Hello Everyone,
I pray that you all have had a blessed week. God is truly doing a work in the lives of many! So many of us were blessed through last week's post regarding mourning. God has given us all the dynamics of each emotion. He just requires us to sin not and honor Him with those emotions (Ephesians 4:26). We were made to glorify Him in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
God has truly been calling me to a higher level of prayer in Him. I am part of a leadership team for a midday bible study. Instead of having normal class this week, we spent the entire time in cooperate prayer. It was such an awesome time in the Lord. The Holy Spirit was present and we had a high time in prayer. We must keep the lines of communication open. In order to maintain any relationship communication is required. Prayer is key in communicating with God (Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Could you imagine Eve's prayers to God regarding her son's Cain and Abel? We have been on quite the journey with Eve. The past two weeks have brought light to Eve's struggle as a mother. I would imagine that her prayer life increased tremendously as she experienced life outside of the Garden of Eden.
This week we will further discuss Eve's journey. When we seek the Lord, we must trust God's plan for us, especially when His plan looks different from ours.
Resource
Genesis 4:9-24
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done?" The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." 13 And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." 15 And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, venegeance shall be taken on him sevenfold ." And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irod begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. 19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one Adah, and the name of the second Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.
Lesson
At this present stage of Eve's life, she is mourning the lives of two sons; the death of Abel and the casting out of Cain. One of Eve's greatest sorrows was that her first son was a murderer and her second son his victim (Spangler & Syswerda 2006). As a mother, Eve toiled over the fate of her two sons. Cain slew Abel, his own mother's son (Henry 1997). She had to have felt the guilt of her own sin in regards to the act of Cain and God's punishment for his actions. Disobedience to God broke the vertical relationship between us and God and the horizontal relationships between man and woman, parent and child, and human relationships of all kind (Matthews 1990).
I am a mother of a teenage son and I have concerns about the possible conditions and decisions of his life. I reflect on my sins and how they affect him and how they will effect his future. In a previous post I spoke about my decisions to divorce. That sin has lasting effects (Romans 5:12). There are so many parables in the bible that speak about the sin of generations and the impact of those sins on future generations (Numbers 35:29). The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt for generations and then in the wilderness for generations (Deuteronomy). Therefore, I have great concerns about my son and how the lasting effects of my sins and my generations' sins will impact his life. My prayer is that the Godly principles that I have tried to impart will out way and overcome the effects of the sin.
There are so many factors in motherhood and parenting. We must consider our own contributions to who our children become. Parents need to cast a vision for their children (Savage 2013). God has charged us to do so (Habakkuk 2:2). I am sure Eve had a vision for her children that did not involve Cain killing Abel and then God banishing Cain. Eve may have looked to her children for redemption of her sins. Maybe she thought that Cain and Abel could aid in the rebuilding of the broken relationship with God. The vision we implement must include God, for He knows the plan for us all (Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, we must trust in God's plan for not only ourselves, but for our children (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Application
Planning consumes so much of our lives. We plan our meals, educational route, career, spouses, friendships, travel, etc. This is part of the vision planning that God has charged us to complete. However, are we making room for God's addendum to these plans? And when an addendum occurs, are we open to it? Do we trust God through it?
Eve experienced great loss through her own sin and the sins of Cain. However, she must have been seeking God throughout, because as we discussed in a previous post, God blessed her womb again and again. She gave birth to Seth who's legacy help to restore the relationship with God (Genesis 4:25-26).
This week as you are doing your normal planning, take some time to pray first and seek God's plan for you. We can start with something as simple as grocery shopping or what to have for dinner. God wants us to consider Him even in the most minute things. Once we have conquered submitting to His will in the small things, it gives way to submission in the larger plans of life.
I pray that you all will have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All bible verses were extracted from the New King James Bible Version. YouVersion (2013).
Henry, Matthew (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
Matthews, Alice (1990). A Woman God Can Use. Discovery House Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Savage, Jill (2013). No More Perfect Moms; Learn to Love Your Real Life. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois
Spangler, Ann & Syswerda, Jean E. (2006). Women of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Lesson 6: Eve - A Time for Mourning
Hello Everyone,
I pray that all things are well with everyone. We just celebrated a holiday of love. I hope that you all felt loved by someone and extended love to someone on Valentine's Day. So many people have reservations about celebrating Valentine's Day, stating that it is just a holiday that greeting card companies made to make more money. However, even if that is true, what is so wrong about spreading some extra love at least once a year. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8).
