| Friday, March 30 |
| Pearl of Great Price |
Matthew 13:45-46
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
LORD FATHER OF ALL,
Help me to recognize the valuable pearls in my life. Thank YOU for the blessing of friendship.
Amen Labels: Pearls |
posted by Marsha @ 3/30/2007 10:42:00 AM   |
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| Thursday, March 29 |
| A Shibboleth on the Wounded Oyster: |
The Use of Spiritual Nacre
Many years ago, my Mother sent me a tape of "the little Man's" sermon on qualities of an oyster we should emulate. She knew that 1) I had an immense respect for and fond liking to his preaching, and 2) I was at a low point in my emotional well being that the inspirational words of comfort would fortify my resolve and encourage me to 'forge on.' Sharing the two main premises of that talk will aid me in bolstering my resolve to act on the shibboleth contained in Matthew 5:37-44.
Definitions from the Merriam-Webster dictionary indicate that the entry oyster can refer to 1)a rough irregular shell closed by a single abductor muscle and/or 2)an extremely taciturn person. There are other listings as well but these two fit the object lesson that this preacher was trying to convey.
Anyone who has ever picked up and felt an oyster shell will observe a highly calcified exterior. Its roughness is very unpleasant to human touch. It serves a purpose! Image this - that roughness provides the safety for small animals necessary for them to survive until time for these creatures to 'give their all' as the nourishment for larger sea life such as striped bass - something for humans, in turn, to eat. Kind of like a incubating, aquatic "Meals-on-Wheels", if you will!
Additionally, that rough exterior contributes to the water purification system of the ocean. An oyster's mature shape often depends on the type of bottom to which it originally attached. It orients itself with its outer, flared shell tilted upward. One valve is cupped and the other is flat. The submerged shell opens periodically to permit the oyster to feed. Thus, water drains through the bivalve system creating a natural and efficient system to purify ocean water - even at very deep levels!
Furthermore, this is the point when an oyster can experience the uncomfortable introduction of a foreign irritant which is termed grit. By covering an invading piece of grit with secretion called nacre over a period of years, the oyster forms a pearl. There are many different types and colors and shapes of pearl, but this depends on the pigment of the nacre and the shape of the piece of grit being covered over.
As our church family's new preacher often remarks, "So what?" What is the allegory between the characteristics of the oyster and Matthew 5:37-44? I believe the relevance is in the knowing that my answers and conduct should have just the right amount of roughness to be truthful and forthright that others will be able to label me as a Christian. However, I should use the tactfulness of my elder Brother Jesus Christ and know when to effectively 'purify' a situation or brother with prayers and supplication for others in order that they might be saved. (James 5:12, I John 5:16. Phillipians 4:16)
But what if? I used to tell my children that 'what ifs' did not exist - in GOD's eyes. But sometimes they do and GOD the FATHER, CREATOR, AND SAVIOR of us all has addressed that as well. The 'what if' can be equated to the grit which the oyster might experience. And how I choose to react to each situation that other family members use to 'irritate' me with is what will determine the color and size of the pearls that will comprise my 'crown of life.' (James 1:12) I wonder, if I persevere, what my crown of life will look like.
My prayer today will be that I will be a blessing to others I meet, that I will be their shelter or "Meals-on-Wheels" whichever is most useful or applicable. Moreover, LORD, I pray that YOU will provide the nacre necessary that I can use to cover the grit and irritants that others cast my way today. Please help me remember Matthew 5:44 to fortify me and build me up in the most holy faith (Jude 1:20). Make my heart see the value of being an extremely taciturn child of THE KING - YOU - resting in the assurance that YOU ALONE are in control. (Habakkuk 2:20) Selah.
Amen Labels: Pearls |
| posted by Marsha @ 3/29/2007 02:54:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, March 27 |
| It's All Greek to Me - NOT! |
Recently, a bible discussion group led my thinking to re-researching the origins of thought and debate about Titus 2:5. Paul, a very stoic disciple of our LORD, penned these words:
"To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Contextually, Titus 2 is a chapter from a letter to Titus - a faithful Greek companion to the apostle Paul - about 'how-to' present one's self as a Christian in this world we live. The passage is usually referred to as 'qualifications' for elders and deacons of our LORD's spiritual bride.
