I've moved!

After much deliberation I've decided to move my blog to Wordpress. Though it will be difficult to part with my smoking Asian background, hopefully I will somehow move on. I hope you will continue reading these & future posts at http://jessicamarkwood.wordpress.com/.

Don't ask

Genesis 4:16-17

"Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch."

Cain was the son of the world's first couple, Adam & Eve. So, this passage begs to question, who did Cain marry?

My Bible teacher told me that it is questions like this that we just shouldn't ask. She said it's questions like these that destroy Christianity. I beg to differ.

Firstly, there are 3 possible answers to the question: 1) Cain married his sister, which would have been acceptable at the time, 2) Cain could have married his niece since there's no time frame on this passage and we don't know about his other siblings, or 3) God created more people after Adam & Eve. Most people believe the first option is best, but the question is never addressed in the Bible.

Secondly, the point of my writing, is that no question we have can destroy Christianity. Christ tells us in John 16:33 that he has overcome the world. There is no question that the world has that can take down Christianity. The Bible has been criticized and destroyed more than any other book in the world, yet it is continually found to be faultless. Skeptics would like you to believe that questions like "Who did Cain marry?" can single-handedly discredit the Bible, but that's simply not true because there's always an answer.

Thirdly, never stop asking questions. If you find something in the Bible that you don't understand, don't overlook it. Read more in context, research it, or talk to someone who can help you. Not only that, but when you don't understand what someone says, whether it be a preacher, teacher, or friend, ask questions and look for answers in the Bible. Don't be led astray by false confidence! We worship a God of peace, not of confusion. God doesn't want us to blindly believe in his word without understanding what it means or not truly believing what it says. If we learn to understand what the Bible says and we are able to see that God is the answer to all our questions, our love for him and reliance upon him is exponentially increased and our faith is renewed.

Becoming a citizen

I spend a few hours every week working at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE), where English classes, citizenship test preparedness sessions, job skills workshops, and numerous other services are offered to Nashville's immigrant population. I am proud to say that the woman I have been working with for the last several weeks, Gene, became a United States citizen today! This task is extraordinarily difficult and I daresay that a large portion of natural-born Americans could not pass the Question & Answer section. Gene and many other people at the Center have overcome incredible odds and made incredible sacrifices to become citizens and they are so happy to finally achieve their goal. How much greater it is to become a citizen of Heaven!

Philippians 3:20-21

"But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

How do we become citizens of Heaven? Well, let's look at the promises you make to become a citizen of the United States:

1. Support the Constitution of the United States. In the same manner, we should believe in God's word- the Holy Bible- and therefore follow it. God's holy law is designed to lead us to him, fulfill our purpose on this earth, and teach us to do what we were made to do- glorify him.
2. Renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which the applicant was before a subject or citizen. God is jealous for us. He doesn't want to share us with the world or with any other desire. He wants all of us. He has called us to take our cross daily and follow Christ to the death. Whoever would lose his life for God's sake will save it.
3. Support & defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. We need to be in the Scriptures doing what it says in order to defend our beliefs against a world that is constantly trying to destroy them.
4. Bear true faith and allegiance to do the same. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." When we become citizens of Heaven we are pledging our faith to God. Not just the same faith as demons, but true and genuine faith that streams from a heart of desire to please God and share his gospel.
5. Bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law. Ephesians 6 tells us that we are in a war "not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." God has provided us with all the necessary equipment to defend his cause so that we may fearlessly enter into battle knowing that we will come out the victor.

Gene is a refugee from Burundi escaping the Rwandan genocide. Today she is an American citizen pursuing her GED and trying to support her 3 children. Her life has changed significantly because she committed to becoming an American. God promises to radically change us if we become citizens of his kingdom. He doesn't say he'll make our lives better. Just like Gene has to pay taxes now, Christians endure trials and persecution for their beliefs. But at the end of our lives Christians will receive a reward far better than any opportunity Gene now has. We will be rewarded for our commitment to God and receive the gift of eternal life with God.

PS: Please pray for Gene as she continues to learn to read and write in English and adapt to her new life as an American citizen.

Light the fire

We constantly say that we want to be on fire for God or we pray that we want God to "light the fire in our souls," but what does that really mean? Most of us are seeking spiritual high that gives us a feel-good effect. For most people, "on fire for God" just means having a desire for God. But when I think of fire, I don't think of something peaceful, calm, and happy. Fire is raging, destructive, powerful, and explosive.



• Deuteronomy 4:24 says, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Fire is all consuming. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes tear things apart, but when fire destroys, there's nothing left. When God takes over our lives, there's nothing left. When he destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah with fire, he didn't leave any evidence. He's jealous for all of us. He doesn't want a part time commitment. He doesn't want there to be any evidence of our former life in the world. Luke 17:33 says, "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it."

