I resolve that I will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
I resolve to delight in the law of the Lord and to mediate in His law day and night.
I resolve to be like a tree planted by rivers of water, and to bring forth my fruit in season. I resolve that I will not let my “leaves” wither, and, by my obedience to God’s law, expect that I will prosper in my godly endeavors.
I resolve to see the ungodly for what they are: chaff which the wind drives away.
I resolve to care about those who have not bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ (a.k.a. the ungodly), knowing that unless they respond to the Truth, they will not stand in the judgment nor in the congregation of the righteous. My interactions with them will exemplify my concern.
I resolve to embrace fully the reality that the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly will perish.
I resolve to commit this all to my Savior and Lord, knowing that if He is for me, none can be against me.
There is a perspective within Christian circles that espouses the idea that men should never learn from women or seriously consider what they say. There is an unspoken rule that, when it comes to theology, women should take a backseat and let men do the heavy lifting. The underlying assumption is that women should only concern themselves with meal preparation, maintaining the home, and caring for children. This is a hard perspective to justify, considering the words of Jesus in Luke 10:38–42:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
It is unfortunate that many women are denied the “good portion” when it comes to conferences or other learning venues, because they are too concerned with serving food, or taking care of little ones. Why don’t we make it a priority that wives, mothers, and daughters receive the same opportunity to grow in their faith as their male counterparts? Continue reading
I know many godly women who have made it a priority to submit to their husbands as part of their faithful service as Christians. There are many passages in Scripture that support this concept, and yet Colossians 3:18 stands out for its clarification: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” [Emphasis mine].
What does this mean? Well, it most definitely applies to the structure of the family as ordained by God. In other words, it is proper (fitting) that wives respect the role God ordained for them from the beginning: as a helper in a supportive, subordinate capacity. Yet, “fitting” also has reference to the idea that wives should submit to their husbands in accordance with God’s law-word, rather than submitting to the whims of their spouse. This means that a woman needs to know God’s law and apply it in her life. Continue reading
The book of Proverbs teaches that wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord. Some want to soften this verse by saying it means that we should revere the Lord. And, indeed, we should. However, when we appreciate the power and demands of a holy God, we manifest the epitome of foolishness not to fear Him in the truest sense of the word. Depending on the Bible translation, Hebrews 10:31 uses words like dreadful, terrifying, awful, and fearful to describe falling into the hands of the living God.
This is lesson parents need to teach their children. However, children must first learn to have a healthy fear of their parents since mom and dad serve as the first authority children are commanded to honor (Fifth Commandment). From the outset of interaction with sons and daughters, parents need to be firm, consistent, and trustworthy, keeping their word, and following through with stated consequences. To do otherwise sets a detrimental precedent. Continue reading
The hippie movement of the 1960s sprang on the scene during my childhood. As a girl in grammar school and high school, I was only able to imagine what it would be like to be a hippie as I viewed it from afar. It was easy to gravitate towards the movement because adults had disdain for it. During this time, there were heated conversations about many issues including the Vietnam War. Therefore, being labeled a hippie was either a compliment or an insult depending on who was talking. Hindsight gives perspective to the attitudes of my youth and provides insight into the effects of the “hippie movement” in our day and the culture it has helped shape.
Recently I was going through the following essay, How to Produce a Hippie by R.J. Rushdoony, with my high school students at a missionary school in Mexico during our weekly Skype class. I was surprised that they knew who the hippies were. Continue reading
One of the advantages of being a wise king with seemingly unlimited resources is that you have the opportunity to pursue all your desires. The Preacher from the book of Ecclesiastes (thought to be King Solomon) ended up concluding that no matter how much he pursued his heart’s desires, the result was vanity unless he correctly aligned himself with his Creator. Unlike us, he had ample resources to test all his theories of life, only to conclude that God was right all along and that everyone would do well to fear Him and keep His commandments.
