Podcasts about original purpose

Chandra Duggirala & George Burke are co-founders of Portal: an ambitious project which aims to replace centralized exchanges with atomic swaps across chains. By using technologies like BitScaler, Portal OS & RAFA AI, Portal is a serious contender. ------------- Time stamps: Introducing Chandra & George (00:01:02) Portal's Mission (00:02:26) Trust Minimization Explained (00:03:32) Evolution of Portal's Technology (00:04:55) Bit Scaler (00:06:08) Removing Trust in Exchanges (00:08:28) AI Integration in Financial Markets (00:09:44) Clarification on Lightning Network (00:11:39) Bit Scaler vs. Lightning Network (00:12:04) Channel Factories Explained (00:15:27) Automated Market Makers Overview (00:18:04) Centralized vs. Decentralized Exchanges (00:20:57) Challenges of Atomic Swaps (00:24:15) Critique of Cross-Chain Solutions (00:25:17) Understanding Cap Structure (00:26:22) Self-Custody in Bitcoin (00:26:57) Toxic Approach to Bitcoin Values (00:28:03) Drivechains Discussion (00:28:20) Does Portal Require Any Soft Forks? (00:29:29) Quantum Security in Bitcoin (00:30:43) Critique of zk Rollups (00:33:10) User Demand in Crypto (00:34:33) Bitcoin as a Settlement Layer (00:35:25) Free Option Problem Explained (00:39:33) Demo of the Product (00:44:45) Launch Timeline for Mainnet (00:51:11) Proprietary Technology Overview (00:52:26) Is the RAFA AI Open Source? (00:54:05) Value Proposition (00:55:22) User Experience and Trust (00:56:16) Market Dynamics (00:58:37) Incentives for Value (01:00:03) Funding Round Speculation (01:00:10) Development Timeline (01:00:37) Mainnet Deployment Expectations (01:01:04) Supported Assets for Portal Swaps (01:01:49) Does Portal Compete with Exchanges? (01:02:19) Investor Relations (01:02:37) Trust Minimization Limits (01:03:37) User Feedback Impact (01:07:45) Operating System Concept (01:09:08) Integration with Other Platforms (01:10:14) Bitcoin as Settlement Layer (01:12:25) Data Storage for Swaps (01:15:10) Independent Chain Functionality (01:15:57) Quantum Security Discussion (01:16:29) Beta Testing Invitation (01:17:38) Roger Ver's Legal Situation (01:18:02) Silicon Valley Meetup Insights (01:21:10) Bitcoin Adoption Trends (01:22:30) Market Strategies and Competition (01:24:00) Bitcoin's Original Purpose (01:24:40) USD on Chain Concept (01:26:40) Community Engagement (01:28:22) Security in Crypto Exchanges (01:29:56) Conference Attendance Strategy (01:30:20)

In this powerful message about the Kingdom of God, we explore God's original purpose for creation and humanity's role within it. The sermon reveals that God's intent was to extend His heavenly rulership to earth through humanity, establishing what could be called a "colony of heaven" on earth. This wasn't about creating a religion, but rather establishing a government with humanity as authorized rulers under God's sovereign kingship. While humanity's fall disrupted this plan, God never revoked His original purpose. Instead, He sent Jesus – the only person ever born a king – to restore humanity's relationship with God and reestablish proper kingdom order. Through Christ's obedience, we can now be restored to our intended role as kingdom citizens and ambassadors. The message concludes with the powerful reminder that as kingdom citizens, we are called to be "kingdom builders" with a ministry of reconciliation. Like ambassadors, our role isn't to invite people into a religion, but into a kingdom relationship with a gracious King who, like the father of the prodigal son, eagerly welcomes His children home.

Join us in part three of this transformative series as we explore God's original plan for humanity. This episode delves into the powerful truth that you are created in God's image and empowered to fulfil your purpose. Learn how to bridge the gap between your human and Christian responsibilities, unlock your creative potential, and live a life of value and impact. Through practical insights and biblical wisdom from Genesis 1:26–28, this message will challenge and inspire you to take ownership of your life and bless the world around you. Don't miss out—start building a legacy that reflects God's purpose!

No political party will ever fully reflect the mission of the church and heart of our Heavenly Father.How do I, as a follower of Jesus, engage in politics?What's the point? Vs What's wrong with people, why are they not engaging?Apathy and  Idolatry Biblical issues have become political issues. Original Purpose of Government:Provide national defense and navigate foreign relations.Coordinate national diplomacy and commercial policy.Prevent infringements of individual rights.Biblical issues have become political issues.1802-Letter written to President Thomas JeffersonBelieving with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State.1954-Johnson AmendmentSubmitted by Lyndon B. JohnsonSalt/LightResearch Tools:Freespoke-Web Browser and app. Montanafreepress.orgIvoterguide.comWhich decision more accurately aligns with God's Word and His redemptive heart?Do you tend to be too passive about or too engaged in politics? Why?How is God calling you to be His ambassador in this election season?

Show Notes for The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast Episode 148: What is an Assistant Psychologist and What do they do? In this episode of the Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Dr. Marianne Trent is joined by assistant psychologist Luke Meakin to discuss the often ambiguous role of an assistant psychologist. They dive deep into the responsibilities, expectations, and realities of the role, offering valuable guidance for aspiring psychologists. This episode covers the history of the assistant psychologist role, its original purpose, and how it has evolved over time. Luke shares his journey as an older applicant and the challenges of balancing diverse responsibilities within the role.Whether you're already working as an assistant psychologist or considering the path, this episode provides a clear understanding of what the role entails, how it fits within the broader field of psychology, and the importance of supportive supervision.Key Takeaways:Understanding the true purpose and responsibilities of assistant psychologists.Navigating the complexities and expectations of the role in various settings.The importance of supportive supervision and creating a safe learning environmentThe Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction and Overview of Assistant Psychologist Roles00:21 - Host Welcome and Episode Introduction01:34 - Introducing Guest: Assistant Psychologist Luke Meakin02:33 - Discussing the Ambiguity of the Role05:09 - The Original Purpose of Assistant Psychologists07:08 - Why AP Roles Are Not Training Roles09:01 - Balancing Supervision and Clinical Responsibility10:01 - The Importance of Feeling Safe and Valued in the Role12:25 - Luke's Journey as an Older Applicant in Psychology14:21 - The Ambiguity of Assistant Roles Across Different Services15:29 - Historical Context: The Evolution of the Role18:35 - Challenges of Unpaid and Honorary Assistant Roles21:00 - Reflecting on Personal Development and Supervision Experiences25:05 - Reducing Competition Among Assistants: Celebrating Others28:36 - Navigating Burnout and Maintaining a Work-Life BalanceLinks:

An Original Purpose

On today's podcast, Anne Tucker shares her experiences as a channeler and the channeled message she receives from the angels. As a trance channel, Anne Tucker enters a meditative state where she connects to the Angelic realm and allows Angels to speak directly through her. She is a channel for Angelic guidance and healing frequencies that will prepare us and help to usher us through the planetary shift in consciousness.She shares her insights on the importance of the journey and the next phase of her spiritual growth. Anne Tucker also discusses prophetic dreams and visions, including the three waves of light that are coming to the planet. She teaches that angels are a collective consciousness and can take on individual identities when needed. ___________________ PODCAST CHAPTERS 00:00 - Anne Tucker Trailer 02:15 - The Path to Glory 05:54 - Attuning to a New Frequency 09:57 - The Next Phase of Attunement 12:01 - The Instrument of Consciousness 15:56 - The Three Waves of Light 18:11 - The Unfolding Story of the Angels' Message 29:18 - Introduction to Angels and Yeshua 33:17 - Unexpected Angelic Encounters 37:00 - Channeling the Angels Begins 41:12 - Transition from Karmic to Dharmic Path 46:32 - Elevation of the Feminine Mind 49:26 - Transformation of the School of Life 52:57 - Influence of Galactic Species on Humanity's Evolution 54:55 - Role of Ancient Megalithic Structures 55:58 - Original Purpose of the School of Life 57:38 - Understanding the Higher Self 58:55 - Changing Dynamics of Human Relationships 01:01:16 - Awakening the Heart 01:02:54 - Humanity's Next Endeavor 01:03:38 - Arrogance of the Atlantean Civilization 01:05:36 - Influence of Artificial Intelligence in Atlantean Experiments 01:07:05 - Humanity's Connection to Galactic Races 01:07:42 - Understanding the Nature of the Universe 01:08:30 - Preparing for Future Events 01:11:24 - Altering Physicality and Healing 01:13:10 - The Next Evolution of Healing 01:16:03 - Guidance for Leading and Expanding 01:19:23 - Blessings and Harmony Within 01:21:11 - Messages for Future Generations 01:24:16 - Past Life Experiences and Experiments in Atlantis 01:27:51 - The Pyramids and Aligning Humanity 01:34:37 - The Lesson of Letting Go 01:35:48 - Healing as Letting Feelings Move Through 01:38:04 - Unity and the Lessons of Separation ___________________ Guest: Anne Tucker, Channeler Website | https://annetucker.com/ YouTube Channel |  @annetucker  Soul Convergence Course | https://annetucker.com/soul-convergence/ Peace Bathing Meditations | https://annetucker.com/peace-bathing/ Angelic Frequency Series | https://annetucker.com/angels/ Private Facebook Group | https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpiritMeansBusiness Host: Emilio Ortiz Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/iamemilioortiz/ Subscribe to YouTube Channel |  @EmilioOrtiz  Watch Emilio's latest series on 4biddenknowledge TV l https://bit.ly/AwakenThe6thSense Shop Our Clothing Collection l https://www.unlockedmovement.com/collections/justtapin ___________________ Special Offerings to Support the Show: ✦ Make a One-Time or Recurring Donation on PayPal

