Song of Unity

Song of Unity

Revelation 5: ⁹ They sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to break open its seals.
For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God
    people from every tribe, language, nation, and race.
¹⁰ You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God,
    and they shall rule on earth.”

 

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Being called by a racial slur, made me want to fight. I figured, that intimidation would be the best weapon to make sure this offense would never happen again. I got a huge friend to go into the room with me as we faced the name caller and his 8 friends.

 

• I wanted to fight because of disrespect.
• I wanted to combat any racial inequality that existed.
• I wanted to make an example of the people who secretly harbored racism in their hearts.

 

John, the disciple JESUS loved, heard a song from the four creatures, who’s image he could not describe well and from the twenty-four elders. They sang a song that shows how much JESUS loves “every tribe, language, nation, and race.”

 

My Observations:

• JESUS did not die for one flag, rather all nations.
• JESUS loves people who do not look like me or talk like me.
• JESUS showed me the example I am supposed to follow, namely loving all for HIS kingdom purpose.

 

Unity seems important to GOD. I mean, HE gave a new command to follow which is “Love one another.” HE does not take this lightly. HE sees every tribe, HE speaks every language loves every nation and adores every race. Unfortunately, humans want power and seek superiority.

 

GOD has a new song that was sang about JESUS. HE overcame racism, sexism, ageism and any other “ism” to provide unity to the world. HIS love covers all our sins! We can rejoice with everyone who believes!

 

Challenge

• Does the song recorded by the writer sound joyous?
• Is there a race you would prefer to see placed over other races?
• Will you focus on loving one another just as JESUS commanded you so unity can be spread throughout the world through you today?

He-Hive

 

He-Hive

1 Timothy 2: ⁸ In every church service I want the men to pray, men who are dedicated to God and can lift up their hands in prayer without anger or argument. ⁹ I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses, ¹⁰ but with good deeds, as is proper for women who claim to be religious. ¹¹ Women should learn in silence and all humility. ¹² I do not allow them to teach or to have authority over men; they must keep quiet. ¹³ For Adam was created first, and then Eve. ¹⁴ And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law. ¹⁵ But a woman will be saved through having children ( or will be kept safe through childbirth. ), if she perseveres in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

 

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Ugh! This is a “He-hive!” I read these words and struggled to think of any example. Over the years, these words have been misused to cause pain and support inequality. After reading the words, one could go down a rabbit hole of misogynism  So I had to dissect them carefully to understand.

 

My Observations

Prayer, good deeds, and learning should be done by men and women.

Childbirth is a very difficult, stressful scary time that only women can experience.

Faith, love holiness with modesty should be done by men and women.

 

Paul writes to Timothy and is usually addressing specific issues. There may have been a situation where men were getting distracted to lust over women, causing marital problems, as best I can tell. An answer was to have the women teach each other.

 

As far as the curse, this is harder. GOD laid out a curse when Eve was deceived and disobeyed HIM. Paul reminded Timothy that the curse still stands in GOD’s eyes.

 

One would miss the solution if not reading with the right spirit, namely faith and love and holiness bring the relationship back into balance.

 

Challenge

What are your observations about women from the writer?

What are your observations about men from the writer?

What do you know about the curse GOD placed on humanity in the Garden of Edan?

Should faith, love and holiness be performed by only one gender?

Will you accept the fact that men and women were created as equals and the only balance in equality is through surrendering your life to CHRIST with faith, love and holiness today?

Marriage Expectations

Marriage Expectations

Ephesians 5: ²¹ Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.

 

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. ²⁴ And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.

 

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. ²⁶ He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, ²⁷ in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty—pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. ²⁸ Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. (²⁹ None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; ³⁰ for we are members of his body.) ³¹ As the scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.” ³² There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. ³³ But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

 

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Seeing my beautiful bride walk down the aisle brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. I was finally married to someone until death do us part. I never expected any arguments, disagreements or opposite opinions, but they happened.

 

• I wondered how I could fix things under “my” energy.
• I questioned “my” every move and action.
• I felt lost and needed direction.

 

Paul addressed an issue brought to him, namely marriage. Knowing that marriage had the curse of inequity mentioned in Genesis, he mentions the only cure for balance and that is JESUS.

 

My Observations

• JESUS wants me to love my wife as HE loved me.
• JESUS wants me to leave my parents and have my own family.
• JESUS wants me to dedicate my family to GOD by HIS word, making all clean and presented without a spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection.

