   There are only 4 women listed.  What really caught my attention was that a couple of them I recognized as women who had a very sinful past.  So I decided to do a study of the 4 women listed here.  If the Holy Spirit thought they were important enough to include in the bible, then there is something that we need to learn from the lives of these women.

The first woman mentioned was Tamar.  Her story is found in Genesis 38.  She was a Canaanite woman that married two of Judah’s sons.  Eventually, she posed as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law Judah and became pregnant with twins. 

Next, there is Rahab.  She was a prostitute that hid the two spies that Joshua had sent to check out Jericho (see Joshua 2). 

Ruth was a Moabite woman that married an Israelite man who was living in Moab.  After he died, she stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi and moved with her back to Judah. Her story in found in the book of Ruth. 

The final woman mentioned was Bathsheba.  In 2 Samuel, chapter 11, she was introduced.  She became the object of King David’s desire and committed adultery with him while her husband, Uriah the Hittite, was off at war.        

There's No Place Like Home

In the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s journey begins when a tornado takes her “over the rainbow” to the Land of Oz.  Instantly, when the house she is in lands in Munchkin Land, she knows that this place is not her home.  Everything is foreign to her. 

Throughout the entire movie, Dorothy is driven by an incredible desire to return home.  Even though this new land is beautiful and has so many things to offer, she is not satisfied there.  She knows deep down that she doesn’t belong there.  This is how we should feel in this world.  It is not our home.  Oh we might have great adventures and see many beautiful things, but we were created with a desire to go home. 

Like Dorothy, our main focus should be on that one goal: to go home.  Dorothy wanted her friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion to go home with her.  That should be what we desire, too.  To take as many people home with us as we can!    

In the movie, there were lives that Dorothy needed to touch (Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion) and lessons that she needed to learn in that foreign land before she could leave there are return home.  As it is with each of us, God will not call us home until we have done what we were placed here to do.

As you go through this life and things seem so hard to bear, remember that it is only temporary.  Nothing here can compare to our perfect home up above with Jesus. There is truly, NO PLACE LIKE HOME!   

"All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” - Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT

The Wizard of Oz

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz.  As a child I was so excited when it would come on TV.  Of course now I have it on DVD and I can watch it any time I want to. It has always had a special place in my heart because of the beautiful message “there’s no place like home” and the wonderful songs.  My family gets very annoyed watching this movie with me because I know most of the lines and song lyrics and I love to sing along! 

I am always looking for object lessons, and this is a movie that people of all ages can relate to.  So I have decided to do a series of devotions comparing our Christian walk to The Wizard of Oz!  First, I need to set the stage of characters:

Dorothy: The young orphan girl, who feels unwanted and unloved in her aunt and uncle’s home, will represent you and me, who live in this world that is not our home. 

The Wicked Witch of the West: Dorothy’s adversary, will represent Satan, our enemy.

Glinda the Good Witch: who watches over Dorothy and saves her from her enemy, will represent Jesus, who saves us and is always with us and watching over us.

The Wizard of Oz: who is great and powerful and knows all, will represent our Almighty God who is great, powerful, knows all, sees all and is in charge of everything.

Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion: Dorothy’s three friends that help her on her journey, will represent our teachers, ministers and friends that help us on our journey.

Ruby Slippers:  The gift that was given to Dorothy by Glinda the Good Witch. They give Dorothy power over her enemy and they will represent the Holy Spirit that was given to us when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and gives us power over our enemy. 

Tune in over the next few weeks for these devotions that I am so excited to share!  Hope you will enjoy the journey with me! 

       

I Know You Can Hear Me

We have a son (who is actually a dog, but shhhh don’t tell him) named Bosley.  He is such a sweet puppy.  Inside the house, he listens and minds so well.  But the second I open the door to let him outside, it is as if he suddenly becomes deaf!  He makes a beeline away from the house smelling and “watering” everything in his path. As he moves further and further away from me I begin to call his name, but he just keeps walking along pretending I’m not there.  Every blade of grass, every tire and every tree are WAY more important to him than me at that moment.  As I start to yell louder and louder, I catch myself saying, “I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

Aren’t we just like Bosley?  Most of us try to listen and obey God when we are in His house, but the second we leave out the doors, we suddenly become deaf to His word.  We walk around in our day to day lives ignoring His promptings and never spending time listening to Him. We venture further and further away as He calls after us.  The things of this world keep us so busy and they hold our attention so deeply.  Can’t you just see Him yelling at us, “I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

The reason I get so upset with my puppy is because I want him to be safe.  If he doesn’t listen to me, I can’t protect him.  It is the same with our Master.  He only wants the best for us, He only wants to love and protect us.  