Last week we discussed Eve becoming a mother and God's grace in motherhood. I pray that everyone practiced extending grace this week and reflected on all the times that God has already extended grace to you. In the past seven days I have heard the story of the prodigal son from two different speakers, one being my own Pastor (Luke 15:11-24). Both messages touched on God's acceptance of us through His grace. We must extend that same type of grace to each other (John 15:13, Romans 12:20). Extending grace is a part of loving one another with a Godly love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). We also must acknowledge and appreciate how gracious God is to us (Psalms 103:8 & 145:8).
Now, we have studied the many layers of Eve. Today we will discuss Eve's mourning.
Resources
Genesis 4:1- 8
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Mourning - a state of sorrow over a loss or depreciation; grieving; grief-stricken; bereaved; bereft;
sorrowful
Lesson
When we read the story of Cain and Abel, our most immediate reaction is the shock of Cain killing his own brother. However, what about Eve? The mother of these two children. Could you imagine what she may have felt as a mother to lose her sons? And one at the hand of the other?
I have had this experience to some degree. I have been pregnant nine times and I only have one living child. Through 7 miscarriages and 1 stillborn (Grayson), I have earned an appreciation for a time of mourning. When a child dies, it is an indescribable experience. I'm not sure which is more disruptive, losing them before you know them, or losing them after you know them. When I look back on it, I can only remember 3 of them, Jailey, Grayson, and Carson. Jailey was the first, she was with us for four months, I miscarried in the Summer of 2007. Grayson was born and died December 6, 2010. My husband and I saw him smiling and kicking on so many ultrasounds, then held his tiny little body in our arms when he died. Carson was the last. Carson never made it past month 1. I still grieve today. Just writing this brings up a lot of emotions. However, I know that God's grace is sufficient for me and I know that His plans for me are greater than my losses (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 & Jeremiah 29:11).
How could Eve continue to express the same love for Cain after killing his brother Abel? How could Eve dutifully mourn Abel without having anger towards Cain? God has equipped us with a love that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 3:19, Philippians 4:7).
In researching this lesson, I could not find any commentaries that addressed the emotions of Eve as a mother in this situation. However, as I studied, the Lord took me to John 11:35 in the bible. Even our Lord and Savior mourned the death of His good friend Lazarus (John 11:1-45).
Many of you may not have experienced motherhood, but you have experienced loss in some way. If you have not lost a loved-one or a friend, you may have lost a home, a job, or even your inner peace to confusion and strife.
God has allotted a time to mourn. However, Jesus did not stay there and mourn. He went to the grave where Lazarus was laid and raised him up from the dead. The most pertinent part is in verse 40 of John the 11th chapter when Jesus says, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Now God, will never resurrect Abel, or my loss children, but He will show His glory through the loss! Hallelujah! His glory is always a blessing because that is our soul purpose, to glorify Him (Genesis 1:27).
God's promises are beyond our mourning (2 Corinthians 1:20). Death is the inevitable. We are born to die. Nevertheless, God's glory remains! It is consistent and never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we may experience loss, but the work and praises of the Lord must go on (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Application
We mourn so many things. I know people who mourn their younger selves regularly by saying things like, "I wish I was as skinny as I was then" or "Man, back when I was young". We also mourn material things like homes, cars, or favorite shoes, etc; then, the ultimate mourning of a relationship and/or loved ones. God has called us to mourn and move on. His glory is so much bigger than our mourning.
This week think about things, people, or situations that you have been mourning. Then consider what you have been missing out on because you have been mourning for so long. New things, experiences, memories, loves, and relationships can be explored when we mourn according to God's idea of mourning.
If I had spent so much time mourning the death of my other children, I could never truly appreciate the wonderful 16 years that God has given me with my only living son.
Ask God to give you the strength to move on, live in the present, and have true excitement towards the future.
Have a blessed week!!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scriptures were extracted from the New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
James, Pastor Kevin (2014). Fully Accepted by God's Grace. New Community Bible Fellowship. Cleveland Heights, OH
Meyers, Joyce (2014). Enjoying Everyday Life. The Word Network. Retrieved from Dish Network
I pray that all things are well with everyone. We just celebrated a holiday of love. I hope that you all felt loved by someone and extended love to someone on Valentine's Day. So many people have reservations about celebrating Valentine's Day, stating that it is just a holiday that greeting card companies made to make more money. However, even if that is true, what is so wrong about spreading some extra love at least once a year. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8).
