Tag: faith

Posted in theology

Jen Wilkin is so gone (and what is the ‘ordo amoris’ anyway?)

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Today on X (formerly Twitter), a theologian noted that Jen Wilkin made a nonsensical statement by twisting a biblical concept while on a Q&A Panel. He said,

I’ll have three points here:
1. In general, avoid Jen Wilkin,
2. Specifically, explaining the error of her statement that was posted yesterday,
3. Explaining what the ordo amoris is.

1. In general, avoid Jen Wilkin

I have written about Jen Wilkin several times here on my blog, once positively (long ago!) and then always negatively. Jen is a teacher and preacher out of Matt Chandler’s church, The Village Church in Flower Mound, TX. She has been the Director of Curriculum, she has been teaching pastors & missionaries, and she preaches as a guest in other churches. Of course, the Bible says a woman may not preach or teach men in the church. (1 Timothy 2:11-12). It is disgraceful for her to do so. (1 Corinthians 33-35).

She is an egalitarian, feminist, rebel, Bible twister, unhumble, unteachable, and in general, one to be avoided. She is false. Resources supporting my claims will be provided below.

2. Specifically, explaining why her statement today is error

The entire video from which this short clip is taken is available on Youtube. It is from a Gospel Coalition series titled Good Faith Debates, and the debate was “Should Christians Send their Children to Public School?” Wilkin’s stance is pro-public school. She believes in the “public school ideal” and thinks that Christian children, even kindergarteners, should be in public schools to be a witness and to be engaged in society. So that is her overall stance.

In this specific short clip Jen said, “The most common phrase I hear thrown out in these conversations is ‘well I just need to do what’s best for my family.’ I think that’s something that as Christians we have to push back on. Philippians tells us each of you should look not just to your own interest but to the interests of others.“

Something that dishonest debaters do is to make a generalization. Here, Jen said ‘conversations I’ve heard’. Normally, people have conversations with people who think and believe the same as they do. If she has heard conversations of people saying that 5 year olds need to be active witnesses in public school then I am positive this is a biased view of the situation. It’s also too narrow. Her statement is not based on wide-ranging, unbiased fact. Or the Bible in context.

Secondly, another dishonest debating trick is to restate the question as an either-or. She split what should not be split. Here, Jen subtly poses the question as ‘Christians either ONLY do what’s best for their family’ (and by implication, no one else). She makes it seem as if Christians in this debate are only concerned with their own family and are ignoring the needs of the rest of the world.

No one in their right mind is going to ‘push back on’ having a primary view of doing for one’s family. No one. In addition, most Christians are concerned with the needs of others. Philanthropy is alive and well among the brethren.

3. What is the ‘Ordo Amoris’?

The term originates from Augustine, if not the concept from the Bible. He wrote about it in the City of God. We know that we are supposed to love the right things; holiness, our spouse, His word, our neighbor, His name (Psalm 5:11), and so on. We also are not supposed to love certain things- we are not supposed to love violence Psalm 11:5, or worthless things (Psalm 119:37).

But in addition to knowing what to love, we are supposed to love in the right order. That’s where ordo comes from, it’s a Latin word. So is amoris. We love pizza, we love our football team, we love our home, our children, our spouse, Jesus. Not all of those loves are measured with the same weight. We don’t even love all the people in our lives the same amount.

“For whatever reason, Jesus had His Peter, James, and John, and He had His twelve, and He had His seventy. And so there are these concentric circles of intimacy, it seems, that mattered to Him.” ~John MacArthur

We love our family first, the nuclear family is the first priority. Our deep love and care goes to the people living under our roof. That is found in 1 Timothy 5:8. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

It doesn’t say not to provide for anyone else except your family, it says to be kind to all, but especially one’s family, indicating a hierarchy. There are circles of responsibility. As pastor John Michael LaRue said on X,

“To add to this, Paul’s recognition in 1 Corinthians 7:33-34 of the divided interest of the married man undergirds the reality that the husband and father has responsibilities of protection and care for his wife and children that a single man does not have.“

Then a close second in love are extended family members, then our neighbors, then love our community, then our country, and then consider the interests of the rest of the world. Of course these can overlap and even shift. The concentric circles are not in stone.