• Jeremiah struggled with being on fire for God in Jeremiah 20:9 when he says, "If I say, 'I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,' there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot." This fire is irritating. Many people come into Christianity thinking, "I believe in God, but I'm not going to be a fanatic." If we allow God to set us on fire, a fanatic is exactly what we'll be. If you could imagine yourself on fire, I don't think you'd be standing around silently waiting for someone to come up and ask you what's wrong. You would be jumping around screaming, looking for anyone that could relieve you. Same goes for God. When he sets us on fire he fills us with his glory and love, we should be actively seeking people who need the gospel.

• The Israelites were led out of Egypt by God in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night that "did not depart from before the people." (Ex. 13:22) God's fire is a guiding light, but we must be willing to follow. It is foolish to ask God for guidance if we are not willing to follow through. God led the Israelites through a desert for 40 years, but he never left them. Even when they were travelling in the darkest of nights, God's fire led them to where he predestined them to go. God's fire will guide us toward the path God has created for us, but we have to get up and move. If we agree to follow him wherever he leads, he promises not to desert us.

Be careful what you wish for when you ask God to "light the fire" in your soul again, because he just may follow through in a way you weren't expecting. Question is, when he follows through, will you follow him?

Qanna'

Jealously usually carries a negative connotation. It's right there with greed and covetousness. It's bad, and most would consider it sinful. So why does God have this seemingly negative trait?

Exodus 34:14 says, "for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." The Hebrew word for this jealousy is "qanna'," which is only used in reference to God's jealousy. It means to be "hostile toward a rival" or "vigilant in guarding a possession." Both of these things are true of God when it comes to your soul.

God's obvious rival is the Devil. I Peter calls him the adversary, roaming around like a hungry lion. And based on the entire book of Revelation, God is apparently a little hostile toward the devil, considering that God plans on throwing him in an eternal lake of fire. Similarly, in Zephaniah God describes the fires of jealousy that will destroy those who do not obey him. He is also vigilant in guarding his possession. You are his because he made you and he doesn't want to give you up. James 4:4-6 says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy with God. Or do you suppose that it is to no purpose that Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit he has made  to dwell in us'? But he gives more grace..."

God wants you desperately. Though humankind gave way to the world back in the Garden of Eden, God still wants each and every one of us. That's grace. That's the gospel. That's salvation. He sent part himself to be the perfect sacrifice so that he could still have us, even in our most imperfect state. He is incredibly jealous of the world's influence and its ability to captivate us. If we fall into the captivity of the world, or even wish to befriend it, we make ourselves a rival of God- one to whom he is hostile. But this isn't a tug-of-war between God and the world. It's a choice you must make. Will you choose to love God and have a part in his victory or choose the world and have a part in his jealous wrath?

 

Whatever is...

Now we've looked at them all.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phil. 4:8

We have established that God is truth, God & all of his creation is deserving of honor, God is justice, God is purity, God is lovely, and God is commendable. Philippians 4:8 isn't telling us to think about the truth in the laws of gravity, the honor of the military, the justice of the legal system, the purity of a child, the loveliness of a flower, or the commendations on a resume. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think about God. God is excellent & the only one deserving of praise. In a world that is constantly moving and trying to destroy us in the process, we need to remember to have our minds fixed on God- not the negativity of the world. He is all of these things and more and he wants to make his children into mirror images. He wants to make you true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. The best way to access this supernatural power is through meditating on him. He wants us to know as many facets of his glory that we can comprehend, and just a few are laid out in this verse. Think about these things. 

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

Rom. 8:6

Whatever is commendable....

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phil. 4:8

We commend ourselves often. Whether in resumes, small talk, or the Info sections of our Facebook pages, we spend a lot of time commending ourselves. Unfortunately, none of that matters to God. He doesn't really care how highly you think of yourself. Your resume and list of good works will not get you into Heaven. Paul refers to such things as trash. They don't mean anything to God unless they were done to glorify his gospel. II Corinthians 10:18 says, "For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." So, how do we go about being commended by the Lord?

I Corinthians 4 tells of the judgment day when all men will be commended by God and the purposes of their hearts will be disclosed. God doesn't commend those who just do what is seemingly good. He commends those who are of pure motive to serve him. And when we serve him we are to do it as he would have it. II Corinthians 4:2 says, "But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." We must live in such raw truthfulness of the Scripture that we show others how to live the life God commends. We must be an example of God in the world.

