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In this blog, we express our own opinions. You may not always agree with what we say. In fact, we certainly don't expect that you will. The only thing we ask is that you respect our right to express our opinions just as we respect your right to express your opinions. Nothing we write is ever intended to incite hatred or violence against any person, place, or thing. Quite the opposite, we hope to share fellowship and faith with you as well as to inspire love, kindness, and understanding of the Scriptures and our walk with God. You are welcome to join us in this adventure, but please be aware that inappropriate comments or language--according to biblical standards--will be removed.
October 4, 2021
October 4, 2021
I think that, like the nation of Israel, this country found favor in the eyes of Yah, and we imagined it would always be that way. Yes, many settlers came here to establish a place where they could worship Yah as they believed they should. Yes, they rejected others who went against their beliefs.
Yah promised Abraham that He would bless those who bless Abraham's descendants and curse those who cursed them (Gen. 12:3). A brief history reveals that the first Europeans to come to this land led by Christopher Columbus in 1492, received their funding and edict to go from Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, who received the money by confiscating it from the Jewish people, who Ferdinand and Isabella were expelling from their lands by the Alhambra Decree issued on March 31, 1492. (See the diary of Christopher Columbus). It wasn't only Pilgrims and Quakers that came here--it was some Jews too.
Through the years, the more this nation tried to emulate the political system of biblical Israel, the more we were blessed. Once slavery was abolished, oppression of women declined, and finally, the defeat of Germany and the support of President Truman for the establishment of the Nation of Israel in 1948, our nation flourished. At least as long as our leaders have pursued the righteousness of Yah (even those who did not necessarily serve Him, if they sought to do the right things according to His judgments), we have done well. However, when our leaders turned away from His righteousness, as with Israel, our nation struggled.
From Engel v. Vitale in 1962 to Roe v. Wade in 1973 and more—especially in the last decade—we have been on a slippery slope. Now that our leaders are outwardly rejecting Yah as God and His standards as unacceptable, they have effectively placed us in a precarious position with our God. McConville wrote, "A nation may be powerful but can never be all-powerful. To be human, even though organized politically as a super-power, is to be weak" (37).
The Proverbs are true:
"When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding" (Proverbs 28:12 NRSV; see also Proverbs 28:28; 29:2, 16).
Perhaps the United States is learning just how true this is.
Sue Bennett
McConville, J. Gordon. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets. Volume 4, InterVarsity Press, 2002.
July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021
In the Nazarene Church, our first article of faith is:
Article 1: We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe; that He only is God, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose. The God who is holy love and light is Triune in essential being, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In my understanding, without this belief, the rest are irrelevant, just as irrelevant as if you do not believe the first statement in the Bible, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). I relate His being three-in-one just as whether in liquid, gas, or solid form, the substances water, vapor, and ice are all water. Also, the protein molecule called Laminin is one protein molecule that consists of three interwoven cords.
This Article is very much like the Shema which is the foundation of the Hebrew faith and according to Yahshua (Jesus), it is the Greatest Commandment. The first passage a Jew learns as a child—and what is said several times daily—is “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is One! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NASB). He is the only Creator of everything, the only Eternal being. Moreover, He is the One who loves, who is pure, who gives us life, light, and love. He is the Father who sent the Son to be the propitiation for our sins, and He is the Son who laid down His life for us, and He is the Spirit who was sent also by the Father to dwell within us and guide us in His ways.
If we do not believe that He did these things, or that He is omnipotent and omniscient, that something else may know more or be more powerful than He is, He is not worthy to be our God. But because He is Omniscient and Omnipotent and Omnipresent, HE IS WORTHY!
Sue Bennett