At one time, or another, all married couples experience a situation wherein strain within the marriage threatens our stability. It is very important that we recognize such problems and not let them come between us.
How do we prevent this? It is very important that we each see our spouse for what he or she truly is; the one who really is our "other half."
Marriage ceremonies commonly use the phrase, "the two shall become one." We tend to think it is symbolic, just a "part of the package." But why use these words? What do they imply? Why are they in the ceremony at all?
From Genesis, we know that God made Adam. God then said, "It is not good that man should be alone." He "caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep." While Adam slept, God removed a rib from Adam’s side, from which He formed Eve. At this point, we have the first man and woman. Obviously, Adam and Eve were both originally one. Each was the other’s "other half." Made from the same stock, each completed the other. Adam was Eve’s complement, and she was his. Were they exactly equal? Of course not! That was never God’s intent!
Since then, men and women have often looked at each other, and wondered, "Why can’t he/she see things my way?" or "Doesn’t she/he understand how much this will hurt me?" Questions like this illustrate the fact that men and women do think differently. It helps to understand that we were intended by our Creator to be different from each other.
Women have been especially blessed by God to hold a tiny part of His creation. Within them, human life can start, and grow. But, because a woman is nearly defenseless during the last of her pregnancy and childbirth, her spouse MUST be her defender. This requires him to think linearly. He must see problems and solutions as a line with discrete steps along the way. Since he has to think this way to ensure her survival, she has been better equipped by God to be able to keep track of home, kids, supplies, etc, the things for which most men are usually not as well suited.
Our God has arranged all this most marvelously well. With man as the defender, and woman the caretaker, we stand as two of the three legs of a tripod. God is, and must be, the third leg. We cannot allow anything to pry us apart. If you pull one of the tripod’s legs away from the rest, it will collapse. If we allow either of the human legs to pried away from the other, or from God, the "marriage tripod" will likewise no longer stand. If there is an irritant between yourself, and either God or your spouse, you must get that irritant out from the center, so that you have God and the strength of the marriage to help you deal with it. Take all problems to the Lord in prayer, and rely on His guidance.
Stand together or fall apart. The choice is ours!
See you again soon, in Paradise!
Mr Mike
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Soon! and Very Soon!
One of the things none of us like to face is the fact that we don’t know how much time we have left. The younger we are, the more distant and remote the possibility of our own end seems. Somewhere around middle age it becomes obvious that there is quite a bit less road stretching out in front than there used to be.
As Christians, we know we are supposed to live as though tomorrow will bring us face-to-face with our creator, but do we? All too often, we continue on our way, comfortable in our certainty that there is plenty of time left to fix our lives, and get right with God. But, how much time do we really have?
In addition to all the possible worldly causes of our demise, we do not know when the tribulation will start. "No man will know" the exact hour. We do know that the generation that sees Israel reformed will not have passed, but that could be any time from right now until moments before the last of that generation draws his or her dying breath.
The seven years of the tribulation will be very bad, the nearest thing to "hell-on-earth" to ever exist. It is possible to be saved after the rapture, but with the antichrist in charge, your life will likely be brutal and short.
Don’t risk dying without salvation. If you’ve not yet accepted Jesus, stop whatever else you’re doing right now! Pray to God. Tell him, "I am a sinner." Know in your heart that He sent His Son to pay your debt for your sins. Ask Him in and accept Him. Then get about His business and tell others.
After all, like the song says, "Soon, and very soon, we’re all going to see the King."
How soon? Very soon!
See you soon, in Paradise.
Mr Mike
As Christians, we know we are supposed to live as though tomorrow will bring us face-to-face with our creator, but do we? All too often, we continue on our way, comfortable in our certainty that there is plenty of time left to fix our lives, and get right with God. But, how much time do we really have?
In addition to all the possible worldly causes of our demise, we do not know when the tribulation will start. "No man will know" the exact hour. We do know that the generation that sees Israel reformed will not have passed, but that could be any time from right now until moments before the last of that generation draws his or her dying breath.
The seven years of the tribulation will be very bad, the nearest thing to "hell-on-earth" to ever exist. It is possible to be saved after the rapture, but with the antichrist in charge, your life will likely be brutal and short.
Don’t risk dying without salvation. If you’ve not yet accepted Jesus, stop whatever else you’re doing right now! Pray to God. Tell him, "I am a sinner." Know in your heart that He sent His Son to pay your debt for your sins. Ask Him in and accept Him. Then get about His business and tell others.
After all, like the song says, "Soon, and very soon, we’re all going to see the King."
How soon? Very soon!