It seems, to me, however, the passage has lately been used to validate the notion that older women should teach the younger ladies how to be 'homemakers' and 'stay-at-home mommies. ' First of all, let me state emphatically that there is NOTHING wrong with our young ladies who are able to stay at home with t he blessings GOD gave them - their children! My daughter is able to do that with her two beautiful (Mimomma's humble opinion) daughters. As a Christian wife and mother, I am delighted to watch as my granddaughters flourish under her watchful and disciplined eye! That's great! And I see a wonderful trend among the faithful of younger couples planning ahead and making that siutaion work for their young families. Superb! GOD wants us to grateful and expects us to be good stewards of all HE has blessed us with. (Psalms 127:4-5 points out that happy is the man who has a 'quiver full' of children.)
Then, allow me to follow that statement with and equally emphatic comment that there is NOTHING wrong with ladies 'working outside the home' as well. My mother exemplifies godliness - and she only worked outside our home while I was in the fifth grade. As I attended college and earned my professional degrees, I planned my life's avocation - educating our young ones - in order that I could have the same hours as my own children with the same 'vacations', etc. (My life's vocation has always been Christian - follower of the LORD of lords and KING of kings - although I have stumbled many times over and again trying to be as HE was and is and will always be.) Likewise, I read of many biblical examples of 'professional' women who managed homes AND worked for profit. (Lydia Dorcas, Lemuel's mother, Deborah, Ruth, etc.)
So what's the rub? I know I have been guilty of overlooking the broader issue of the 'keepers at home' phrase in Titus 2:5. I'd like to share these thoughts with you hoping that you will encourage all young women - whether homemaker or professional - to be discreet, chaste, keepers, good, and obedient. Let me first show you the Greek that Paul wrote to Titus (the Greek).
oikouros
Pronunciation: oy-koo-ros'
Origin:
from 3624 and ouros (a guard, be "ware")
Part Speech: adjective
In Greek:
keeper at home 1
Definition:
1) caring for the house, working at home
2) the (watch or) keeper of the house
3) keeping at home and taking care of household affairs
4) a domestic
ouros (a guard; be "ware"); a stayer at home, i.e.domestically inclined (a "good housekeeper"):-keeper at home. GREEK for 3624
(www.bible.org; www.biblegateway.com)
While I believe keeper at home does refer to the physical responsiblity of maintaining a household, I believe there is something larger to understand about this passage. Anyone who knows me personally recognizes my passion for the European 'flavor' in history. Recently, the light blinked on that Paul must have known a thing or two about Europe and its wealth of historical evidences. And I'm thinking this is one time he was giving us women a bit more prestige or value than just a domestic. (By the way, my house is decorated and furnished "Haut Well-Lived In" - if you know what I mean! BUT my children have been clothed with "the whole armor of GOD" described in Eph. 6:13-15 that they STAND therefore!)
Paul would have witnessed many mighty fortresses and castles of the era. Typically, each structure had a 'keep' as the central edifice. (Proverbs 31:11-12 describe the worthy woman as the central figure in keeping her houseold from spoil and ruin.) A keep was a self-sufficient structure that castle defenders could retreat to as a last resort during a battle. It was the strong central tower at the heart of the castle. (Proverbs 31:21. 28)
Keeps come in a remarkable variety of shapes and sizes. They can be of 'square' variety, generally found on the British Isles, cylindrical, octagonal, regular and irregular polygonal forms, or a combination or several of these features. Some castles were effectively fact no more than a keep. Often these are simply referred to as tower houses. Proverbs 31 tells us that the outward 'appearances' when Solomon writes, "30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." However, a closer look at the f unction of castle keeps, I believe, will render a parallel that we can find useful to the general application of form when applied to the heart of the mother.
The form and function of the keep changed with time and depended on the region. As the keep was a defensive structure, the shaping trend changed to accommodate for the developments in weapon technology. For example, the round or cylindrical keep was first introduced as a defense to the battering ram. A battering ram could cause severe damage to a square tower but would merely glance off the side of a rounded one. Also, a round corner is much harder to successfully undermine than a square one. Rounded towers also have the advantage of less "dead ground", or areas not visible from the tower summit.
Sometimes we as mothers must be the defense, protector of the heart of our children. We have to be ever watchful ready to fight for our children's emotional, social, physical, and spiritual health. Read about what one mother did to protect her son from the outward influences of power and affluence in Exodus 2. WOW!