Galatians 6:10 says “So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith“, again indicating a concentric circle of mindfulness when considering to whom we donate. Jesus said to love your neighbor and defined it as, well, anyone in whose proximity we can share God’s love with.

My view on this ordo amoris discussion is, I trust true Christians to do and to give wisely based on their good decisions, true Christians who are making unwise decisions will be dealt with by Jesus (not me), and if they are not true Christians, then when they face Jesus they will have worse things to worry about than who or what to whom they gave donations.

In an essay about the ordo amoris, not specifically commenting about Jen Wilkin’s either-or statement, Owen Strachan said not to be “confused by silly dichotomies. You can love your natural family AND love the global body of Christ AND seek the salvation of the lost among the nations.”

The point is to use wisely the means (money, expertise, energy) Jesus has given us. Being a wise shepherd means making wise decisions about how to deploy what Jesus has gifted us with. After settling one’s obligations for the month, there may be discretionary money to use to fulfill others’ needs. Even if there is no money leftover we can use our energy, time, expertise to help fulfill others’ needs. As Christians we DO help with needs, as Christians we do so wisely.

Conclusion

False teachers abound, and Jen Wilkin is one of them. False teachers use deceptive language to divide the brethren, to confuse them, and to advance their evil agenda. Third, the ordo amoris is just a fancy phrase for being wise in providing for the people in your circles and extending outward with care and attention, founded by prayer and biblical principles.

Further Resources

Samuel Sey at Slow to Write: Is JD Vance’s ordered love biblical?

John MacArthur essay “Authentic Love“

JC Ryle essay: Christian Love

Jen Wilkin discernment article: If I ever meet him I’ll probably sock him in the face

Jen Wilkin discernment article: Boundary stones and slippery slopes

Cut to the chase, a shorter discernment article on Jen Wilkin

Posted in assurance, faith, john macarthur, salvation

Comfortable Unbelievers: A Church Concern

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

One of my most fervent prayers is that your/my church is not filled with comfortable unbelievers. The odds are though, that at least some in the church believe they are saved but are not. The Bible says,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 

 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Artist: Boris Sajtinac

Today is the day we should…

...draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)

Here is a resource for you to test your faith and find assurance

Is It Real?– 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation
1 John; 1 John 5:1; John 10: 10; 1 Peter 5:10-

Throughout the letter is a series of tests to determine whether you possess eternal life. If you don’t pass these tests, you’ll know where you stand and what you need to do. If you do, you’ll have reason to enjoy your eternal salvation with great assurance.

 God gave us His Spirit to indwell us as the guarantee of our salvation and of our future eternity with Jesus. Do you have the Spirit? Are you sure? Here are further resources addressing the question-

How Do I Know If I’m Really Saved? Costi Hinn

How Can I Know If I’m Saved? GotQuestions

Can I Know if I’m Saved? Ligonier

Eternity is too precious, and too long, to take casually.

Posted in theology

God’s Response to Human Questions in the Bible

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

God came to Moses in a burning bush. The bush was burning but not consumed. Moses saw the spectacle and his amazement awakened, He turned aside to view it. That’s when God announced His presence and said Moses was standing on holy ground.

Just think on that for a second. What if you were going about your daily life, and by the side of the road you saw a car that was burning but not consumed. Would you stop? Would you believe it if God said I AM to you?

Anyway, we know Jesus is not making appearances these days but we tend to take for granted the shocking biblical moments when we read about when the supernatural breaks into the mundane. ‘Oh yah, that’s the burning bush’ we think. But pause and consider what it was REALLY like for Moses.

