Valentines Day 11: Common Interests and Being Mentioned Together...or Mentioned Apart.

Valentines Day 11: Common Interests and Being Mentioned Together...or Mentioned Apart. February 11, 2014 at 7:21am In May 1982, two babies were born. A little boy weighing 8lb 4oz was born into a soldier's family on the 5th, and a little girl weighing 8lb 1oz was born into a soldier's family on the 24th. They were born across the country from each other but born into one family: the United States Army. Eventually, they went to school together, became friends later because of a common interest in horses, found out their dads worked together in the same unit, and as they grew up they discovered many other common interests between them. Many have changed since then, but not all. They both work really hard and enjoy working. One works hard supporting his country, going to war whenever he is asked, and returning stateside where he works equally hard and does his work exceedingly well. The other works hard supporting her country by supporting and encouraging her soldier; not complaining about their duty station, not complaining about long hours, and the many schools, and the other TDY's. She doesn't freak out about his deployments, or ruin his career with her selfish desires. Her husband trusts her and the decisions she makes while he is gone. She seeks to make his stress, less, by not putting her stress on him, but putting it on God. He can focus on his job because he's not focused on stress at home. This is what makes an army husband and wife, a GOOD TEAM! The army has been in their blood since birth. It's obviously a common interest but even more-so, it is the avenue by which God is weaving a crazy tapestry of trial and triumph, pain and joy, making mistakes and learning, knowing apathy and by it, knowing passion, seeing weakness and being made strong, breaking and being healed, and knowing about God and knowing God....a story which could be over but is still being written. Glory. I wonder if Priscilla and Aquila (Acts chapter 18) have a tapestry anything like mine and James? I wonder what their life together was like, before Christ? Did you ever stop to wonder how they became the most dynamic duo in scripture? People don't just start out like that. They grow into it. I wonder what their testimony is. I wonder what mistakes they made. I can't wait to meet them in heaven. ***rabbit trail ahead*** I understands exactly how you could "spend eternity in heaven".... Meeting all the glorious people of scripture, hearing their stories, asking them my questions, seeing each and every tapestry right before my eyes, worshipping God through what he did in millions and billions of other people's tapestries. If you think worshipping God in heaven will get old, I'm not sure you have the right idea of how you will be worshipping him. Worship isn't just singing and bowing down. Worshipping God is praising him when you see your whole tapestry in front of you and you see exactly why things happened like they did. Worshipping God is praising him when Priscilla and Aquila show you their tapestry and tell you what God did to develop them into the best husband and wife team of the Bible. Worshipping God is asking to be introduced to Noah's wife and finally finding out what her name is and praising God for leaving her as a mysterious example to us, in how to be an excellent wife. Worshipping God is hearing and marveling as Job tells us the story of each of his tears and exactly why each one fell. If you think the stories of the bible get old and boring, you are missing out on so much that God has for you. If you aren't in love with the Word of God, if reading it isn't like sitting at a four course meal, if you don't long for God's Word, and you don't wonder about things in it, maybe your spiritual life isn't what God could make it if you approached His Word like a little child. <3 ***Rabbit trail finished*** Did you know that Priscilla and Aquila were always mentioned together? You never see one or the other named in scripture, alone. It's always, "Priscilla and Aquila did this"...or, "Aquila and Priscilla did that". What an amazing concept, not seen anywhere else in the Bible. What if when God tells our story in heaven, he says, "and James and Rachelle did this and James and Rachelle did that and James and Rachelle went here and then they went there and I was with them the whole time....and this is why they went there and this is why that happened and this was all for my glory and all because James and Rachelle didn't give up and they trusted in me". Priscilla and Aquila risked their very lives for Paul (Romans 16:3-5). They came together in their strengths and common interests (both Jews, both Tentmakers, both hospitable, both helping each other to run the church that was in their home (l Corinthians 16:19), both concerned for Paul, and both effective in ministry, especially with Apollos) and served God together to form a united team. I pray that marriages, especially my own, would capitalize on common interests for the Glory of God, and that husbands and wives would be "mentioned together" and not "mentioned apart". I pray that God would be allowed to capitalize on their strengths and common interests, and that husbands and wives would have open, willing, pliable and teachable hearts and hands, so that the message of Christ is not hindered. And I pray that one day, in heaven, your tapestry will be rolled out in front of you and other curious believers, and it will read just like Priscilla and Aquila's, with you and your spouse's names always together! "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. "(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NASB) http://youtu.be/WnDTDLOM0rY