Sacred Sunday

For the following passage, if you are unfamiliar with The Message, a modern translation of The Holy Bible, please read along in your prefered version.  Typically, I use the NIV, but this parallet just really touched my heart today.

Psalm 14 

14 Bilious and bloated, they gas,
“God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
thistles are their cash crop.

² God sticks his head out of heaven.
He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid—
one man, even, God-expectant,
just one God-ready woman.

³ He comes up empty. A string
of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending
to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
follow their fellow.

⁴ Don’t they know anything,
all these impostors?
Don’t they know
they can’t get away with this—
Treating people like a fast-food meal
over which they’re too busy to pray?

^5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God
makes their dreams come true.

⁷ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
turned-around Israel sings laughter.

 

As Christians, we know that we are not sheep without a shepherd.  We are led by the Good Shepherd.  Still, we see the world in turmoil as we see the leaders promising "freedom" taking away more and more while the people around seem deaf to the lies, even as they are shouting praise of the ones lying to them!

 

We see this passage in action around us everyday.  What we need to focus on is verse 7: "God is around!"  He is still with us.  He still cares.  He still holds us!  The challenges we face in the society we live in is remembering to pray for the sheep without a shepherd, and to live in such a way as to draw them to our Shepherd.

 

God bless you this week!!!

Fortress of Faith: Study Six- Foundation of Love

"1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13 v 1-13
Thank you for continuing this study with us!  We are slowly working our way through the "Love Chapter" as some have some to call 1 Corinthians 13.

This week, we are going to look at verses 8 through 10 which say:
  "8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."

Let's start with the first part of verse 8.  Traditionally, that first part of verse 8 gets tied in with verses 4 through 7.   Which makes sense in so many ways.  However, when we read the way that it is written- the verse in its entirety, we see that it is part of the next group of verses in order to tie them in with a particular concept.

"Love never fails..."  Love, as in the love we receive from Christ- from our God, never fails.  It never ceases.  It never stops.  It never goes away.  The love we are shown from our God is lasting, eternal, unchanging....  Do we truly understand what this means?

The rest of verse 8, in addition to verses 9 and 10, explain this love.  This eternal love changes everything we thought we knew.  Those prophecies, in our case, those foretellings and forecasts into the climate of our world and our lives matter little in the face of God's love for us.  The barriers caused by cultural differences,  represented in "where there are tongues," will be torn down, so that the chaos of trying to understand each other will be stilled.  All the things we supposedly know, "where there is knowledge," change when His love is present.  

Then verse 9 continues: "For what we know in part and what we prophecy in part,"

Don't we struggle with not knowing?  In our jobs, our training never ends.  Even when we feel like we can honestly say we are an expert in something, we find that we have just tapped the tip of the iceberg.  In our relationships, we only really know bits and pieces of each other, and the not knowing the "whole story" ends up causing rifts and can sometimes tear us apart.   Even when we are in periods where we are teaching and leading (which I would equate with prophecy, because not many of us have the gift of prophecy these days), we find that we are easily set back on our heals when someone raises a question or a different perspective that proves to us that for all we know, we have only seen a tiny part of the picture.

But then verse 10 says: "but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."

In other words, when we receive His love, and when we SHARE His love, as everything we knew suddenly turns upside down, we will be completed; all those holes in our beliefs, in our learning, and in our relationships will be filled!  When we feel His love, there is no halfway.  He loves us completely!  When we share His love, we bridge the gap that our old beliefs, our old knowledge, and our past failings could not span!  We become whole!

God's love for us, shown through His son, Jesus Christ, never fails!  God's unending love for us will turn our lives upside down as we suddenly see how imperfect our own concept of love is, and how broken our beliefs and knowledge is, and how that has affected our lives, our relationships, our homes, our families, and our friendships!  His perfect love for us turns everything upside down and then right side up filling in the gaps that we didn't even realize were missing.

What a huge comfort this is as we move through training for our Military career, as we prepare for the next promotion, or as we lead our troops in training and mentorship.  What a huge comfort as we prepare to deploy, leaving everything we know and love behind, while facing a period of expected danger and unknown challenges.  What a huge comfort to us Veteran women who deal with the aftermath of military life, as we work to reintegrate ourselves into "regular" life, where the challenges are completely different.  What a huge comfort to we Military Wives as we face our hubbies deploying, or a PCS that uproots us from our current relationships forcing us to start over yet again with a completely new set of challenges!

Through all these challenges in Military life, His love for us never leaves us.  He never takes it back.  He never withholds it from us.  He never gives us just a piece of His love.   No, He gives us His love, every day completely!  We are never too far, never too bad, never too doubtful, never too frustrated for Him to cover us in His love.

God bless you, dear friends! 

Copyright © 2012 C.H.Borden

Musical Monday

Music has always had an impact on our lives. It enhances our moods. It sometimes shapes our moods. It causes us to pour out our thoughts and feelings in singing along with a song that means something to us. Sometimes it causes our feet to move, our hands to clap, our bodies to sway in time with the rhythm that really does cut through our walls and touches our emotions. 

 

Psalm 28:6-8

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

 

Last week, I was able to catch up with an old friend who served in the Air Force with me.  She and I were as close as sisters, and despite a divergence in paths, we have come back together.  She is facing struggles that she never dreamed she would have to.  I ask that you lift her and her family up to Him this week.  There are MANY men, women, and children in the Military who are going through similiar situations.  Men, women, and children who rest in His hands of grace, mercy, and love- and yet, I know they wonder where His Will can be in these situations.