God told Moses what Moses must do. Yet, Moses wasn’t too sure about these marching orders. He questioned God in Exodus 3 in a series of questions. He asked several reasonable questions and God patiently instructed Moses. It was only the last one, where Moses’ questions turned to objection, that God became angry. This is instructive for us.

1. But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).
2. Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13).
3. Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?” (Exodus 4:1)
4. Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent…(Exodus 4:10a).
5. But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.” (Exodus 4:13). Other translations say that Moses said ‘Send someone else’.

NOW the Lord became angry. Moses’ questions, while initially reasonable, drifted to faithless objection. He wanted out from the responsibility. There was a consequence to his attitude, as Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary states,

“The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses—The Divine Being is not subject to [boiling] passion; but His displeasure was manifested by transferring the honor of the priesthood, which would otherwise have been bestowed on Moses, to Aaron, who was from this time destined to be the head of the house of Levi (1Ch 23:13).“

Mary asked a reasonable question to the angel Gabriel informing her that she would soon be pregnant. Very reasonable! She wondered about this, an event that had never happened before and never would again. “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?“(Luke 1:34). In her innocence, she was not rebuked. Her question was sincere and pure.

Habakkuk asked God about the timing of God’s plan, and was patiently instructed. The Prophet was earnestly inquiring. More at Habakkuk Questions the Lord, a Ligonier article.

But Zechariah the father of John the Baptist questioned the angel Gabriel too. Why was he punished and Mary wasn’t? Because of all people, a priest of God should have remembered the same angel Gabriel brought a message to Daniel. He should have remembered that Abraham and Sarah bore Isaac in their dotage just as Gabriel said Zechariah and Elizabeth would bear John. Worse, Zechariah asked for a sign- “how shall I know this?” and thus, demonstrated his unbelief. Gabriel replied exactly that -“because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” (Luke 1:20b).

Where Mary accepted the news in submission, Zechariah’s question showed unbelief, so he was punished. JC Ryle here on Zechariah’s question: Zechariah’s Unbelief .

The Pharisees asked a whole bunch of questions. Their questions were insincere, dishonest, and came with an evil agenda (they were trying to trap Him, test Him, and destroy Him.)

God encourages us to ask questions. If we are truly wondering, seeking, grappling with the enormity of it all, God understands. He answered Habakkuk and Mary. He was patient with Moses (to a point). Jeremiah, Job, and Elijah all asked God to let them die. They were not rebuked or punished. Instead, GotQuestions explains:

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God says, “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come” (Jeremiah 33:3, NLT). How could it be wrong to question God when Jesus Himself encouraged, “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8, HCSB).

The point is, we can ask questions of God sinfully, thinly veiled queries which are really asking Him to justify Himself. We can ask questions sinfully like the Pharisees did, just to gather evidence that God is not worthy. Or we can be a Mary or Habakkuk and sincerely ask and give him worshipful praise when the answer comes- or not, as Job did.

All the articles linked to here are good to explore the question of whether it is OK to question God. Ultimately though, Mary’s and Job’s conclusion, “Let it be done to your servant as you will,” and “Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?” is the best thought to rest on as you await an answer- whether it comes or not.

Posted in theology

Christian Liberty: Can Women Work Outside the Home?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The other day I came across a post on X (formerly Twitter) from The Transformed Wife/Lori Alexander/ @godlywomanhood, which stated flatly:

I erased the rest of the post so I could present the main focus, her outlandish statement. I left the date and time stamp if you want to look it up to see the rest of her sentence.

Lori plays doctor, making overgeneralizing claims that have no basis in reality. Ladies, sometimes it’s OK or even necessary to work. Circumstances vary from household to household. In Christian liberty, you and your husband should pray, discuss, and decide what is best for you.

“The workforce” doesn’t cause infertility. Activity such as a stressful work environment can impact a woman’s cycles. But so can intense physical activity. Some female athletes when intensely training for an event, can result in not having a period anymore, called Amenorrhea.

