Verse of the Day - Boaz tradition

[DerekP Houston]

So I opened my mouth and drank too much. It happens. Looked for something relevant to explain my shortcomings and here is the verse I found.

6 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.


For all my good intentions...the flesh is weak. I will strive to do better and not fall off the wagon quite so hard each time. The bumps from the road are lingering a bit longer these days.

did I get the reference to your screen name correct?


What does the Bible say about Boaz?


In the Bible[edit] According to Josephus, he lived at the time of Eli. Son of Rachab and Salmon, Boaz was a wealthy landowner of Bethlehem, and kinsman of Elimelech, Naomi's late husband. He noticed Ruth, the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, a relative of his (see family tree), gleaning grain in his fields.

[rl69]

Giving all to God

For reading & meditation (http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/) – Proverbs 8
"Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold." (v.10)

Christians who struggle with the concept of deferred satisfaction ought to consider the contestants who prepare for such things as sports competitions – especially the Olympic Games. Young men and women push themselves almost beyond endurance in order to gain a prize for themselves, their club or their country. I know that all the groaning and gasping that goes on as they train is not unmitigated pleasure. Why are they doing it? They are demonstrating the principle of deferred satisfaction. They are willing to ensure suffering now in order to win in the future. The pressure, the denial of legitimate pleasures, the strong self-discipline, the rigorous training, are all outweighed by the hope of winning. The idea of deferred satisfaction is not a uniquely Christian idea. It has been recognized by reflective people throughout history. Plato talks about it, and so does Socrates – and they lived more than two thousand years ago. Greek philosophy talks about the control of the passions by self-discipline and encourages the development of virtue by self-denial. Christianity teaches that God has come to this world in the person of His Son in order to set up a rescue mission to save us from an everlasting hell. We are saved, but not that we might sit back and indulge ourselves in the thought. We are saved to serve. If non-Christians can deny themselves present satisfaction for future gains and go to such lengths to win a prize, how much more ought we, who serve the risen Christ? Dare we stand by and watch them do for gold what we are not prepared to do for God?

Prayer: Father, Your school is strict but the end is redemption. Your instructions, however hard and uncompromising, are in the end my salvation. Help me to see the end from the beginning and to use all my powers in reaching for the goal. Amen.

For Further Study Luke 6:1-13; Matthew 10; John 6:66
1. What is implicit in the calling to be a disciple?
2. Read through Proverbs and see how many times the word "discipline" is used.

[Blackwater]

Derek, you just discovered that we don't stop being human and transform into angels automatically upon coming to faith. This side of the veil, it's always a contest between us and the Great Tempter. And that's always a struggle, and not one among us wins each and every single battle. But the good news is, Christ doesn't require perfection of us. Only real faith and trust and belief. If we have that, truly, we'll just naturally gravitate toward Him and His service, just like iron goes towards a magnet. Magnets aren't subjec to a sometimes equal and opposite attraction, though, but we humans sometimes are. But Christ lets us LEARN to deal with our frailties, especially early on in our walk with Him. This keeps us humble, but that's good, I think, because it's only when we've been humbled that some of the best things in Christianity can really get through to us, and suddenly, we understand what had seemed very mysterious and impenetrable before.

There are many surprises along the path of righteousness. Many times, we'll suddenly "see" something that we'd long wondered about, and suddenly, we'll wonder how we'd never seen it before quite like that! It's just how Christianity works, and one of the many reasons, I think, why humility is so crucial to us as Christians. Only when we are humbled CAN we receive some messages that we all need.

Like I've said before, coming to Christ doesn't make one an angel. It just makes us saved humans. And thank God for that! it's the greatest gift we'll ever receive in this life. You're doing great. Just keep it up, and finish the race. You'll be better at the end of the race than at the beginning, though, unlike a road race where I always wound up breathless at the end. And your dominant attitude CAN be your best friend or worst enemy, depending on how you use it. I can't think of anyone I've ever seen who's done better than you're doing. We're all projects in the making, and we don't become "angels" until after our race here is finished, so lower your expectations down into the achievable realm, and as time goes on, you'll be able to raise those expectations and standards as you grow and learn.

