can two walk together unless they are agreed..?

amos 3.3

last wk… we gathered.. our first official meeting.. been gathering before.. but this was it.. great time… since we are heading into a our new study.. “life in the Spirit”.. thought it would be good to take a look at Who the Holy Spirit is.. His role.. relationship to the Son.. to the Father.. what is the Promise of the Father.. ? why the Helper..? Comforter..? truly a great time.. hard to beat a study on the Holy Spirit..

can tell you for me.. seems harder to prepare for.. harder to hear.. don’t know why.. not any different than teaching the Word.. right..? but for some reason.. much harder.. teaching the Trinity and/or the Holy Spirit seems to be sacred ground.. defiantly pushing me to the matt..

after reviewing the basics.. we pounded out the following… promise/indwelling… obedience.. following the call.. hearing His voice..

seems simple right..? but inlight of amos.. “unless we are agreed.. can two walk together”..?

funny how it can come down to basics.. you see.. i can pound it out… hit the deck.. cry out to the Lord.. study His Word.. fast…. all good.. but unless we are in agreement.. what’s the point..? many a times in my life it seems i am cutting circles in the carpet.. as stated.. doing it but missing it.. it seems the closer i draw.. the more i become aware of those areas.. don’t think i totally understand sacrifice.. don’t think we do as men.. oh.. we have our moments.. we will put down the paper long enough to read the Word.. you know.. ck the box.. will even sign up for a men’s Bible study.. will even go to an “out-reach” event.. might even write a ck from time to time.. but sacrifice.. the core stuff that comes from the heart.. now that’s a different story..

the amazing part to me is that the stories never change.. we all want God to move in our lives.. we all say we are in.. say we will commit but the moment we leave the room.. we go right back to our ways.. like a dawg returning to his vomit.. talk is cheap…

truly i don’t get it.. i hate those areas in my life.. i pray daily for those standing around me to grow deeper in their walk.. to dig in.. make a home at His feet.. why…? for me.. for them.. for us.. i need men in my life who are not just talking.. but in.. working it out.. and no not some bs program that punches the card.. but men who’s love.. first love.. only love.. last love is Jesus Christ their Lord.. their Savior.. their King…

i spend my days with men.. men of all kinds.. shapes.. forms and colors.. some saved.. some thinking they are saved… many saved but bound.. too many lost.. not very often i look into the eyes of a broken and contrite man.. one who will sell it all for a glimpse of the King..

if you read the context of the scripture.. it’s a Word given to amos regarding the children of israel.. i get it.. if we are not in agreement with the Lord in our lives.. if we are not in agreement with His Word.. revealed to us by the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives.. what’s the point…? right…?

but get this.. if i am not in agreement with the men standing around me.. if they are not in agreement with me.. if we are not in agreement.. if we are not on the same course.. seeking the same things in our lives.. what’s the point..? how does one follow one who can not lead…? how can one lead who can not follow…?

i love to hunt.. want to talk about hunting….? hang out with hunters.. also love harleys.. got one in construction.. want to talk bikes… ? hang out with bikers.. want to do Jesus..? want to live Jesus…? hook up with those who are in agreement.. know why…? “two walk cannot walk together unless they are agreed..?”

painful words to some.. think about Jesus.. denied and crucified by His people.. and yet.. He carried obedience to the cross.. total and complete sacrifice..

not saying drop all of those standing around you.. am saying time to start measuring fruit.. your fruit.. their fruit.. our fruit.. if it’s not bearing in the kingdom.. time to take a step back.. for some.. it is time to cut chase and move on.. for others.. draw in and near and let’s get about it.. no more cheap talk.. let’s put some push to God’s call on our lives.. it’s time.. our time…

stay in.. stay close.. hand to the plow…

tbrooks

p.s. we gather tuesday nights at 7:00.. interested in joining withus… ? register on line @ http://menbiblestudies.eventbrite.com/ or..

contact us at… info@dailydisciples.org ..  or..

contact me directly at  tbrooks@dailydisciples.org

Our first teaching video is up.. http://www.vimeo.com/user2313584/videos….

It sounds like a crazy notion, but we might wonder if Satan has been reading his Bible. If he has seen Malachi Chapter 4, Verse 6, then he would know that God’s desire is to see the hearts of children turned toward, not away from, their parents. “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” And that would motivate the devil to work very hard to do just the opposite of what God wants. Does this explain the state of most of the parent-child relationships we see in the world today?

Malachi 4:6 is actually the very last verse in the entire Old Testament. Malachi is prophesying in part about the ministry of John the Baptist.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Malachi 4:5

John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated, but he did minister in the spirit of Elijah.