Last week we discussed Eve becoming a mother and God's grace in motherhood. I pray that everyone practiced extending grace this week and reflected on all the times that God has already extended grace to you. In the past seven days I have heard the story of the prodigal son from two different speakers, one being my own Pastor (Luke 15:11-24). Both messages touched on God's acceptance of us through His grace. We must extend that same type of grace to each other (John 15:13, Romans 12:20). Extending grace is a part of loving one another with a Godly love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). We also must acknowledge and appreciate how gracious God is to us (Psalms 103:8 & 145:8).
Now, we have studied the many layers of Eve. Today we will discuss Eve's mourning.
Resources
Genesis 4:1- 8
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Mourning - a state of sorrow over a loss or depreciation; grieving; grief-stricken; bereaved; bereft;
sorrowful
Lesson
When we read the story of Cain and Abel, our most immediate reaction is the shock of Cain killing his own brother. However, what about Eve? The mother of these two children. Could you imagine what she may have felt as a mother to lose her sons? And one at the hand of the other?
I have had this experience to some degree. I have been pregnant nine times and I only have one living child. Through 7 miscarriages and 1 stillborn (Grayson), I have earned an appreciation for a time of mourning. When a child dies, it is an indescribable experience. I'm not sure which is more disruptive, losing them before you know them, or losing them after you know them. When I look back on it, I can only remember 3 of them, Jailey, Grayson, and Carson. Jailey was the first, she was with us for four months, I miscarried in the Summer of 2007. Grayson was born and died December 6, 2010. My husband and I saw him smiling and kicking on so many ultrasounds, then held his tiny little body in our arms when he died. Carson was the last. Carson never made it past month 1. I still grieve today. Just writing this brings up a lot of emotions. However, I know that God's grace is sufficient for me and I know that His plans for me are greater than my losses (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 & Jeremiah 29:11).
How could Eve continue to express the same love for Cain after killing his brother Abel? How could Eve dutifully mourn Abel without having anger towards Cain? God has equipped us with a love that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 3:19, Philippians 4:7).
In researching this lesson, I could not find any commentaries that addressed the emotions of Eve as a mother in this situation. However, as I studied, the Lord took me to John 11:35 in the bible. Even our Lord and Savior mourned the death of His good friend Lazarus (John 11:1-45).
Many of you may not have experienced motherhood, but you have experienced loss in some way. If you have not lost a loved-one or a friend, you may have lost a home, a job, or even your inner peace to confusion and strife.
God has allotted a time to mourn. However, Jesus did not stay there and mourn. He went to the grave where Lazarus was laid and raised him up from the dead. The most pertinent part is in verse 40 of John the 11th chapter when Jesus says, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Now God, will never resurrect Abel, or my loss children, but He will show His glory through the loss! Hallelujah! His glory is always a blessing because that is our soul purpose, to glorify Him (Genesis 1:27).
God's promises are beyond our mourning (2 Corinthians 1:20). Death is the inevitable. We are born to die. Nevertheless, God's glory remains! It is consistent and never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we may experience loss, but the work and praises of the Lord must go on (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Application
We mourn so many things. I know people who mourn their younger selves regularly by saying things like, "I wish I was as skinny as I was then" or "Man, back when I was young". We also mourn material things like homes, cars, or favorite shoes, etc; then, the ultimate mourning of a relationship and/or loved ones. God has called us to mourn and move on. His glory is so much bigger than our mourning.
This week think about things, people, or situations that you have been mourning. Then consider what you have been missing out on because you have been mourning for so long. New things, experiences, memories, loves, and relationships can be explored when we mourn according to God's idea of mourning.
If I had spent so much time mourning the death of my other children, I could never truly appreciate the wonderful 16 years that God has given me with my only living son.
Ask God to give you the strength to move on, live in the present, and have true excitement towards the future.
Have a blessed week!!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scriptures were extracted from the New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
James, Pastor Kevin (2014). Fully Accepted by God's Grace. New Community Bible Fellowship. Cleveland Heights, OH
Meyers, Joyce (2014). Enjoying Everyday Life. The Word Network. Retrieved from Dish Network
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Lesson 5: Eve - Mother of all Mothers
Hello Everyone,
I pray that you are all well today. I am excited to announce that we are in over 11 countries with over 2500 readers!!!! Hallelujah!!! God is awesome!!! His word is glorious!!! God has blessed us to see another day, another week, another month, and another year. He has extended our earthly time one more year, so lets make the best of it!
