what or who defines me? am I successful because of my accomplishments? am I ok because people like me? am I right because things are going well? am I important because I have been acknowledged by the people in charge? am I wrong because others disagree with me? am I stupid because someone else is smarter?
who am I and why am I here? shouldn't there have been someone at the door to my life telling me this? who was supposed to hand out the syllabus? why does it seem like nothing matters and yet I can't help trying harder to make my life worth something? and what is it worth? what give it value and makes the hard times bearable? what makes it all make sense? what is it all about?
I just finished reading a study on the "Fatherless Generation". It did not refer to a specific range of years wherein a group of people were born. It refers to a time frame wherein we all live. Here are the major points:
A. The role of a father is to identify and name his child and bring forth his or her destiny. The only way a child will know who they are is if their father tells them. A persons’ primary identity is formed by what their father says about them and how he acts towards them.
B. When a father turns his heart from his child, the child suffers a devastating wound of rejection. Their identity and destiny is formed in rejection.
C. Fear of not knowing who we are, a fear of not knowing if we have worth or significance, a fear of being unvalued. We receive this spirit when we are formed in rejection. This fear drives us either to reject all external value systems or to fight and strive to create our own identity through performance. A value system is a system of measurement. When a person feels they’ve failed the measurement, they will either drive incessantly to measure up within their own system (performance, religion, work-aholism), or they will reject all value systems (relativism).
D. We must encounter our heavenly Father and experience Him identifying us and telling us our destiny. Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
To see the notes on this whole study go to: http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000012475 and click on the link at the bottom of the page.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Have you ever REALLY thought about this?
Ephesians 5:21-33(nlt)
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
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