Things God Hates

It definitely is true that our God is a God of love (1 John 4:8), but His word also tells us there are some things He hates. Although many times what is translated as hate really means to love less, if one does a word search on things the Bible says God hates or finds to be an abomination, one will come up with about 45 different items: homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:22); bestiality (Leviticus 18:23); idols, and the materials used to make idols (Deuteronomy 7:25); setting up pillars (for idolatrous worship) (Deuteronomy 16:22); blemished sacrifices (Deuteronomy 17:1); worshipping the sun, moon or stars (Deuteronomy 17:3-4); divination (Deuteronomy 18:10); astrology (Deuteronomy 18:10); enchanters (Deuteronomy 18:10); witches (Deuteronomy 18:10); charmers (Deuteronomy 18:11); wizards (Deuteronomy 18:11); necromancers (Deuteronomy 18:11); transvestitism (Deuteronomy 22:5); the hiring of a prostitute (Deuteronomy 23:18); marrying a former wife after she has been married to another man (Deuteronomy 24:4); dishonest scales (Deuteronomy 25:13-16); workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5); the wicked (Psalm 11:5); those who love violence (Psalm 11:5); the perverse man (Proverbs 3:32); a proud look (Proverbs 6:16-17); a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17); hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17); a heart that devises wicked imaginations (Proverbs 6:18); feet that are swift in running to mischief (Proverbs 6:18); a false witness who speaks lies (Proverbs 6:19); anyone who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19); lying lips (Proverbs 12:22); the sacrifices of the wicked (Proverbs 15:8); the ways of the wicked (Proverbs 15:9); the thoughts of the wicked (Proverbs 15:26); the proud in heart (Proverbs 16:5); those who justify the wicked (Proverbs 17:15); those who condemn the just (Proverbs 17:15); vain sacrifices (Isaiah 1:13); new moons and feast days as Israel celebrated them (Isaiah 1:14); robbery for burnt offering (Isaiah 61:8); idolatry (Jeremiah 44:2-4); feast days and assemblies done with a wrong heart (Amos 5:21); evil plans against neighbors (Zechariah 8:17); false oaths (Zechariah 8:17); Esau (Malachi 1:1-3; Romans 9:13); putting away one’s wife (Malachi 2:14-16); and the deeds of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 15).

Many of the items listed above reference a specific type or group of people that God says He either hates or finds to be an abomination, which is one of the strongest words of condemnation found in the Bible. To me, this only illustrates further just how strong the love of God is for His creation, for in spite of the fact that God hates certain things and even groups of people who engage in abhorrent behavior, His love for them, nonetheless, is stronger than His hatred, for as we are told clearly in His word by His Son, Jesus Christ, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This statement is given across the board, and applies equally to all who come to Him in obedient faith. And for further confirmation that God’s love is extended to and is more powerful than His hatred, consider what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 5:8: “But God commends His own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” May our God of love bless you!

Sarah Palin: Definitely NOT Qualified!

I have no idea who wrote this, but I agree with what they have written. Sarah Palin is definitely not qualified to be in Washington!

No trees were killed in the sending of this message but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

Palin is completely inexperienced and utterly incapable.

You heard me. The initial euphoria over the idea of a naughty librarian on the TV news each night for the next 4 to 8 years has worn off. Now, it is back to hard, pragmatic reality and the reality is that she has no place in Washington , DC.

Want proof? Consider the following:

Only an amateur would speak off the cuff, as she usually does. Experienced politicians avoid speaking extemporaneously whenever possible. Otherwise, the electorate might find out what they really think.

If Palin had meaningful experience, she would have known that the job of Ethics Commissioner is SUPPOSED to be corrupt, thus saving her the troubleof resigning in protest and then running for the highest office in the state.

Only an amateur would attain political office by actually defeatingopposing candidates at the ballot box. An experienced politician would have eliminated opposition candidates by protesting technical glitches in their nominating petitions or petitioning to change the party rules on how votes are counted in primary elections or hiring groups like ACORN to register 14 people who all, coincidentally, have the same names and reside at the same abandoned and boarded-up restaurant. Did she not once consider taking lessons from the Chicago political machine that got Obama elected? Sheesh.

Any experienced politician knows that upon assuming high office, you are supposed to demand a larger plane; not sell the useless behemoth that was recently purchased by your predecessor.

