The Importance of Family in God’s Plan

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” –Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV).

Pope Francis in his tour of America this week participated in a mammoth “Festival of Families” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 26, 2015. In his address before the masses of people, and following the six testimonials by family members who shared their family and spiritual journeys, Pope Frances said in his homily, “The family is the furnace of hope.”

He encouraged families to remember how God the Creator provided for the family in the Creation and told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. The family was the very first institution on earth. Imagine the beauty and exhilaration of that first dwelling place, Eden, a place made especially for the family God had created. All was well until temptation came and Adam and Eve succumbed to the deceit of Satan. Their wrong decision cost them their residence in Eden. And ever after, man has subsisted by toil troubled by the conditions initiated by wrong choices and the presence of evil in his nature.

But hope came—for individuals and for the family unit—when Jesus Christ came to earth to provide the propitiation for man’s sin. Pope Francis painted a good picture of the family unit when he said, “The family is the furnace of hope.” Paul wrote: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2). 

Paul further in Ephesians wrote of Christ, the head of the church, as the bridegroom, and the church (believers) as the bride. This analogy shows the sacredness of the marriage relationship and the importance of keeping vows intact and family as a foremost institution of God’s intention for man and woman, His highest creation. Therefore, “Husbands, love you wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” –Ephesians 5:25-33 (ESV). 

Families are in grave danger today. Divorce rates are astronomical. Let us reconsider the sacredness of the marriage vows and the mission God intended for the family. We need furnaces of hope where the light of God’s love ignites holy teaching, holy living and holy commitment to the values and solidarity of the family. Pray that in your family this may be your personal mission. -Ethelene Dyer Jones -09.27.2015

A Day for Rest and Worship

“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “ –Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)

In the first statement of this commandment recorded in Exodus 20:8-11, a reason for rest on the seventh day of the week is in remembrance of God’s resting after He had completed creation. For the second listing of the commandment about the Sabbath, see Deuteronomy 5:12:14. In it a reason for keeping the Sabbath is in remembrance of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In the wilderness wanderings, it was forbidden that the people gather manna on the seventh day but that they gather enough on the sixth day to last for two days. It is interesting to note that a system of working six days had already been established by the time the Ten Commandments were given. This was as God had done in creating the heaven and the earth and all within them. On the seventh day God rested. It was beneficial that man, too, rest on the seventh day. The seventh day became a day of worship as well as a day of rest. 

 

Leviticus states that a ‘holy convocation’ (for worship) was to be declared for the Sabbath day.  Thus worship began to be observed on the Sabbath Day. In the New Testament we read that Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day to worship: “And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). Also in the New Testament, we learn that Christians began to observe the first day of the week as a day holy unto the Lord and for worship, in commemoration of the Resurrection of the Lord on the first day of the week: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked to them…” (Acts 20:7a). “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” wrote John in Revelation 1:10a.

Why did the observance of the Sabbath become so burdened down with “thou shalt nots” for Jewish worshipers? The observance of the Sabbath became somewhat the heart of the law. Prohibitions became burdensome. Some, like tying and untying a knot (as work) were enforced, and others as well were added to what was permitted and not permitted. By Jesus’ day, the practice of keeping account of Sabbath rule-breaking was so prevalent that Jesus was prompted to say: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). This occurred after his disciples, hungry on the Sabbath, plucked some grain from a field they passed and were criticized. Lest anyone think they were “stealing,” as well as plucking grain (working) on the Sabbath, the Deuteronomic law allowed for anyone hungry to gather enough grain from a field to assuage hunger (see Deuteronomy 23:25). 

 

What shall we say of the Sabbath as it relates to Christian practice? Sunday, the first day of the week, is observed as a day of rest and worship. We are to consider the day set aside for the work of the Lord and for gathering in assembly to study God’s word and worship. Our society has made work on Sunday almost a necessity and a way of life. We ought to seek a time to set aside for worship and a day to rest. Hebrews 4:1-11 speaks of the Sabbath Day as a foretaste of the heavenly rest to come when we are gathered into the eternal kingdom. We should say with conviction about Sunday and the day of corporate worship: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). -Ethelene Dyer Jones 09.20.2015

Praying for Needs and Using Scriptural Promises

“Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.’ “ –Joel 2:18-19. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you: And My people shall never be put to shame.” –Joel 2:26-27 (NKJV).

The conditions under which Joel the prophet spoke are agreed by most Bible scholars to be after the exile to Babylon (586 B. C) because the exile is mentioned as a past event (see Joel 3:2-3), Jerusalem had been conquered (3:17), and no kings are mentioned as ruling in either Judah or Israel at the time of writing.

Times were hard, indeed, for Joel mentions a plague of locusts that decimated the crops, trees, and wine, and the people did not have anything to take as offerings as they went to worship. The message of Joel is a lament for the hard conditions, yet through the perilous times, he lends hope by affirming that the Lord will hear their cries, will send grain, new wine and oil, and they will be satisfied. One of the best promises is that the Lord will take away the reproach with which other nations regard the people who belong to the Lord. They will not want for basic needs like food and shelter, because the Lord will deal wondrously with them in restoration and meeting needs.