After this study, I found myself reviewing my maternal history with my three children. I believe that I was a very 'well-rounded, tower of love, hope, joy, and peace' protecting my children from the wiles of the devil and the worldly ways of so many wicked people. I have no regrets for 'working outside' our home. I gave my three the opportunity to be a light and shine as HE shines and salt to flavor their daily encounters with what GOD expects (Matthew 5)- all the while allowing them to 'retreat' to our Keep where they knew a biblical GOD-supported defense would be waiting for them.
Matthew 28:19 tells us GOD said GO - MAKE - BAPTIZE. So much better it was for my children to learn this lesson at an early age! I know three people who have been directly taught and converted because my children practiced the GO - TEACH about the good news. But that's another blog for another day.
Feel free to leave comments - I want to know if your Keep is as secure as mine has been all these years - as I have genuinely left it in GOD's Hands (Isa 41:10)!
Labels: Pearls |
| posted by Marsha @ 3/27/2007 09:01:00 PM |
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| Wednesday, March 21 |
| As A Child - Lesson on Humility? |
And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]. --- Jesus, Matthew 18:3 You gotta love the purpose of parabolic metaphors (a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.) Jesus DID! Perhaps my very favorite one is Matthew 18:3 in which Christ explains the nature of HIS kingdom and how to 'get in shape' for acceptance. In this passage, Jesus takes more than a moment to sum up what's RIGHT about children using their general actions of trust, love, and forgiveness to define the make up of an attitude labeled humility. He equates this specific, childlike attitude of humility as the necessary key for opening the Kingdom's mighty gate. Moreover, HE implies that this is also the ONLY way in becoming great or important in GOD's kingdom. Most people think that you must be goodlooking, athletic, rich or smart in enter the gates of Heaven. They just do not understand genuine servitude of others will open many opportunities (doors or gates). That's the complete opposite of how the world thinks we should act to 'get ahead.' Furthermore, worldly people want us to trample under foot the feelings and values of others. Go ahead, they would have you to believe, - make YOUR point and forget about a friend's interests and thoughts. In the past I have been so guilty of such! I pray - LORD GOD FATHER of all - please please forgive me as I trangress by refusing to humble myself as a servant to others! Remember today as you go about the business of teaching and sharing THE GOOD NEWS that the greatest person in GOD's eternal kingdom is the one who stoops so low so as to assist a child or another person regardless of social status, ethnicity, wealth, gender, etc.! Start stooping today! Make a difference in a someone's life by BECOMING an active example of trustworthiness, agape love, and humility. Others learn by what they see, hear, taste, touch and smell! Tickle their senses with a variety and wealth of random acts of kindness as well as well-planned deeds of good tidings. I intend to start when I rise by practicing on my hubby. Reckon he will notice? ;-) Labels: Pearls |
| posted by Marsha @ 3/21/2007 10:44:00 PM |
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| 32 Years and Counting ;-) |
TODAY - the love of my life, my best friend, my lover, the father of my three beautiful children, my comfort, solace, and lifelong helper - my hubby and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. # 32 to be exact. March 21, 1975, was the first day of spring that year...an event that only occurs on 3-21 every 'blue moon." In fact, spring has sprung on March 21st only 30 times since the Gregorian calendar has been in existence! (And the last time WAS our wedding day!)
Cold it was in Indiana that day as the ground were mushy from the previous week's snow storm - the one that stalled traffic outside of tiny town a stone's throw from Grandma's house. Accompanied by another 20 or so patrons, I sat solemnly on that Trailways bus, wedding gown and ancestral paperwork in tow, awaiting 'rescue' from our plight. 3 hours passed - I never could persuade the bus driver to allow me to climb over the fence to the warmth and comfort of Grandma's home I could detect through the near white-out conditions. Back to March 21st - a handful of friends and family in a small church auditorium with Harry, a dear preaching friend, presiding over the joyous occasion - we exchanged vows of faithfulness, fidelity, and fortitude to accompany each other through thick and thin.
Now 32 years later I can say that he and I have honored one another by remaining true to those vows. Best yet most terrifying decision I ever made in my whole life! Forever, My Love! That's what I used to write and comment. USMC motto has become my new mantra - Semper Fidelis (ALWAYS FAITHFUL) - my new promise to you. LORD bless the two of us with as many and more years together - through thick and thin as one in spirit and purpose until it is time to go HOME to be with the FATHER!
I love you, Honey!
Forever - SEMPER FIDELIS!
Your Bride
Labels: Husband |
| posted by Marsha @ 3/21/2007 12:41:00 AM |
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