Matías De Stefano shares his personal experiences and profound insights on living heaven on earth, awakening, and creating a life of abundance. On the spiritual path it is essential to learn how to also thrive in this material world, Matías speaks to this - opening up about his personal relationship to money, how he went from survival to success, and what most people are missing about manifestation. He also reveals what it's like to channel and how he discerns between what's imagination vs reality. Matías shares the loneliness he has experienced on the spiritual path and how he's found meaning after coming back from such profound experiences. Him and André also discuss what the future holds for humanity in terms of AI, technology, and a new age. André's Book Recommendations: https://www.knowthyself.one/books ___________ Timecodes: 0:00 Intro 1:44 How to Live Heaven on Earth, Today 12:29 Transcending the Mind, Awakening to the Magic 21:17 What It's Like to Be a Channel 26:51 Discerning Between Reality and Imagination  33:06 Original Purpose of the Pyramids  44:10 The Loneliness of Spiritual Awakening 53:28 Why Laughter is Essential 59:54 How Matías Makes Money  1:06:40 The Key to Manifesting Money 1:17:52 The "Self-Made Person" is a Myth 1:30:30 Why the 1% Shouldn't Stop You From Making Money 1:42:27 Finding Your Unique Way to Thrive  1:46:59 How Past Lives Inform Present Relationships 1:54:15 What the Future Holds: AI, Technology & A New Age 2:14:48 Conclusion ___________ At the age of 21, Matías De Stefano began to transmit his particular vision of understanding reality, helping thousands of people to have a different perspective of our environment and ourselves. His philosophical worldview can be translated as: “Heaven on Earth.” It is a concept explaining how we are creators of our own reality, as well as giving us the tools to be able to transcend it. He is currently developing new materials to help us understand the world and our role in it. Website: https://www.matiasdestefano.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matiasgustavodestefano/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ghancaA ___________ Looking to Start a Podcast? Podcasting Course: https://www.podcastpurpose.com/ Know Thyself Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/ Website: https://www.knowthyself.one Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ4wglCWTJeWQC0exBalgKg Listen to all episodes on Audio:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FSiemtvZrWesGtO2MqTZ4?si=d389c8dee8fa4026 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-thyself/id1633725927 André Duqum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/ Meraki Media https://merakimedia.com https://www.instagram.com/merakimedia/

What makes life worthwhile? Let's explore the answer.   For more about ConnectCommunity, visit: www.connectcommunity.org

Listen as Dr. Renee continues teaching on woman! Shalom Y'all

Listen in as Dr. Renee teaches on the Orginal Purpose and Plan for Family! In this teaching, Dr. Renee breaks down Masta Ezer Nedge!

Listen in as Dr. Larry continues teaching on the Original Purpose, Design and Power of Family.

Listen in as Dr. Larry teaches on Elohim's design and purpose for Family!

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The State of the Union has a long storied history. But in recent years, there's been a lot of research into the impact of applause on the address. Should we get rid of clapping during the speech? What are some ways we can restore the State of the Union to its original purpose? Boyd discusses and breaks down what he thinks should change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The purpose of baptism is a highly debated topic in the Christian world. This episode is part 2 of a series I am doing as we look into the conversions of the book of Acts to see how the early church viewed baptism. In this video we will look at Acts 8 with the conversion of the Samaritans by the preaching of Philip. We will discuss why the Apostles came down to lay their hands on the Samaritans and critique some popular Christian commentators who seem to misunderstand Acts 8.   Check out my website for more content I create   Connect with me on social media: Instagram Twitter     00:00 INTRO 01:15 Background to Acts 8 03:13 Baptism & Holy Spirit Connection 07:02 Acts 8 11:10 Laying on of Apostle's hands 14:35 How do you get the Spirit? 18:10 4 Points about Acts 8 29:40 Concluding Thoughts

During 2020's Covid pandemic, high street retail faced a catastrophe. But the high street legend John Lewis Partnership saw it as an opportunity - to take the time to refresh their purpose and galvanise their 78.000 Partners. Today, Nina Bhatia, Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development at John Lewis Partnership, sits down with Given CEO and host Becky Willan to discuss how the Partnership's Purpose became more vital than ever. Find out about the co-creative strategy used to update and embed their new purpose and how it's propelled John Lewis Partnership into bold new business areas outside traditional retail. This episode will help you identify the right time to reset your purpose agenda and show you how to implement a plan to embed and activate your purpose. Do you want to learn how to build a purpose-driven business from Given, the original consultancy for purpose-driven businesses, that's helped some of the world's largest organisations become purposeful? Download the Insiders' Guide to Purpose here.

High prices are an enduring feature of the United States health care system. Traditional market forces haven't seemed to bring them down, which leads some to wonder if we need a new approach.Some may wonder, why not harness the purchasing behavior of consumers who provide downward cost pressure in pretty much every other sector of the economy?Enter the idea of high-deductible health plans - health insurance with a high deductible which presumably should make consumers more careful with their purchases. Sherry Glied from New York University joins A Health Podyssey to discuss the role of high deductible health plans in creating health market efficiencies.Glied and coauthors published a paper in the June 2022 issue of Health Affairs examining the evolution of high deductible plans and companion health savings accounts, which are tax-favored saving vehicles offered in conjunction with a high deductible plan.They found that these plans no longer serve their original purpose of encouraging cost consciousness and reducing spending. Instead, they provide regressive tax breaks disproportionally used by higher income people. Order the June 2022 issue of Health Affairs for research on costs, care delivery, COVID-19, and more.Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts

In today's sermon, Ps Jesse asks the important question, "What is the original purpose of humanity?" We pray that this message will be a blessing as you live out our original purpose under the rule of Jesus Christ. - Scripture: Genesis 2:4—3:25 - Date: 1st of May 2022 #gospel #genesis #purpose

Join Dr. Stan for part 2 of his teaching on "The Original Purpose". Tune in as we see in scripture what God's original purpose was for each of us! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/focusedradioshow/support

The question we raise this week in our series with prayer is: what is God's initial purpose for prayer? When we pray to our Father, we often miss the imperative aspect of community - praying in fellowship with our spouse, family, and friends. After all, prayer and community is inseparable in the biblical lens. The invitation extended to us through Christ, as brothers and sisters, is a feast at the table of God and a fellowship that gives us a glimpse of heaven.

Patterns are founded on temporal changes, whereas Priorities are rooted in eternal realities. Patterns are tied to what you fear, but Priorities are tied to what you value! Make changes based upon your Original Purpose rather than your Own Pursuits. Focus on changing your Thoughts, rather than your Circumstances.

Patterns are founded on temporal changes, whereas Priorities are rooted in eternal realities. Patterns are tied to what you fear, but Priorities are tied to what you value! Make changes based upon your Original Purpose rather than your Own Pursuits. Focus on changing your Thoughts, rather than your Circumstances.

What was the "Original Purpose" God intended for mankind? If you have ever wondered, "why am I here?", Dr. Stan is here to expound on this topic through scripture. His motto is: "Living as you were CREATED, NOT, as you were BORN!" --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/focusedradioshow/support

In the Constitution there are only 18 things given for the Federal Government to do. How can America return to the original purpose for the Constitution?

Mike Waine continues our series 'Genesis: New Beginnings' by looking at the story of Adam and Eve and asking what it means to read it through the lens of original purpose, as well as whether we share in the duties of those in Eden?

A couple of weeks ago, The Biblical Mind published an article by Michael LeFebvre titled Jesus Restored the Original Purpose of the Law in the New Testament. Some readers expressed concern that the article endorsed supersessionist views. Not intending to suggest supersessionism, Michael revised some language in the article to address the concerns. It was retitled Jesus' Concept of the Law in the New Testament. Some Christians readers said they didn't fully understand the reaction. In response, Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm joined the podcast to explain supersessionism, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, and the reaction to some language in Michael's original article. Show notes: 0:26 What the original title possibly conveyed 4:30 The relationship between Judaism and Christianity 8:01 Integration of "new" and "old" 9:40 Marcion's argument 14:34 Supersessionism 18:58 Intention with words 23:00 Response to comments  30:50 Ari's stance on the article 48:20 Why is "legalism" a bad word? 55:06 The Pharisees are too lenient  Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Dr Myles Munroe was a pastor, best-selling author and motivational speaker who wielded a huge influence on millions of evangelical Christians round the world. He became an evangelical Christian in his teens a after studying at Oral Roberts University, the Christian liberal arts school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he graduated in Fine Arts, Education and Theology in 1978, going on to gain a Master's in administration from the University of Tulsa. He founded the Bahamas Faith Ministries International in the early 1980s; the charismatic pastor quickly became an influential religious leader among evangelical Christians, giving sermons around the world. He was also a motivational speaker and the author of numerous books, including the 2008 bestseller God's Big Idea: Reclaiming God's Original Purpose for Your Life. #Vision #Discipline #Goals #Myles #Munroe #Dreams #Why Men Need Visions and Dreams Audio Source: Munroe Global; Episode Flyer Image source: independent.co.uk