Between the end of Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament there is about 400 years of silence, as far as recorded Scripture. Then, in Luke 1:17, the angel of the Lord tells Zacharias, concerning John the Baptist: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The devil has turned the hearts of many of our children. He has turned them to drugs, immorality, worldly entertainment, popular culture, their own vanity, and even to their peers. Dads, moms: no modern-day John the Baptist is going to catch your children at the shopping mall, rock concert, or make-out party, and convince them to repent. However, we have One greater than John the Baptist. If we can get them to Jesus, He will turn their hearts to Himself, and back to us. It’s a great thing to pray for your kids. God can protect them in ways we can’t. However, he has ordained us, parents, in a very real, personal, and hands-on way, to take the steering wheel of their hearts, and guide them in the right direction.

Sunday was my son’s first soccer game, not just first of the season, but first game ever.  He’s five so I anticipated it would be pretty cute to see him out on the field in his “you’ll grow in to it” jersey and matching socks so long that they were only inches from the hem of his shorts.  It was an exciting day and we were all petty pumped to see the game.  When we arrived to the field we found his coach and left him with his teammates.  The team warmed, up while the rest of my family and I took our places on the sidelines.   It wasn’t long when we noticed that the coach was preparing our son for the position of Goalie, which he played for the first part of the game.

The players took their positions on the soccer field and the game began.  That’s when for me the unexpected anxiety began!  I watched as player after player came toward him dribbling the soccer ball between their feet.  What I wish I could say is that as each different player approached the goal area I watched as my son swiftly and deftly defended his turf, but this was not the case.   The opposing team quickly scored a few goals.   As the wild little band of soccer players traversed the field, my son remained in his designated spot and appeared to have no interest in the action happening just feet from him.  He mostly ignored it and instead preferred to scratch his leg… wave at his dad, sisters, and me… look at the goal net…   Soccer game?  What soccer game?

I was beside myself!  Keeping things in perspective was getting harder and harder.  I restrained myself from shouting, “Get the ball!!!”  I didn’t want to make a scene and be one of ‘those’ parents who constantly coaches from the sidelines.  I didn’t want him to be embarrassed and I didn’t want to embarrass my husband and daughters.  I didn’t want him to miss the ball because he wasn’t paying attention.  I didn’t want to see him fail…  Ouch!  Did I really say that?  Did I just say that about a 5 year olds soccer game?  Boy have I got a lot to learn!

I couldn’t believe how watching the ball coming toward him gave me such a feeling of panic and as I watched the game, it began to dawn on me how much this little ball game was like parenting.  I found myself remembering the times that my mother would try to reason with me about all the typical teenage subjects.  Dating of course was a favorite concern of hers.  I remember the dread every time I had to ride alone in the car with my mom, for fear she would use the car for what I viewed as a mobile torture chamber!  If I think back to those days I can easily remember the pitch of her voice and the way her lips would thin as she spoke with determination and authority with just the slightest hint of desperation.  During the soccer game I began to realize how I was that parent now.

Watching my kids struggle is something I have done a few times over the last 14 years.  I have seen my daughters each take blows from life that would take the breath of even the greatest athlete.  I have seen them struggle with issues far more adult than their own years.  I have felt protective, but mostly for them the things they face are not things they have brought upon themselves.  This little game was just a tiny taste of what I’m sure my mother was swallowing whole on those car rides.  She could see her player in the game of life.  She had been to many a ‘soccer’ game and knew a bit about how it was played.  Seeing me in charge of guarding the goal, it was hard for her to stay on the sidelines and let me experience defeat.  It wasn’t that she didn’t have confidence in me, it was that she knew that at some point everybody misses, everybody looses focus, everybody… looses.   She knew these things because she had lost a few times too.  And I have.  And he will.   Somehow we all make it!

Preparing My Goalie

The Moment Anxiety Set In…

Maybe we should explore the Martial Arts?

Defending the Goal!

I have written about submission before and about letting your husband lead as it talks about in scripture.  We have gotten quite a few negative comments, but it all comes down to this.  Do you believe that scripture is God-breathed and the one authority for your life?  If so, then you must take what you read and apply it…no matter if it seems “old-fashioned” or if it seems impossible. 

In 1 John 5, the author explains this very concept. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world…”  His commands are not burdensome, because He is the one who created us.  He knows the best way that his creation should work.  Derek gave this example while speaking at a church in Ohio a while back on this subject: 

Picture a man who built a car.  He knows everything about the car.  How it runs best, what can cause it to break down, what can make it run more efficiently, etc.  One day he gives the car to someone, along with the manual of operating instructions and hints and tips on how it runs best.  The man takes the car but throws the manual on the passenger’s seat unopened.  He then gets behind the car and begins pushing it.  The car maker looks at him and says, “You know, there’s an easier way to do that…”  The man grunts as he’s pushing and says, “Yeah, thanks but I think I’ll just do it my way.”  The car maker looks confused and again says, “Yes, but if you would just get the keys and put them in the ignition…”  “Look, I don’t need your help, I’ll just do this on my own,” the man replies.  The car maker just stands back shaking his head. 