Avoid Lori, her counseling advice and her medical advice!

Point #1-

Lori is a Legalist. This means she puts burdens on people she declares as biblical mandates which are actually within the realm of Christian liberty. Legalism has several nuances.

1. Legalism is believing that salvation can be earned by obedience.
2. Legalism is believing that one can obey the Bible through his own will and power for the purpose of gaining a greater measure of God’s approval and favor.

And here is where Lori Alexander’s legalism comes in-

3. Legalism elevates man-made rules above the Scripture. “This third form of legalism elevates man-made rules, especially prohibitions, to the same level of authority as God-given commands and the belief that following these rules will aid you in your spiritual growth.” Source ACBC Biblical Counseling.com

There is no scripture that says a woman may never under any circumstances join “the workforce”. In fact you notice Lori rarely if ever attaches an actual verse to her commands and pronouncements. Not just Lori, but ladies, watch out for any “Bible teacher” who does this.

There are situations which a husband and wife decide the wife works- he is deployed, in jail, on medical disability, finishing college, trade school, or seminary. To save for a house to have large down-payment and low or no debt.

The Bible offers up women who DID work in “the workforce”. There are others mentioned such as prostitutes, servants, and slaves but I am not pointing to them. The ones in this list are women who had jobs or duties in some kind of work-for-pay outside the home or a job that took them from home, whether it was theirs or their father’s.

Rachel was a Shepherdess.
Egyptian Midwives worked.
Sheerah, a builder, was the daughter of Ephraim, son of Joseph, 1 Chronicles 7:24.
Lydia worked, she had a business selling purple. Her work allowed her to have a large enough house to host church and guests for the propagation of the Gospel and the teaching of the saints.
Deborah worked, she was a wife but also a Judge/Prophetess.
Priscilla- was a Tentmaker with her husband.
Esther, Candace, Sheba- Queens.
Ruth- worked as a gleaner alongside Boaz’s women in the fields until the end of the harvests. (Ruth 2:23)
Women were also patronesses & benefactors, such as Susannah and Phoebe, which required them to manage their means and likely an employee.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

I don’t see a gender prohibition in this verse. The verse doesn’t say, if any man is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either; But women must not enter the workforce’…

It’s true that we must be diligent to sustain ourselves and not rely on the church or others without being willing to pull our own weight. But the Lord was gracious to leave us room to manage our individual affairs in ways that would be consistent with His general principles in this area without making strict mandates in a one size fits all forcible lifestyle.

Point #2-

Christian liberty means where the Bible doesn’t command or deny some kind of standard for us, it is within the realm of the individual or the couple to pray and follow biblical concepts as best they can.

Believers are free to do any activity that is not expressly forbidden in the Bible, as long it it does not present a stumbling block to others or violate your own conscience. Romans 14:22 says,

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 

There are many verses in Proverbs and elsewhere that talk about the busy ant, verses speaking against the slacker and the idle. Christians work.

EPrata photo

The Bible does not expressly forbid women to work outside the home. The women named above were not chastised by any person in the Bible or any verse that said they were violating a command.

However, there is a third, very important point-

Point #3

When the couple begins to have kids mom should do all she can to be a stay-at-home mother, though. God did give women a special role in childbearing and child raising. Strongly, if at all possible, moms should be at home with their children.

Here’s John MacArthur with a good article on a woman’s priorities: “What should a wife’s priorities be? Can she work outside the home?” Titus 2:3–5; Ephesians 5:25, 28; 1 Timothy 2:15

What are God’s priorities for women? Seven priorities of a godly wife are spelled out in Titus 2:3-5 … Whether or not a woman works outside the home, God’s primary calling is for her to manage the home. That is the most exalted place for a wife. The world is calling many modern women out of the home, but not the Lord. His Word portrays the woman’s role as one preoccupied with domestic duties. It is a high calling, far more crucial to the future of a woman’s children than anything she might do in an outside job.