Only an amateur would implement a comprehensive energy and conservation policy shortly after taking office. A more experienced politician wouldhave avoided the issue outright for at least 30 years while demonizing oil companies, then banning any voting on the topic followed by a recess vacation through the next election.

Any experienced politician knows that once elected, you are not supposed to spend your first 20 months in office actually doing the job you were elected to do. You should be campaigning for another office - as Obama could have told her.

Sarah Palin was only supposed to TALK about government reform and utter platitudes about exiling corrupt, entrenched politicians - not actually do anything about it. She demonstrated her naivete by creating a smooth running government that included representatives of other political parties, thereby making it impossible for her to find a scapegoat if anything goes wrong.

Only a political greenhorn would thumb their nose at the environmental lobby by hunting and actually shooting moose and caribou. Worse yet, she foolishly told the truth: the proposed oil drilling site in ANWR is NOT the secret location of Eden but is, in fact, a barren wasteland.

What Sarah Palin does not seem to understand is that here in the 21stcentury, chief executives do not negotiate beneficial business deals fortheir states with foreign nations or take time to actually hang out with soldiers in Iraq. That time is better spent preening for the cameras in Berlin - something else a more seasoned and experienced politician such as Obama could have told her.

Holding oil companies accountable and successfully negotiating mutually productive agreements with them proves she does not understand their true purpose: if you work with them to the benefit of your state, you will no longer have a faceless villain to scare people into voting for you.

By creating new jobs instead of demonizing capitalism, Sarah foolishly enabled people to become more reliant on themselves and less reliant on government, hereby diminishing the dependant voter base - a classic newbie mistake. After all, if people have jobs, they will not have much need for the government and will be too busy enjoying their lives to protest the U.S. , its corporations and, of course, opposing candidates.

Worse yet, Palin created a budget surplus and mailed it back to the taxpayers. Doesn't she know that if the government generates a surplus, it's doing something wrong? An experienced leader like Obama or Biden knows that taxpayer money belongs to the government - not to the people.

In another rankly amateurish move, she cooperated completely with government officials investigating accusations made against her. Experienced politicians know that you are supposed to stonewall, obfuscate, pressure libraries to expunge any record of unsavory political associations and ship potential witnesses off to Caribbean islands - another good reason not to sell the executive jet. Yup, she is hopelessly inexperienced.

God's Love Is Both Individual and Corporate

Have you ever found yourself feeling that God loves people as a group, but not yourself as an individual? Have you ever found yourself at some low point in your life saying, "God doesn't really love me!" Unfortunately, this type of human love in which a love for the group is proclaimed but no love for the individual actually exists is actually quite prevalent, particularly among those in the entertainment industry. Many musical performers and actors and actresses from Hollywood preach love, peace, harmony and why can’t we all just get along for humanity as a whole, and yet they have the highest rates of divorce and broken relationships. John Lennon wrote and sang All You Need Is Love and Give Peace a Chance, and yet he left his first wife, Cynthia; he was estranged from his oldest son, Julian; and his long time business partner, song collaborator and former best friend and best man at his first wedding, Paul McCartney, were hardly on speaking terms as they were engaged in an ongoing lawsuit at the time of John Lennon’s untimely death. A philanthropist may give his money and/or time to help humanity but then turn around and treat individual men and women as if they were dirt. He supposedly loves all of mankind, yet not a single man can be found whom he likes.

Charles Dickens, one of my all time personal favorite authors, paints a marvelous and humorous picture of such a person in the character of a woman and mother called Mrs. Jellyby, one of his memorable characters in his wonderful novel Bleak House. Mrs. Jellyby is found working on starting a new philanthropic project at "Borrioboola-Gha, on the left bank of the Niger," as it is described by Dickens. This project in which Mrs. Jellyby finds herself embroiled engages her attention to the extent that in the very first scene in which she is brought to life by Dickens, one of her children is found getting his head stuck tightly within a railing while another one of her children tumbles down the stairs. But in spite of the chaos revolving around her in which her own children are in dire need of her assistance, she never notices what is taking place and she is totally oblivious to her surroundings. Dickens tells us her eyes seem "to look a long way off. As if . . . they could see nothing nearer than Africa!" Mrs. Jellyby loves the idea of serving mankind corporately, but she fails to serve even her own, dear children individually who are right under her feet with their own problems.