My husband and I were recently discussing the importance of maximizing our time here on Earth. He had attended a funeral which caused him to reflect. We both agreed that our sole purpose on this Earth is for God's glory and that all of the rest of it is fleshly pleasure (Genesis 1:27). We are to be fighting the war on sin, drawing soles to Christ, and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2). That is our soul purpose for His glory. We were made in His image for His glory, not our own. I created you to display My glory by lifting up the best in each other (Wolgemuth 2013). I personally expressed my concern for when I stand before God. I do not want to hear God say, "I gave you so much time, what were you doing?"
What did Eve do with her time here on Earth? We have seen Eve as a woman, the first female, as a wife, the first firtlady, and as a sinner, succumbing to her flesh. Now we will discuss Eve as a mother. The first mother ever.
Resource
Genesis 3:16a
16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children;
Genesis 4:1--2
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 4:25a
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,
Genesis 5:4
4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.
mother - (n) a woman who has given birth to a child; to make children and nurture them (v) care for like a mother; to nurture
Lesson
As I searched for the definition of mother when preparing for this week's post, there were so many variations. The scientific definition of mother describe it as a slimy stringy substance that works as a base for vinegar. Vinegar is very bitter. To find that the root of such a bitter substance is "mother", was disturbing to me. However, it lodged for deeper discussion with the Lord upon preparation for today. The stringy slimy substance called mother that is the base of such a sour liquid as vinegar is just a metaphor for the sourness of the sin that plagued the beautiful experience of childbirth.
When I was pregnant, I was determined to give birth naturally; I wanted the full experience. Additionally, I did not want my baby to enter the world filled with medication. I wanted my baby's first breath to be pure. I organized my birth plan to reflect those thoughts. However, God had another plan (Jeremiah 29:11). I am asthmatic, so my oxygen levels began to drop. They then placed me on oxygen and told me that I needed medication to regulate my contractions and to put my body in a more relaxed state. So my son was born and we both were a little medicated at the time of the birth.
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters (Nelson 1997). Can you picture Eve giving birth to all those children without any of the comforts today? There were no physical doctors, nurses, hospitals, comfortable beds, etc. Just Adam and Eve. No one else. The woman's joy in conceiving and bearing children will be saddened by the pain of it (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999). She was the first mother that bore hardship for her children. She endured that first experience on our behalf.
Additionally, Eve did not have all these reference books on mothering that we have to refer today. God gave them His own presence and fellowship (Mears 1999). Eve relied on her husband and most importantly, her relationship with God to mother her children.
Though they were sinners, nay, though they felt the humiliation and sorrow of penitents, they did not write themselves comfortless, having the promise of a Savior to support themselves with (Nelson 1997). We have removed ourselves so far from the God that will not leave us comfortless, even in mothering. It is through the grace of God that Eve bore these children in sorrow and mothered them to bore many nations themselves (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our weakness highlights God's glory even more!
We do not have to focus on the slimy stringy stuff that serves as a base for a more sour substance. We can concentrate on the glory of God and how we are made perfect in Him (1 John 4:17). There is peace, hope, and expectancy in a perfect God (Savage 2013).
So Eve endured, so can we. So Eve was redeemed, so are we. So Eve is made perfect in Christ Jesus, SO ARE WE!!!
Application
I pray that you have gleaned from this lesson, even if you have not given birth yet. The point is, we have been saved by His grace.
This week we will reflect on own personal journeys in Christ. Where and when has His grace sustained you?
Let's also practice extending grace as God has extended grace to us.
Have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
Allen, Ronald B., House, H. Wayne, & Radmacher, Earl (1999). The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bibles is All About. Regal Publishing House. Ventura, California
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from App Store
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
Savage, Jill ( 2013). No More Perfect Moms. Moody Publishing. Chicago, Illinois
Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013). Couples of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I pray that you are all well today. I am excited to announce that we are in over 11 countries with over 2500 readers!!!! Hallelujah!!! God is awesome!!! His word is glorious!!! God has blessed us to see another day, another week, another month, and another year. He has extended our earthly time one more year, so lets make the best of it!
