Exposed and Vulnerable

 Let's paint a picture with you in it. The person of your dreams and you are married. It is everything you thought it could be and so much more. You laugh to yourself remembering how afraid you were to take that life altering leap down the aisle. But now you have matured and know better ...only there is one little snafu that you didn't think was going to be an issue. The finances. What is happening? You were fine with your budget being single. The person you married was doing well too as a single individual. Together, it should be better, right? Instead of worrying, you know to pray and stand on the Word of God. It has worked in the past, it will work now too. Here's the thing...the righteous are like trees planted by the living waters (Psalm 1:3 AMP). There is a supply always for the righteous is what that verse means to me. There is also an arborist, a tree specialist. When he is engrafting a branch to become one, he peels back some of the bark and exposes the rawness and places it with another, puts salve around both parts and wraps it tight so not to get infected. You would think, if you were a tree, that scraping the bark wouldn't feel too good before the salve takes full affect or before the vine and branches start working in one accord. What do think that looks like in your day-to-day practices? Think about it while continuing to read. Understand that everyone doesn't comprehends the application of the Word, sometimes it looks like this:

Every now and again, I watch old movies and some fairly new ones. In choosing wisely, there are usually trailers,  previews, or knowing that certain actors have boundaries are always good monikers too. There was one movie I recall from back in the day starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson entitled Indecent Proposal (1993). In it, the characters Diana Murphy, played by Demi Moore, and David Murphy, played by Woody Harrelson, are newlyweds and still in the butterfly, eye twinkling stages of their relationship. John Gage, played by Robert Redford, is a wealthy entrepreneur looking to see what he can get into that is entertaining to him. Profitability would just be an added bonus. Gage is attracted to Diana and let's her know it in so many words. When he finds that she is married, he speaks to her husband and propositions him to get his permission to spend some time with his wife. Before Harrelson allows the insult to consume his character and the integrity of his marriage, Gage speaks a large sum of money to quench his indignation. Only God could muster back up the justifiable anger when David is humbled by what Gage has so much of, David allows the proposal residence....and then he went home and told his wife what happened and what was said, she reacted almost the same way and then the amount was spoken. Consideration of the unthinkable was at home now (Luke 11:21-22 AMP).

There have been too many times while reading the scriptures, where I have wondered of the impossibility for people to think the way that they did in biblical times. Who would disregard a God who has shown Himself to be who He is and yet we see this daily in these days and times. Being in a marriage truly makes life easier if you would allow for God to be who He is. He created us all and chose for you to be here at time such as this. He created you specifically to be a help to someone in particular (Genesis 2:18 AMP). If you know His voice, He will direct you where you should be to be found by that particular person (Proverbs 18:22 AMP). Ruth had to follow Naomi because Obed needed a particular wife. King Ahaserus acted in a specific sort of way and needed the specific gifts of Esther. Only Joseph could believe his wife (Mary) above all others had to be chosen to give birth to our Lord and Savior. That is some serious directing. Why would it be different for you?

Nevertheless, also in those directions, there was Abraham and Sarai, Naomi and Elimelech, also David and Michal. Those were some foolish times and notice the lack of relationship with God in each of those incidences. Wouldn't Abraham know not to lie (Genesis 12:10-20 AMP)? Wouldn't Elimelech understand there are consequences for disobedience (Ruth 1:1-5 AMP)? How could Michal shame David for praising God when she has more than likely seen him do this in the past (2 Samuel 6:16-23 AMP)? Circumstances follow stupid decisions and silly words. Abraham was going to be killed. Elimelech and all of his sons did die, and once David told Michal off, we never read about her again nor did she have children.

There is this street preacher on Youtube that receives so much ridicule for preaching the good news among the least likely people to listen. Yet, it is where God has led him and he shows the insults and unnecessary yelling he receives for telling about the goodness of God. One woman said she had become an atheist because she couldn't believe a loving God would allow such horrible things to happen in the world. When the street preacher was trying to explain that we have free will to do as we would like, she wouldn't allow him to complete his thought. It was what they all needed to hear to understand the state of this world is because of our actions, our words, our contemplation of unrighteous thoughts and allowing for money to be the root of what it does (1 Timothy 6:10 AMP).

In that movie, Indecent Proposal, there is a line that was so disturbing to me yet it culminated the entire premise of the film and why I wrote this entry. Gage had offered David a certain amount of money in order to spend time with his wife. David replied, "are you crazy? What kind of man do you think I am?" Gage's answers, "we know what kind of man you are, we are just negotiating the price." David became quiet and sullen. Had he not considered doing the unthinkable, there would have been no purpose for the movie. Gage used the word, we. Who was he talking about with only him and David in the room? He was telling David that Gage already knows what kind of man he is and David does too. He wasn't fooling anyone but Diana. It reminds me of the serpent and Eve. The serpent spoke to the weaker one of the couple (1 Peter 3:7 AMP). Is this what Gage did in the movie? 

Please understand, in your most vulnerable state is when the test will come. Know that God tempts no man to do evil (James 1:13 AMP). He does test the heart of every man (1 Thessalonians 2:4 AMP). And shouldn't we be assessing our own behavior? Shouldn't we be crucifying the flesh daily so not to fall into temptation (Galatians 5:24 AMP)? If you were to write what you did through out the day, would the majority of the time be on what God called you to do or is it something you wanted to do? The look on the face of David, in the movie, when knowing he wasn't fooling anyone with that country bumpkin act, he just wanted the money so the struggling wouldn't be so hard. Did you ever consider, what is the purpose of the struggle? Would we appreciate where God brought us from and what He has been doing all along had there never been a struggle (Proverbs 30:8-9 AMP)? Would that expression on David's face when Gage let him know that he wasn't fooling anyone be the same image shown on you or the image God said He made you to be (Genesis 1:26 AMP)? Would we be the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ without the struggle? Selah.