The ultimate decision is a personal one that each woman must make in submission to her husband’s authority. Obviously, a single woman would be free to work and pursue outside employment. A married woman with no children is perhaps a little more restricted in the amount of time and energy she can devote to an outside job. A woman who is a mother obviously has primary responsibility in the home and would therefore not be free to pursue outside employment to the detriment of the home.

Conclusion

1. Some “Bible teachers” who sound good and biblical at first pass are actually expert at mixing in untruths with truth to the disservice of your walk. Not all that glitters is gold. Don’t let unwise and uninformed internet teachers put a burden on you that does not exist. (Or release you from restrictions that should exist). Test all things.

2. Keep in mind your Christian liberty- absent a command or a forbidding, always seek to align your decisions with the values that God has for you in your role at each stage of life. Always compare what you are learning from any teacher online or real life, with what the Bible says- and doesn’t say.

3. If you have children it is true that you and your husband should seek the Lord’s help in structuring your life to align with the priority of the mother at home managing the home, while husband provides.

Further Resources

Lori follows the stance of (false) Dale Partridge, which is that women should NOT teach any theology to any man or woman. Ever. His stance is here.

Partridge’s stance is rebutted biblically by Henry Anderson at The Cripplegate, here.

What does the Bible say about the woman working outside the home? GotQuestions article

Should women ‘work at home?’ How to understand and apply Titus 2, by Bill Mounce, an excellent, thorough article.

Does the Bible Allow women to work outside the home? Live Q&A, video by Dave Guzik, “We shouldn’t treat one Bible passage as if it says everything about a subject- we need to do what 2 Timothy 2:15 says to do, rightly divide the word of truth, and that means not taking one verse and acting as if that’s the only thing the Bible says on the subject.” slide to 3:43 to 17:24

Posted in dorcas, jehoram, peter, resurrection, service

A tale of two deaths: Jehoram and Dorcas

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Jehoram:

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 21:20)

Left, The Royal Sceptre of Boris III of Bulgaria

Dorcas:

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. (Acts 9:36-39)

In the first case, a sinful king. He served satan, and practiced wickedness. He was still a man, however, and yet not one person lamented his passing. Not even his wife. He was a king, touching the lives of each and every person in his kingdom. His influence was the largest a man’s could be, and yet not one person in an entire kingdom or beyond mourned his death. He was not regretted.

In the second case, a woman. Her sphere of influence was small. Her reach was especially small because she served widows, nearly the lowest of the low in terms of cultural power. At her death, relatives are not mentioned, it would seem that it was her friends the widows who washed her and laid her in the upper room. And yet, she was beloved. Usually the ritual was to immediately rub the body with spices and lay the death cloths on and bury immediately. Yet these women did not. They loved Dorcas so greatly they sought a different way.

They sent men to find Peter. They did not want to let her go. Dorcas’ life was regretted. They lamented and cried and presented her works to Peter. One can visualize wringing of hands and weeping and wailing of many. Dorcas was loved and lamented.

Dorcas: “who with her needle embroidered her name ineffaceably into the beneficence of the world.” ~Unknown

Why was Jehoram immediately forgotten and Dorcas never forgotten? I cannot say definitively or exclusively, but one reason surely must be that Dorcas was in Christ, and Jehoram was in Satan. The verse says that Dorcas was “a certain disciple” so she was a believer. She must have been beautiful in Christ, bearing the fruit of His love and grace and joy and peace, all the while serving tangibly with her needle.

Who can say what influence a loving submissive disciple of Christ will have for His kingdom? Jehoram was given Christ’s kingdom (Judah) and he served satan with it. (2 Chronicles 21:6). Dorcas was given Christ’s kingdom and served Jesus with it. Both have everlasting eternal consequences but both have earthly consequences too.