When circumstances seem to conspire against us, when we cannot understand what God is doing, when we do not feel His presence as we pass through the fiery trial, we have a tendency to question God's love for us, and we have a tendency to feel self-pity. We even begin to doubt whether or not the Apostle Paul knew what he was saying when he wrote in Romans 8:28, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” The next time you start feeling down, please remember that we have been told by God in His word several times, “I will never fail you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Season of Renewal

David wrote in Psalm 104:27-30,

27 These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season.
28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
29 You hide Your face, and they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30 When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the Earth.

The scientific community among us tells us that our world is governed by what they call "natural law." Most of them forget or choose to ignore, however, that behind the law is the Lawgiver. Behind creation is a Creator, the God of the universe Who cares immensely for His creation and His people. Who is it, anyway, who unifies the universe and makes it work so intricately well together in all its varied and gloried splendor? It is none other than the God Who made it all in the first place. Paul stated in Romans 1:20, “Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.” All of creation waits upon Him and trusts Him to supply what is needed, just as we read in this psalm. As the psalmist wrote, "These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good" (verses 27-28 above).

God gives and we gather. He clothes the fields with flowers (Matthew 6:30) and He feeds the sparrows as He marks their fall (Matthew 10:29). He provides and we take. He is dependable and He takes care of His own. "I have been young, and now am old," David says in Psalm 37:25. "Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread." God is also generous. As Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” He does not give carelessly or selfishly. He opens His hand, and all of creation is filled with good. As the Apostle Paul said regarding the generosity of the Lord in Romans 10:12 and Ephesians 1:7-8, “ . . . the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us.”

Our God is sovereign, and He is in control, even to the changing of the seasons and life and death. "You hide Your face, and they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the Earth" (verses 29-30 above). Spring is so beautiful and so full of promise, summer is so delightful and full of dreams, and autumn is so fruitful and full of God’s bounty. Then winter follows, and it seems so dismal and abysmal. But the same God of spring, summer and autumn is also still the same God of winter. He brings the refreshing, renewing springtime again and again, and He longs to do the same for you. As Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

God can renew your life this very day. He can bring you seasons of fruitfulness and seasons of sunshine, for He causes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Do not worry about the seasons of life. Do not fret when the Devil afflicts you. Remember, our God is faithful. The Sovereign Lord Who is in charge of this universe can manage the changing seasons of your life, and He will not place you in any situation beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you are in a season of winter, then wait on the Lord with patience. When He is ready, God will send you a spring of opulent joy and unspeakable and unfathomable riches!

Our Faithful God

Faithfulness is a necessary characteristic in the life of one who is preparing to go to Heaven. Writing through the Apostle John to the persecuted disciples in Smyrna, the Lord said, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Paul also stated shortly before his own martyrdom how he had led a life of faithfulness, saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) One who does not remain faithful does not have the Lord's promise of the crown of life. Thus, it is extremely important for us to understand as much as humanly possible what is involved in the biblical doctrine of faithfulness to God.

The best and most important examples we have of faithfulness is that of God Himself, for God is faithful, and His Son, Jesus Christ. At least eleven New Testament verses declare the fact of God's faithfulness. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9) He also states in Romans 3:3, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” We could provide many, many more passages, but these should suffice to demonstrate that God is undeniably faithful Himself. After all, He did fulfill His promise first given in the Garden of Eden to provide a Savior for mankind by sending us Jesus Christ when He said in Genesis 3:15, “ . . . and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Yes, we have the assurance that God is always dependable and He acts consistently and faithfully within His nature.

He is faithful in that He is always holy. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “ . . . but like as He Who called you is holy, be yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy; for I am holy.’”

He is faithful in that He is always a loving God. The Apostle John says in 1 John 4:8-11, “He that does not love does not know God; for God is love. Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

God is faithful in that His word is always truthful. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:17, saying, “Sanctify them in the truth: Your word is truth.” We can depend on God to do what He has said He would do.

He is faithful in that He has promised to help us overcome temptation. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There has no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

God is also faithful in that He has promised to cleanse us and forgive us [of all of our sins. John writes in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God has never given a promise that He failed to honor. His word is completely trustworthy. But do we truly believe it?

1 Timothy 2

If you read the submission by dear sister Christina Dozier called Plain Talk About Sarah Palin then you know that she has taken a different view regarding the selection by John McCain of Sarah Palin to be his running mate than what many have.