I have just seen the Christian movie, “War Room.” The emphasis of the well written script, the story line and movement of the movie is that Christians win victories as they sincerely turn to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is not an option but a necessity if the Christian wants victory over Satan and steadfastness in living. The importance of using the Word of God as a guide to prayer is also prominently emphasized. An older Christian woman is able to guide a troubled younger nominal Christian woman to establish her own prayer closet and be honest in prayer and intercession. Elizabeth, the major younger character, uses scriptural promises to claim victory over challenges that only the power of God can change.

In “Acts of Dependence: Praying for Our Needs,” Joni Eareckson Tada who learned to live with her paraplegic condition following a diving accident states: “Two things God honors above all else: His name and His Word” [quoted in A Life of Prayer. Garden City, NY: Crossings Books, 2004, p. 99]. From many places in the Scripture, we learn of the greatness of God’s name. Psalm 145:1-3 magnifies His name and teaches us to Honor Him: “I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.” From John 1:1-3 we learn the importance of the Word.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. The Word is Jesus Christ who came to earth to reveal God the Father. Since God honors His name and His Word, we pray “in Jesus’ name.” “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” To pray in Jesus’ name means that we are seeking His will and that we will be submissive to His authority.

Try using Scripture as you pray. You will be talking in “God’s language” and conforming your mind to His will and His way as His word teaches us to do in Romans 12:2: “not being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds…to the will of God.” -Ethelene Dyer Jones 10.13.2015.

Work to Honor God

“Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” –Ecclesiastes 9:10a (NKJV)

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: ‘If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.’ ” -1 Thessalonians 3:10 (NKJV).

Recently I read an article by T. R. McNeal on the theology of work. He stated that God is a working God who worked to create the universe and all that is in it. He works likewise to sustain it. Mankind, created in God’s image, was place on the earth to work. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15). Labor did not come about due to man’s fall. Man was already working to cultivate the earth and make it produce. After man became rebellious and sinned by partaking of what God told him to leave alone, Adam and Eve were expelled from the beautiful Garden of Eden, and work became complicated. Because of the fall, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life…In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:17b, 19a. NKJV). The commission made to Adam ages ago to work and subdue the earth still remains in force. Today, agriculture is not the main mode of work. Mankind is engaged in work that is physical, social, cultural and spiritual in nature. But whatever we do to make a living, God’s people are to practice integrity in work. We are to work to honor God and to help mankind.

My mother and father were strong proponents of the words from Ecclesiastes 9:10a: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” No shoddiness in work habits and products from labor were allowed. Another adage they practiced, akin to the lesson from “the preacher” in Ecclesiastes: “If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right.” On the farm, we saw living proof of what Paul wrote about in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” Our theology of work also practiced “Give an honest day’s work for a day’s wage.” With these teachings learned early in life given orally and practiced by both precept and example, I gratefully learned the value and necessity for work and that Christians should strive to be honest, conscientious and productive in their work.

Another important aspect of work—whatever we do to make a living—is to view our labor first and foremost as serving God. For a Christian, the primary aim of any type of work is ministry to and for others. Christians may work on a farm, in an office, teach, administer, labor. Jesus taught that we are salt and light, His representatives in the workplace. Think of the difference we can make if we apply a sound theology of work in whatever we do. Spend time thinking about the sacredness of your work and what God expects you to do and to be through your work. Pray that whatever your hands find to do in the work-a-day world that God will be honored and that you and others will be blessed by your labor. At this Labor Day weekend (and every day), thank God for the privilege of work.

–Ethelene Dyer Jones 09.06.2015

Commitment Bears Fruit

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” -1 Corinthians 15:56 (ESV). “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless to Him.” -2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV.

To live to a “ripe, old” age is both sobering and consoling. I know it is best to keep looking forward in life, to anticipate each new day and what it may bring forth. Paul admonished the Christians at Corinth (and us, through his epistle) to be “steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.” But sometimes it is heartening to take a look backward, to evaluate and to be glad for what has transpired in life that is worthwhile, maybe even memorable.

In the verses in 1 Corinthians Paul is teaching us to evaluate positively by giving attention to our steadfast work for the Lord. At the same time he seems to be giving confident hope that what we do “as unto the Lord” will not be in vain. He is saying that our steadfast work and commitment to the Lord will bear fruit. Jesus Himself taught this same principle about being committed to Him and having our labors bear fruit. In the great judgment at the end of time as Matthew records it, the Lord says to those “on his right hand”: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The Master continues to commend those who have served Him as they clothed others, visited the sick, gave drink to the thirsty, visited the stranger, ministered to those in prison, gave food to the hungry, and clothed the naked. His commendation was, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40).

We are not always aware that as we serve others, we are serving the Lord. Those in the redeemed group in the account in Matthew who were inheriting the Kingdom of God, came to understand, the labor that helps others is “as unto the Lord.” That was a surprise to them. They asked, “When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You? (Matthew 25:38-39). If we “do it to one of the least of these,” we are doing the service as unto the Lord. And the promise made in 2 Chronicles 16:9 is also occurring as we gladly and unselfishly render our service to “the least of these.” “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless to Him.”

