What Are We Doing With That Gift He Gave Us?

I’m horrible.

I have been in a rut. If any of you know me… you can probably tell that I am in a rut by my facebook posts. I go through these stages where I am a good mom/wife/housekeeper – bad – good  – bad.

And by ‘bad’ – I mean lazy. Out of control. My household has been full of chaos lately & I don’t know how to calm things down.  I don’t know how I get in these lazy/chaotic ruts.

God speaks to me & tells me,

“GET UP and stop being lazy!”

“Get organized!”

He NEEDS to YELL at me though, haha.

He is telling me,

“These children are a gift I gave you! I gave you your husband! You have a roof over your head & food on the table! What are you doing with these blessings I gave you?”

Am I the only one that God needs to yell at & scold? I sure feel like it!

So there is a lot on my mind as a sahm. As I go to look up verses for different reasons, somehow God keeps making me stumble upon verses like these below… and even when I see these verses for husbands/fathers -  I am feeling like this is God speaking to ME, not men. Really all these verses apply to me too.

I really have some shaping up to do!

Psalm 127:3
Children are a gift from the Lord; babies are a reward.

Psalm 113:9
He gives children to the woman who has none and makes her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!

Proverbs 13:24
If you do not punish your children, you don't love them, but if you love your children, you will correct them.

Proverbs 20:11
Even children are known by their behavior; their actions show if they are innocent and good.

Proverbs 22:6
Train children to live the right way, and when they are old, they will not stray from it.

Proverbs 23:13
Don't fail to punish children. If you spank them, they won't die.

Proverbs 29:15
Correction and punishment make children wise, but those left alone will disgrace their mother.

Proverbs 29:17
Correct your children, and you will be proud; they will give you satisfaction.

Proverbs 31:28
Her children speak well of her. Her husband also praises her,

Ephesians 6:1  Children, obey your parents as the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not make your children angry, but raise them with the training and teaching of the Lord.

Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord.

Colossians 3:21
Fathers, do not nag your children. If you are too hard to please, they may want to stop trying

1 Timothy 3:4
He must be a good family leader, having children who cooperate with full respect.

1 Timothy 3:12
Deacons must have only one wife and be good leaders of their children and their own families.

1 Timothy 5:10
She must be known for her good works—works such as raising her children, welcoming strangers, washing the feet of God's people, helping those in trouble, and giving her life to do all kinds of good deeds.

Titus 1:6
An elder must not be guilty of doing wrong, must have only one wife, and must have believing children. They must not be known as children who are wild and do not cooperate

Titus 2:4
Then they can teach the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

Proverbs 12:4
A good wife is like a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful wife is like a disease in his bones.

Proverbs 19:14
Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a wise wife is a gift from the Lord.

Proverbs 31:10
It is hard to find a good wife, because she is worth more than rubies.

Ecclesiastes 9:9
Enjoy life with the wife you love. Enjoy all the useless days of this useless life God has given you here on earth, because it is all you have. So enjoy the work you do here on earth.

1 Corinthians 7:3
The husband should give his wife all that he owes her as his wife. And the wife should give her husband all that she owes him as her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:4
The wife does not have full rights over her own body; her husband shares them. And the husband does not have full rights over his own body; his wife shares them.

Ephesians 5:23
because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church.

Ephesians 5:28
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself.

I just hope I am not totally displeasing the Lord in every single way. I hope He sees  my desire to please Him… and I hope I am able to climb out of my rut!!

I want to be a better wife & mother.

I hope I can get better control of my household.

I want things to calm down & the chaos to end & I want order back.

I want to run my home in a way that pleases HIM.

Tithing Means 10% & It’s A Command From God. Deal With It.

Sorry to be blunt like that… but we all need to suck it up & deal with the fact that we OWE God 10% of what we earn. Simple as that. So stop crying about it & trying to make excuses for why you don’t have to!

I know I am going to be disliked for this one… but this will be on tithing. Not too many can agree on this doctrine. Mostly because it hits our precious pocket book. And we don’t like being told what to do with our money. Only problem with that? It’s not OUR money. It’s His. He gives it to us. No scripture even mentions a substitute program for tithing in the New Testament.