In a nutshell, sister Dozier is of the opinion that women are never to hold positions of authority over men. I believe I am also correct in that 1 Timothy 2:12 is the basis or foundation for her beliefs.

Here is the entirety of 1 Timothy 2:

1. I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men;

2. for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.

3. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4. Who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.

5. For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus,

6. Who gave Himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times;

7. whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8. I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing.

9. In like manner, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, and gold or pearls or costly raiment;

10. but (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works.

11. Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection.

12. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

13. For Adam was first formed, then Eve;

14. and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:

15. but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

I am of the belief that to use verse 12 to teach that women cannot be in positions of authority over men at any time is to take this verse out of context. I am persuaded that Paul wrote to Timothy with the express purpose of addressing issues having to do with the church and when it is assembled together, and husbands and wives.

Now some will key in on verse 9 and ask, "So if this is discussing the church and issues it was facing, then a woman is not supposed to be dressed modestly except when she is in the assembly?" This is not an either/or situation. Just because Paul is discussing issues with the church and specifically says here that a woman must be adorned modestly does not mean that God's eternal moral laws are to be thrown out the window when one is no longer gathered within the assembly. One must study the Bible properly and study it in its historical context. Why should we be surprised to see Paul writing to Timothy about the church and have to state that women should be dressed modestly? Remember, the apostles were having to battle Gnostic thought at this time in the infancy of the church, and that Gnostic thought had permeated much of the church to the point that great immorality had infiltrated the church at Corinth to the degree that the congregation was proud of one of their members who had taken his own father's wife! "Well," you might say, "that is only one isolated case! Corinth was a unique phenomenon! You can't say this was a widespread problem in the church because of what happened at Corinth!" Oh, is that so? Let's see what Jesus had to say about that in the Book of Revelation:

6. Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:6)

12. "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'The words of Him Who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13. "'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast My name and you did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality. 15. So you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (Revelation 2:12-15)

18. "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, Who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19. "'I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
20. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality.

22. Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings;

23. and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am He Who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. (Revelation 2:18-23)

So we can see here that even the practice of immorality had entered into the very church. It came from the Gnostics whose beliefs taught that only flesh was evil, and spirit was good, so that which was done in the flesh had no effect on the spirit. This is why they claimed that Jesus did not come in the flesh, and we have many teaching this same heresy to this day, denying the Deity of Christ. The Nicolaitans were a branch of Gnosticism, they practiced immorality and it is very possible they directly led to the creation of the distinction between "clergy" and "laity" that has plagued many denominations for centuries. Paul was reminding Timothy to make sure that he taught the principles of modesty for women, particularly when the church was assembled together, so as to avoid the immorality that was being practiced in much of the church at that time.

Faithful believers who have put on Christ Jesus are all God's "clergy," for as the Apostle Peter writes to all Christians, "you also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:5; 9-10) Additionally, the Apostle John writes, saying, "and He made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto His God and Father" (Revelation 1:6).

Peter exhorted the elders among us to, "Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory." (1 Peter 5:2-4)

Shepherds serve the sheep but the wolves that clothe themselves with so-called leadership and spiritual authority serve themselves, thinking that they serve God. In essence, this makes them false christs. Early church leaders were established as overseers, not a ruling hierarchy. The Early church father Iranaeus identified the Nicolaitans in his treatise Against Heresies in the Second Century as they who are an "offshoot of the knowledge [Gnosticism, my addition] which is falsely so-called," mentioning that they "lead lives of unrestrained indulgence." The reference to Balaam and Balak should be recognizable for anyone even remotely familiar with the history of the children of Israel to know that they engaged in immorality in their assembly as well.

Some will also turn to verse 15 of 1 Timothy 2 and ask, "But how does child-bearing come into this? That seems like it's not in the church."

This is a good question, but once again, we must remember to study passages and keep them in their proper context. What is the context of 1 Timothy 2:15? What was Paul just saying prior to verse 15? Let's take a look at it again:

12. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.
13. For Adam was first formed, then Eve;
14. and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:
15. but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

Paul was talking about how sin entered into the world. He is referring his reader, Timothy, and those he instructed, to Genesis 3. Verse 15 of 1 Timothy 2 has absolutely nothing to do with women having babies today. If it did, then Paul would be teaching salvation by works. Additionally, he would be teaching in contradiction to the Apostle Peter who said that God is not a respecter of persons, meaning that all people are subject to the same Gospel plan of salvation, in Acts 10:34.

