Faith vs. Knowledge

                                                          The Tale of Two Brothers

Two brothers, Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Genesis 4:4 says the Lord had respect for Abel’s offering but He did not respect Cain’s offering. Cain was faced with faith versus knowledge. He could take what God said and not understand it but he could put it into his knowledge bank that the offering his brother brought was acceptable and his was not. He can try to reason why he was right and God was wrong. God told him that it was not him but the offering. If he would get the offering right, the respect would be there. Cain goes to his brother and talks to him. I think that he probably went to his brother with an attitude of telling rather than listening. As you know the event ended in Cain killing his brother Abel. What an ultimate display of pride. Perhaps if Cain had allowed God to have the knowledge and he himself the faith, this murder would not have been on his hands. What a way to start a family history. This story is put there for us to learn from. Not so that we will have all knowledge, but to build our faith.

I think of two other brothers, one still alive today, and the other not. The eldest brother was always very pleasing in the sight of his mother. She loved him dearly and everyone knew that. The younger brother was loved also but everyone just did not hear so much about him, at least as a child. These brothers grew and went to college. Each followed in their father’s footsteps. The eldest son did not complete the final task and did not earn his accreditation even though he knew the subject and could now be a help to his father.  The youngest son did complete the final task to get some little letters behind his name along with a well-paying job. My, now all did hear how wonderful the younger son was. In addition, the younger son married and eventually presented mom and dad with a grandchild. This was very pleasing and gave the proud mama, now a grandma, much to rejoice over. Time for faith versus knowledge in the life of the eldest son. Mama still loved him very much and especially enjoyed that this son was living at home, being a great help to both dad at work and mom at home. For whatever reason however this son did not marry. The coming of a grandchild from his brother into the life of his parents put him over an edge to the depths of taking his own life. Perhaps if the elder brother had allowed God to have the knowledge and he himself the faith, this murder of self would not have happened. It can be seen some years later that faith could have him alive and happy to this day. If finding a wife on his own with his own knowledge was impossible to him, then why did he not have faith in the parents who loved him so, to help him get a wife? A wife who would have loved him if not at first, but learned to as God intended her to, and would have given him children to further deepen his joy and the joy of his parents. To this day he could still be living with his parents and now he and his family could be helping his mother care for his father whose health is rapidly declining. His mother is now in despair about her life in the future when her husband will be gone. Younger brother is very busy with his wonderful job as is his wife with hers, and they live way across town from mom and dad, and have very little time in their modern day schedule to even pay a visit to the folks, nevertheless be there helping.

 What are we losing because of a puffed up pride in our knowledge and our ability to live and function as a single individual or family unit. Why do we not seek the wisdom of God in the way he would have us to live? Just because something seems right to us, we must seek Gods answer before we really know. We must go to our Father and ask Him to show us how or what or where. Where was Adam when his sons brought their gifts before the Lord? Could dad have given some wisdom to Cain? God was not rejecting Cain, just the gift he brought. We must not get our feelings hurt when God rejects our way. We now have the opportunity to learn from Him. The more we learn from Him the more we can be like him. The closer we can be to Him. Even if I cannot see myself happy in God’s scenarios, there will be greater joy in the long run in following God’s plan.

**The Awakening of Sensuality *** The understanding of true beauty

Can it be that we have shielded our youth from sensuality in their early years, and now when they are awakened to it in an appropriate relationship such as marriage, they are not understanding the boundaries they should be keeping this area of life confined to? I know that for me, I saved myself for my husband, gave myself to my husband, and keep myself for my husband. I never felt the need to arouse or show off to other men. Just being the precious prize for my husband was enough. For him also, having me for himself was enough. He did not need to puff up his pride by showing the world the details of his wife’s body. To arouse another man by his wife’s form was never his agenda.

The important idea is what does God’s Word convey about how God would have us to live?

What would be the reasoning behind my dressing or acting provocative outside my bedroom?

·         My pride

·         My husband’s pride

·         Our own sinful lust

·         Denying Gods creation

·         Wanting to recreate man in my desired image

·         What is in the heart of a woman when she wears tight pants or shirts, revealing more and more of her flesh, and even wearing underwear that changes her proportions in a provocative way?

It seems that God created the sexual relationship between a man and a woman to be a private affair. A woman can be beautiful and desirous without being sensual. It does not take falsely enlarged breasts being shown off under tight, thin, scanty fabric to be beautiful. What a cheapening of self to think that is what it takes.

I met a woman at an activity my children were involved in. She was one of those cute little things who came in in very stylish clothes. High heels, tight jeans, funky hair and glasses. Any men around would usually drop their jaw and drool as she walked by. The world in its sinful desires makes us to think that this is the most desirous way to look. This gal was not showing so much flesh but truly adorning her lovely petite body in such a way as to easily turn men’s heads. Over the course of a couple years she asked my daughters and I a few questions here and there. Our families became friends truly by her reaching out to us because I was not a fan of hers from what I saw on the outside as most of the other women were. Turns out this was a neat Christian family who were willing to let God work in their lives. Homeschooling became an answer to some of the problems going on in their household. One day the mom commented that she realized that she had no skirts or dresses in her closet except for formal wear. Not one to be lacking in a complete closet she bought a casual skirt. Upon wearing it, she began to see a difference in life. A long story shortened. One evening this mom came in to drop off her kids. She was beautiful. I said wow, where are you going? She said that it was their anniversary and she and her husband were going out for dinner. I smiled and said to have fun.  I wrote that mom an email the next week asking her if her husband was unable to take his eyes off her during dinner and if he told her she was the most beautiful woman.  She wrote back an email to be cherished. She thanked me for the example my daughters and I had set for her and her girls. She said that yes that was basically how the dinner went and the depth of its meaning was rich beyond her hopes or dreams. She was very gracious and grateful for this newfound understanding of love and relationship between husband and wife. You see, what that beautiful woman had on that night was a longish dark skirt with low healed shoes. She had on a blouse that was a delicate white fabric with small embroidered flowers in a loose feminine style. On that was a light sleeveless sweater with matching embroideries. She had on very light makeup and her hair was down and straight with turned under ends. No flamboyant glasses to be seen. She floated in, quietly exuded her beauty, and then slipped out to join the love of her life. Her face radiated. Perhaps no men gawked at her that night, but it was for her husband she was beautiful. In that she found the utmost in fulfillment.

It is only sin creeping into our life that makes us think we need to be sensual before others to bring enjoyment or fulfillment or validation to our own lives. God created a perfect plan when he made sensuality to be between one man and one woman.  We can be complete and completely fulfilled through his perfect plan.