FRIDAY April 25th, 2008

Well, I hope that all of you will be able to join us tonight at 7:00PM. We are ging to play a bunch of games and just have some plain fun! Tell your parents that we will be done around 11:00PM. Eat before you come, but we will have some snacks for everyone.

Stay faithful on your devo's this weekend! You all are doing a great job! It takes 28 days to form a habit. So on Sunday I am going to challenge you to commit to do your devotions every day for the next 28 days straight. This will form a healthy habit of getting into Gods word. I will give you the details on Sunday morning! Be in Sunday School!!! 9:15AM

A few thoughts from yesterday:
Jessica M: ..."Fun Sucker..." ??????? what in the world???
Cary: You are exactly Right! I am blessed! Arent I? We are praying for your Spanish and your Algebra!
Alex: You are so funny. In one comment you are yelling at Cary for "shouting" (with caps) and then the next commet you are saying... "This passage tells us that we are supposed to sing and shout". LOL that was funny.
Rachel: Great Analogy! I wish I would have thought of what you said about the "popo" whn they do a drug test, they have you walk in a straight line. If you are drunk then you cannot walk on the straight path. Great Thoughts~!
Jill: You spelled it close enough. Just replace the "s" with a "z" next time. Dont worry, I cant spell "Kacey" :)

Ephesians 5:22-33

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

What an incredible passage. I was talking to Phillip Carpenter about the devotions yesterday and he asked me "what does it mean to submit to others" (as it said at the end of yesterdays passage). I told him it simply means to serve and respect others with humility, in the same way that Christ did while He was on the earth. This word SUBMIT has become such a negative word in the thoughts of so many people today. But the reason why, is because they do not understand the wonderful truth conveyed in this passage. I will begin to explain it the way someone explained it to me: This passage teaches us that a woman should be willing to live for her Husband, and a Husband shoud be willing to Die for his wife. Both of these are very high demands, but when Love is involved we often volunteer to do these things. Lets start at verse 22. Wives submit. No one likes to submit, if they are proud, but when Christ came to earth he came with humility, and although He was God in the flesh. Creator of all mankind, he stooped down to SERVE mankind. What an amazing picture of love. Ladies you are to show your love by submission. A humble respectful way of serving the man that you love. If you dont think you can do that, then you havent found the right guy yet. Guys, hold your horses because if you are sitting there saying. Yes! My Wife has to serve me!! Than you are wrong. If you have a Godly wife then she will respect you, but think about how much easier it would be for her to respect you, if you were a respectable man. You should live your life to protect and serve your wife. Think about that: You both live for each other, to serve each other. God takes it to an even greater step for the Husband by telling them that they should love their wife the way that Christ loved the church. Christ died for the church. Ladies do you want a man that loves you so much, He will do anything to protect you? Well, That is exactly what God wants for you too! Dont listen to the world about issues like this. Simply trust Gods word, it will bring True Love, and True Happiness!