Vision. Do you have one? Do you want to achieve your vision? Listen to Dr. Myles Munroe as he shares the key to achieving your vision. Dr Myles Munroe was a pastor, best-selling author and motivational speaker who wielded a huge influence on millions of evangelical Christians round the world. He became an evangelical Christian in his teens a after studying at Oral Roberts University, the Christian liberal arts school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he graduated in Fine Arts, Education and Theology in 1978, going on to gain a Master's in administration from the University of Tulsa. He founded the Bahamas Faith Ministries International in the early 1980s; the charismatic pastor quickly became an influential religious leader among evangelical Christians, giving sermons around the world. He was also a motivational speaker and the author of numerous books, including the 2008 bestseller God's Big Idea: Reclaiming God's Original Purpose for Your Life. #Vision #Discipline #Goals #Myles #Munroe #How to achieve your vision Audio Source: https://youtu.be/EOCckkCZLAs Episode Flyer Image source: independent.co.uk

9/15/2021 Wednesday Evening

(Want to experience a Free Qigong for Self Healing training? Check this out *mysevenchakras.com/qigong* ( http://mysevenchakras.com/qigong ) ) On this episode, I interview Dr. John Douillard.. Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP is a globally recognized leader in the fields of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports medicine. He is the creator of LifeSpa.com, the leading Ayurvedic health and wellness resource on the web, with thousands of free articles, eBooks, and videos. With 10M+ YouTube views and over 105k newsletter subscribers, LifeSpa is evolving the way Ayurveda is understood around the world, joining ancient wisdom with modern science. To learn more, visit: *https://lifespa.com/* ( https://lifespa.com/ ) Please take 5 minutes to fill in our annual My Seven Chakras podcast survey. I'd love your feedback and inputs to make our show better: *mysevenchakras.com/survey2020* ( mysevenchakras.com/survey2020 ) (I'll give u a free ticket to our next Breathwork Intro workshop) ✅ Free 40 minute Breathwork training: *https://bit.ly/34VyGLI* ( https://bit.ly/34VyGLI ) ✅ Recommended Breathwork Course: *https://bit.ly/3mZXSqI* ( https://bit.ly/3mZXSqI ) ✅ Recommended Breathwork Instructor Program: *https://bit.ly/3pFxZOH* ( https://bit.ly/3pFxZOH ) ✅ Free Qigong training for self healing: ** *https://bit.ly/3pKLE74* ( https://bit.ly/3pKLE74 ) ✅ Join our Facebook Group to be notified about our upcoming Breathwork circles, visit *https://mysevenchakras.com/tribe* ( https://mysevenchakras.com/tribe ) ✅ To claim your Free audiobook credit and start listening to your next audiobook, visit *https://mysevenchakras.com/freebook* ( https://mysevenchakras.com/freebook ) ✅ To learn more about AJ, visit *https://www.mysevenchakras.com/learnmore* ( https://www.mysevenchakras.com/learnmore ) ✅ Subscribe on Youtube: *https://bit.ly/37z987N* ( https://bit.ly/37z987N ) Podcast Recording Equipment: ✅ Podcast microphone: *https://amzn.to/3rwVlaS* ( https://amzn.to/3rwVlaS ) ✅ Webcam: *https://amzn.to/2M3IuMW* ( https://amzn.to/2M3IuMW ) ✅ Best affordable apps for small business owners: *https://bit.ly/2WU9gJR* ( https://bit.ly/2WU9gJR ) You can do it! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/my-seven-chakras-with-aj/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Near the end of today’s episode our guest tells us that, “My Purpose is to bring hope to every employee of Johnson & Johnson.” We have no doubt at all he means it—and what makes this even more interesting is that he’s working in an $85 billion enterprise that many see as being one of he very first American brands to publicly commit to Purpose. The company is, of course, Johnson & Johnson, a brand founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods, and the individual we’re speaking to about Purpose is its Global Head of Talent Development, Clint Kofford. Today, we’re going to delve into what Clint means by his statement—as well as how Johnson & Johnson’s Purpose statement, its famous Credo, feeds into what he and all of its other 135,000 team members do every day. As you may know the Credo, written in 1932, lays out how, among other things, it is “responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world” and that managers must always strive to “provide an inclusive work environment where each person must be considered as an individual”—but just as importantly, “When we operate according to these principles, the stockholders should realize a fair return.” Amazing stuff for 1932; still pretty cool—which is why we knew J&J had to be a big part of Season 7, where we’re working with the smart gals at RedThread Research to understand Purpose in modern American business… and why Clint is convinced the Credo’s more than just a moral compass, but a recipe for business success. And we do, I think, but really through a great dialog with him, not from a line-by-line analysis of any Purpose statement. A senior HR, talent, and leadership development professional with a strong track record of delivering high impact change initiatives, developing talent, and elevating executive capability across a variety of industries and business life-cycles, Clint discusses his career highlights, which include time at Nike and Mars, what led him to living in North Central New Jersey, as well as: his day to day role leading of Johnson & Johnson’s management and leadership development work; what the mechanism is for doing that at the company, the Human Performance Institute, and its roots in sports psychology, and how the Institute is now the new internal J&J ‘brand;' Purpose and L&D and how new personalised career paths are starting to energise the team; how, as a Learning professional, he’s doing what every Learning professional wants—harness the unique talents of everyone in the organisation to bring out the best ; how he thinks Purpose the glue that holds Talent together—but how internal paradigms may need to shift around the status of non-full time employees first; and much more.

(Chinese) In this era, it’s easy to deliver the sentient beings, but it is also difficult, because people are too busy, too busy to have time to think about liberation, too busy to have time to remember why we are here. For example, we don’t take a moment to think, “Hey! I am not born to serve this computer forever.” The computer has taken so much of our time, but we are still not awakened. We give 15 hours a day to it without getting anything in return. Before there were no computers in our world, and we ...

Tells a vignette about how a wonderfully crafted, innovative display wound up earning a last place trophy for not following the rubric. Rules may be rules, but can they sometimes get in the way of the purpose for the event?

Some tech words become buzzwords and lose their meaning. In this episode of Cloud Talk, Rackspace CTO Tolga Tarhan sets out to reclaim one such word: DevOps. In just 30 minutes, he delves into what DevOps really means, how to set your company up for success in DevOps, and the best ways to build DevOps teams. Special Guest: Tolga Tarhan.

God's Original Purpose For Us || September 6th, 2020 || Pastor Dallas Howard by Bridge of Hope Church

I'm not sure there's been a more juggled question passed down through the ages, and yet we still ponder this question. Tim answers this question from a deeply canonical approach—listen and consider our purpose in this life.

In this sermon, we tackle some hard to understand scripture. Remember, Paul started by stating that they couldn't handle solid food so he had to give them spiritual milk. The only way they could get their systems to digest solid food was to give them solid food. Paul gets into some solid food through Chapter 9. He writes to them about sanctification, so we are going to look at it as our once for all sanctification by the blood of Christ, as well as the continual sanctification in our own lives. However, there is more to it than that, when we do God's work on anything, we begin to sanctify it, setting it apart for the original purpose God intended.

