Tag Archives: birth

Hatched, Matched and Dispatched

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTHfZFGoXoE

I heard an interesting sermon last weekend, a quick summary of the three most basic stages in life.  The first compared birth to a chicken hatched from an egg.  This initial period of infancy forces children to be dependent upon your mother and father, guardian or parents.  The early years involve learning how to walk, talk, eat and becoming potty-chained.  From a spiritual point of view, the young emulate their parents, for better or for worse.  Until the age of eight teen, give or take a few years, children remain in the nest at home until each is ready to fly or nudged.

Joseph is a fruitful bough (a main branch of the vine), A fruitful bough by a spring (a well, a fountain); Its branches run over the wall [influencing others], Genesis 49:22.

If anyone is struggling to find a significant other, there are a growing number of dating sites to find an ideal match.  Going back to the earliest days in history, God created men and women to procreate the earth.  Thus, once a certain level of maturity is reached, college students begin to search for a soul mate, seeking to be matched in Holy Matrimony.  However, there is one disclaimer: This stage in life is optional as the apostle Paul urges godly believers to remain single if its God’s will for your life.  Nonetheless, the majority of human beings seek a suitable helper in life.  As Tom Cruise once said in Jerry Maguire, “you complete me,” in reference to his wife.

By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings lying in the deep that couches beneath, blessings of the [nursing] breasts and of the [fertile] womb.  “The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of my ancestors [Abraham and Isaac] up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; They shall be on the head of Joseph, Even on the crown of the head of him who was the distinguished one and the one who is prince among (separate from) his brothers, Genesis 49:25-26.

While the first two stages in life bring joy, the final one introduces a painful reality, death.  Every year Catholic’s celebrate the first day of Lent by attending Ash Wednesday services.  The purpose of this day is based upon words from the book of Job.  After experiencing a series of trails in his life, Job responds with the words,” ashes to ashes and dust to dust.”  This simply means that God created Adam out of dust and one day every human being will be dispatched, becoming dust overtime as your earthly body decays.  Whether you celebrate a hatching, matching or grieve at a funeral, seize each moment that God gives you on planet earth.

by Jay Mankus

The Position of Labor

Prior to modern medicine and state of the art hospitals, wives would give birth to their children at home.  Without an epidural injection, woman were forced to endure pain until their children came forth.  In biblical times, there was no stirrups to separate a woman’s legs to expedite this process.  Rather, woman squatted with their elbows spread out on either side, pushing with all their might.  This is the position of labor described in the Bible.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months, James 5:17.

Common sense tells individuals that you can’t give birth unless you are pregnant.  While Hollywood will beg to differ, producing films like Junior where Arnold Schwarzenegger gives birth during a scientific experiment, this is not normal.  In the same manner, unless you are laboring in prayer, attempting to give birth a miracle, most will become disenfranchised with prayer.  Only when the Holy Spirit breathes new life into souls, Romans 10:9-10, can individuals begin to see the spiritual fruit of prayer.

Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit, James 5:18.

Several times in life, I’ve lived by a wing and a prayer, praying only after accidents, emergencies and trials occur.  Subsequently, when I don’t receive the answer I desire from these prayers, I’m not surprised because of my position of labor.  However, when I am proactive, seeking a hedge of protection from evil, I begin to experience Elijah like results.  Therefore, don’t take prayer lightly.  Rather, put yourself into the position of labor, persisting in prayer like the widow who never gave up, Luke 18:1-8.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

 

The Gospel According to Forrest

Forrest Gump once said, “stupid is as stupid does.”  Although Tom Hanks played this fictional character, there is a lot of truth to this statement.  Recently, Riley Cooper, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles went to a Kenny Chesney concert, had a few drinks, got into a heated argument with a black security guard and blabbered out a racial slur directed toward him.  When you do or say something stupid, it doesn’t mean you have to apologize day after day to make the media feel better.  Living about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Riley Cooper is being crucified on the airways every hour, as callers are picking up the first stone like the account in John 8:1-11.  According to the Gospel of Forrest Gump, “stupid is as stupid does.”

From a spiritual perspective, there is a good reason why people say stupid things.  Since the birth of Cain, every child born on earth has been implanted with a virus.  The Bible refers to this birth defect as the sinful nature or carnality in the original King James version, Romans 7:14-18.  As a result of this disease, individuals and their children have never been the same.  Thus, politicians, professional athletes and average citizens daily fulfill the words of Forrest Gump.

Take for example the daughters of Lot, trying to cope with the loss of their mother, death of their future husbands and a father stricken with depression, Genesis 19:30.  Emulating the practices of their uncle Abraham, Lot’s daughters felt more comfortable trusting in their own wisdom rather than wait on God to provide.  Therefore, they each partake in Indecent Proposal IV & V.  Once their dad is drunk as a skunk, with his beer goggles on, Lot thinks the woman in his tent is a mistress or perhaps a dream that he is sleeping with his wife once again.  Instead, Lot’s daughters take the gutter to a new low, sharing their father on consecutive one night stands, Genesis 19:32-35.  “Stupid is as stupid does!”

Similar to the descendants of Ham, these woman gave birth to the Moabites and Ammonites.  Like Abraham and Lot’s daughters, the Moabites trusted in Egypt when times got tough.  In addition, the Moabites called on Balaam to curse Israel, setting in motion their exclusion from the nation of Israel.  Meanwhile, the Ammonites worshiped the idol Milcom, which also led Solomon astray.  By breaking the first and second commandments, Exodus 20:3-4, a generational curse is poured out upon this nation, Exodus 20:5.  This is why Jesus adds Matthew 18:5-7 to the Bible.  He knew how precious and innocent children are.  Therefore, if you still have time to act, live out Matthew 18:8-9, purging sin from your life so that your children and children’s children don’t inherit the sins of their parents.  Check out Restoring The Foundations ministry online if you want to know more about how sin impacts children.

by Jay Mankus