My husband and I were recently discussing the importance of maximizing our time here on Earth. He had attended a funeral which caused him to reflect. We both agreed that our sole purpose on this Earth is for God's glory and that all of the rest of it is fleshly pleasure (Genesis 1:27). We are to be fighting the war on sin, drawing soles to Christ, and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2). That is our soul purpose for His glory. We were made in His image for His glory, not our own. I created you to display My glory by lifting up the best in each other (Wolgemuth 2013). I personally expressed my concern for when I stand before God. I do not want to hear God say, "I gave you so much time, what were you doing?"
What did Eve do with her time here on Earth? We have seen Eve as a woman, the first female, as a wife, the first firtlady, and as a sinner, succumbing to her flesh. Now we will discuss Eve as a mother. The first mother ever.
Resource
Genesis 3:16a
16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children;
Genesis 4:1--2
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 4:25a
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,
Genesis 5:4
4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.
mother - (n) a woman who has given birth to a child; to make children and nurture them (v) care for like a mother; to nurture
Lesson
As I searched for the definition of mother when preparing for this week's post, there were so many variations. The scientific definition of mother describe it as a slimy stringy substance that works as a base for vinegar. Vinegar is very bitter. To find that the root of such a bitter substance is "mother", was disturbing to me. However, it lodged for deeper discussion with the Lord upon preparation for today. The stringy slimy substance called mother that is the base of such a sour liquid as vinegar is just a metaphor for the sourness of the sin that plagued the beautiful experience of childbirth.
When I was pregnant, I was determined to give birth naturally; I wanted the full experience. Additionally, I did not want my baby to enter the world filled with medication. I wanted my baby's first breath to be pure. I organized my birth plan to reflect those thoughts. However, God had another plan (Jeremiah 29:11). I am asthmatic, so my oxygen levels began to drop. They then placed me on oxygen and told me that I needed medication to regulate my contractions and to put my body in a more relaxed state. So my son was born and we both were a little medicated at the time of the birth.
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters (Nelson 1997). Can you picture Eve giving birth to all those children without any of the comforts today? There were no physical doctors, nurses, hospitals, comfortable beds, etc. Just Adam and Eve. No one else. The woman's joy in conceiving and bearing children will be saddened by the pain of it (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999). She was the first mother that bore hardship for her children. She endured that first experience on our behalf.
Additionally, Eve did not have all these reference books on mothering that we have to refer today. God gave them His own presence and fellowship (Mears 1999). Eve relied on her husband and most importantly, her relationship with God to mother her children.
Though they were sinners, nay, though they felt the humiliation and sorrow of penitents, they did not write themselves comfortless, having the promise of a Savior to support themselves with (Nelson 1997). We have removed ourselves so far from the God that will not leave us comfortless, even in mothering. It is through the grace of God that Eve bore these children in sorrow and mothered them to bore many nations themselves (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our weakness highlights God's glory even more!
We do not have to focus on the slimy stringy stuff that serves as a base for a more sour substance. We can concentrate on the glory of God and how we are made perfect in Him (1 John 4:17). There is peace, hope, and expectancy in a perfect God (Savage 2013).
So Eve endured, so can we. So Eve was redeemed, so are we. So Eve is made perfect in Christ Jesus, SO ARE WE!!!
Application
I pray that you have gleaned from this lesson, even if you have not given birth yet. The point is, we have been saved by His grace.
This week we will reflect on own personal journeys in Christ. Where and when has His grace sustained you?
Let's also practice extending grace as God has extended grace to us.
Have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
Allen, Ronald B., House, H. Wayne, & Radmacher, Earl (1999). The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bibles is All About. Regal Publishing House. Ventura, California
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from App Store
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
Savage, Jill ( 2013). No More Perfect Moms. Moody Publishing. Chicago, Illinois
Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013). Couples of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Lesson 4: Eve - Separation (Divorce)
Hello Everyone,
I want to welcome the United Kingdom to the list of readers who log on every week. God's word is spreading more and more each time we come together to study. It is truly an honor to study God's word with all of you. I am so blessed by your emails and text messages each week. I especially want to acknowledge those of you who post on the blog and share your testimony and thoughts. I assure you that it is a blessing to all of us when you do so. Our testimonies definitely bless each other. It is a privilege to be on this journey with all of you.