Welcome to Finance and Fury, The Furious Friday Edition.  Today is an interesting episode - Central Banks and Wars – Often wouldn’t think of these two together – What is the purpose of a central bank? Financial stability, a lender of last resort, to smooth out the cycle of boom and bust? Not their original purpose – Why did nations first start central banks? To finance the material needs of the nation-state in times of war Central banks ramped up the funding capacity of wars – the long-term costs could be covered Britain had shown that its central bank chartered in the 1690s was necessary to finance a crown bent on war France too, under the revolutionaries and Napoleon, had set up their institution to ease the way for aggressive war credits. Central banks came into force early – Older nations like Germany - 1872, France – 1800, England – 1690 – ramped up after 1900s many more coming online USA – Federal reserve 1913 in USA, Swiss – Swiss National Bank 1906, Russian – 1922 – The Gosbank   First – In society, we carry a conviction that a central bank must be separated from Governments - Removed the chances of moral hazard – The reasoning is that you don’t want a Government given the ability to have an open printing press when a populations demands are endless – why greater levels of socialist spending can and has bankrupted countries But what difference does it make when Governments are the owner of most Central Banks? Leaders of Governments have control who works there – Reasoning is clear - can a Government manage its affairs in the country without having control of its own money? Not well – Society would still function – but Governments would lose the ability to tax and then exist – If we were allowed to use anything for trade, no tax would be paid – so it is illegal to conduct any business in another currency, unless you do BTC but still pay tax when converted into AUS/currency – the control over the currency is the catch all But some Central Banks are privately owned – not by Governments – nobody really knows who owns them – Done big series on FED but this, as well as Italy – have private ownership - To be clear – In a lot of countries Governments and central banks are separated by decree, and are either owned by the Governments themselves Or by unknown private group of companies/groups/individuals He who controls the money controls a nation – Structure of the FED – shares of the New York FED, the primary bank, are owned by the regional FED banks Nobody is permitted to know the true beneficial owners of the regional FEDs The FED is free of necessity to publish accounts or to reveal the many trillions in profits it has collected from the public purse Going back to the founding of the FED does give clues to who the owners are - First- it was created by illegal legislation in 1913 - giving full control of the US money supply and credit = entire economy is a violation of the very Constitution of the United States Made The US government cannot subservient to a group of private bankers - if the government needs money – has to borrow from the FED and repay it with interest Ultimate beneficial owners of the US Federal Reserve Central Banks have been reliably documented as follows: Rothschild Banks of London and Berlin, Warburg Banks of Hamburg and Amsterdam, Lazard Brothers of Paris, Kuhn Loeb Bank of New York, Israel Moses Seif Banks of Italy, Goldman Sachs and the Chase Manhattan Bank. With Private Central Banks – impossible to have a free market – or with any Central Bank controlling the price of money It was a group of bankers at Jekyll Island who concocted the plan for the FED system – passed by Congress while most members were away on Christmas vacation – Signed in by Woodrow Wilson – he turned over control of both the US currency and the economy to banking interests - an act which even Wilson recognised: “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. The growth of the nation and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world… by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.” Others like Congressman Charles Lindbergh - “When the President signs this Bill, the invisible government of the monetary power will be legalized. The greatest crime of the ages is perpetrated by this banking and currency bill” But this wasn’t really anything new – just on a more massive scale – FDR - “The real truth … is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the Government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson” Rothschilds and other European bankers listed previously been very involved in the US financial system since the formation of the Republic – and aligns up with each onset of economic turmoil and wars – run through turmoils in another ep – But back to war - A lot of these are really summarised for time – But please do research further if you are interested – lot of information available – Formation of the US republic - Irony is that America fought their war of independence due to a Central Bank – Bank of England – which just a over a hundred years before in 1776 The United States fought the American Revolution primarily over King George III's Currency Act Forced the colonists to conduct their business only using printed bank notes borrowed from the Bank of England at interest – Interest is another form of taxation when it is on trade and goods produced – other reasons like the Naturalisation Act and restriction on inland migration – either way, 13 independent colonies teamed up and took on the English Empire – conducting a conspiracy in the process they would be killed for if caught After the revolution - the new United States adopted a radically different economic system in which the government issued its own value-based money Stopped private banks like the Bank of England (only went public in 1998) from siphoning off the wealth of the people through interest-bearing bank notes – bankers didn’t like that and had the US in their sights First incarnation of the FED in 1791 – Just one year after Mayer Rothschild stated "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws" called the Bank of the United States – privately owned Done largely through the efforts of the Rothschild's chief US supporter, Alexander Hamilton Was supposed to do the opposite of financing war - extinguish the debt from the war already fought then end Was only passed with a 20-year charter to expire in 1811 – and with public sentiment against this bank the charter was going to be revoked – so a crisis was needed to justify the charter being renewed Solution – Britain and EU bankers funded and supplied arms to American Indians who raided American settlers on the frontier, hindering American expansion and provoking resentment. Started the war of 1812 - The government found it impossible to pay for the war through current resources, in the emergency printing money that bore interest. After that war ended in 1815 - the nation in a climate of fear and economic hardship, the Rothschilds managed to have the bank’s charter renewed for another 20 years – But in 1836 not renewed Again, annoyed the bankers   American Civil War – Reading on google the leading cause of the war was the Abolitionist Movement – which is incredibly noble cause But reading firsthand accounts from back in 1860 it seems like this was the issue used for War – similar to WMDs and Iraq Decent amount of evidence that the severe divisions leading to the American civil war were deliberately inflicted upon the US by these same bankers – plan was “to exploit the question of slavery and thus to dig an abyss between the two parts of the Republic” – which already were at each other’s throats politically after Lincolns election Germany’s Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck claimed the European bankers were responsible for the American Civil War, stating “The division of the United States was decided by the high financial powers of Europe”, Jan van Helsing wrote “The reasons leading to this civil war were almost completely due to the Rothschild agents”, one of whom was George Bickly who persuaded the Confederate States of the advantages of secession from the Union In a rational world – slavery would have been abolished without a war – the tide was turning – England - Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 abolished slavery – But 620,000 US citizens died – 2% of the population – the equivalent of 520k Aus dying in a war During, prior, and after the Civil War (1861-65), the U.S. decided to try going without a central bank – Thanks to Lincoln’s greenbacks – they did okay – so he had to be killed   Back to the FED – Tensions were rising in Europe in the 1890s – Everyone knew that a war was going to break out between major powers at some point – Bankers wanted a central bank back in USA – hence the FED - The difference now was that there was no expiration date unlike the previous 20 year charters - Allan H. Meltzer, the official Fed historian stated that the founders of the Fed, such as they were, did not intend to create “a permanent institution” – they simply forgot to put in a used by date As opposed to other Central banks later created – the FED is still private – It be any accident that the U.S., very contrary to its previous history, has been oft at war since 1917? World War II, Korea, Vietnam (1959-1975), Gulf, Afghanistan (2001-), Iraq, Yemen, and Syria – probably missing a few   Comparing the frequency of war – Major Wars since 1900 – Most would think WW1, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, maybe a handful more - With the state of the News Cycle they go by in a section and forgotten about – especially if your nation is the invading force or should have no business intervening Time of wars – compare two periods – Pre-FED to Post-FED – wars started between periods 1900 to 1916 – the capacity of spending and technology were different Capacity much smaller – technology very similar – each had their own benefits – Germans had most of the best equipment Tiger II tanks were far better than Americans – it was just the superiority in numbers the industrial scale of US production had – one Tiger could take on a much larger bunch of tanks How that changed – now the US is the largest military empire known to man – far surpassed the Roman Empire1900 to 1916 – the capacity of spending and technology were different 2003 to now – average time of war went up by a factor of 3 39 wars still ongoing so that average is likely to rise further – as expansion of Central banks gives unlimited funding for wars   Summary – US military empire started in 1913 – funding capacity for war and changed from domestic conflicts to global 800 military bases in more than 70 countries None of this would have been possible without printing press of Fed – which is a private group owned by bankers Next Ep – Modern Financial wars – Examples of funding both sides along with using Central and Private Banks to destroy other nations economies   Thank you for listening, if you want to get in contact you can here: https://financeandfury.com.au/contact/  

(OK, so I've known for a while that there's been a "missing" part to the "What Is Man..." series from February. I finally tracked it down and decided to post it, despite it being severely out of order. I'll put it here and attempt to get it in line at a later date.) This episode was recorded as I stood in my barn, looked at the old country church next door and asked myself what the purpose of mankind, and The Church, is. What age are we even in? Who are we? I'll tackle these questions and more.

(OK, so I've known for a while that there's been a "missing" part to the "What Is Man..." series from February. I finally tracked it down and decided to post it, despite it being severely out of order. I'll put it here and attempt to get it in line at a later date.) This episode was recorded as I stood in my barn, looked at the old country church next door and asked myself what the purpose of mankind, and The Church, is. What age are we even in? Who are we? I'll tackle these questions and more.

There has never been a better time to be alive! God's plan since before time began is about to unfold worldwide. He is going to establish His rule through people like you. He will cover the Earth with His glory by pouring Himself into His people. This book is another exciting addition to Dr. Myles Munroe's series on the Kingdom of God. God's Big Idea shows how God wants to make the Earth a place of Kingdom harmony and peace beginning with you! You will discover things about God's love and plan, such as how: Your destiny will be fulfilled right here on Earth You can enjoy continuous fellowship with the Lord You are created to turn the Earth into a place filled with His culture Your decisions make a big difference in what happens on Earth. Dr. Munroe explains how you can be directly involved in God's Big Idea by helping plant and multiply His garden communities where all God's children live fruitful and abundant lives. Discover God's Big Idea, and you will find your own destiny!

Subtitle, the Design, History and Original Purpose of Meditation.The content of our modern minds becomes overwhelming for us. There is so much messaging from so many sources, television, work, the media, advertising, the news, the internet, our devices, our family, our friends, partners and peers.In the modern world, we make a critical, yet understandable error. We confuse the contents of the mind with the mind itself.Thoughts are messages from our mind as it tries to interpret this incessant deluge of information. The mind is running a verbal interpretation of the complicated narrative it is trying to negotiate past our awareness in a search for consistency and resolution to its confusion. If it fails to gain consistency it continues to produce this stream of thought and then we have the modern mind. It is the work of many years to observe, notice and calm this process.In this session, Robert teaches key meditations from the perspective of the ancient meditative concept of Clarity. Clarity meditation allows us to see what we project onto any experiences we have from our personal and cultural narratives. The Dzogchen Clarity meditation helps us to see what we bring to an experience and what it actually consists of as a sensory experience of the present moment without that narrative operating. We can witness our responses and thoughts arise, subside, become replaced and finally dissolve in the intricate detail of the experience of the present moment.The Modern Mind meditation allows us to experience, at a very low level, the point where thought arises into our experience.We can witness our thoughts arising through these mediations. This process of observing our mind witnessing thoughts arising is what Robert calls The Wisdom Process.Meditations are: A Dzogchen Clarity MeditationThe Modern Mind Meditation.Support the show (http://2020meditation.com/coffee)

The wrap-up for the ongoing series. Here I recap and tie up the over-reaching theme of the Gospel, extended to men who will follow the pattern enstated by Jesus.

Admittedly, I get side-tracked on this installment but even with that being the case, the theme continues as we challenge one another to be a spiritual people who really forsake all and strive to enter into the "earth as it is in heaven" reality. We'll examine the pattern of Jesus and others who have gone before us in the Scriptures.

The series continues as we look at the scriptural explanation of "transference". Those in Christ have been literally moved from a dominion of darkness into a kingdom of light. It's time we start living like it! We'll use several writings of Paul (primarily) to establish some basic spiritual/governmental realities.

The third installment of the series. This one examines the questions, "What age are we in?" "Who now rules?" and takes a brief look into Lucifer's fall using Luke, 1 John, Revelation and several of Paul's teachings. 

After a lengthy introduction, here we'll dive into the timeline of man, beginning of course, in Genesis 1. We allow Scripture to answer the questions, "In the beginning, who ruled? Who reigned the earth?" This commentary is meant to stir us all up to expand our view of why we truly exist.

OK, so this is an introduction, kind of, to a new series I titled, "What Is Man? Reclaiming The Original Purpose Of Humanity On The Earth". In it I'll be examining what the role of man was intended to be according to God's design, the surrendered dominion and several other thoughts on reestablishing God's order on the earth in our lifetime.

