Rejoice with the wife of thy youth

I am excited... I have the day off of work today!

This post's purpose is to talk about my wife. I have been doing a poor job as a husband recently - not spending the time with her that I ought, not trying to do things to please her at home, not esteeming her more highly than myself... I have been failing in those regards.

Proverbs 5:18-19: "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. [We were married at 19 and 21. I consider that 'youth.'] Let her be as the loving hind[s] and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love."

We have had our fountain blessed. (And I'm not going to apologize for using anything the King James has in it!)

I remember when I first started liking Sarah. That was about 10 years ago now. And, I'm not going to get in to the issue of "Dating" here [though, you can get a good message on it from Paul Washer HERE.] But when she was in the same building as me, I made sure to be in the same room as her. If she was in the same room as me, I made sure to be at the same table or same part of the room. If she ever said she needed ANYTHING, I would jump up and say, I'll take care of that for you.

Anyway, I get to spend the next two days with her - nothing else scheduled - and I am looking forward to take this time to remember what it is to be One Flesh, to reconsider how I can love Sarah the way Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it, and how I can be ravished with her love and rejoice with her.

So, if you guys need anything... Call someone else :)

Hold Fast, or Just Let Go?

1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

This verse follows "Despise not prophesyings." It could be that the charge of vs. 21 is to Prove or Test all the prophesyings that you hear, and hold fast to those that are good. I'd like to make the application a little broader and have it include ALL things in your life. The preaching you hear, the things you listen to, the things you do, the things you approve, etc.

We should be proving, or testing, or examining, everything in our lives. If they are good things, then we should be holding fast to them. I think most of us would much rather the verse read: "Prove all things; Let Go of that which is bad." We would like it if we were to simply get rid of the bad in our lives, it becomes harder when we are supposed to fill it with the good.

Prove ALL things... and then once you've tested the thing... HOLD FAST that which is good. When you come across something that's Good in your life, something that's pleasing to God, you are supposed to cling to it. Hold it fast. Don't let it go. And if we could go back to the prophesyings: when you hear a good message or a good challenge from God's word - HOLD IT FAST!!!

Just a thought...

Losing Friends...

Section 11180 of the NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law pt. d: "... whenever maximum speed limits... have been established ... no person shall drive in excess of such maximum speed limits at any time."

1 Peter 2:13-14: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well."

From an attorney website: "Consulting with an attorney I have been told that there is a grace speed of 5 miles-an-hour that is not prosecuted."

Romans 6:1: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

Romans 6:2: "God forbid..."

Just a thought...

In Jesus' Name We Pray

I've always wondered about that phrase, "In Jesus' Name I pray..." No, wait, I take that back. I have not always wondered about that phrase. I've always prayed that phrase, but honestly, growing up, it really was just something tacked on at the end of my prayer. Why? I don't think I had any idea.

Even until recent years, the real meaning of what it was to "Pray in Jesus' name" hadn't gotten through to me. And very likely, I'm still short of the real meaning. What is it to Pray in Jesus' name like He tells His disciples to do in John 14 and 16?

What does it mean to do something in the name of somebody else? "Stop, in the name of the law." That speaks of a person claiming the Authority of something or somebody else. The police offer is demanding that the person stop, because the law demands that person stop.

When we pray in Jesus' name, we make our requests known unto the Father by the authority of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees recognized that God does not hear the prayer of sinners in John 9:31 (Any sinners here?). David, in Psalm 66:18, knew that if he regarded iniquity in his heart, God would not hear him. If I were to approach God in prayer, in my own name, I should have no expectations of an answer to that prayer. I am a sinner that regards in iquity in my heart... Not yet perfect by any means. However, when I come, making my requests known to God by the authority of the Great High Priest that is sitting at the right hand of the thrown of God (that is, praying in the name of Jesus), then I can have expectation that God is going to answer my prayers!

He who spared not His own Son, but delievered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him, also freely give us all things! - Romans 8:something.

We are told to approach the throne of grace boldly, but that's only because we have Jesus, the Great High Priest, the Son of God, making intercession for us.

Michael Barone (http://www.gospeltoitaly.com/), was recommended a book called Praying Backwards. From what I understand, the thesis of the book is that praying in Jesus' name is not something that is to be tacked on to the end of the prayer, but rather should be the first thing. We come to God in the name of Jesus - and only because of His work, His blood, and His current intercession - we dare not come in our own name!

Just a thought...


The following hymn is one of my favorites, and is right up the alley of this post, so I thought I'd share it here:

Arise, My Soul Arise
1. Arise, my soul, arise, shake off thy guilty fears; The bleeding sacrifice, in my behalf appears; Before the throne my Surety stands, Before the throne my Surety stands, My name is written on His hands.

2. He ever lives above, for me to intercede; His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead; His blood atoned for all our race, His blood atoned for all our race, And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

3. Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary; They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me: "Forgive him, O forgive," they cry, "Forgive him, O forgive," they cry, "Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

4. The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One; He cannot turn away the presence of His Son; The Spirit answers to the blood, The Spirit answers to the blood And tells me I am born of God.

5. My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear; He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear. With confidence I now draw nigh, With confidence I now draw nigh, And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

KJV-Only Reason # 8

For review sake - or if you're new to my KJV-Only reasons - I'd recommend you read KJV-Only Reason # 1. You can also go to all the posts I've written on the KJV and get the past 7 reasons by Clicking Here.

Getting right to the point, Reason # 8 that I am KJV-Only.

Reason # 8: It is the standard by which all other versions are compared.

Here's what I mean: Let's say I am trying to create a little weight to measure the mass of a gram, so that I could sell it to someone else for them to use to measure one gram. For me to make sure that I have an accurate gram, I could go to a couple of stores and by some gram weights and compare it to them. I would probably get fairly close to the right thing. But, really, what I am going to do if I want it to be exact would be to compare it to the standard found somewhere in France or something. If the one sold in the store is known to be really close, but off here in there, I'm not going to use that to compare it to...

It seems that all of the English versions of the Bible reference the King James Version in their prefaces. The NIV mentions by name the King James Version twice, but does not mention any other by name. The NASV talks about the KJV, calling it the most prestigious. The original ASV preface compares itself to the "Authorized" or "King James" version about 9 times. The New King James Version (known by some as the King Jimmy Version) begins its preface speaking of the 1611. The first paragraph of the Revised Version speaks of the KJV, and then continues to talk about it for the next 5 or 7 paragraphs.

My point is this. The Other Version cannot get away from bringing up the King James Authorized Version even in their own prefaces - because the King James is the prestigious standard by which all versions must be compared.