See you soon, in Paradise.
Mr Mike
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Witness
I saw Your star above the earth.
Oh! It filled my heart with joy!
It shined God’s pleasure in Your birth,
and His pride in You, His boy.
Oh! It filled my heart with joy!
It shined God’s pleasure in Your birth,
and His pride in You, His boy.
I saw You in a straw-filled barn,
Your head pillowed by the hay.
Your mother watched, to keep from harm
God’s own baby, born that day.
I saw You with some wise men then
and You were no more than twelve.
You spoke of love, and God, and sin,
and the banishment of hell.
I saw You at a wedding feast
with Your mother and some friends.
The wine You made was proclaimed best,
so the groom could make amends.
I saw You near the temple walls,
Your voice spoke with rage and ire;
"My Father’s house, not pirate stalls,
get out or you’ll feel His fire!"
I saw You feed five thousand men
with two small fish and some loaves.
And when the scraps they picked up then,
twelve baskets full did they show.
I saw You teach near Galilee,
And the words You spoke rang true.
You said You’d come to rescue me
if only I’d follow You.
In Gethsemane, I heard You cry,
and I paused and listened, then.
What I heard made me ask God, "Why?
Must You pay for all my sins?"
I saw You up on Calgary,
and my tears were like the sea.
Your pain and death and agony
You did offer up for me.
I saw You in a stranger’s tomb,
and the night dared make no sound.
I thought man’s end must surely loom
when Your Father’s wrath came ‘round.
I saw You rise with Glory’s cheer!
God’s Son lives! No more to die!
It’s You I love! Your voice I hear!
Your praise alone will I cry!
.
'till we meet in Paradise
.
Mr Mike
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Repent!
One of my favorite "churchy" jokes goes like this...
"A tiny country church, badly in need of repainting, had little more than $100 with which to have the job done. Old Joe (a well-known skinflint) was asked to do the work. He considered the matter, and came to the conclusion that, if he stretched the paint out as much as possible, he could maybe get by with just one gallon of white paint. Monday morning, he started to work. With about a third of the church painted, he'd already used up most of the paint, so he topped the can up with water, stirred well, and painted on. As he passed the three-quarter point, he realized he was, again, nearly out of paint, so he dilluted once more.
When he finished, he surveyed his work. "Not too bad." he thought.
Friday evening, though, a storm rolled in, and soaked everything.
Sunday morning, as he arrived for service, old Joe noticed the theme for the day's sermon on the church marque that read:
Repaint!
& Thin No More!
What does this have to do with us? How often do we tell God we are sorry for what we've done, then go back to our old ways? What does the Bible say?
Luke 13:5 "...except ye repent,ye shall all likewise perish."
Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."
Rev 2:5 "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,..."
Rev 3:19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." - all quotes kjv-
Often, we forget that repentance does not only mean saying we are sorry, it means doing something about our behavior to keep the offense from ever happening again.
Not stopping for red lights is a bad habit that could cost your driver's license, but your soul is worth a whole lot more than any document! If you tell the judge you're sorry, but then you see him again for the same offense, he'll be a bit skeptical of your repentance.
Repent,
& sin no more!
See you in Paradise!
Mr Mike
"A tiny country church, badly in need of repainting, had little more than $100 with which to have the job done. Old Joe (a well-known skinflint) was asked to do the work. He considered the matter, and came to the conclusion that, if he stretched the paint out as much as possible, he could maybe get by with just one gallon of white paint. Monday morning, he started to work. With about a third of the church painted, he'd already used up most of the paint, so he topped the can up with water, stirred well, and painted on. As he passed the three-quarter point, he realized he was, again, nearly out of paint, so he dilluted once more.
When he finished, he surveyed his work. "Not too bad." he thought.
Friday evening, though, a storm rolled in, and soaked everything.
Sunday morning, as he arrived for service, old Joe noticed the theme for the day's sermon on the church marque that read:
Repaint!
& Thin No More!
What does this have to do with us? How often do we tell God we are sorry for what we've done, then go back to our old ways? What does the Bible say?
Luke 13:5 "...except ye repent,ye shall all likewise perish."
Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."
Rev 2:5 "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,..."
Rev 3:19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." - all quotes kjv-
Often, we forget that repentance does not only mean saying we are sorry, it means doing something about our behavior to keep the offense from ever happening again.
Not stopping for red lights is a bad habit that could cost your driver's license, but your soul is worth a whole lot more than any document! If you tell the judge you're sorry, but then you see him again for the same offense, he'll be a bit skeptical of your repentance.
.