Seems silly, huh?  But that is exactly what we are doing when we read a verse like this and say things like: “Oh that’s just old-fashioned.  God doesn’t really want us to still live like that.  Women aren’t oppressed like that anymore.  Men have no authority over us.”

For those of you thinking those very things, go ahead and keep pushing your car.  Push it all around town until you get tired of fighting with it.  Then, for once, just try doing it the Creator’s way. Will your husband always make the right decision?  Will he always be looking out for your best interest?  Will he never take advantage of this “power”?  We can only hope those things are true, but we know that men make mistakes.  Our real hope doesn’t lie in our husbands to always do the right thing, but in God to take our obedience and bless us for it.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”  So, now, the question remains…do you believe that God is your creator and thus knows what’s best for you?  If you do, then obey his commands. “Wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” 

If you have any further questions about submission and the practicality of it, please contact us. We understand the personal nature of these subjects and would be happy to talk with you privately about it.

In the book of Proverbs, the virtuous woman is not the only one woman mentioned.  One of the other women mentioned in this book of wisdom is the “contentious” or “brawling” woman (Proverbs 27:15; 21:9; 19:13).  This is the woman who is seemingly looking for a controversy or contention.  She is just waiting for a reason to get riled, and she doesn’t need much of one. 

I’ve often heard men vent to one another that they “just can’t do anything right” or that they “had just better keep their mouth shut.”  Because a contentious woman pounces at the slightest provocation, the rest of us are left tiptoeing through every encounter with her. We’ve probably all collided with someone like this before, someone for whom even a compliment becomes controversial. 

            “You look good today.”

            “Oh, you mean I don’t usually?”

            “No, I mean, that dress looks really great on you.”

            “You mean it looks great on a fat woman, huh?  You think I’m fat!”

In the Proverbs passages, a contentious woman is compared to a continual dripping.  Seems harmless enough; annoying, yes, but harmless.  I mean, who has ever been destroyed or injured by dripping water?  Yet, I can’t help but think of the legendary “Chinese water torture,” where water was continually dripped onto the victims forehead, or dripped in an irregular pattern, until the prisoner actually went insane. 

Even something as innocent as a dripping water faucet is often innocent only because we have the ability to make the dripping stop, or at least to muffle the noise.  But what if you couldn’t get the dripping to stop?  All day long and all night long, no matter what you did, the drip…drip…drip…drip persisted.  You try twisting the faucet tighter.  You try stuffing a towel into the sink, and that works for a little while, until the towel is saturated.  Then, drip…drip…drip once more.  Eventually, day in and day out, you would either stop at nothing to make the dripping stop, or you would try your best to stay away from it.  Unfortunately, that sounds like some of our marriages.

Yes, it’s frustrating when a husband appears to be escaping.  He comes home late—regularly.  He immediately runs to the television and cranks up the sports.  He doesn’t respond to you.  He lingers in another room away from everyone.  Why the seclusion?  Perhaps, the water is dripping, and he can’t get it to stop.  In two different verses of Proverbs 21, the Bible says that it is better to dwell in the wilderness or in the corner of a housetop than with an angry, contentious, brawling woman.  And many men do.

But the dripping can be stopped, though it must be stopped from the inside.  A contentious woman, realizing the damage she is causing to her home and to her family, must be willing to turn to God for the answer.  When a woman insists on everyone noticing her needs, when she comes to her own defense and fights her own battles, it’s guaranteed every time that someone is going to get hurt.  The answer is forgiveness—trusting God, the righteous Judge, to handle my circumstances while I focus solely on “becoming.”

Who can find that virtuous woman?  Who can put a price on her value?  Who truly realizes the value of such a woman?  Boy, if those aren’t words I’d love to hear.  We’ve all had those moments where we pause in our hectic day of dirty (blow-out) diapers, spilled cereal, broken vacuum cleaners, and backed-up toilets and thought, “If you only knew what I did during a day—”  Some, who have attempted to itemize what it would cost to hire someone to do a housewife’s job, estimate that her worth is in the triple-digits.  But that’s just for what I do, not how I do it. 

Throughout the passage in Proverbs 31, the virtuous woman is described not just by the tasks that she performs, but by the manner she does them and by the blessing she is to those around her.  In other words, I’m not just doing laundry, I’m protecting my children from the elements and helping my husband to succeed in his career.  Those are achievements that are difficult to itemize and price.  Yet, the value of a virtuous woman goes even further.

To the extent that a godly husband and father determines the direction of the home through his leadership, a virtuous wife and mother determines the essence of the home through her spirit.  “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  And we all chuckle, but the fact remains that the entire home and everyone living there is ruled by the spirit of the woman.  A depressed, emotional, irrational female ranting and nagging creates a home of chaos and tension—hardly a nurturing environment for the children and definitely not a haven for the husband.  On the other hand, a godly, sober-minded, spirit-controlled woman filled with the joy of the Lord brings to her home a spirit of peace and order and calm, a place that both the children and the husband can’t wait to return to.