I mentioned at the outset of these thoughts for today that it is both sobering and consoling to live “to a ripe old age.” One is to have someone say, to me, sincerely and with gratitude, “what you taught me,” or “what you did for me” made a difference in my life. This is encouraging news. Commitment to God, to earnest work and to others bears fruit. God promises this will happen if we are faithful. Moreover, He fulfills that promise by unexpected rewards for our work. Praise be to God! What work is He calling you to do that will make a difference in someone’s life?

Are you willing to make the commitment to God to follow through and allow the fruit-bearing to occur? -Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.30.2015

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” -2 Corinthians 5:7b. (ESV)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  -Psalm 46:1. (ESV)

“Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10a (ESV)

Today in a quiet time I took two of my old prayer journals from my bookshelf and read through entries I had posted ten or more years ago.  What did I pray for then, and how were the prayers answered?

You can be assured that these journals show the results of my pouring out my heart to God. In my private writing of prayers about matters that both troubled me and about people for whom I was genuinely concerned, I bared my heart in earnest petition to Almighty God.

Since these journal entries are now history, you might wonder were the prayers answered.  I can say, assuredly, that every prayer was indeed answered.  In the way I prayed?  Certainly not always, but in God’s mercy and forbearance, He brought me, as He so adequately promises in His word, to the place of acceptance and understanding of His will. 

Did I sometimes suffer sorrow and disappoint that I had rather have escaped?  Certainly.  But as I read the answers, I noted that any dread or anticipation I had of how I might walk through the valley of the shadow of death had been removed.  He was always beside me, lending the strength and succor I needed.

On occasion I was praying for persons going through serious illness and even facing death. Among them were myself on occasion, friends and especially my dear husband who was very ill for many years.  Did my prayers add days to their lives or bring them back to better health?  Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no.  But even in the death of those who were called from this world, there was a sense of victory and rejoicing, for most of them were Christians and faced death without fear.  In their dying I learned more about both life and death. 

On prayer, Charles H. Brent wrote, “Intercessory prayer might be defined as loving our neighbor on our knees.”  The Psalmist wrote, “I love the Lord because He hears my prayers and answers them.”  (Psalm 116:1).  Reading entries from my prayer journals increased my assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1)

Reading, several years later, I would not have remembered certain incidents without the journal entry.  I put an entry about a man who asked me in the grocery store one day for some money to buy food.  I was able to help him buy some already prepared food that I prayed would assuage his hunger, at least temporarily.  I told him where our town’s soup kitchen was located and directed him there on the day it was open.  I was able to witness to him briefly about the love of Christ for everyone and asked him if he were a Christian.  His answer was not one of assurance of salvation.  I entered  the incident in my prayer journal.  I have not seen the man again.  I hope that brief encounter helped him at least to be aware that God loved him and that the food I bought him that day was given in compassion.

Corrie ten Boom is quoted in many of the brief quotations printed in the particular prayer journal I was using one year.  She wrote: “An important thing to remember when praying is that Jesus is our Advocate before the Father.  When we begin or end our prayers with ‘in the name of Jesus,’ it is just as if Jesus Himself is saying, ‘Father, this is a prayer from your beloved child.’ ”

And I had not omitted thanksgiving in the journal entries.  Certainly, prayer helps us “walk by faith and not by sight.”  Ever, there should be a thread of thanks.     –Ethelene Dyer Jones. 08.23.2015

A Believer Emanates Light

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. –Matthew 5:15-16 (NKJV).

One of the names Jesus gave His followers is light. What is the duty of light? To shine, to give illumination, to dispel darkness, to make it possible to see what we need to do and the way to go.

We have only to think of power failure and no lights to realize the importance of light. We sometimes take light for granted when we have it. But its absence is noticeable, indeed. If a storm takes out power and lights, we can light a single candle and have enough illumination to get us from one room to another as we carry the candle.

Considering that Jesus said His followers are light, we need to shine, not to call attention to ourselves but to glorify the Father. I like the insight Eugene Peterson gives in The Message translation of Matthew 5:14-16: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house, be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

Think about the ability to shine so that we bring out the God-colors in the world! How refreshing to think that we can reflect the love of Christ, the light of Christ, and bring out the “God-colors” to someone who needs the light of God’s love.

Think how a trained surgeon uses a powerful beam of laser light to operate on what ails a human body, even to a malignancy. Christ used ordinary metaphors to teach extraordinary truth. Light is so prevalent about us but often so taken for granted until there is a light failure. How does the candle of my life shine? I can remember in the days before electricity came to our farm community, we lighted our house with kerosene lamps. When I got old enough to attend to the chore, I was assigned the task to carefully wash the globes of the lamps and trim the wicks so that the lamps could produce more adequate light. Then I placed the lamps carefully at their appointed places so they would be ready to light when darkness approached. Smudges on the globe hampered the light. Are there smudges in my life that distort the reflection of Christ’s light through me? “You are the light of the world.” A dark world awaits the light from each of Christ’s followers. We have a divine commission to shine as lights in the world. And as Christ fuels our individual light, we shine for Him and glorify the father. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.16.2015