There is a difference between tithing and offering. Tithing is a command. Offering is just that. Offering. Tithing is a tenth. A tenth off of the top of your profit. Whether it be your paycheck or your crops ‘back in the day’. A tenth of your earnings should go to God before it is touched for ANYTHING else. Before your mortgage, car payment, groceries.

I heard someone say once, If you want to know what is most important to someone… look in their check book. On the day of payday when that money is deposited… what is the very first thing money is withdrawn for?

Is it God?

It should be. Here is why. First of all, it is commanded by God. Secondly, the true Word needs to be spread.

Mark 16:15 (King James Version)

¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

How are we to make sure the true Word of God gets spread if we don’t support the church?

Tithes. Used 23 times in the bible.

Tithe. Used 14 times in the bible.

Tithing. Used 2 times in the bible.

Tithe  means tenth.

It’s really very simple. This does not mean a tenth of your time. This is a tenth of your earnings. Look at all the biblical examples. These people gave what they earned! Not just some ‘community service’ as they chose. That doesn’t mean painting the church in your spare time, or preparing meals for the sick or homeless or donating your baked goods for the church bake sale, or helping the youth on your free day.  All of those things are wonderful, but it all is considered offerings… not tithing!

The very first mention of tithing was in Gen. 14:20, Gen. 28:22 and again in Heb. 7:1-11. This practice was 430 years BEFORE the Law  of Moses!  So we will see, that the doctrine of tithing was practiced before the Law of Moses (Old Testament), Under the Law  of  Moses, and also in the New Testament (after the Law was finished). In the New Testament, Christ taught it & Paul taught it. It was commanded in both Old & New Testaments.

Tithing Under The Law Of Moses:

First of all it was commanded in Lev. 27:30 & Mal. 3:10.

Five Purposes for tithing:

• For  the Levites Num. 18:21-24  {“This is their payment for the work they do serving”}
• Tithes of the tithes every 3 yrs for the poor and the ministers Dt. 14:27-29, 26:12-14
• To  supply God’s house Mal. 3:10
• To honor God Prov. 3:9-10

When were tithes to be brought? Yearly, along with all other offerings for the feast Dt. 12:6-7, 14:22-26

These tithes belonged to God, not the people who paid them Lev. 27:30-34, Mal. 3:8

Where tithes were brought: 2nd Chr. 31:12, Neh. 10:38, 12:44, 13:5 & 12

If someone borrowed  then 20% interest had to be added when it was paid back Lev. 27:31

Tithing in the New Testament:

Christ taught it: (Mt. 23:23 <--- command, Lk. 11:42), Lk. 18:11-12,

Matthew 10:10 (New Century Version)

¹⁰ Don't carry a bag or extra clothes or sandals or a walking stick. Workers should be given what they need.

Luke 10:7-8 (New Century Version)

⁷ Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don't move from house to house. ⁸ If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat what they give you.

Paul taught it:

God ordained the support of ministers 1 Cor. 9:7-14

Melchisedec priesthood is eternal & must be supported Heb. 7:1-11

Here are some examples of those mentioned in scripture who paid tithes:

• Abraham (Gen. 14:20, Heb. 7:1-11)
• Jacob (Gen. 28:22)
• Levi in Abraham (Heb 7:9)
• Hezekiah and Israel (2 Chr. 31)
• Nehemiah and Israel (Neh. 13)
• Hypocrites (Mt. 23:23, Lk. 11:42; 18:12)
• Christians (1 Cor. 9:7-14; 16:2, 2 Cor. 7:11; 8:1-15, Gal. 6:6, 1 Tim. 5:17-18, Heb. 7)

Here are blessings mentioned for paying tithes:

• Blessings for obedience (Rom. 4:12, Heb. 7:6-10, 1 Cor. 9:7-14, 1 Tim. 6:17-18. Compare to Mal. 3:8-10, Pr. 3:9-10, Gen. 14:20, Dt. 8:10-20)
• God’s house will not want (Mal. 3:10)
• God’s ministers will not want (1 Cor. 9:7-14, 1 Tim. 5:17-18, Neh. 13:10)
• Material and spiritual blessings (Mal. 3:8-10, Pr. 3:9-10, 2 Chr. 31, Neh. 13)

Malachi 3:10-12 (New King James Version)

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,
      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.
¹¹ “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
      So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
      Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
      Says the LORD of hosts;
¹² And all nations will call you blessed,
      For you will be a delightful land,”
      Says the LORD of hosts.