For now, take my word for it, you're really doing VERY well! And don't be disheartened. There's not one among us who can't do better, if that makes you feel any better.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Hang in there, friend. No one is perfect. We all have to keep working at it.

[claude]

Derek, a compliment to you chosen verses;


Rom 7:14-21 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

And this;

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Enjoy those passages, meditate on them, they are full of truth.

[Blackwater]

Great thoughts all. And FWIW, I've long wondered, and am coming around to believe, that Christ lets us backslide now and then so we'll truly see what we'd been doing for so long from a more accurate angle of perception. God has always worked His ways through surprising means. Maybe this is just another of his "mysterious ways" that he works His magic within us? This is completely my idea, but if St. Paul experienced some of the same, it at least makes sense until I can see more deeply into it all, IF that ever comes to me. We take what we have, and somehow, God always lets it suffice for what we're doing. It's as though by some sort of "magic," we have a ditty bag to dip into when we feel we're insufficient, and miraculously, the item we need is just there, and often, we don't know just where it came from. There are better explanations for this, but this is the one I've used on the odd occasion in the past, and it usually gets the point across.

God trule DOES "work in mysterious ways, His wonders to fulfill." It may not be "magic," really, but it's surely supernatural, because it's way beyond what we can do of our own volition and capacity and intent. Remember this, and how it works, because you'll likely have occasion to use the principle again. And that verse in Romans from St. Paul is one that lingers with me more and more these days. Just as we grow from infants to adolescents into adulthood, we grown in Christianity in much the same sort of way. And I'm not sure many of us ever truly reach the "old sage" stage. We're all works in progress. Just let the waters flow and take you where you need to be, and you'll be SO much happier and more satisfied than you ever thought you could be, that you won't believe me if I tell you about it right now. I'm not sure I even believe it like I should! But I know it's true. It's written, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me," and I think that also applies to real satisfaction as well. Too often, we think of "happiness" as laughter and revelry, but "satisfaction" is a more deeply penetrating concept, and more aptly describes, I think at least, the joy that Christianity brings to us, if we'll simply let it. It's not something you can seek out or pin down or capture or trap. it's something you just have to let inside. That puzzles most, and puzzled me when I first heard it many years ago, but now, I understand. And it's right. And remember to have patience. I was always the "I want patience and I want it right now" type. It didn't work. When I quit seeking so actively, and just let it soak in, I was amazed at how foolish it appeared I'd been. I hope at least part of this makes sense to you??? If not, just remember it, because I think you're not far off from understanding it better. Analogies are tough to "get" sometimes, but they always helped me, and mostly helped me get through despite my desire for more physical, concrete and pat answers. I now look back on those days and smile at how I sought so anxiously, and reaped so little, and how little I seek now, and how much I absorb. It's contradictory, I know, but it's not unusual to find contradictions and paradoxes in real Christianity.

Like I said before, I think many of us, me included, kind'a envy you and the position you're at now, and we'd relish the ability to go back in time and relive it all over again - the coming to light. It's a light NOTHING can extinguish. NOTHING! And that's another hard thing to realize, too, but .... you're earning that realization right now. God bless you and your efforts, but don't forget to puddle out now and then, and just let things be absorbed, rather than pinned down. I think you may be amazed at how some of it works.

[Boaz]

Derek I never posted The verse of the day . Rl69 does that but I'm sure there are plenty of verses for anyone to post ... feeling to need to do so .

[DerekP Houston]

Derek I never posted The verse of the day . Rl69 does that but I'm sure there are plenty of verses for anyone to post ... feeling to need to do so .

Yeah....I found that out via pm. Oh well I've goofed up worse before.

Me last night on the forum....

172820

[DerekP Houston]

Derek, a compliment to you chosen verses;


Rom 7:14-21 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

And this;

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Enjoy those passages, meditate on them, they are full of truth.







thank you for sharing this. I will read it again in the morning before service and think more upon it.