Preached at the Privilege Camp 2018

When most people think about the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) at Pentecost, they view it as a miraculous event, a completely new experience “unhitching” the church from it's Jewish past. What is the significance of this phenomenon in relationship to the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish expectation? Peter gives us the key when he quotes Joel 2:28–32, but adds in a phrase not in the text. What is this phrase and how does it unlock the Pentecostal experience for the Jewish disciples of Yeshua? Join Rabbi Damian in this captivating teaching connecting the gift of the Spirit with the Messianic expectation anticipated by Moses and prophets.

When a dog wags its tail, it is common to assume the dog is feeling happy and friendly. There are times, this is not the case at all. Find out how to interpret a dog’s tail then hear about when a wag may mean your dog is afraid, threatened or anxious. Next, we’ll demystify some more ingredients in pet food, and explain the difference between protein meal and by-products, what is yucca schidigera and more. Then, if you understand the original purpose a particular breed of dog was bred for, it can explain how that breed is likely to behave. Hear fun, need-to-know facts about a few breeds in today’s “Meet a breed” feature. Resources for the episode: Do dogs really feel guilty?  Hear Jean Donaldson, leading dog trainer, talk about if dogs can tell the difference between right and wrong when they poop on the floor in Episode 002. You’ll find this episode link at the full show notes at www.raisingyourpaws.com. Guest, Genie Beur, Director of Customer Service, NutriSource Pet Foods. Phone - 218-346-8312.  Call Genie to ask her your pet food questions. Photos of the breeds spoken about in the “Meet the Breed” feature can be found at the blog article for episode 18 at www.raisingyourpaws.com. We’d love to hear your comments about the podcast. You can write these on the blog articles that accompany this podcast, at  www.raisingyourpaws.com.

Part 3 of the Acts of the Apostles series continues to explain the purpose of Luke's writing the book of Acts. In this sermon, Rabbi Damian introduces us to the two key players that Luke wants us to know. One apostle to the Jews and another apostle to the Gentiles. Join us as we learn about these two key figures that set the stage for the Acts of the Apostles and its message.

Most people will tell you the book of Acts is the story of how the church began. But was that Luke's purpose? Join Rabbi Damian as he gives us four reasons for Luke writing the book of Acts, and how knowing these details will give us a proper perspective for understanding this historical record and how it should affect our lives as followers of Yeshua.

The symbol of separation ended when the veil curtain was torn down. Discover why God made us to be in a relationship with Him. The most important thing in your life is your personal pursuit of God.

After a brief story time with Bren’Tel  that Turned into a Therapy Session,  ASSembly Bill A1114,  and A Range of conversations from Black Lives Matter to the Original Purpose of police in america and much more 

· God’s Original Purpose was for Heaven and Earth to be One · Heaven and Earth Kiss in the Spirit Realm

The post God’s Original Purpose appeared first on Reign In Life .

Transcript Pending

Transcript Pending

Andy Davis preaches a verse by verse expository sermon on Isaiah 35:1-10. The main subject of the sermon is how, in the future, God will restore the universe to its original purpose and remove from it the stain and effects of sin.

Pastor Earl Glisson of AFC St. Augustine preaches about God's original purpose for humanity and how Jesus carried out God's purpose of reestablishing the Kingdom.

Pastor Earl Glisson of AFC St. Augustine preaches about God's original purpose for humanity and how Jesus carried out God's purpose of reestablishing the Kingdom.