Tithes and offerings belong to God. To use them for personal gain is robbery of what belongs to God. Robbing God of tithes and offerings brings a curse. The purpose of tithes and offerings was to support the priesthood and the work of God in general. In vs.. 10, God challenges men to prove Him regarding the rewards of tithing.

We have all said, “I can’t afford to pay God the full 10% this week” because we have bills due. But someone once told me, “I can’t afford NOT to pay God this week”. Have you ever been faithful with your 10% for a long period of time… and then slacked off for a couple of weeks. ‘Jipped’ God out of His 10%? Then something unexpected came up? Like… your car broke down. Or something in the house went wrong? An extra bill came or you got a ticket? Remember that curse in vs.. 8 & 9? God WILL get His money one way or another.

And on the flip side – If you are faithful with your 10%… imagine the blessings!! God knows what we need. He knows if we are struggling with our bills. He also knows if we are struggling with the idea of paying Him or not paying Him.

If we are faithful in paying Him, then He will provide for us. He will take care of our needs. Don’t forget:

”If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.”

He is faithful to us.

Are we faithful to Him?

Eternity’s Past – Part 1

Eternity, Before Adam and Eve – Part 1

I have a lot on my mind that I really want to get put down here. I am hoping I can keep some sort of structure here, but somehow I doubt that will happen. There is a chance I will be all over the place, because I am such a random person.

Even if I am all over the place, I hope this is interesting enough to hold your attention for a few minutes. To me, this is one of the most interesting topics to study! I can’t get enough of it.

So let’s get started!

Eternity = The Dateless Past

Eternity.

Before Adam & Eve.

Wow, imagine that! How much time was before Adam & Eve?

We can’t measure eternity, right? But what we do know are some details. So let’s discuss some details. Grab your bible & open to Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This first verse refers to prior acts of God in some period of time in eternity’s past.  NOT the 6 days of creation. The following verses refer to the earth under the flood (Lucifer's Flood) and judgment (judgment being ‘without form, void, darkness’). Then after that the earth is restored to a second habitable state as before the curse of vs.. 2.

Job 38:4-7 makes it clear that the heavens were created first – how else could the stars have rejoiced when the earth was created? Another verse on this dateless past of eternity before the 6 days of creation - Proverbs 8:22-23.

Now here are some interesting facts: 2 very important words that make all the difference in the world!

Hebrew word “bara” = to CREATE (for the first time out of nothing) - to bring into being (Hebrews 11:3). This word is used 7 times in Genesis 1-2. All other places the words “made” and “make” are used, showing that God’s 6 days of work was reconstructive work.

• In Genesis 1:1 – the universe is brought into existence
• In Genesis 1:21 – sea creatures are created
• In Genesis 1:27 – man is created.

The word “bara” is used for the introduction of 3 great things:

• the world of matter
• natural life (all living creatures) 
• spiritual life represented by man

Hebrew word “asah” = made, make, to make out of already existing material. It is the opposite of “bara” (to create).

“Asah” occurs 2633 times in scripture and it is translated:

• “make” or “made” 653 times
• “do” 1333 times
• “wrought” 52 times
• “execute” 48 times
• “prepare” 37 times
• “work” 29 times
• and various other ways

So when scripture says “in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth” it is referring to their restoration after Lucifer’s flood (after the curse of Gen. 1:2) and not to their original creation in the beginning (eternity).

Now, another very important word!

“Let” is used 14 times in Genesis chpt. 1 and 1497 times in the rest of the bible.

This word is expressing “permission” and “purpose” in connection with already existing things. The light, firmament, waters, earth, darkness and all other things mentioned here were already in existence. The purpose of their existence had been annulled because of sin in Lucifer’s time. {Jer. 4:23-26, 2 Pet. 3:5-7} God simply commands these things to function properly again {as they did all through Lucifer’s time} according to their purpose. In the restoration to perfection, God merely speaks commands. He commands the sun to give light again {Gen. 1:3}. In Gen. 1:4, He commands the sun, moon and stars to divide the day and night forever {w/out a daily command}.

In the creation of beasts and man, their bodies were formed but their life was created. Man was a work of God, not of molecules and monkeys. Big difference in these two words!