God spells it out clearly for all of us,
"...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Repent,
& sin no more!
See you in Paradise!
Mr Mike
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
She's My Miracle
Seven years ago, God blessed me with a miracle. Her name is Trish, and she came into my life when it seemed to me that life was no longer worth living. But, let me back up a few years...
I married my first wife 35 years ago. I carefully chose her for all the wrong reasons. She was really cute, fairly short, but not too bright. This is what I was seeking. You see, her being good looking meant (to me) that I must have something going for me, right? If she were short, it made me look more impressive, and likewise, not being too intelligent made me look smarter by comparison. None of these reasons have anything to do with God's plan.
Our marriage was basically in trouble from day one, but stubborn determination, 2 kids, and my becoming a Christian part-way through helped to keep us together for 23 years. She had a lot of mental problems, but I contributed my share of irritants, too. She ran off with her best friend's husband, even so, I spent a few years trying to get us back together again. I had the kids, and after the eldest grew up, and moved on, it seemed to me that my life would surely end when the youngest reached adulthood. I wasn't planning that anything would happen, I was simply sure my life would be over then.
I had a lot of health problems that seemed to reinforce these beliefs. Mostly, I waited on my demise, neither looking forward to it, nor dreading it.
Then God sent the miracle into my life. I received an invitation from a company to sign up for a pen-pal. Usually, I tossed such stuff out. This time, for some reason, I looked into it. After much filtering-out of individuals that nobody would care to meet, I ran across a woman who'd had a horrible childhood, primarily featuring periods of various forms of abuse. She'd been hurt so badly, over so many years, that I was amazed to find her functional, at all. I wrote her to assure her that I was certain that God had placed someone on this earth for her, and to not give up hope. This was May 19th, 2001. Little did I realize, the someone God had picked out for her, was me.
After about a month, our email "conversations" had reached several per day.I began to be more and more supportive to her, and she began to mean a lot to me. As I still had a son at home, she flew in on July 3rd, for a visit. We were married on July 9th.
Seven incredible years! Oh, thank-you, God! I realized she was the one God had intended for me from the beginning. She is now more able to deal with what was done to her, and while my health problems have only gotten much worse, I no longer look forward to the day when I can call it quits.
I figured out, once, that the odds of our ever meeting at all were several billion to one. But God is in charge, and odds don't matter.
So, why am I writing this, now? As of the 9th of July, 2008, we've been married for 7 years. She is my couterpart, the Eve to my Adam, my soulmate! I finally understand that God knows best.
Put Him in charge of your life, it will be the best thing you've ever done. Afterward, you will certainly say, "Thanks, God!"
Mr Mike
I married my first wife 35 years ago. I carefully chose her for all the wrong reasons. She was really cute, fairly short, but not too bright. This is what I was seeking. You see, her being good looking meant (to me) that I must have something going for me, right? If she were short, it made me look more impressive, and likewise, not being too intelligent made me look smarter by comparison. None of these reasons have anything to do with God's plan.
Our marriage was basically in trouble from day one, but stubborn determination, 2 kids, and my becoming a Christian part-way through helped to keep us together for 23 years. She had a lot of mental problems, but I contributed my share of irritants, too. She ran off with her best friend's husband, even so, I spent a few years trying to get us back together again. I had the kids, and after the eldest grew up, and moved on, it seemed to me that my life would surely end when the youngest reached adulthood. I wasn't planning that anything would happen, I was simply sure my life would be over then.
I had a lot of health problems that seemed to reinforce these beliefs. Mostly, I waited on my demise, neither looking forward to it, nor dreading it.
Then God sent the miracle into my life. I received an invitation from a company to sign up for a pen-pal. Usually, I tossed such stuff out. This time, for some reason, I looked into it. After much filtering-out of individuals that nobody would care to meet, I ran across a woman who'd had a horrible childhood, primarily featuring periods of various forms of abuse. She'd been hurt so badly, over so many years, that I was amazed to find her functional, at all. I wrote her to assure her that I was certain that God had placed someone on this earth for her, and to not give up hope. This was May 19th, 2001. Little did I realize, the someone God had picked out for her, was me.
After about a month, our email "conversations" had reached several per day.I began to be more and more supportive to her, and she began to mean a lot to me. As I still had a son at home, she flew in on July 3rd, for a visit. We were married on July 9th.
Seven incredible years! Oh, thank-you, God! I realized she was the one God had intended for me from the beginning. She is now more able to deal with what was done to her, and while my health problems have only gotten much worse, I no longer look forward to the day when I can call it quits.