So far we have discussed the womanhood, vulnerability, and sin of Eve. Now, we will discuss the separation that this sin has caused. We will also venture into the notion that this separation was not necessarily God's original plan. What causes separation between us and God is sin.
RESOURCE
Genesis 3:13-24
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this You ar cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 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." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out this hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the eat of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Separation - lacking unity; detached; where division or parting occurs
LESSON
Over 45% of marriages end in divorce within the first 10 years of marriage (NCHS 2002). This number has actually decreased over time. However, the impact of its results is immeasurable. This number may appear small, but when you think of it in relation to the billions of people in the world, that means billions of people have experienced divorce. I have. I have personally experienced divorce 3 times in my life. I am child of a divorced home and I have been divorced twice myself. I have to admit and own my sin that attributed to the demise of my failed marriages. While I was not the sole factor, I was a contributor. Through those experiences I have learned what not to do, and how necessary it is to seek God and follow His statutes. Just like many men and women of the bible, including Eve, I surrendered to my flesh and disappointed God. However, again, just like those men and women I am redeemed through the grace of Christ Jesus.
Divorce is separation. We divorced God in the garden that day, by no choice of our own, Eve made the choice for us. Just like my parents made the choice for me and I then made the choice for my son. Sin perpetuates itself. Do you see the long-term effects of sin?
He(the serpent) knew he could not destroy, but had to draw our parents(Adam & Eve) to sin and SEPARATE them and their God (Nelson 1997). We, as His bride, have been divorced from God through the exchange of the serpent and Eve that day. Being made aware of our fleshly nature, it formed a wedge between us and our God. The knowledge of the difference in being breaks the original intimacy God intended towards us. As this separation polluted the Garden of Eden, it now pollutes our relationship with God through sin.
In undermining the correlation between God's command and man's own best interest, the serpent portrays a false view of sin as something beneficial to man (Asbury 1992). This initial separation has caused us to deceive ourselves time and time again. We deceive ourselves daily. We convince ourselves, with our finite minds, to believe the fleshly acts we commit, in our daily thinking and behaviors, are beneficial to us. We are led by our own self. These thoughts and behaviors are temporary fleshly gratification that are mere band-aids to bullet wombs. We are basically soothing ourselves like babies with pacifiers when they really want their parents. We really want out Father, God!
God has given us and continues to give us opportunities to reconcile (Romans 5:1-3). Everyday breeds a new opportunity of reconciliation to God through the Holy Spirit and Christ Jesus. Everyday we must be committed to reunite with our God through obedience to His word and fulfilling our Godly purpose. We are offer renewed encounter with God (Asbury 1992). He offers renewed encounters with Him daily. We are destined to reunite(remarry) our God when He returns for us (Matthew 25:6, 1 Thessolonians 4:17).
Eve is no different from us. We desire much more than our finite minds can conceive. We make choices that affect generations without considering God (Psalms 145:5). Nonetheless, we have an opportunity to have choices of blessings and not sinful curses to ourselves and those generations (Genesis 22:8, Luke 1:50, Psalms 100:5).
The word "generations" appears in the bible over 132 times. Do you think God was trying to make a point? We not only have an obligation to ourselves to follow Christ, be obedient to His word, and strive for reconciliation with Him for ourselves, but for every generation that lies ahead (Proverbs 4:10-27).
APPLICATION
We have been on an interesting journey with Eve. Eve has challenged us to be more vulnerable in Christ and to look at ourselves more closely. This week as we gain a better understanding of Eve, we will focus in on ourselves again. Ask yourself, what sins of yours have caused separation between you and God? Are your sins the same as Eves's? Pride, Selfishness, Disobedience?
Review these scriptures as you reflect on these thoughts?
Psalms 59:12
2 Chronicles 26:16
Proverbs 11:2
Isaiah 3:8
Joshua 5:6
Deuteronomy 28:15
Ephesians 5:6
It is such an occasion as this to right the wrong and reconcile with God.
Have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
REFERENCES
All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
Carpenter, Eugene E. & McCown, Wayne (1992). Asbury Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from: App Store
NCHS/CDC Public Affairs (2002). Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage Trends in the United States. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
Nelson Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
I want to welcome the United Kingdom to the list of readers who log on every week. God's word is spreading more and more each time we come together to study. It is truly an honor to study God's word with all of you. I am so blessed by your emails and text messages each week. I especially want to acknowledge those of you who post on the blog and share your testimony and thoughts. I assure you that it is a blessing to all of us when you do so. Our testimonies definitely bless each other. It is a privilege to be on this journey with all of you.