So we come in Colossians to Colossians 3:18-19, Paul's discussion, brief here in Colossians, on marriage, more extended in Ephesians. But I was meditating all week on marriage. I had actually been meditating on marriage a lot since May 14th, 1988, and I continue to meditate on marriage, continue to try to “work out my salvation with fear and trembling,” and to continue to grow as a husband. But I've been thinking much about marriage this week, in preparation for this sermon, and thinking what a magnificent thing must marriage be, and that, in some ways, it is both the Alpha and the Omega of human history. It was the first human institution established in the garden, before any parent-child relationship, before a friend to friend, before a brother to sister, brother to brother, sister to sister, before citizen to government, before even church member to church. There was a marriage at the very, very beginning, a man and a woman together as husband and wife. And what a magnificent thing must marriage be, in that it is said to be, in some mysterious sense, the consummation of all human history as well. When Christ, at last, will be perfectly, mysteriously united to His bride, the Church, described in Revelation 21-22, the perfect union of God and man, a picture of Christ and His bride united, and into a marriage that will last for all eternity. The true nature of which we can only speculate about, we can only wonder about, but we know that oneness will be at the center of it. And so, what a magnificent thing is marriage, and therefore, what a target it must be for Satan, and has been from the beginning. In between that Alpha and the Omega are all kinds of other letters in the alphabet of human history, and many of them have been letters of woe, and distress, and difficulty. And just because we think, as modern people, we are going through things that no one has gone through before, we should realize that when it comes to marriage, every generation has struggled. Every single one has fought and struggled to understand marriage, and to do it, especially in our sinful context, to do it to the glory of God. But I would say this, that no generation in history has had such confusion about what marriage really is as our present generation. I will not defile this pulpit by describing the varying and ever expanding definitions of marriage that are floating through our culture today. It's really quite shocking. I, myself, shocked by it. And so, I thought, as we Christians try to face our post-modern culture, and try to explain what marriage is, we cannot do it apart from the Bible. I defy you to try to do it in any way that it will last, apart from the Scripture. We must say, from the Bible, what marriage is, what it's meant to be, and from no other place. But that's too “out there”, that's too “apologetics”, and too “defense-oriented”. Right here in our midst, we need to go back to the Bible ourselves, don't we? And find out what marriage is all about, not just so we can defend it in an ever confused surrounding pagan culture, not just for that reason, but so that we can glorify God in our own marriages, so that our children can glorify God in their marriages, for generations to come, so that God may be honored. And so, I think we have to go back to the Scriptures, and as I was thinking about that, I was brought to a passage in which Jesus is dealing with the question of divorce, and divorces plagued marriage all along, since sin entered the world. But Jesus crossed into the region of Herod, and His enemies, the Pharisees, came trying to get Him in trouble, as I read between the lines. They figured it worked for John the Baptist, getting him killed. He was beheaded because of this, because Herod had taken his brother's wife. "Maybe we can trap Jesus on this question of divorce and remarriage." And so, they came to Him, and said, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" Jesus wasn't afraid to tell the truth. He wasn't afraid He was going to be beheaded by Herod. He knew very well how He was going to die and He was never afraid to tell the truth. Haven’t You Read That At the Beginning… ? And so, He answers this query. He says, "Haven't you read, that at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female?" And said, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate." Now, there's a lot of things fascinating in Jesus' answer, but for me, just as a preacher this morning and as a man involved in a marriage, Jesus' methodology is the key for me. He says, "Haven't you read, that at the beginning," in effect, if I were to go to Jesus today and I would say, "Lord, please teach me what it means to be a godly husband. Please show me what marriage really is, what it's meant to be. What am I to be? What am I to do?" And if any one of you, sisters in Christ, were to go to Him, and ask Him, "How can I be a godly wife? What is marriage? What am I to be? What am I to do?" He's going to say the same thing to you, that He said to His enemies, "Haven't you read, that at the beginning,". He's going to bring you back to Genesis, to where it was all established. God’s Original Purpose for Marriage: His Glory I would like to actually ask you to turn to Genesis 1, to get the context for Paul's brief statements on marriage here in Colossians 3, and here, we are going to learn some basic things about marriage. These are the kinds of things you would go through, if you went to a marriage seminar, but I am thinking, "We can do it right here in the local church, why not?" Let's go back to the beginning and find out what marriage was meant to be. And in Genesis 1:27-28, to begin, to find out God's original purpose for the marriage. What was His purpose? And it says, "God created man in His own image. In the image of God, male and female, He created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the Earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' " Therefore, what was God's purpose in establishing marriage at the very beginning? I say it was for the propagation of His own image. I would say it's for the spread and display of His own glory. God does all things for His own glory, and He had made a beautiful world filled richly with all of His creative glory, displaying His powers in visible attributes throughout the created realm. But then He creates a special creation, man in His image, male and female, created in His image, and they were to fill the globe with His image. Therefore, God created marriage for the display of His own glory. But more than that, God's intention was to fill the world, not only with His own glory, but with the knowledge of His glory. In Habakkuk 2:14, the verse that's over that beautiful map right out here, Habakkuk 2:14 says, "For the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." So God didn't only just weave His glory throughout the physical creation, He wanted human beings there to know about it, that we would see His glory and think about Him, the Creator. And that we would give Him the honor, and the praise, and the glory that's due Him for all that He's made. "When I consider the Heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have made." We are going to consider the physical creation and give God the glory. That is why He made marriage. The human race, created in His image, we are to populate the planet, fill the Earth, and subdue it. From marriage, would come the children, who would grow up and do that weighty task of feeling the weight of the glory of God, and creation, and give Him the praise, and the glory, and honor. God ordained it from marriage. Secondly, we had Adam alone. God established order in marriage. In Genesis 2, we get more detail about the male-female relationship, how they would fill the Earth, how they would subdue it and rule over it. They're not contradictory. It's just more detail, just like you get a big map of a state, let's say, and then a blow-up of a city like Raleigh, or Durham, or Charlotte, a blow-up. You get more detail here in Genesis 2, not contradictory. And so Genesis 2 gives us the detail, that there was a time that Adam was alone, that “God created Adam out of the dust of the Earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became a living being.” And he was alone, he's the only human being there was. We know that, because later in the chapter, it says, "It is not good for the man to be alone." There was a time that Adam was alone, so God set up an order, and from this, comes the headship that Paul talks about in Ephesians 5, the leadership of Adam over the whole human race, that he talks about in Romans 5, it's that Adam came first, he was alone. He took a primacy in the order of the human race and within the marriage, as well, both. He is our representative at the garden. He is also the head in the marriage and that's established by the fact that he was created first, there was a time that he was alone. But it's also clear that that could not continue, that God, in His wisdom, was not going to keep creating people out of the dust of the Earth, though He could do it. It was not His plan to do that, to just keep popping up sons of Abraham out of the stones. He could do it, but instead, He had ordained marriage. And so, He said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." But before He creates a wife, He establishes Adam's purpose. Now, one of the most important verses in the whole Bible, I tell you this, I think about this verse, literally, everyday. Any of you who have gone through premarital counseling with me, you've learned about this verse, and it's in chapter 2 verse 15. Now, you may say, "There's nothing in that verse about marriage," and directly, in some sense, there is not. But coupled with the understanding, and the insights that Ephesians 5 have given me, about what I'm supposed to be as a husband and a father, I learn more about Genesis 2:15. Now, what does Genesis 2:15 say? Well, in the NIV, it says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden, to work it and take care of it." Now, you may say, "That has nothing to do with marriage." And I say to you, "You're right, in one sense, directly." But the simple understanding of the verse, is that the Garden of Eden needed Adam's ministrations, needed something from Adam, that the garden was created, in some sense, needy, dependent on Adam and his work. But the Hebrew verbs are what are compelling for me here. It says in the NIV, "To work it and take care of it." The first Hebrew word, 'work,' is usually translated 'serve.' It's used, again and again, in Genesis, either in its noun or its verb form, for 'serve like a servant,' even a slave. In effect, it means to put your own service, your own labor, at the disposal of another, not that they would rule, but that they would receive benefit. Now, don't misunderstand. It is possible to be a king while serving those that you rule over. Jesus proved that when He washed His disciples’ feet. He said, "You call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am, but I have served you, I have washed your feet." And so there's nothing strange about the fact that Adam's called to serve the ground, that he's called to minister to it. Now, in what sense does he serve the ground? Well, we learned from the first few verses of Chapter 2:4-5, that God created a certain species of plants, that had not yet grown up on the ground, because there was no man to work it. In other words, He created certain seeds that needed human cultivation. He had to have a farmer. For example, corn is never found in the wild, you will never find it in the wild, it's a cultivated crop, and there are many other such cultivated crops. Now, the genetic order for these things, the seeds, have been made back in Genesis 1:11-12, "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees in the land, that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so." So here are these seeds, let's say, the seed of corn, to the genetic pattern, have been made by the only who could make it, God. God created it that way, but it needed a man to serve it, to enable that seed to reach its full potential. A full harvest to the glory of God. Now, what in the world does that have to do with marriage? Well, I think it has everything to do with marriage. A husband is, in the same way, to serve his wife, and enable her to reach her full potential in Christ. This is the kind of language used in Ephesians 5, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy. Cleansing her by the washing, with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church without stain, or wrinkle, or any other such blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies." Paul says in Corinthians, about his preaching ministry, 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, he says, speaking of that Corinthian church and his ministry to them in the Word, he said, "I promised you to another husband, to present you as a holy virgin to Him." In effect, every husband, every Christian husband, ought to see his role as getting his wife ready for her true wedding day, the day in which she will be perfectly united with Christ. And that's going to take prayer, it's going to take the ministry of the Word, it's going to take all kinds of servant ministries, like Christ does to the church. To serve, therefore. What about the second verb in Genesis 2:15? It says, "To take care of the garden." Again, I think a better translation could come from knowing how this word is used in the rest of the Bible. It usually means to guard or protect from danger or harm, to protect. For example, in Psalm 121: 4, and 7-8, it says, "The Lord will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord will keep you," same Hebrew word, "The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forever." You get the sense of a guardian standing on the wall, protecting a sleeping city from an encroaching army that could come. He's watching. He's keeping watch over that city, protecting it from an army. Adam was to have been that for the Garden of Eden. He was to stand guard and protect it from encroaching evil. Now, you might say, "What evil? What evil could come? God said everything was good." Well, I think by now, Satan has fallen, his demons have fallen into rebellion. They have been cast to the Earth, and very soon, they're coming. He's coming. Satan is coming, the very next chapter. And what then was Adam's role? It was to protect the Garden of Eden from the encroaching damage that would come. And how much damage has come? Well, let's just speak about nature, "Nature has been subjected into futility. It's in a cycle of decay and wretchedness, until at last, brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8, "The garden was destroyed, because of Adam's sin." But again, you might say, "What does this have to do with marriage?" Well, could it be that God really cares more about the garden, than He cares about Adam's wife? Impossible. And so, he was to have protected his wife, as well. And therefore, I tell you, that I believe the first sin was not Eve eating from the fruit, oh, no. The first sin was not a sin of commission, something that was done. I believe the first sin was something that was not done. He did not do this. He did not protect the garden. He did not protect his wife. Adam stood by, while the serpent messed with his wife, and said nothing. He failed to protect. Today, you have husbands fitting into two different patterns, simple patterns, generally: The tyrant, dictator type, the abuser type, beat up on his wife physically, emotionally, verbally. We can get that, but more frequent, especially in the churches, "The passive male syndrome," some have called it. The man just stands back, and fails to do all that God wants him to do, or specifically, in the area of Genesis 2:15, he fails to serve her, and he fails to protect her. And the same thing with his children, he fails to serve them, and protect them. He's just passive. He's just like a cork bobbing along on the river and he doesn't do much. He's just passive. That is sin, brothers and sisters. It is sin and I believe it's the first sin, "She gave some of the fruit to her husband, who was with her." Why did Moses tell us that? Why did God say, "He was with her?" 