As for the eternal consequences of their deaths, Jehoram’s life was snuffed out and the spiritual repercussions were zero. It seems that nobody was the better for Jehoram having lived. As for Dorcas, she was raised bodily from the dead but the effect of that was many were saved. They were raised from the dead, too! Their spiritual deaths were now over and many became alive in Christ! The effect of that was Peter stayed and nurtured the new church in Joppa, personally discipling many converts. What an eternal effect Dorcas had on the lives of the people there, personally and spiritually!

The question is, what kind of death would you have? Or me? Would my own death be unlamented? Unremarked? Or would it cause mourning and weeping? The key is serving, and the fruit we bear. Dorcas served the people in Christ’s name. Jehoram expected to be served, and was one of satan’s. Dorcas served with her needle. Jehoram expected to be served with his scepter. Dorcas loved Christ and thus she loved her neighbors. And they noticed. Boy, did they notice. Jehoram loved satan and thus he hated his neighbors. And they noticed. Boy, did they notice.

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15).

Love, serve, produce fruit. It will have an eternal effect.

Posted in theology

Listening to Wives: Lessons from Genesis

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In Genesis 3:17, we read that Adam listened to the voice of his wife.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

The entire human race fell into sin with Adam’s disobedience- having listened to the voice of his wife.

In Genesis 16:2 we read that Abraham listened to the voice of his wife.

So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please have relations with my slave woman; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16:2).

The entire Arab world is forever fighting because of Ishmael, the result of Sarah’s scheme to get a boy child, who ended up being a wild donkey of a man who raised up his fist against everyone. (Genesis 16:12)

In Genesis 12:7 God told Abraham he would have offspring. In Genesis 15:5 God told Abraham he would have numerous descendants, and specifically that Eliezar would not be the heir. And yet Abraham disobeyed and listened to Sarah who connived a better plan, or so she thought.

The results of both men whom God Himself charged with listening to the voice of his wife, reverberates throughout history.

Now let’s get one thing clear. Women/wives are created to be a helpmeet. (Genesis 2:18). One of the ways they help husbands is that they give wise advice and have good opinions. Proverbs 31:26-27 is a verse admiring the wife precisely because “She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

The difference between Eve/Adam and Sarah/Abraham is that their counsel directly contradicted God’s. It was unwise and unkind, the opposite of the Proverbs wife. And the men listened.

I mean, in Genesis 15:5 Abraham heard that he’d have offspring, and in Genesis 15:6, the next verse it was counted to him as righteousness that he believed and trusted God. But Abraham succumbed to…something. Impatience? Sarah’s beauty? Masculine weakness? Who knows. But Abraham was charged by God as having listened to the voice of his wife, and not in a good way. Adam too.

Wives, please make sure you are not pressuring your husband to do things that arise from your own carnal desire, as Eve’s was. Nor should we create schemes and machinations to further our own personal agenda, as Sarah did. Be a Hannah, who loved her husband and waited on God and appealed to God (not her husband as Rebekah did) to open her womb. A Lois or Eunice, teaching the young Timothy as they raised the boy to a man. Most importantly, be a Mary, who soaked up Jesus’ teaching every chance she got.

This is what makes a wise wife. A wife whose voice will help her husband and please God. When you open your mouth, is it in wisdom or folly?

Posted in theology

Inauguration day!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It is a day off from school and for that I am grateful, because I can watch the Inauguration and celebratory proceedings.

President Trump is about to take the oath of office shortly, for the second time.

It has been a long 4 years since his first inauguration. As one who is so active on social media, Biden’s term has caused me no small amount of anguish. I have had to avert my eyes often, guard my heart, and work at reducing the bitterness, outrage, and unhappiness of all that I have witnessed. At times I’ve felt that my beloved nation was imploding, reminding me of the verse where God had said, Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim, And like rottenness to the house of Judah. (Hosea 5:12). A moth silently eats away at the fabric, rot causes foundational collapse.

It seems that He has granted us a reprieve from the Alarics of the world from sacking Rome.