I figured out, once, that the odds of our ever meeting at all were several billion to one. But God is in charge, and odds don't matter.
So, why am I writing this, now? As of the 9th of July, 2008, we've been married for 7 years. She is my couterpart, the Eve to my Adam, my soulmate! I finally understand that God knows best.
Put Him in charge of your life, it will be the best thing you've ever done. Afterward, you will certainly say, "Thanks, God!"
Mr Mike
Monday, July 7, 2008
Your Faith is Your Shield While Witnessing
Oftentimes, while we witness to others, we run into the "intellectual skeptic." He is the one who will not listen to a word you say because he "knows better." This individual discounts everything biblical as fairy tales, or worse. Nothing you say will get through, so it seems. Not only do you feel you are wasting your time, but the devil will try hard to pry his way under your faith by way of the skeptic’s rebuttal, which will often involve "proof" involving evolution or whatever current theory is popular (i.e. global warming). Satan is trying to work on you as surely as you are trying to work for God, and he has had thousands of years of experience.
So, what are you supposed to do? God expects you to present His message, especially to the lost, but He doesn’t want you swayed by the devil’s arguments. This is why He gave you a mind, too, so you can reason on your own. He does not want you to just blindly follow. Commit your thinking processes to the struggle, as well.
Consider, if you will, the popular theory of evolution. The claim is that after millions of years of evolution, after countless billions of failed changes in biological design, we came to be. Now, none of the evolutionists claim there were as few as a million evolutions between primordial ooze and homo-sapiens, most still maintain there were billions of evolutions. Bear in mind that they still believe life has been on the earth for 50 million years, plus or minus, according to whichever "expert" is talking. For the number of evolutions they claim have to have happened, that is an incredibly short time. One billion changes over 50 million years equals 20 evolutions per year! Mankind has kept written records for 4 or 5 thousand years. Where are the records of the sheep growing wings or fish harvesting wheat? Why are there no dogs with scales or mice with 100 legs? Even if they cut the number of "required" evolutionary changes down by a factor of 100, someone would still have recorded a corn plant that walked to a better location in order to grow. Nope! Not very likely!
Along this vein, do you know what makes atom bombs work? The nucleus of the atom cracks apart and releases fantastic force. But, what keeps it together? Everything in the nucleus is either neutral, or a positively charged particle. Like charged particles repel each other violently, hence the nuclear explosion. Why doesn’t your coffee cup have its nuclear particles repel each other and leave a hole the size of New York in your front lawn? It is because our phenomenal God has seen to it that these things do NOT happen to us!
Will any of this convince your skeptic when you witness to him? Probably not, but you never know. The dedicated unbeliever will use anything to stay away from God. What it can do for you is help to build up your shield and your confidence so that the evil one has fewer chinks in your armor on which to work. Satan wants to steal you away from God, and keep you from being an effective soldier, but you know his future. Remind him of it always, and in every way…
Go with God.
Mr Mike
So, what are you supposed to do? God expects you to present His message, especially to the lost, but He doesn’t want you swayed by the devil’s arguments. This is why He gave you a mind, too, so you can reason on your own. He does not want you to just blindly follow. Commit your thinking processes to the struggle, as well.
Consider, if you will, the popular theory of evolution. The claim is that after millions of years of evolution, after countless billions of failed changes in biological design, we came to be. Now, none of the evolutionists claim there were as few as a million evolutions between primordial ooze and homo-sapiens, most still maintain there were billions of evolutions. Bear in mind that they still believe life has been on the earth for 50 million years, plus or minus, according to whichever "expert" is talking. For the number of evolutions they claim have to have happened, that is an incredibly short time. One billion changes over 50 million years equals 20 evolutions per year! Mankind has kept written records for 4 or 5 thousand years. Where are the records of the sheep growing wings or fish harvesting wheat? Why are there no dogs with scales or mice with 100 legs? Even if they cut the number of "required" evolutionary changes down by a factor of 100, someone would still have recorded a corn plant that walked to a better location in order to grow. Nope! Not very likely!
Along this vein, do you know what makes atom bombs work? The nucleus of the atom cracks apart and releases fantastic force. But, what keeps it together? Everything in the nucleus is either neutral, or a positively charged particle. Like charged particles repel each other violently, hence the nuclear explosion. Why doesn’t your coffee cup have its nuclear particles repel each other and leave a hole the size of New York in your front lawn? It is because our phenomenal God has seen to it that these things do NOT happen to us!