So far we have discussed the womanhood, vulnerability, and sin of Eve. Now, we will discuss the separation that this sin has caused. We will also venture into the notion that this separation was not necessarily God's original plan. What causes separation between us and God is sin.
RESOURCE
Genesis 3:13-24
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this You ar cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 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." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out this hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the eat of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Separation - lacking unity; detached; where division or parting occurs
LESSON
Over 45% of marriages end in divorce within the first 10 years of marriage (NCHS 2002). This number has actually decreased over time. However, the impact of its results is immeasurable. This number may appear small, but when you think of it in relation to the billions of people in the world, that means billions of people have experienced divorce. I have. I have personally experienced divorce 3 times in my life. I am child of a divorced home and I have been divorced twice myself. I have to admit and own my sin that attributed to the demise of my failed marriages. While I was not the sole factor, I was a contributor. Through those experiences I have learned what not to do, and how necessary it is to seek God and follow His statutes. Just like many men and women of the bible, including Eve, I surrendered to my flesh and disappointed God. However, again, just like those men and women I am redeemed through the grace of Christ Jesus.
Divorce is separation. We divorced God in the garden that day, by no choice of our own, Eve made the choice for us. Just like my parents made the choice for me and I then made the choice for my son. Sin perpetuates itself. Do you see the long-term effects of sin?
He(the serpent) knew he could not destroy, but had to draw our parents(Adam & Eve) to sin and SEPARATE them and their God (Nelson 1997). We, as His bride, have been divorced from God through the exchange of the serpent and Eve that day. Being made aware of our fleshly nature, it formed a wedge between us and our God. The knowledge of the difference in being breaks the original intimacy God intended towards us. As this separation polluted the Garden of Eden, it now pollutes our relationship with God through sin.
In undermining the correlation between God's command and man's own best interest, the serpent portrays a false view of sin as something beneficial to man (Asbury 1992). This initial separation has caused us to deceive ourselves time and time again. We deceive ourselves daily. We convince ourselves, with our finite minds, to believe the fleshly acts we commit, in our daily thinking and behaviors, are beneficial to us. We are led by our own self. These thoughts and behaviors are temporary fleshly gratification that are mere band-aids to bullet wombs. We are basically soothing ourselves like babies with pacifiers when they really want their parents. We really want out Father, God!
God has given us and continues to give us opportunities to reconcile (Romans 5:1-3). Everyday breeds a new opportunity of reconciliation to God through the Holy Spirit and Christ Jesus. Everyday we must be committed to reunite with our God through obedience to His word and fulfilling our Godly purpose. We are offer renewed encounter with God (Asbury 1992). He offers renewed encounters with Him daily. We are destined to reunite(remarry) our God when He returns for us (Matthew 25:6, 1 Thessolonians 4:17).
Eve is no different from us. We desire much more than our finite minds can conceive. We make choices that affect generations without considering God (Psalms 145:5). Nonetheless, we have an opportunity to have choices of blessings and not sinful curses to ourselves and those generations (Genesis 22:8, Luke 1:50, Psalms 100:5).
The word "generations" appears in the bible over 132 times. Do you think God was trying to make a point? We not only have an obligation to ourselves to follow Christ, be obedient to His word, and strive for reconciliation with Him for ourselves, but for every generation that lies ahead (Proverbs 4:10-27).
APPLICATION
We have been on an interesting journey with Eve. Eve has challenged us to be more vulnerable in Christ and to look at ourselves more closely. This week as we gain a better understanding of Eve, we will focus in on ourselves again. Ask yourself, what sins of yours have caused separation between you and God? Are your sins the same as Eves's? Pride, Selfishness, Disobedience?
Review these scriptures as you reflect on these thoughts?
Psalms 59:12
2 Chronicles 26:16
Proverbs 11:2
Isaiah 3:8
Joshua 5:6
Deuteronomy 28:15
Ephesians 5:6
It is such an occasion as this to right the wrong and reconcile with God.
Have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
REFERENCES
All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).
Carpenter, Eugene E. & McCown, Wayne (1992). Asbury Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from: App Store
NCHS/CDC Public Affairs (2002). Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage Trends in the United States. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
Nelson Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
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