Anticipation!

Our son, Phillip, and his wonderful fiance, Patty, are finally getting married this weekend. As I am doing laundry and packing for the trip I keep thinking about how happy Phillip is now compared to his life in the past.

Phillip has been married before and even though she was a great girl she and Phillip just couldn't make it work, for various reasons. During this time in his life he would call me so upset and sometimes would ask me why life was so hard and when would things get better. I would assure him that we were praying for him and in time he would be happy again. I knew he and his children needed to have hope of this, but I also knew I was right in this. God and time are healers of so many things.


We all live in anticipation of something. For Phillip and Patty and our family, right now we are all so excited and can hardly wait for this Saturday when Rodney will get to pronounce them, "Husband and Wife". She will be such a added blessing to our family, but for me to be able to see the happiness and contentment on our son's face and to know that his time of loneliness is over and his healing is complete, is going to be such a gift from God.

Unfortunately our world has been waiting for healing for a long time.  Here in America we have job losses, problems with health care, poverty, hunger, worries about our safety and an uncertainty for our futures. The rest of the world has these same problems but some people have them on such a grand scale, we here in the states can't even imagine it. Hope is failing and as this happens our world becomes a sadder and sadder place to be.

But hope can and will be restored....

Romans 8:18-21

The Message (MSG)

18-21 That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.


God is going to change this world's circumstances. We will live in peace and contentment again. In time we all will be healed of all of our problems. Either on this side or on the next. The hard part for us is that we have to wait for this. During this waiting "The Evil One" is not making our lives easy. But soon he will be defeated too.


In time we will all be healed and safe, but for now we wait in certain anticipation of this. Are you waiting for healing? Do you have hope in this? If not turn to the one who can give you that hope!! Turn to the one who can put a smile back on your face! He is waiting in joyful anticipation for you, even more than you are waiting for healing from Him!


Blessings!

Conditions!

1 Timothy 3:5-13

The Message (MSG)

Leadership in the Church

3 1-7 If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

In my studies, today, I came across this passage. It made me think of my husband. He is a wonderful father and he is an amazing husband. He loves us with all his being, but more importantly he loves our God. He has loved and followed Him since he was young. He knew, then, that God was calling him into leadership. I love reading his old journals because I see the Christian boy turning into a man who goes on to follow that calling and become a pastor that preaches the gospel in a way that inspires others to be leaders.

Which leads me to the continuation of the passage. Not only do our pastors have conditions but so do we......  

8-13 The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

Workers in the church need to watch themselves as well. They shouldn't just expect their pastors to be as perfect as possible but also should watch out for their own behaviors as well. They need to control their tongues, be committed to their spouses, love their children and be above board. Most importantly they need to love their God with all their hearts. 

I love that these verses say the same for both men and women. I grew up in a church that did not think women could be leaders in the church but the scriptures say different. God made us as equals, but that also means we women need to be as devoted to our God, watch our tongues and be devoted to our men and family as well.

I have to admit that my tongue is one of my trouble spots. How about you? I pray about that all the time!

My hope for you is that you have found a church where there is a pastor that follows the conditions God has set for him or her. Where you can worship but also where you can be inspired to be a leader that God wants you to be. Imagine how at peace our world would be if we all had that.

Blessings!