I’ve grown up as a political animal. My father ran for office and also helped in campaigns of others seeking office. From my earliest days I remember grange halls, bunting, that echo shoes make on the wooden floors, Sousa marching music, and more.

I love my country and participated in Project Close-Up as a freshman. We were taken to the Nation’s capitol and given a close up look at how our nation runs, and time with our senator and representative. Even a tour of the Supreme Court. I loved it.

I’ve always been happy and proud of our country. My grandparents immigrated from Europe, coming thru Ellis Island, made new lives, prospered. I’ve been able to speak freely, assemble, and practice my religion with no hindrances.

I’ve been able to vote. What a privilege. I’ve almost always voted third party. I have felt strongly that we need to be governed by someone with real world experience in business (and ‘community organizing’ doesn’t count). Someone who understands at the minutest level about the economy. Someone from outside the two parties, which increasingly to me looked like one party. My first election I voted for John Anderson, and then Perot, Forbes, and so on. (Not Nader though).

I stood on the shore of Newport beach in 1976 and was wowed by the Tall Ships passing, our national bicentennial was a superlative party and a great lesson in civics.

It has been a long slog just since July when Candidate president Trump was shot, his life spared by the One who governs all life, but by a hair’s breadth to our eyes.

As someone who loves my country and is proud of it (and I never forgot THAT comment, yes I’m looking at you, Michelle Obama) and someone who loves justice, truth, and beauty, the last 4 years have been difficult if not depressing. Perhaps it was to give us a minute glimpse into what it was like for 1st century Christians under Nero. Or 1st century Jews under Herod. And yes I am deliberately likening our immediate past president to Herod and Nero.

“It is He who changes the times and the periods; He removes kings and appoints kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to people of understanding.” (Daniel 2:21).

It is HE. I do not know why God in His sovereign will decided to give us this reprieve or what He has in mind for the near future. But for the first time in a while I have optimism, even while completely understanding that my hope is in Jesus.

I’ve been praying for President Trump’s salvation, first and foremost. Then, that he survives the swearing in, and the next 4 years. I’ve been praying for justice to be done. Oh what a balm to my soul that justice in all her glory would be served. What a grace if I don’t have to wait until Jesus returns to see leaders right some of these recent wrongs.

I also pray that Mr Biden will receive the elder CARE HE DESERVES. He is obviously suffering from dementia, and it is a grief to watch in real time a man used as a puppet, a prop, inhumanely manipulated for evil ends. I can’t wait for THAT injustice to be addressed by Jesus.

But still, my hope is in Jesus. However, I am excited for today. I pray our nation returns to its earlier vigor and founding values. My life is advanced but I do hope that this sojourn by President Trump in our Hall of History will establish something good and strong for the next generation.

Happy Inauguration day.

Posted in theology

Mindful Meditations: Jonah and Daily Reflection

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

That day, I was trying photography from different angles. I give myself challenges. After I downloaded the pics from my experiment I chose this one. It was a big leaf.

The more I looked at it the more I thought about Jonah. How at the end he sat sulkily on the hill in Jonah 4:5-7,

“Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God designated a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah was overjoyed about the plant. 7 But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered.”

And the hole reminded me of the worm God sent eating the plant so it withered.

I was pleased with this thought, because aside from the self-set challenge of photography, I had also challenged myself to think biblically. Seeing and contemplating God in His creation and thinking of biblical scenes as I go about my daily life. I had been too busy and rushed lately, and I realized I’d ended too many days with nary a thought about Jesus.

We are told in Philippians 4:8 that “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

But how? What? Training my mind to align with the Spirit’s desire to think on the true, the noble, and the good took a while. I’m literal and don’t make connections easily. I mean, that when I see a leaf, it’s a leaf.

Resolve to think of Christ during the day. Pray and ask the Spirit to lead you in this. Don’t let the day get away from you without meditating on scripture and applying its righteous net to your mind to screen out the sinful thoughts and capture the good.