 

Hatred cannot exist in GOD’s marriage. I mean, the yearning for self-protection must be reduced beneath that of loving like JESUS does. Unfortunately this is not easy. Different styles, experiences and choices makes unity sometimes seem evasive. BUT GOD has a remedy.

 

HE gave HIS only SON as an example of true submission. JESUS never got caught up in the world’s tactics and showed what pure love looks like. HE, being GOD, suffered insults, never owned anything and was murdered by HIS own creation. HE said “FATHER forgive them” out of love. I am grateful for my wife and the example JESUS shows us and pray for continued growth in HIS love.

 

Challenge

• What do you notice about this passage?
• How do you think GOD brings couples into balance and back into full equality?
• If married, will you seek JESUS ways as the solution to true balance, peace and love today?

Equally Needed

Equally Needed

2 Corinthians 12: I have to boast, even though it doesn't do any good. But I will now talk about visions and revelations given me by the Lord. ² I know a certain Christian man who fourteen years ago was snatched up to the highest heaven (I do not know whether this actually happened or whether he had a vision—only God knows). ^3-4 I repeat, I know that this man was snatched to Paradise (again, I do not know whether this actually happened or whether it was a vision—only God knows), and there he heard things which cannot be put into words, things that human lips may not speak. ⁵ So I will boast about this man—but I will not boast about myself, except the things that show how weak I am. ⁶ If I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will not boast, because I do not want any of you to have a higher opinion of me than you have as a result of what you have seen me do and heard me say.

 

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Eloquent speakers, smart thinkers, strong athletes and talented people seemed to “always” be ahead of me when it came to being chosen. I would raise my hand but receive the words “That’s alright, we have already chosen someone else.” “Am I unwanted?” I would ask GOD.

 

• I felt untalented.
• I felt rejected.
• I felt unneeded, undesired, and unpleasant.

 

Paul speaks about his incredible encounter with the LORD. He was sought after by GOD to be a special messenger and was revealed an indescribable vision that catapulted his purpose to the highest level. Even though this uncommon event happened, he did not want anyone to have a higher opinion of him or be jealous of the calling.

 

My Observations

• I need to recognize GOD’s calling on my life.
• I need to look at only my relationship with the LORD and not be jealous of someone else’s.
• I need to live my life with the purpose GOD gave me and know it is just as important as the next person.

 

Titles cause me to think of people on different levels. I mean, when someone has a special title in the world’s eyes, I follow the protocol associated with that title. This may require extra attention I would not give to a “common” person. BUT GOD wants me to treat everyone the same.

 

HE wants me to see that all of us have sinned and fall short of HIS glory. HE then wants me to praise HIM when someone accepts HIS SON as their Savior so he or she can live a life for JESUS. HE wants me to live my life with that same purpose, knowing we are all equally loved by HIM. I am glad GOD loves me just as much as those who are called to do what they do.

 

Challenge

• While reading this passage, do you feel lower than the writer?
• Have you ever compared yourself to the names written in the Bible and felt better or worse?
• Will you consider not comparing yourself to others and know you are loved, needed and wanted to the highest by GOD today?

Equality

Psalm 58: ¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
    Do you judge people with equity?
² No, in your heart you devise injustice,
    and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

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Twisting words is dangerous. What I mean is when someone spoke the truth, I took that truth and applied “my” truth to it making their whole statement invalid. My measure for doing this was the “Who are you” measure. The more “important” the person the less I asked “Who are you?”

• When I put people beneath me I ask in my mind “Who are you?”
• When I ask “Who are you” in my mind I put people beneath me or beneath others.
• When I think in terms of “level” or “expertise” then I put people beneath me.

“Level” is a corporate term that I learned to give a person a grade which affects their compensation, the better the performance the more the pay. Then I ran into places where I was told to hire or elevate a person regardless of their performance. I had to learn something different, “justifying my actions.” This justification led to twisting words which is a very dangerous place.

• When I seek superiority I am not seeking GOD.
• When I seek elevation I am not seeking GOD.
• When I seek to be placed above people I am not seeking GOD.

GOD saw that being “GOD” was not something to be sought, instead HE decided to become the most helpless thing on the planet, namely a human. The reason humans were so helpless was the fact that all were sentenced to be sent to Hell because all have sinned. Intellect could not save me. HE decided to lower HIMSELF, become one of us and to die in my place.

GOD says “do not think more of yourselves” to me. This means I must serve as GOD served me.

• Are you trying to elevate yourself?
• Do you think you “deserve” better treatment or more of something?
• Are you twisting someone’s words to get ahead or stay ahead?
• Can you lower yourself in order to have GOD raise you up HIS way?