Scripture of the Week (SOW) formerly known as the Scripture of the Day (SOD): Relationships & Rules (12/5/2015)

Hello everyone, Happy Sabbath! I know it has been a loooong time. But as I stated in our last lesson, I have been working on building my businesses. In that time however, God has been pruning me. My eyes have been opened to a lot of new concepts in His Word as well as a lot of aspects in my life that require adjustments, including the production of the Scripture of the Week (SOW) - formerly known as the Scripture of the Day (SOD). I know that it limits our time in fellowship, but it frees me up to dedicate more time to the growth of my businesses, and more importantly my devotion to my personal growth in Christ. This reconstructed fellowship will now convene weekly on the weekend, most likely on the Sabbath (Friday evening or Saturday afternoon). The structure of each week's lesson will however remain the same. I encourage you to always read the Power in Prayer, though typically unchanging, it effectively covers significant concerns worth praying for. PRAYER REQUESTS: There have been many lives lost in recent months, some affecting people I know personally, while many others have impacted lives across the globe; pray for our leaders as well as the grief people may be experiencing in the wake of their loss. Pray for broken relationships; friendships, marriages, families are dealing with strife and turmoil and we need Yahweh to mend the disorder and separation. Also, pray for new and expecting parents; in the lieu of chaos in these times, we need skilled and spiritual individuals to help raise our future leaders the way God intended. Remember to pray for one another as the Spirit leads, thanking Yahweh for the victory while refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome (refer to the book The Tongue – A Creative Force, by Charles Capps). ANNOUNCEMENTS: Although I did intend to reconvene meetings for my non-profit organization around the time of our last fellowship, that did not occur. However, we did participate in a community event sponsored by another non-profit organization doing big things in the community, Reynoso's Hit N Walk. It was an awesome experience, and I would love to continue working with other organizations and foundations who share an interest in serving God and our communities. If you or someone you know would like to get involved in giving back to the community, donations may be made year-round to assist my non-profit organization, FMBS Inc., with its day-to-day operations through the PayPal link located on our website (listed below under Join Our Cause). You may also register to contribute funds per every purchase you make through Ralph's and/or Food 4 Less (this is NO cost to you, the donation is a percentage taken from each purchase, and donated from the store on your behalf); if you would like to link your rewards card with FMBS Inc. let me know so that I may send you the information to register... ALL registrations must be updated ANNUALLY, so if your rewards card was previously enrolled, my request is that you resubmit your registration each year. Another way to give back is by joining my team of volunteers or members; your continued support is always appreciated. Please keep spreading the word.

HEALTHY LIVING TIPS:

Change begins within… "Exercise—even as little as 1 workout a week—can make a big difference in mood and needs to be a fundamental part of mental health treatment. When the winter blues start to make your work a miserable chore, try setting the alarm early so you can squeeze in a walk or a quick trip to the gym: It may be exactly the attitude adjustment you need" (The Editors of Prevention. (2015, December). Just one workout a week can improve your mood. Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prevention.com).

JOIN OUR CAUSE: Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) is on a never-ending quest to locate deserving individuals to extend our services to. Therefore we are always in need of monetary donations and/or contributions of hygiene items, sealed snacks, bottled water, winter items (gloves, scarves, blankets), mini bibles, etc.; our YEAR-ROUND mission is to serve homeless and/or needy individuals and families in underprivileged communities throughout Southern California. We are successful because of YOUR continued support. Please continue to back us up through participation, and/or by encouraging others to join our cause!

For more information about our organization, visit our website at http://www.fmbs-inc-bytye.org and/or add our Facebook page, Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (and/or Fostering Mindbodyandsoul), and follow us on Twitter @FMBSInc. On behalf of myself and my team of volunteers, I thank you in advance. ~Tylesha "Tye" Allen, CEO/Founder, FMBS Inc. Est. 2012~

BE ENCOURAGED: NEVER lose sight of God in the midst of adversity… If you believe in God (His title) – Yahweh (His personal name), you can be delivered, transformed, restored, and your mind can be renewed. The rest of this day isn't promised, let alone tomorrow, so why not strengthen your faith TODAY? Feed your body healthy nutrition, be cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirit to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.), and YOU can start anew and become a better you, NOW not later. Ponder this, "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend" (Albert Camus). Have a blessed weekend.

Yahweh, please clear our minds and open our eyes, ears, and hearts so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Yeshua (Jesus), Amen!