'Cause he wasn't doing anything. He was just there saying nothing. He should have. And so, from Genesis 2:15, I get an idea of what I'm supposed to be, as a husband, a father. I never forget it. From the first day that God showed me that, in doing this Word study, from then on, I say, "My job, every day, as a husband and a father, is to serve and protect my wife and my children, every day." Adam Alone: The Headship of Adam But what's the wife to be? Well, that's also in Genesis 2. In Genesis 2:18, I already alluded to it, God said, "It's not good for the man to be alone. I'll make a helper suitable for him." Now, realize Adam's aloneness is more alone than any bachelor has ever been since then, okay? He was alone. He was alone, just like Noah's family was alone when they stepped off the Ark. They were alone. I mean, he was alone. There was no other human being on the face of the Earth. Therefore, it's fine to be single. Some people are called to be single. We are not alone like Adam was alone. I'm not saying it's wrong to quote this at weddings. It's good to quote it, I think. We need to go back to the beginning. But Jesus never had an earthly wife, and many others, godly men and women, will never find an earthly spouse. It's given them to be single and to serve the Lord. But Adam was alone, alone, completely alone. And therefore, he could not, by himself, fill the Earth, and subdue it, and rule over it. Impossible, he had to have a wife. And so, God says, "I will make a helper suitable for him." The KJV says, famously, "A 'help-meet' for him." Many of us don't know what the 'meet' means there, but it just means suitable or a portion for him, proportional to him. That's what the word means: A helper, someone who's come alongside to help. This is in no way demeaning the help given, because the Lord is said to be the helper of Israel. There's nothing wrong with helping, helping is a good thing, any more than there's something wrong with serving. But she was brought in to help him fulfill his functions on the Earth, "And therefore, God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and made from his rib a woman, his wife, his partner, his helper suitable for him." And thus, a wife finds a role in helping her husband fulfill God's call in his life. First Corinthians 11:8-9, says, "For man did not come from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man." There was a purpose to her, and her purpose was to be, for him, a helper, suitable. In other words, the headship of the husband and the submission of the wife find their roots in the way it was from the beginning. That's why God's given us this account, so we can go back to the beginning, as Jesus would have us do, and read there how we are to be. Finally, we get the summary statement, the beautiful summary statement of what a marriage is, in Genesis 2:24, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This statement is given four times in the Bible: Once, before sin entered the world, here in Genesis 2, and then three times in the New Testament, after sin entered the world. This is, therefore, a lasting blueprint for marriage, the idea of the two becoming one flesh. Obviously, they become one flesh in the marital union, the sexual union that produces children, that will enable Adam to fulfill his role, to fill the Earth and subdue it, definitely. But I think we sense that the oneness is deeper than that, ultimately, deeper than that. And as Paul says in Ephesians 5, "A profound mystery," talking about Christ and the church, The unity between Christ and the church. That's a general survey of Genesis 1 and 2. Go back there in your Bibles, if you would, Colossians 3. We come in context. Verses 18-19 are given at the end of 17 verses of instruction about daily Christian living. There's a context here. And frankly, I think we ought to see it in context, "If a husband will set his heart on things above, not on earthly things, if he will put sin to death by the power of the Spirit every day, mortify the deeds of the flesh, if he will clothe himself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and if he will let the peace of Christ rule in his heart, if he will let the Word of Christ dwell richly in his heart, if he will sing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, and if he will be filled with gratitude to Christ, and if whatever he does, whether in word or deed, he does it all to the glory of God in the name of Christ, then he will be able to love his wife," as Paul commands and as Christ intends here. "And the wife, if she will set her heart on things above, and if she will put sin to death by the power of the Spirit, and if she will clothe herself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and if she will let the peace of Christ rule in her heart, and if she will let the Word of Christ dwell richly in her heart, and if she will be filled with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, and if she will be filled with gratitude, and if whatever she does every day, she does it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through Him, then she will be able, gladly, to submit to her husband." If there's a flow, a context here in Colossians, not just Genesis, of what marriage generally was supposed to be, but specifically now, what marriage is supposed to be in the Lord, in the Lord. And the implication I get, is that Christians should have better marriages than non-Christians. They should have better marriages than non-Christians. Does not that stand to reason? That we are more able to overcome the ravages of sin, we are more able to overcome selfishness and conflicts, we are more able to be truly one, because we have the Spirit in our lives. And so, therefore, we are talking in the Lord. There's a new relationship here with God, and therefore, with each other. Vertically with God, horizontally with each other, marriage in the Lord. It reminds me of the new command that Jesus gave us the night before He died, "A new command, I give you: Love one another." And you think, "Wait a minute, is that a new command? I thought that was the summary of the Old Testament. Remember, 'Love God and love your neighbors?' Is love a new command?" Well, listen to what He says though, "A new command, I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Now, that is new. Jesus, the Son of God, entered the world, and He gave us a whole new pattern of love, right up to the cross, to His death on the cross. And He gave us a whole new power for love, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into our newly made hearts. And He gave us a whole new purpose of love, to build His Kingdom, to the glory of God, for all eternity. Love has been made new by Jesus, so also has marriage been made new. There's a whole new pattern here. Now, we're going to talk, in a moment, about the submission of the wife to the husband, but I say that both of these commands are done in the context of submission, the greater submission of the believer to Christ. Both husband and wife must submit to the lordship of King Jesus, in order to fulfill these commands. We need to not look at the Apostle Paul and say, "He was a chauvinist," or, "He was a Jew bound by a time when... " Look beyond Paul and say, "Jesus is telling me to do something here. Jesus is commanding me." A wife would say, "Jesus is commanding me to submit to my husband." "Jesus is commanding me to love my wife and not be harsh with her." To look beyond, and therefore, the key issue is submission to Christ and to His Word. Marriage “In the Lord” “In the Lord”: A New Realm for Order and Blessing Let's look, specifically, at Verse 18, his command to the wife, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." The basic command here is, "Submit." The Greek word is 'hupotasso.' I usually don't pronounce Greek words here, but it's important, because the word has undergone some interesting interpretations in work, recently. I think the best commentary on Colossians 3:18 has got to be Ephesians 5. I'm always asked, "What's a good commentary on Colossians?" I think Ephesians Five is a very good commentary on this. So we just go over to Ephesians 5. You don't have to turn there, but just listen, they're familiar verses, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." An analogy is set up: As the husband is to the wife, so Christ is to the church, or really vice versa, as Christ is to the church, so the husband is to the wife. That gives us some understanding of what the word 'submit' may mean. We'll get back to it in a moment. But the reason given here is so beautiful, because it's fitting in the Lord, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." In other words, "It's appropriate." It's appropriate for a woman who professes to be a follower of Christ, to submit to her own husband. Titus 2 says, "It's in accord with sound doctrine." This is consistent with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1, "The elder must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine." And then in 2:5, he says, "The older women should teach the younger women to submit to their own husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God," so it's consistent with right doctrine. Recently, I was reading a book on manners, that my wife had bought. I'm not sure why she bought it. She didn't say, "Here, you need to read this." It wasn't like that. It was just sitting on a shelf, and I was just interested in finding about different manners, like if you meet the Queen of England, or if you get invited to a presidential banquet, or anything like that. I don't know that any of that's going to happen, but I think I could always use to improve my manners. I started thinking about this whole idea of something that is fitting. It means it's consistent with good manners, it fits the occasion, it fits what is right or appropriate. Now, America, more than any culture I've ever seen, is a very informal culture, very informal. I lived in Japan for two years, that's a very formal culture. Americans actually pride themselves on informality, but we still have formal moments. A wedding, for example, is a formal moment. I have presided over lots of weddings in this church and it's been a delight to see it, but I started thinking about what was fitting and what was not. Imagine, if you had the groomsmen coming down, wrestling, and fighting, and racing for who gets the best spot here. Instead of standing on the pieces of tape that were lined up for them at the rehearsal dinner the night before, instead they are fighting, and the biggest guy gets up here. Now, probably, his tux is torn at this point, but he has got the best spot. And then, imagine, even worse, the bridesmaids doing the same thing. How unseemly would that be? It is just not fitting. It is not appropriate. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but imagine, if at a key moment in the ceremony, some Christian man or woman just wants to bless the couple, and stands up, and says, "Can I say something? Just a minute, would it be alright?" "No," but nobody wants to say that. "I would like to just pray a blessing on this couple. Can I do that?" "No! Sit down." "There will be time for that, but it's not now. It's not fitting. It's not in accord with decorum here. There is an order to things and that order's beautiful. Why would you disrupt it?" Or suppose at the wedding banquet later on, you stirred your coffee with your finger, Or you reached across the table and grabbed some stranger's dessert, because it looked better than the one that was assigned to you. That would not be fitting. It would be out of order. Now, these things are light-hearted, but it is out of order for a woman not to submit to her husband. There's a beautiful order that God has set up. It's an order that is attractive, and sweet, and produces good fruit. Universal Submission… of Christians to the Lord Now, a concept has come along recently, 'mutual submission.' I've read about this, interesting. Some people say, "It's right in the Bible. It's in Ephesians 5:21, 'Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.' Well, there it is." Well, the problem is, people don't read it in context and they don't understand what the word means. People who teach that there are no gender-based roles in marriage, or in the church, or whatever, point to this verse as a key verse, and they say it teaches what they call 'mutual submission.' But they have to redefine the word 'hupotasso,' that Greek word, redefine it to mean act in love toward one another. Now, should Christians act in love toward one another? Absolutely. Should Christians serve one another? Absolutely. Should all Christians submit to one another? No, it doesn't make any sense. It's not what the word means. This is how the word is used in the New Testament; these are all the categories of uses: Jesus was subject to the authority of His parents. Demons were subject to the authority of the disciples. Citizens were subject to the authority of the government. The universe was subject to the authority of Christ. Unseen spiritual powers also subject to the authority of Christ. Christ is subject to the authority of His Heavenly Father. Church members are to be subject to the authority of church leaders. Wives are to be subject to their husbands. The church is to be subject to Christ, servants subject to their masters, children subject to their parents, Christians subject to God. Now, the key thing is those relationships are never reversed, never. There's not a single example of disciples subjected to the authority of demons, not a single example of governments subject to the authority of citizens. They are never reversed. That's because that's not what the word means. It means to accept an order that God set up, God-ordained order. To the Wife: Submit to Your Husband (vs. 18) The Basic Command: Submit Now, people who struggle with this, I think struggle, because they don't understand how it's to be lived out, and it's been lived out poorly. Let's talk about what submission does not mean and what it does mean. First of all, it does not, in any way, mean that women are inferior to men. The proof of that, to me, and the strongest, is in Luke 2:51. There it says that, "Jesus was subject to His own parents when He was a boy." Why was He subject to His parents? Because that's the will of God. It's got