Believe it or not, the Preacher has some good advice for Facebookers who are all too quick to take offense when social media does them wrong. He admonishes in Eccl. 7:21–22, Continue reading
Some books of the Bible are more popular than others, and are quoted more often. One of the advantages of reading through the entire Bible on a regular basis is that you are reminded of enduring truths (or are informed of them for what seems like the first time). Second Peter falls into this category, and contains important promises that can comfort many who struggle with the consequences of their lives before Christ.
Repeatedly I hear from wives and mothers that they desire to be effective in the call God has placed on their lives. But they think that serving the Kingdom will be out of reach for them until they are purged from all the consequences wrought by their sins prior to conversion. Second Peter differs with such thinking: Continue reading
Forty years ago, I had no idea what marriage would really be like. Couple that with the fact that when I took the plunge, I was not walking in step with the commands of the Creator. In fact, I was in full-scale rebellion to the two Great Commandments and the Ten Commandments, and I was making decisions based on thoroughly humanistic standards.
A funny thing happened on this marriage journey. After almost seven years of floundering together to try to make our relationship work, we collided head-on with the living God. To say we were not seeking Him is an understatement. Yet, find us He did. Our lives as individuals and our commitment as a couple were transformed.
Looking back, I realize that I had no idea what marriage would be like as a Christian couple. We were maneuvering through some very difficult situations when our walk with Christ began, and the future was uncertain. Uncertain, that is, for everyone but God. Now I realize how safe we were in His hands and how secure we will be if we live by faith. Continue reading
Nothing hurts worse that banging your head against an opened cabinet door. Unless your infraction is one of your own doing, having ignored the warning you endlessly gave to your children to never leave a cabinet door opened. Some lessons keep on giving; the bump on my head is a constant reminder to practice what I preach. Yet today, while emptying the dishwasher, because my mind was elsewhere, I left a pesky door in the kill position. No, I didn’t smack myself again, but it got me thinking how quickly we forget the lessons we are sure we will always remember. Continue reading
Because of a number of health issues I confronted last year, I have been on a quest to understand the causes of illness, the God-ordained ways our bodies can heal, and to establish a balance between acquiring health to serve God and serving God to acquire health. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks to this. Continue reading
I resolve that I will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
There is a perspective within Christian circles that espouses the idea that men should never learn from women or seriously consider what they say. There is an unspoken rule that, when it comes to theology, women should take a backseat and let men do the heavy lifting. The underlying assumption is that women should only concern themselves with meal preparation, maintaining the home, and caring for children. This is a hard perspective to justify, considering the words of Jesus in Luke 10:38–42:
I know many godly women who have made it a priority to submit to their husbands as part of their faithful service as Christians. There are many passages in Scripture that support this concept, and yet Colossians 3:18 stands out for its clarification: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” [Emphasis mine].
The book of Proverbs teaches that wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord. Some want to soften this verse by saying it means that we should revere the Lord. And, indeed, we should. However, when we appreciate the power and demands of a holy God, we manifest the epitome of foolishness not to fear Him in the truest sense of the word. Depending on the Bible translation, Hebrews 10:31 uses words like dreadful, terrifying, awful, and fearful to describe falling into the hands of the living God.
The hippie movement of the 1960s sprang on the scene during my childhood. As a girl in grammar school and high school, I was only able to imagine what it would be like to be a hippie as I viewed it from afar. It was easy to gravitate towards the movement because adults had disdain for it. During this time, there were heated conversations about many issues including the Vietnam War. Therefore, being labeled a hippie was either a compliment or an insult depending on who was talking. Hindsight gives perspective to the attitudes of my youth and provides insight into the effects of the “hippie movement” in our day and the culture it has helped shape.
One of the advantages of being a wise king with seemingly unlimited resources is that you have the opportunity to pursue all your desires. The Preacher from the book of Ecclesiastes (thought to be King Solomon) ended up concluding that no matter how much he pursued his heart’s desires, the result was vanity unless he correctly aligned himself with his Creator. Unlike us, he had ample resources to test all his theories of life, only to conclude that God was right all along and that everyone would do well to fear Him and keep His commandments.
The Kingdom-Driven Family 