PASSAGE – ROMANS 4:22-24:

"And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."

***Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible***

REFLECTIONS:

"If you were raised in a religious home or attended a religious school, it was probably the rules that made you question whether religion had a place in your future. Perhaps the rules associated with the faith tradition you were raised in made you feel judged. A faith community may have ostracized you. Truth is, most religious rules run contrary to human nature. And being the human that you are, that's a problem. Inconsistency in the way rules were applied and to whom they were applied may have left you with the impression that religion breeds hypocrisy. And, in fact it does (para 1, pp. 54). Religious people are generally better at believing than behaving. Every major faith tradition teaches some form of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But we're all guilty of excusing our way around that imperative (para 2, pp. 54). But here's something you may not have considered: Rules always assume a relationship... [parents set rules for their kids]... Relationship precedes the rules in a family model... In some cases, one's willingness to adapt or agree to a set of rules creates the relationship. In this scenario, the rules precede the relationship [club model]... Agreeing to the rules is how the relationship is established" (para 3 & 4, pp. 54 & 55)... (Stanley, A. (2014). Relationships and rules. Starting point: a conversation about faith (revised ed., pp. 54-55). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan).

It can be inferred from this week's passage that Abraham and God had established a relationship built on the family model; it is because of Abraham's relationship with God that "all families of the earth" (Genesis 12:3) are blessed. In the family model, if one disobeys rules, he or she will be punished but not necessarily turned away. In contrast, the club model will have one agree to a set of terms and conditions - rules to get in, and if one breaks said rules, he or she is asked to leave. So which model would you say represents the one we have with God? Some have argued that religion requires obedience to a set of rules - a God who is a dictator rather than a trinity of grace and mercy. But let's think about it for a second, the Lord is our Father - a parent; parents set rules and children abide by those rules out of love and respect for their parents. In this relationship, children break rules, get punished, and most of the time are forgiven (family model). In an intimate relationship however, people set standards and stipulations with a "deal breaker" clause: if you break any of those standards then the relationship is forever broken (club model). Contrary to the family model, once standards are broken in the club model, you are pretty much kicked out of the "circle of trust". So again I ask, which model would you say represents the one we have with God? To take it one step further, let's look at Adam and Eve: God gave them free reign of the Garden of Eden with one rule, "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (Genesis 2:17); Adam and Eve were not forced into obedience, and when they did disobey God, the consequence was physical death. Yet, they were forgiven. Submission isn't about authority or obedience. A loving relationship manifests submission; love and respect will generate a natural desire within for us to adhere to a set of rules while understanding consequences of breaking said rules. God's Word guarantees that through the family model with Him, when we sin (knowing the difference between right and wrong yet choosing to do wrong) we are already forgiven. Fore on the cross Jesus died for ALL SIN (Colossians 2:13): past, present and future sin was forgiven through His blood, all we have to do is accept it (refer to Romans 10:9-10).

POWER IN PRAYER:

Yahweh we thank you for life, health, and strength. Thank you for providing the courage and strength we need to remove the guilt we've placed on self, and for removing every negative thought that has held us captive in our own minds. Lord please place your hand upon all those who may be in mourning; bless them with peace and comfort in their time of bereavement. We ask that you will bless our relationships; strengthen and mend any broken bonds, and repair any chaos within our homes and surroundings. We ask that you will bless our political, educational, authoritative and especially our spiritual leaders; allow them to work in accordance to your direction and not their own. Please bless all new and expecting parents, that they may be equipped with the skill and foundation to raise exceptional and healthy children. We thank you for transforming our image into one that mirrors Jesus, so that His goodness is reflected in all that we do. Thanks for blessing each of us with a double portion of your Spirit, and for closing every unnecessary door that is open in our lives. Thanks for opening supernatural doors to peace, prosperity, clarity, contentment, and happiness. We thank you for providing each of us with the clear and concise revelations we need in order to overcome the adversary. Please continue to help us see, hear, and feel your presence through every trial and tribulation, and for discernment to know the difference between your will vs. our own desires. We take back everything the enemy has stolen from us, and bind every evil and malicious plot, plan and scheme devised against us, in the matchless name of Jesus. We grant your angels permission to do our bidding on earth, and thank you for protecting us from its recourse. For everyone and everything we have failed to pray for, we ask that you do not fail to address the concern. This is our affirmation of faith Yahweh, we submit our petition to you, and claim all these things in the name of Yeshua, Amen!