to do with the Ten Commandments. Children are to honor their parents, their father and mother, and Jesus did that. Therefore, when it comes to marriage, it does not mean, in any way, shape, or form, that husbands are wiser, or better leaders, or more articulate, or better in a crisis, or any other reason that you can give. It's just because that's the order that God set up. Secondly, it does not mean, in any way, that God loves men more than women, any more then it means that He loved Joseph and Mary more than He loved Jesus. That does not follow. And it does not mean that a husband's authority is greater than the Lord's, because it says, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord," implying that there are some things that would not be fitting in the Lord. For example, a non-Christian husband might command his Christian wife to not go to church, or to follow Jesus, and she can't follow that, because all authority derives from the throne above, from Christ's throne. And therefore, His authority is over all. It certainly does not mean that men can dominate their wives in tyrannical ways. Absolutely not. And it does not mean that a wife does not have a significant role to play in her husband's decisions, and in the running of the home. A godly husband will actually seek advice from his godly wife first, above any other human source. It says in Proverbs 31:11, "The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain." He trusts in her. He wants good advice. She knows him better than anyone else. She's got a pure motive, namely, to see him succeed in his life calling. He's going to go to her, again and again. What Submission is Not and What It Is What is it? What does submission mean? Well, Wayne Mack, in his book, "Strengthening Your Marriage," gives some good insights and guidelines here, I think. Scripture indicates that it is the wife's responsibility to make herself submissive to her husband. It is not the husband's job, however he could do this, I don't know, to compel her to be submissive to him. It's her job to obey this. Scripture also indicates that the wife's submission is to be continuous, a pattern of lifestyle, not an occasional foray into submission. It's, "Wives are to submit in everything," Ephesians 5:24. Wifely submission is mandatory, not optional. As I said, it just has to do with the relationship between you and Christ. You have to believe, is Christ commanding me to do this? Is this a command from Christ? Therefore, her submission is really not based, at any given moment, on the way her husband is treating her. Some will say, "Well, if the husband loves her, as Christ loves the church, then she will have an easier time of submitting." Absolutely true, but she's no less required to do it, if he's not. It's really between her and Christ. She's submitting to the position that's set up. And it is not conditioned by her husband's abilities, talents, wisdom, education, or spiritual state, even. It's got to do with the role that they took on as husband and wife. "Wifely submission is a spiritual state. It's to be done in the Lord, performed only by the power of the Holy Spirit," just like the husband's love for his wife can only be done, really, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Submission is positive and not a negative concept. Imagine that Satan wants to sell you a bill of goods on this one. But the fact of the matter is, it is positive. Bill Gothard gives this definition, "Submission is the freedom to be creative under divinely appointed authority." "The freedom to be creative under divinely appointed authority." Therefore, the wife puts all of her considerable talents, wisdom, abilities, gifts, and resources, and energy at the husband's disposal. She then, as a team with her husband, are working together, but, he, the leader of the team, as the Lord leads him, she follows his leadership, and that's how it works. She has ideas, she has opinions, she has requests, desires, and insights, and she lovingly makes them known. She's not an individual going her own separate way, making her own way in the world, but she's a team member with her husband, and he, the leader. Submission also involves the wife's attitudes, as well as her actions. She should be cheerful in her role, not grudging, just as Jesus was cheerfully submitting to His Father's commands. He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and finish His work." You need to drink in the concept that Jesus' commands are not burdensome, but rather a delight. Proverbs 31:13 says that, "She does her work with delight, as a delight in this." Ephesians 5:33, also speaking to the heart, says that, "She must see to it that she respects her husband." I think, at the end, there's a summary in Ephesians 5 that is so appropriate, "The wife must see to it that she respects her husband and the husband must love his wife." Practical Advice for Wives I think each of those commands are given appropriately. Women, generally, wives, generally, tend to be more sacrificial in giving, cheerfully giving to their husbands, than the husband is toward the wife, and that's the essence of love, isn't it? The husband needs to be commanded to love his wife. What a man tends to do, is once he has married a woman, he tends to cease courting her, to cease romancing her, and to cease loving her in some ways. But for the woman, the real struggle is to respect her husband. She sees his flaws, she sees him lead in ways that she would not follow. If she could do it, she would do it better, etcetera. It's a real struggle for her, therefore, to continue to honor and respect her husband. This is not to be done in fear. It is not to be done thinking, "The family will fall apart, if I don't hold on with white knuckles to this thing." It may need to fall apart for a little while, 'til the husband steps up and says, "That's my responsibility. I need to do this." And it is not to be done in manipulation. My wife and I saw this movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," interesting, and I think the father was leading, perhaps, even maybe, in some ways, dominating. I don't know if it was a Christian home, maybe it was. I don't know, that wasn't the point of the movie, but she needed to ask her father's permission for something, I think, to marry this man, and she goes to her mother, and the mother says, "Yes, he's the head, but I am the neck." "And I can turn the head any way I choose." Well, does a woman have that talent? Oh, yes, and more and more, as time goes on. I bet you think I'm saying this, 'cause Christie's not here today. Actually, Daphne's sick., but she said she would get the tape and listen to it, so I need to be careful what I say. Let's be praying for Daphne. She's got a fever, have had for four or five days now, but at any rate, yeah, that's manipulation. She knows what levers to flip, what ways to manipulate. She knows what strengths and weaknesses, how he is like after a good meal, and how he's like before the good meal, etcetera. She knows the timing. Look, all that knowledge is a gift of God. Use it as God would have you, not for manipulation. A wife then looks at this and says, "Lord, search me, and know me, and see if there's anything offensive in me. Have I come up short in any way?" To the Husband: Love Your Wife (vs. 19) The Basic Command: Love What about the husband? Well, it says, "Husbands, love your wives and don't be harsh with them." Again, the statement, very brief. Much more extensive statement in Ephesians, but I'm not preaching through Ephesians right now, just let me give you a brief summary, "The husband is to love his wife, as Christ loves the church," that's what Ephesians 5 says. And the principle is one of self-sacrifice, He laid down His life for the church. The practicalities of this are more than I can count. It literally is, every day, you wake up and say, "What can I do to bless my wife? How can I serve her? How can I help her make progress in her pilgrimage toward Christ-like maturity? What can I do for her? How can I pray? How can I teach? How can I lead? How can I serve? How can I be like Jesus for my wife?" It's as simple as coming home when you're tired, and not pursuing your own agenda, but rather saying, "What can I do to serve my wife? What can I do here to be a blessing to her?" Delight in Sacrifice But love goes beyond merely sacrifice, it must be cheerful sacrifice. No wife wants to be served by a sacrificial husband, who's gritting his teeth while doing it, miserable. That's no love at all. There needs to be joy in the relationship, there needs to be cherishing in the relationship, there needs to be delight in it. The wife has a precious gift from the Lord. And this love, this special precious love, must be expressed in words and affection that are unique to the relationship. Song of Solomon gives you some insights into this. Listen to this, Song of Solomon 4:1, "How beautiful you are, my darling, oh, how beautiful. Your eyes behind your veil are doves, your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead," try that one, husbands. Go ahead and try it. I think you may actually get in trouble. Say, "My intention was pure." "You are saying my hair looks like goat hair?" Then, "That's not what I'm saying, it's just... Never mind." But what's the point? The point is you're speaking words to a wife, that only a husband can speak. If any other man were to speak like that to your wife, it would be inappropriate, to say the least, but for you not to say them is inappropriate, it is sinful. Why then do husbands stop courting their wives? Why do they stop loving them? Why do they stop expressing how beautiful they are? Do you know the word 'beautiful' appears 14 times in the book, Song of Solomon? There's no other book in the Bible, in which that word appears so frequently, and every time, it's applied to the wife, every time, most of the time spoken by the husband. There is a unique love that a husband has for his wife. It's so clear, that an outside observer can tell right away. Remember when Isaac went to the land of the Philistines and said just what his father said, "She's my sister?" Well, in, all of a sudden, Genesis 26:8-9, "Abimelech the king looks down and sees Isaac caressing Rebekah," that's what it says, and he's like, "Okay, something's up here. She is most definitely your wife." Why? Because he was touching her in a way that was only appropriate for a husband with his wife. And so, therefore, the love between the wife is precious, it's sacred, husband and wife, precious and sacred. It involves physical touch, it involves marital relations, what we call sex, sexual intercourse, it involves all of these things as holy, and beautiful, and good, within the context of marriage. And there is a delight in that relationship, that's what it means, "Husbands, love your wives." Now, negatively, it says, "Don't be harsh with them." The word means bitter; it's used of wormwood in the Book of Revelation, that comes, and poisons a third of the waters, and turns them bitter. And so, also, a marriage can be poisoned by bitterness, and I think there's two aspects to it: There's a heart attitude, and then there's a behavioral aspect. The heart attitude is one of unforgiveness. The wife has disrespected the husband, maybe withheld marital relations at some point, maybe said something that was unkind or cutting, maybe didn't support him in a decision he made, so he becomes bitter toward her. He doesn't forgive her, he doesn't love her the way he should. Do Not Be Harsh What ends up happening next then, is he begins to be harsh with her in behavior. He speaks harshly to her, he treats her harshly. It doesn't even have to be physical abuse, it's just mental and verbal psychological abuse. He is just unkind. Or it could be none of the above, but just the man is careless, careless. He said some things that are hurtful. He didn't mean to be hurtful, but he wasn't careful with how he was. Maybe he's very frustrated about some other thing, comes in, and she thinks that he's angry at her, but he's not, but he wasn't careful with her, and she's been damaged. Or in the context of a marital discussion, have you ever had any of those? Marital discussions, also known as conflicts or arguments. In that context, things can happen, and get said, and I guarantee that the husband forgets that stuff quicker than the wife does. It could be several weeks later, she's still dealing with some of the stuff that got communicated there. "Husbands, love your wives and don't be harsh with them." How then can we communicate love to our wives? Practical Advice for Husbands I love Gary Smalley's "Love Languages" and I'm not going to go through it in detail. Look on the internet, if you want to know more about this or get his book. He goes into great detail and makes it a whole system of relationship, that maybe, I'm not sure I'd buy everything there, but I think the details or the specifics are good. For example, words of affirmation. You can love your wife by speaking words of affirmation about the meal she cooks, about how she looks, about decisions she made, about the way she is with the children, about anything in her life. Be sure it's not flattery, but genuine praise and encouragement, words of affirmation. Quality time, and that's not while watching the NFL playoff game, "Come on in here and sit here, so I can get some quality time done while I watch the game. I'm going to multi-task." You cannot multitask quality time. You can actually even go out on a date, if you go to one of those places that has TVs all around, it's tough. Seriously, I literally will try to sit in a place where I can't see the TV, because my eye is drawn to the motion, and it's really hard for her to feel loved, if I'm watching the game while talking to her, even on a date. But quality time, where she knows that she is the most important thing to you. Giving gifts, finding something she likes. You're on a business trip, you're away for a day, just out for an afternoon of errands, you bring something back. Acts of service, doing something that will make her life easier. Rubbing her feet, her back, if it's sore, something, some act of service like Jesus would, washing His disciples feet. And physical touch, I don't just mean marital relations, but even just the holding of a hand, or a hug, something physical. Now, what Smalley does, is he says, "You gotta find her love language and do that." I think, do all five of them, why not? Is there any law against it? Do one of each of them every day. And there's an inherent wisdom to a husband who will treat his wife this way. Now, I say that you can't do any of this, if you are not a Christian. The most important thing that could happen to you, is to come to faith in Christ. Perhaps, you came here today, and you are in a marriage, and neither one you are Christians, and you finally realized what the problem is. The problem is you haven't given your life to Christ. Jesus shed His blood on the cross, not just as a display to husbands how they should be toward their wives, but to forgive us of all of our sins. Come to Christ and trust in Him. And those of you who have already come to Christ, you have everything you need for a happy, healthy, fruitful marriage. Put it into practice. Close with me in prayer.