Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Submissive Wives not Wife Slavery

‘Wives be subject to your own husbands’ ( 1 Peter 3:1).  It does not say women are subjects to men.  It does not say all men rule over women.  It does not say men are smarter than women.  It dies not say men are more important than women.  It simply teaches that a wife has a relationship that requires working with and considering her husband and does not think only of herself.

The verses before and after reflect the kind of submission that is required.  Slaves and employees operate under bosses and slave owners that are to always just.  Sometimes husbands are not just.  When a wife submits to her husband she does it as unto the Lord (1 Peter :219-25; Ephesians 5:22-23, 6:5-90. 


However, the scripture is not teaching that women do whatever their husbands want regardless of whether the action demanded is sinful.  Women submit as unto the Lord. So that if a sinful act is demanded or requested the woman resists evil as any godly godly person must.  She is not arrogant about it, but calmly resolved (1 Peter 3:4; Ephesians 5:22). 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Judging Genders

1 Peter 3:1-7 is dedicated to the marital relationship as regards submitting to one another.  There are six verses on the necessity of the wife to submit to the husband and only one verse on how a husband is to treat his wife. Many leaders in the church gives that same distribution of time to the subject, as though women need to rebuke and exhortation far more than men need it (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Yet when women get together and talk, it seems there are fewer men giving their lives up for their wives than there are women loving their unjust husbands in silence.  I imagine when men get together they are convinced of the opposit.  

It is better for each gender to concentrate on the responsibility of their own gender than to judge the other (Romans 14:4).

Recovering

Surgery went very well.  I have Parkinson's disease and the surgery is for deep brain stimulation.  This latest event was inserting the battery under my skin.

I felt a tills more pain this time, but no longer need pain medication.  My left side is a bit sore and I am not allowed to lift snything got four weeks.  I am grateful for your prayers.


May God bless you in return.

Dr. Shirley

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

This morin ing I am undergoing second part of surgery.  I appreciate your prayers.  I hope to return on Monday without breaks.

Thank you for understanding.

Dr  Shirley

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Nag in Silence

Sometimes we talk too much, say too much, nag too much.  Our endless effort to persuade someone to repent never succeeds.  Only the Holy Spirit convicts people of unrighteousness (John 16:8).  It is much easier to nag than to suffer unjustly, so that the Holy Spirit can use our silence to teach of God’s grace (1 Peter 2:23-25).

We nag through our own efforts.  It takes yielding to the Holy Spirit to know when and if we need to suffer in silence.


Monday, September 22, 2014

Saul Became Paul

Sometimes God allows us to struggle under the hand of those who are unfair for a yet invisible reason.  

Before Saul became Paul, he persecuted the church.  He had both men and women put to death.  Then Jesus himself confronted Saul on the road to Damascas, and knocked him off his high horse, if you will (Acts 9; Acts 26:9-18).  Saul was converted and became known as Paul, the man whom God used to write most of the new testament.


All those believers who were killed by Saul had no concept that they were being put to death by someone who would become a leader of the church.  There is peace in knowing God has a purpose in all things, whether we see and understand it or not (1 Peter 2:18-25)

Friday, September 19, 2014

Sleepless?

Recently I have been giving into the temptation to over spend my budget.  Two nights ago, as I laid down for the night, my mind was spinning about finances.  I finally got out of bed and opened my bible to get some sort of comfort that would help me sleep.  I opened my Bible to where I hd stuck a piece of paper and read the following exhortation.

“Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness” ( Isaiah 55:2).


The Lord is faithful to correct us.  Peter wrote, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” (1 Peter 2:11).

Returning Sometime Today

Thank you for your prayer support.  I am doing especially well.  I go in for the second hakf of the surgery on the 25th.  That part is expected to be less complicated.  I hope to continue to post during that time.

I plan to post the next study today.

Thank you again for your prayers.


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Surgery

I am recovery ing from surgery.  Plan to return on  the fifteenth.  I apologies for the delay.  I hope you well continue to read the posts.

God bless you,

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Micro Manager

Several years ago, I was at my desk when the owner of the business came to my coworker and asked to see her upstairs in the lunch room.  The employee shot me a quizzical look as she passed by my desk following our boss.  When she came back down stairs, she quietly sat down at her desk and began working.  After the boss left the office the coworker shredded with me the  cause of her reprimand.

The staple on her report was crooked.


That was one of the most outrageous cases of micro managing I had seen.  Peter writes that we are to obey even those who are unreasonable (1 Peter 2:18-20).  If I am paid a salary to make sure staples are straight, then I will make them straight (and possibly look for another job).

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

First Thoughts

When we suffer at the hands of others, our first thought is not to relate it to God watching over us.  Our reactions are more apt to be anger and reprisal.  We want to fight back, and many times that may be what we need to do.  But there are times when fighting back will not accomplish anything but stir up more trouble.  

At those times we need to remind ourselves that Jesus suffered to save some of the very people who were putting him to death.  He suffered for us when we did not deserve to be saved. 

God knows all things.  He will accomplish eternal things through the things we suffer, both in us and for us and, possible, for the one who is persecuting us.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A Sure Thing

God distinguishes between those who  deserve punishment for doing wrong and those who are suffering unjustly (1 Peter 2:20).  When we are being mistreated, when someone is out to harm us, God is taking notice.  God is not only merciful, he is just.  His justice often does not appear immediately as he is patient to give people time to repent.  But his justice is sure and the wrong doer will eventually experience the wrath of God if he or she does not repent (Romans 2:11;      1 Peter 3:9).


Be confident that the sins committed against God will be exposed whether we commit them against others or others commit them against us.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Written to Sustain Power

Acquaintances and friends have said the Bible was written so the powerful can control those under them.  Peter’s next statement at first may appear to confirm that philosophy.  “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward” (1 Peter 2:18).  

But Paul clarifies that issue when he warns masters of slaves to stop threatening their slaves because the masters have a Master in heaven who will avenge wrong doing whether it be from a slave or a master of a slave (Ephesians 6:9).


The same principle affects employees and bosses. Every man and woman will stand before God and be judged for doing what is right and for the way he or she treats others in the line of authority.  The way we interact is not based on other peoples’ actions and attitudes, but on our relationship with God.