My conscience is clear but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praises from God.
-If we regard ourselves having a clear conscience, it is not enough to call ourselves righteous. God will reveal the truest of hearts. We cannot hide.
When we are cursed, we bless; when we
are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. 1 cor 4:9-13
-this is the ultimate way to humilty. So hard. To become scum is so lowly but I need to let my pride go.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
-don't just talk the talk..walk it!
Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
1 cor 5:5
- I was very convicted by this scripture. Sometimes we let our own brothers and sisters be given over to Satan...just in hopes that they learn and see their deep desire for God. Harsh...but it's tough love.
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say; it is good for them to stay unmarried, as i am. But if they cannot control themselves they should marry, for it is better to marry than burn w/ passion. 1 cor 7:8-8
- I've always found this passage so fasinating. God tells the singles that it's awesome to be single, but if ur struggling w/ sexual passion, then u should marry.
Advantages of singleness...undivided devotion to the Lord. For no other reason does he encourage marriage.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.....so if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
-sometimes the best lessons learned are from other people's mistakes!
God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
-Amen to that! God is so amazing in how he cares for us and keep watch over our needs and weaknesses.
??? Man's glory is the image of God. But the woman is the glory of man.
-What does that mean? Are we (women) suppose to be an outward trophy for men? Or does this symbolize the power women have in affecting men's greatness because she is supportive and strong.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This is a group of people from Orange County, CA and New York City who are reading the entire Bible in chronological order in 2009. Discussions, thoughts, questions, insights, sharing and jokes are welcome.
4 comments:
Hey Teena,
Great scriptures! That last one is tricky to figure out especially by itself. The whole group of scriptures that that one is part of seems to be that women wore veils or long hair while worshipping and men didn't. My favorite scriptures in that section are:
<< 1 Corinthians 11:11 >>
In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
<< 1 Corinthians 11:12 >>
For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
These show that men and women need each other and that we all came from God.
Cool. Thx! I like the scriptures regarding how we need each other. Equal as humans but men is the one who leads. :)
Hi Tina good long post. I had some thoughts about 2 things. The undivided devotion topic. If being married makes you divided in your devotion does that mean that being married will make it harder to be spiritual? If we are having a had time being spiritual single being married will just be too much. Maybe it's a blessing to be single in that sense.
Also with women being the glory of men, in Captivating Eldredge talks about women displaying Gods beauty. When you see a woman being beautiful that shows you that part of God, and whatever that is, it's somethng guys don't have as much as women. That part of Gods glory might also have been taken from Adam when Eve was made. I'm not exactly sure but that's what i gather from what I've read.
Thx for the response Justin. There is a passage in 1 Corinthians 7:28 that states, "But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this"....but I assume a different kind of trouble. Possibly a deeper concern and heart struggle since they are so vested in one another. I suppose it takes a strong and mature heart to be married. You can no longer be selfish...but having to love unconditionally 24/7! Wow! That's hard work!
I don't know if being married makes it harder to be spiritual. I think being human is hard in itself to be spiritual. We constantly fight to be led by the spirit and not our sinful nature. I think we face different challenges in the various stages of life...whether single or married.
I guess my comment in my blog about undivided devotion is connected to the level of heart we give to God. When you are married, you are no longer living for yourself, but for another soul/being. Your concerns and priorities change a bit...you become one.
You are better off devoting your whole heart when single. I find it true.
The fasinating part of this is that God encourages marriage because we are human beings with needs. Needs that God himself instilled in each living creature. To be sexual beings...to reproduce..and to nurture.
So ultimately, marriage is not the end all of expressing love. We can love people regardless of our status. Marriage is a way to express a physical intimate desire that God created in each one of us. Some may wonder, why then did God create me to be this way... and make it so difficult. It is a great struggle. Many have left the church due to no self control in that area. Or those who marry too quickly for lack of self control. The scripture says that God will not give us more than we can bear and will provide us a way out.
_______
About women being the glory of men. I like how we have such a special place in God's eyes. When he created women, he took the rib that represented the bone closest to the heart of man. He made women gentle, loving, emotional, nurturing and strong willed. Far different from men. He knew that the woman will compliment the man in so many ways, in order that man can shine for God....and be the glory in God's image. So beautiful.
Post a Comment