Another couple of interesting facts:

In Gen. 1:28 God commanded Adam to “replenish” the earth. REplenish! Fill it AGAIN! This proves that the earth had been filled before this. God gave the same command to Noah after the second universal flood in Gen. 9:1.

In Genesis 1:2 – the word ‘was’ is from the verb ‘to become’, not the verb ‘to be’, which shows that the earth became waste & empty since it’s original creation in the beginning.

This sums up Part 1 of “Eternity – Before Adam and Eve”. This is the part about the creation. In Part 2 I want to discuss Lucifer’s flood in detail. Hopefully I can get this out tomorrow!

So please come back to read Part 2 :)

Life In ‘Him’ - Are We Ants Or Sluggards?

^{My 3 older kids have been off track lately. So have I. This home has been pure chaos for some reason. Kids arguing with each other, kids arguing with me, everyone needs an attitude adjustment.  We are having BIG issues with chores & a lot of disrespect going on. Total opposite of cooperation.}

^{I finally decided the other day to put a stop to the chaos. I’m not quite sure how, but I am going to give it a shot. For starters we are going to start reading the Word more often. Especially since the kids are not in Sunday School very often anymore.}

^{So. What to read? {Lord give me something that we all need right now} I decided on Proverbs 10 which is about Wisdom/fools, righteous/wicked, it touches on the tongue/lips/heart, hate/love… At every sentence we stopped to discuss and apply it to our lives. Then it hit me when we read verse 16 &17:}

The labor of the righteous leads to life,
      The wages of the wicked to sin. 
He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
      But he who refuses correction goes astray.

Those words… labor, instruction and correction! This is what we have been having problems with. Now granted, these two verses are WAY deeper than that but I can TOTALLY apply it to where I need it, right? These two verses made me think of Proverbs 6 when it compares the ant to the sluggard… So we turned to that & read:

^{Proverbs 6:6-11}

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard!
      Consider her ways and be wise,
⁷ Which, having no captain,
      Overseer or ruler,
⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
      When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
      A little folding of the hands to sleep—
¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
      And your need like an armed man.

Now after reading each verse we discussed what it meant. Austin, Emma & Becca were totally ‘in’ to this discussion. I explained the notes (commentary) in my bible that describe an ant like this:

15 ways of ants:

1. Most laborious insects in existence
2. Most highly industrialized
3. Collect food in proper seasons
4. Fondly attached to the young
5. Have keen foresight for others
6. Work quietly without show
7. Work unweariedly until work is done
8. Work together in astonishing systems of organization to the best good of the whole community
9. Are ingenious carpenters and masons, building their own system of homes and underground tunnels
10. Keep their homes scrupulously clean
11. No one among the exists without a definite job in life to help meet the needs of the community
12. Fight to death to protect their own homes and young from enemies
13. Their social life compares with that of human beings in many respects
14. They are intelligent and wise
15. They carry out life’s work without being forced to do so by a guide, overseer, or ruler

So when we were reading that list we discussed our lives here as a family. It really opened their eyes to what they do or don’t do around the house.

The next thing I wanted to do - was flip this backwards. We looked at ants – now lets look at sluggards! The Hebrew word “atsel” translates into ‘slothful’ or ‘sluggard’.

Here are 18 facts about sluggards:

1. They are unteachable, careless, and indifferent
2. Love excessive sleep
3. Irritating to others
4. Too lazy to cook food
5. Servants to others
6. Wishful thinkers
7. Life full of troubles
8. Great wasters
9. Are lazy
10. Refuse to work
11. Make the most of senseless excuses for their laziness
12. Are void of understanding
13. Permit property to ruin
14. Too lazy to move themselves
15. Are conceited
16. Unfaithful to trust
17. Are unbelievers
18. Lack business ability

Again we discussed each one on the list & tried to fit it into each of our lives individually and also as a family. It actually was fun. We were kinda teasing each other. We were all laughing. Then we tried to figure out how we can become more like ants and less like sluggards.

It was a good lesson. The funny thing now is when someone does something ‘lazy-ish’ around the house, they get called a sluggard.

Great! Not exactly what I had in mind. I guess they learned something… but I didn’t expect them to use it against each other.

Lovely.

Now they are all quote Proverbs 6:9, “How long will you sleep, O sluggard?”

Funny!