Men cannot give birth. Therefore, to understand that this passage is teaching that women giving birth to babies today saves them is completely off base. What Paul is referring to, once again, is Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Paul was referencing the very first prophecy uttered by God Himself in which He predicted that the Seed of woman, Jesus Christ, would be the defeat of Satan. And that is what is meant by Paul saying in verse 1 Timothy 2:15, "but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety."

Paul points out that Eve (he gune in the Greek) brought herself into transgression by abandoning her role and taking on that of the man in the Garden of Eden. God does not wish for women to do this in His church today. But by fulfilling her role, difficult as it may be as a result of sin ("To the woman He said, `I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you'", Genesis 3:16), she gives birth to the Messiah, and thereby, "she" (he gune, fulfilled, of course, in Mary, the mother of Jesus. Paul elaborates on this further in Galatians 4:4: "But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman," (genomenon ek gunaikos in the Greek) brings salvation into the world.

It would be Eve's Seed that would save men, by crushing the head of the deceiving serpent. Paul was showing how Eve had been instrumental in bringing about the fall of mankind into sin, but he did not stop there. He further showed how indispensable she will be in the history of redemption of fallen mankind. For from the fruit of her body will come the Messiah, Who will be able to save both her and all of mankind. In fact, this is how every woman in particular is saved, for Paul switches to the plural in the last half of verse 15 and makes application to women in general. There is then a definite transition from Eve ("The woman": the singular he gune of Galatians 4:4) back to women in general ("women": the plural meinosin, "if they continue"). They will be saved "if they continue in faith and love and sanctification (holiness) with sobriety (submission)." Women in general are not saved through bearing children, they are saved through faith in the fruit of the Childbirth, that being Jesus Christ.

If this redemptive historical interpretation is correct, and I believe it is, then First Timothy chapter two has nothing to do with the essential mothering role of women in general. Neither does it apply to some general prohibition against having women being leaders or "usurping authority" by taking on leadership roles in the "secular" world. Rather, this chapter assures us of the central place of "the woman" in God's redemptive plan and reminds us that women in general are saved from eternal death through faith in the promised Child, His blessed Son, Jesus Christ, if they persevere in holding onto their faith in Him unto death.

So I hope you see why I believe the passage in 1 Timothy 2 is not a universal prohibition against women being in positions of authority, but it is reserved for their role while gathered in the congregation of the Lord's people and with their husbands. 1 Timothy 2 is addressing issues in the church and home, just as the rest of both 1 and 2 Timothy are. There is no break in it where Paul goes from addressing the issue of the church and home to life in general.

From Dirt to Glory

Psalm 103:13-18 says, 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; 14 for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children – 18 with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

The psalmist here had no problem believing in the Genesis account of creation, for he readily admits that God created man from the dust of the ground. Have you remembered lately what you are made of? "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed; He remembers that we are dust" (verses 13-14 above). God took the dust of the ground and formed Adam. Then He breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living soul. Physically, we are made from the dust of the ground, but we are also made in the image of God.

When we think of dust, we think of something common and ordinary. You can walk out the back door and find dust, and not even that far to find it my own house based upon the evidence I see in front of me on my desk and computer screen! We may see dust as something dirty, but to God it also speaks of tremendous potential. God made us from the dust of the ground. He took the dust and made clay, and then He took the clay and made a man. Where we see dirt, God envisioned potential. As Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 64:8, He is the Potter, and we are the clay.

The vastness of God’s universe is mind-boggling, and it further illustrates our insignificance in many ways. And yet, because we are so small and tiny compared to the vastness of the cosmos our Lord created, it also shows just how much our Lord really did love us in that He did come to the Earth as a man, He lived that perfect, sinless life and He voluntarily took upon Himself our sins and suffered a cruel death on the cross. So maybe you are important to the God of this universe after all! Maybe you are not so insignificant! You may be weak in yourself but you can be strong in the Lord. Seek to have the Potter make you want He wants you to be, and remember what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me." He also reminded the congregation of the Lord’s people in Corinth, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Remember that what we might view as dirt and unworthy is something that God views with great and wonderful promise!

May the Lord bless you as you seek to have Him mold you to His will!