 

To my friend- You are not alone.  You are being prayed for, you are being thought of, and you are being lifted up in His hands!  My prayer for you is that you feel His continued presence in your Heart as you walk through this valley!  For as strong as you were, as strong as you have become, your walk with Him through this will only make you stronger when you reach the other side! 

 

 

Sacred Sunday- Walking with The Word

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Fortress of Faith: Study Five- Foundation of Love

Thank you for returning.  I apologize for the missed weeks.  The Christmas Season is always a busy time of year, and for my family, this year it was additionally busy due to illness in my home.  I am eager to continue this study with you! 

"1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13 v 1-13

Over the past several weeks, I have been thinking and praying about this study.  The title in itself is meant to be a beacon of hope.  Many women, even those of us who are serving or have served as members of the Military, do not consider themselves soldiers or warriors, not even defenders really.  Yet, in every aspect of our lives we are fighting for something; we are defending something.  Whether we are fighting for someone we love, a dream, or a goal, or whether we are defending our views,  our beliefs, or our way of life, we are fighters and defenders as life dictates at various stages.  This is the purpose of "Fortress of Faith." 

Dear Sisters in Christ, we are not fighting alone.  We are not defending our values, our homes, our families, or our ideals alone.  We STAND within the Faith which is our Fortress.  His Word has offered us hopes, promises, and weapons to help us fight for what we believe in, defend what must be defended, and offer all that we share in Christ with others!  I hope that if anything in this study helps you in any way, that you will share it with your Sisters in Christ.  I hope that if anything in this blog reminds you of the hope we are given, and the safety we share in His hands, that you will pass it on.

Now, to continue with this foundation of love.

Verses 6 and 7 say "6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Ladies, we have already discussed the problems with rumors and gossip, even and especially among friends.  Verse 6 takes this issue just a little bit deeper.  While many of us can agree that many rumors are steeped in some sort of truth, the problem with the rumor is not the element of truth, but the added exaggeration which causes us to get excited, and which incites in us something ugly.  When we truly love the person we are discussing, why would we delight in the ugly?  Would we not show better love to that person, even if the person is someone we do not care for or disagree with, if we either stuck to the facts, or never contributed in the first place?  Speaking from experience, I have seen so called little white lies ruin friendships, turn something innocent into something dangerous, and drive wedges into working relationships.  Some may say that those little white lies are not "evil."  Some would say that "evil" is too harsh a word.  However, few of us can say we have never been on the receiving end of a white lie or a rumor- we know just how "evil" we think the person who lied or gossiped is.  None of those people are equated with love in our minds or our memories.  We certainly should not lie to ourselves about white lies when it suits us. 

Instead, we should practice truth.  This does not mean that we say the angry words on the tip of our tongues.  This does not mean being "brutally honest."  What this means is that we be diligent in being uplifting of each other and others.  What this means is that we stop rumors and gossip when they reach our ears, by not passing it on and by not adding to them.  What this means is that we recognize a "little white lie" for what it is- a lie, and refrain from saying it.  We show each other love, respect, and honor when we trust each other with the truth, even if we fear the outcome of the truth.

This correlates directly to verse 7. 

We will not always like the people we deal with.  We are still human.  Loving others as Christ loved us does not mean that we suddenly hold dear to our hearts every person we come across.  No, the love that we are admonished to share is a love that is shown through respect and honor.  We CAN love a perfect stranger in this way, though this is not a type of love that most of us have ever heard of.  Anytime you show respect to an elder, you are showing a form of love- a lack of selflessness.  It is this type of love that will help us rejoice in truth as we join in protecting others.  It is this type of love that help us trust our comrades in arms, our fellow military spouses, and our leadership.  It is this type of love that allows us hope in trying times as we deploy, move, struggle with health or finances, and raise families.  It is this type of love that gives us strength to persevere all those struggles, and come out stronger on the other side. 

Best of all, THIS type of love is one that we can share with everyone we come in contact with.

This week, let us practice celebrating truth.  Let us practice protecting truth.  Let us be diligent in trusting those we hardly know, hoping that He knows the best outcome, so that we will persevere in His will!

I wish you all the very best!  I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.  I hope that this foundation of love that HE has first shown us, will be something that we can turn on in our lives so that we can begin strengthening the fortress of faith in which we rest.

God bless!!!
C. Borden

Copyright © 2012 C.H.Borden

Musical Monday

 

Music has always had an impact on our lives. It enhances our moods. It sometimes shapes our moods. It causes us to pour out our thoughts and feelings in singing along with a song that means something to us. Sometimes it causes our feet to move, our hands to clap, our bodies to sway in time with the rhythm that really does cut through our walls and touches our emotions. 

 

Romans 8 v 28-39 says:

^"28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

More than anything, this passage is a reminder to Christians the He truly loves us.  No matter what challenges we face on this planet, everything He walks through with us will work out for the best.  As Christian women, we KNOW this passage, this promise to be true.  There is nothing we can do that will pull us from His grasp.

 

As Christian women in the military, no matter where our Command sends us, no matter where our spouses deploy, no matter how far away from family the military causes us to live, so long as He is the King of our Hearts, these seasons of challenges will pass, and will benefit us. 

 

Nothing in the military way of life is so permanent or so strong that He cannot triumph.  Not even death, for those of us who have suffered through the loss of a friend, familiy member, or spouse killed in combat or on duty.

 

This passage is a reminder of hope in Him, of His promise of love, of His declaration of protection, of His enduring promise to carry us.   As Christian women in the military, there is nothing we have to fear.

 

The following song is a beautiful praise and worship song that I encourage you all to sing today.  Lift up your beautiful voices in praise of the One who loves us more than we can comprehend!

 

 

Sacred Sunday- New Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

~1 Peter 1 vs 3-12