The President in Germany and France. President Obama is scheduled to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany and mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day in France. This comes after his historic speech on U.S.-Muslim relations in Cairo, Egypt.
1-7 God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!
The whole country will see how you work,
all the godless nations see how you save.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Let all far-flung people become happy
and shout their happiness because
You judge them fair and square,
you tend the far-flung peoples.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Earth, display your exuberance!
You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
You mark us with blessing, O God.
Earth's four corners�honor him!
"It is impossible that we can praise God aright, unless our minds be tranquil and cheerful; unless, as persons reconciled to God, we are animated with the hope of salvation, and 'the peace of God, which passes all understanding,' reign in our hearts (Phil. 4:7)."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"The High Calling of Women"
Weekend Reading
A morning prayer recorded in the Talmud says, "Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman." A Roman man in 1 BC wrote to his pregnant wife, "If you have the baby before I return, if it is a boy, let it live; if it is a girl, expose it." This referred to the "practice of leaving a child in a public place either to be claimed by someone else or to die."
"Against these kinds of misogynistic practices Christianity appeared with a completely different ethic regarding the worth and status of women. Many of the original followers of Jesus were women, and women were among those who gathered in prayer as they waited for the Holy Spirit to be given at Pentecost (Acts 1:14)."
Even the apostle Paul, who many believe to not be fond of women, said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Many people miss one of the points of 1 Timothy 2:11-12, which says, "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." Paul makes room for Christian women to be "learners," which was never promoted by the Jews. "In the church, women are encouraged to grow in knowledge and understanding. The quiet and submissive attitude that is to characterize their learning is no slight to the personhood of women. Elsewhere Paul encourages all believers to cultivate the former quality (2 Thess. 3:12) as well as commending the latter (2 Cor. 9:13)."
There is truly nothing wrong with believing that men and women have different roles while maintaining that they are equal in the image of God.
"Say Yes"
Titus 2:11-12
A couple days ago, we saw where Paul wrote in Titus that the grace of God teaches us to say no. The same passage also shows us what we are to say yes to.
We are to live "self-controlled, upright, and godly lives." These seem to refer to actions related to one's self, one's neighbors, and God.
"Self-control expresses the self-restraint we need to practice toward the good and legitimate things of life, as well as the outright denial of things clearly sinful."
"Upright or righteous conduct refers to just and right actions toward other people, doing to them what we would have to do to us (Matthew 7:12)."
"Godliness is having a regard for God's glory and God's will in every aspect of our lives, doing everything out of reverence and love for Him."
Grace and peace, friends!