Then go a step farther. I was thinking about Jonah and the selfish self was laughing, ‘O that silly Jonah, he wanted bad for God’s people and God was displeased ha ha.’ So now it was time to think of ME, my selfish self. AM I like Jonah? Am I wanting something God would be displeased with? Am I praying errantly like Jonah did? Ask the Spirit to reveal sin in you that you may not have spotted.

Seek the good and the noble and meditate upon those things, and then actively seek to instill Godly desires and repent for the ungodly desires. Think…then act.

Posted in theology

What I Did on My Winter Vacation

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Our school system gives us 2 weeks off at Christmas. it is a just-in-time break. We are exhausted, and the Christmas ramp-up makes the kids extremely excited, which is more exhausting. The 2 weeks gives us a refreshment to enter into the second half of the year with vigor and eagerness.

Two weeks is a long break from work and I’m grateful for it. So what did I do with the time?

Firstly, I am not only grateful for the time off work for personal reasons, but I am grateful for the Lord giving me this job. It is a 190/day a year job. I get to be with children and educate them and I get to have time off. I’ve got 161 days at home throughout the year.

What does the Lord say about managing our time? Ephesians 5:15-16, So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

What does it mean in the verse ‘because the days are evil’? It means that sin abounds. As a result, we are temped with lots of things that divert our attention from God, from serving others in the name of God, and from our own Bible reading and study.

Barnes’ Notes says about redeeming the time:

They redeem their time who employ it:
(1) in gaining useful knowledge;
(2) in doing good to others;
(3) in employing it for the purpose of an honest livelihood for themselves and families;
(4) in prayer and self-examination to make the heart better;
(5) in seeking salvation, and in endeavoring to do the will of God.

What does the Bible say about single people?

The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:34).

I take that admonition quite seriously. If the Lord graciously gave me work that fulfills me and that I like – and He didn’t have to – then I should use the time when I’m not working to single-mindedly dedicate to Him. Not that I’m not dedicating ALL the time to Him, but you know what I mean. If I am sitting around here in my home, my flesh can easily watch endless reels and videos of kittens, sovereign citizens, design tips and so on. But no. I must resist the fleshly longing to be slothful or wasteful and dedicate the time to using it in ways that employ the spiritual gifts He gave me for His honor and glory.

My goal during this school break was to read 4 books. I accomplished that and read the 4 above. I watched movies such as The Princess Swap, Garage Sale Mysteries, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and the series The Marlow Murder Club (a cosy English mystery). These were all on Hallmark. I cooked, blogged, answered women’s messages and emails of theological questions an encouragement. I went to church, prayed, read the Bible.

I am working to maintain a shepherding mentality- shepherding the time God has given me to use for His glory. Because one day, there will be no more time.

Posted in theology

Cain slew Abel

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Cain talked to his brother Abel; and it happened that when they were in the field Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis 4:8

Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another child in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” Genesis 4:25.

I’ve often wondered about that first death of a human. How Eve and Adam must have gone looking for Abel their son, finding him dead and bloody on the ground. I wonder how they felt when they learned their other son killed him, and was exiled to live far from them. Adam and Eve lost two sons that day. But that moment when death confronted them in the form of their son Abel, knowing that their disobedience has caused it, added a layer of grief we will never understand.

This painting is called The First Mourning, 1888, By William Bouguereau (1825-1905). As was stated on an art site, “The mourners in the painting don’t make eye contact with the viewer, and the composition is self-contained and intimate. In a barren landscape, Adam and Eve – the first humans – weep for their son Abel. He was slain by his own brother Cain. His body is already pale and bloodless and lies limp in the bosom of his father. The latter is young and strong, has dark hair and a full beard and devotes himself to his wife, who buries her face in her hands in deepest grief. There is no trace of the perpetrator. Only the two sacrificial altars in the background refer to the previous episode.” Source