God wants us to be overwhelmed with pure devotion and admiration for him because of what he has done for us.  In response, we seek him, serve him, and sanctify him. He's not looking for those who are just willing to play the part. The commendation of man is meaningless, but the commendation of the Father is everything. God commends those whom he finds to be living like he did while he was on the earth because his ways are truly commendable.

God is truth. God and all of his creation is deserving of honor. God is justice. God is purity. God is lovely. God is commendable. Think about these things.

"And I commend joy, for man has no good under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun."
Ecc. 8:15

Whatever is lovely...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phil. 4:8

Webster defines "lovely" as being of the very best kind. Lovely doesn't refer to the mediocre or the good. We're talking about the very best.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. A son runs away from his father to live in sin, but finds himself in despair. He returns home to beg for forgiveness from his father, but that's not his father's concern.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' ²²But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate."

In the same way, when we come to God, he doesn't care where we've been or what we've been doing. He's concerned about where we're going. Our God is happy to forgive if we return to him. He wants to clothe us in his very best robes. So, what are these robes? Psalm 30:11 says that he clothes us in gladness. Isaiah 61:10 says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels."

God  clothes us in salvation, righteousness, and gladness. Just like he clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he sacrificed the Lamb, Jesus, in order to clothe us in salvation and rid us of our sin and shame. He wants us to have the best. God wants us to be lovely because he is lovely. When he saves our souls he clothes us in that which is lovely- himself.

God is truth. God and all of his creation are deserving of honor. God is justice. God is purity. God is lovely. Think about these things.

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!"
Psalm 84:1

Whatever is pure...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Phil. 4:8

Every single time I hear about purity, I hear the same exact illustration.



Your purity is like a white rose (or dress, or unopened present, etc.). Everyone likes it when it's nice, straight, and white- pure. However, when people touch it, its petals are torn, or it gets dirty, no one wants it anymore.
I HATE this illustration with an unquenchable burning passion. Because, - here's the deal - we are all that distorted, dirty, and destroyed rose, yet God is jealous for us. God wants us so desperately that he sent his son to die so that we could spend eternity with him, despite our incredible impurity.

We have all been touched, stained, and torn by the world. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. Titus 1:15 says, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled." We live in a world where "nothing is pure." But that's exactly what God calls us to be. He wants us to have a pure heart, pure wisdom, pure devotion, pure religion, pure conduct, and pure faith. So, how do we do that?

 I John 3:3 says, "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." If we put our hope, or trust, our faith, and our lives in God's hands, we'll be as pure as God is. If we don't put our hopes into things of the world, whether it be money, people, careers, fantasies, or dreams, we'll find purity. We'll find that God is our portion. God is all we need. We don't need God alongside something worldly and impure. If we trust in him, he promises to empty us of the world's influence and overwhelm us with his pure love, grace, joy, and justice.

God is truth. God and all of his creation is deserving of honor. God is justice. God is purity. Think about these things.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Matt. 5:8

Whatever is just...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phil. 4:8

We often refer to God as being just, but I started thinking about it, and that didn't make sense. "The wages of sin is death..." I sinned, so I should die. Revelation 21:8 says, " But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death." That's me. I've been a coward when it comes to proclaiming the gospel, I've been faithless, my ways detestable, and I've told my fair share of lies. Not only that, but Romans 1:18 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." God's wrath is no joke. It's bad. It's what caused him to swallow people into the ground, set fire to cities, and exempt people from the paradise he made. He directs his wrath at sin and I am sinful. So, how on earth am I going to get to heaven?

Christ.

 God is justice. He created man, but they sinned. They had to die. That was the deal. But God still wanted them, even in their imperfect and sinful state. Someone had to die to rid mankind of sin so that they could remain in the presence of God. God's immense wrath had to be directed toward something. He chose to direct it at himself - his son. He humbled himself from everything to nothing and came to earth so that he might live a perfect life and be a perfect sacrifice for all. He was an outcast living in poverty who was tortured and endured indescribable agony though he was totally and utterly blameless. Christ came to earth in order to save our souls from death. He bore the wrath reserved for us though he was not in any way deserving. He came so that terribly imperfect beings could spend eternity in a perfect paradise in the light of God's glory. Romans 5:9 says, "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath of God." Justified. Just as if we'd never sinned. God is the righteous judge who doesn't let sin slide. When he looks at humanity he sees their sin. But when he looks at Christians he sees that they have opened his "free gift....of eternal life in Christ Jesus." When he looks at my soul, he doesn't see something sin-stained, worldly, and hopeless. He sees Christ- who is perfect and worthy of heaven. That's God's justice.

God is truth. God and all he has created and all he has done for us is deserving of utmost honor. God is justice. Think about these things.


"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He."
Deut. 32:4