As we go throughout our day “outside” in the world, I pray that we never get too busy that we ignore the voice of the Lord.    

""But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'" - Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV

I Know That You Are For Me

Rom 8:28-31 NIV “And we know that IN ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?”

Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite and most quoted scriptures.  So is Romans 8:31. The scriptures in between the two have somehow been skimmed over.  The subjects of foreknowledge and predestination have always been just beyond my understanding. So I did some research and asked the Lord to reveal to me what I needed to understand.  This is what I got!

For those God FOREKNEW: Of course God foreknew us, because He knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)  All of our days were ordained and written in His book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139-16)

He also PREDESTINED: He created each of us with a hole in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. Most people spend their lifetime looking for something to fill that hole.  They use drugs, alcohol, money, sex, gambling, food…anything they can get their hands on.  But nothing will be able to make them complete except Jesus.  He was the firstborn of God and it is God’s desire that we ALL become sons and daughters through believing in Him. 2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

And those he predestined, he also CALLED: Everyone will have the opportunity to hear God’s call…whether by you and I, or a preacher, a missionary, a gospel television program, or the internet.  Matthew 24:14 NIV “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Those he called, he also JUSTIFIED:  When we listen to the call of God and accept His son to fill that hole in our heart, we ask his forgiveness of our sins.  He washes away all of our past sins and makes us righteous: not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Romans 3:21-24 NIV “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Those he justified, he also GLORIFIED:  On this earth, our bodies are decaying every day, but as sons and daughters of God, we will receive glorified bodies when we get to Heaven.  Philippians 3:20 NIV “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” 

From the moment we are formed in our mother’s womb until the day we draw our last breath, God is calling out to us to accept His offer of adoption into His family.  He wants us.  He loves us.  He created us to love Him in return. What then shall we say in response to ALL of this? Lord, I KNOW that you are for me.  And if You are for me, who can be against me?

Secure

How do you know that YOU KNOW?  Security in our salvation….it is a much debated belief.  As a Baptist, but an open minded person, I have studied the security of the believer many times…especially when I was 28 and still feeling unsure of my salvation and wondering how to have peace within.  I had walked the aisle at age 8 and been baptized, but continued to struggle with doubt for 20 years. As I searched for answers, I realized that I never truly had the Holy Spirit living within me.  I want to speak to all of those that are struggling like I was.  If you find yourself living a life of sin, and you are not being convicted from within, you may need to go back and examine your salvation experience.  If you have TRULY surrendered and have given your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit living within you will not let you continue to live a sinful life.  Ephesians 1:13–14 ”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. “  If you are saved, you are God’s possession, and it’s not like Wal-Mart….he doesn’t have a return policy.  Salvation is not something you have earned, we did nothing to earn salvation (salvation is a free gift of God’s grace), so how can we ever lose salvation? Conditional security in salvation is acceptable only to those who also believe that they somehow contributed to their salvation in the first place. This is the opposite of what the bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” which clearly states that we contribute absolutely nothing to our salvation; even the faith necessary to receive the gift of grace, is itself a gift of God.

The most popular objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle. The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian.  1John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Therefore, neither objection is valid. True Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

Here are two more scriptures to hold on to:  Romans 8:38–39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 10:28–29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was deposited into you, and you have security that NOTHING can take that away from you.   We all will continue to have sin in our lives- because we are still human.  But the Spirit within us will whisper to us that we need to confess and turn away from that sin.  He will search our hearts and minds and we will not rest until we are right with God.  And as we grow closer to the Lord each day,  we will find it harder and harder to do anything that would not please God. 

Written with help from "Gotquestions.org"