Will any of this convince your skeptic when you witness to him? Probably not, but you never know. The dedicated unbeliever will use anything to stay away from God. What it can do for you is help to build up your shield and your confidence so that the evil one has fewer chinks in your armor on which to work. Satan wants to steal you away from God, and keep you from being an effective soldier, but you know his future. Remind him of it always, and in every way…
Go with God.
Mr Mike
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The Bucket List
I just recently saw the movie "The Bucket List." Morgan Freemen and Jack Nicholson play a couple of men, diagnosed with, and dying of cancer.
Both have a very limited life expectancy (a few months) and they put together a list of things they wish to do before they "kick the bucket," hence the name of the movie. The list is comprised of the sort of fanciful desires a lot of us have, and normally would be out of the financial reach of almost everyone.
Nicholson's character, however, is very wealthy, and he starts to make the wish-list come true.
In the end, of course, both men die. The moral, given at the movie's end, is that you measure yourself by those who measure themselves against you.
Incredible! It completely misses the mark! We all know none of us can "measure up" to God's standards, and the world's standards simply don't count for anything!
Nothing counts!
- If we don't first admit to our being sinners...
- If we do not believe, with every fiber of our being that Jesus, the Son of God, covered Himself with the horrible slime of our sins, for which only He could pay the penalty...
- If we do not get out and spread the word, confessing to all and sundry, the great news of God's plan for everyone's salvation.
Remember the parable of the talents? The master gave to all three of His servants. Two broght Him a return on His investment, but one buried his. We owe God a "return" on His investment!
There you have it... our "Bucket List."
First - get saved!
Second - help others find their own salvation!
How many billions are there in the world? How many have I reached so far? I better get going... still a few billion to reach yet on "my" bucket list!
See you soon, in Paradise!
Mr Mike
Both have a very limited life expectancy (a few months) and they put together a list of things they wish to do before they "kick the bucket," hence the name of the movie. The list is comprised of the sort of fanciful desires a lot of us have, and normally would be out of the financial reach of almost everyone.
Nicholson's character, however, is very wealthy, and he starts to make the wish-list come true.
In the end, of course, both men die. The moral, given at the movie's end, is that you measure yourself by those who measure themselves against you.
Incredible! It completely misses the mark! We all know none of us can "measure up" to God's standards, and the world's standards simply don't count for anything!
Nothing counts!
- If we don't first admit to our being sinners...
- If we do not believe, with every fiber of our being that Jesus, the Son of God, covered Himself with the horrible slime of our sins, for which only He could pay the penalty...
- If we do not get out and spread the word, confessing to all and sundry, the great news of God's plan for everyone's salvation.
Remember the parable of the talents? The master gave to all three of His servants. Two broght Him a return on His investment, but one buried his. We owe God a "return" on His investment!
There you have it... our "Bucket List."
First - get saved!
Second - help others find their own salvation!
How many billions are there in the world? How many have I reached so far? I better get going... still a few billion to reach yet on "my" bucket list!
See you soon, in Paradise!
Mr Mike
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Thanking God for aches and pains
How often do we thank God for the times we hurt?
Not often, I bet! Not in my case, anyway.
I wanted to do some work up on the roof, yesterday. I work part-time (am) for a church, and assumed I'd come home, grab my tools, and get started.
But, I'm just not as young as I used to be... don't know just when I got old, but somehow I did. When I returned home, every joint in my body was screaming, usually a sure sign a front is coming in. A short nap, yeah, that's the answer!
Just about that time, a tremendous storm blew in! Several inches of rain fell in just over an hour. If I hadn't been so sore, I'd have been up on the roof with my power tools when it hit.
Electrical tools, rainfall, wet ladders and falling off of wet roof and/or ladder... ouch!
How often do we think to thank God for what seems to be bad things in our lives? How often would things have been much worse without His intervention?
Thank-you, God, for ALL my aches and pains!
Mr Mike
Not often, I bet! Not in my case, anyway.
I wanted to do some work up on the roof, yesterday. I work part-time (am) for a church, and assumed I'd come home, grab my tools, and get started.
But, I'm just not as young as I used to be... don't know just when I got old, but somehow I did. When I returned home, every joint in my body was screaming, usually a sure sign a front is coming in. A short nap, yeah, that's the answer!
Just about that time, a tremendous storm blew in! Several inches of rain fell in just over an hour. If I hadn't been so sore, I'd have been up on the roof with my power tools when it hit.
Electrical tools, rainfall, wet ladders and falling off of wet roof and/or ladder... ouch!
How often do we think to thank God for what seems to be bad things in our lives? How often would things have been much worse without His intervention?
Thank-you, God, for ALL my aches and pains!
Mr Mike
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