Restore me back to You

Lord, I stand today in awe, before your creation.
You are worthy of all my praise and adoration.

Such majesty and splendor!

Touch me Lord; let me feel your grace.
Allow me, in your strength to run the good race.

Lord, forgive my transgressions, forgive my weakness
We all fall short, without your meekness.

Restore me back to you; I miss the comfort of your embrace.
Invite me into your presence; I miss the soothing balm of your grace.

My soul thirsts for you oh Lord, restore me back to you.
Help me, I call out to you, I know that’s all I need to do.

You know all the secrets in my heart.
You made me in my mother’s womb, right from the start.
Don’t let me slowly fade or drift apart.

Please help me to seek and see your face.
Lead me to you, I follow, you set the pace.

Lord, pour out your mercy; feed me with your living word.
For, without it, living has no meaning, it is all absurd.

Any darkness in my soul erase, don’t leave even a trace.
Awaken me with your truth and surround me with your grace.

You are my rock, and place of safety, restore me back to you.
I love you, and I know you love me too.


Ana Cecilia Petersen
Thank you Lord, for you unending grace!

April 2, 2006

The Steps Cain Took as he Turned away from God

Gen 4:1-5: Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain…Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour upon Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

The process of becoming distant from God happens one step at a time. If we examine the story of Cain and Abel, we will see that there are at least 4 steps that Cain took as he turned away from God.

Step1: The wrong focus
Cain and Abel brought their offerings to God. God accepts Abel’s offering but rejects Cain’s.
A lot of people don’t understand why Abel’s offering was acceptable to God but Cain’s was not. For a long time I didn’t know why. One theory that I bought for a long time was that God only accepted blood sacrifices to atone for sin, and Cain’s offering was just grain. But the nature of the offering was not the key.

Heb 11:4: By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

The issue was not the nature of the offering that was the problem. Cain’s offering could have been acceptable to God. What was missing regarding Cain’s offering was not anything to do with the offering itself. The missing ingredient had to do with Cain himself: It was faith! This factor is of all-importance as we can see in the following passage:

Heb 11:6: Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. What God found acceptable in Abel, was Abel himself. And what was not right with Cain was Cain himself.
It is the nature of the offerer not the offering that counts. And this is still true today.

Isa 1:14-16: I hate all your festivals and sacrifices. I cannot stand the sight of them! From now on, when you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look, Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen. For your hands are covered with the blood of your innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Let me no longer see your evil deeds. Give up your wicked ways.

The Lord requires not ritual offerings of ceremonies, but genuine offering of self, which is originated in faith. God looks at the heart. But Cain performing his religious acts as duty. He goes through the motions, but does not have the right attitude and God knows it. God knows it when we simply go through the motions with no focus on Him.

Rev 3:15-16:I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

Cain sacrificed the way many people go to church - out of habit; out of duty; out of guilt; to make Brownie points, etc. They want to be seen by the people they are interested in. The prevailing attitude in a lot of people is, What am I going to get out of this? Now don’t misunderstand me: it’s OK to want benefits from attending church. It’s OK to go to church to feel God's presence or to draw close to the Lord, but we should also go to church to express devotion to God. We must search our hearts to see whether we are thinking " What’s in this for me?", or "How am I going to honour / worship the Lord?"

In some mysterious way, when we worship God, we bless Him. The only way we can bless God is by worshipping Him. Everything else He can do Himself, but He can’t worship Himself

What God requires of us is not ritual offerings of ceremonies, but he genuine offering of self. When God recognizes Cain’s wrong attitude, he chastises him. He rejects Cain’s offering at the same time as accepting Abel’s. Let’s look at Cain’s reaction to the Lord’s chastisement.

What could it have been? Cain could have recognized his sin, he could have repented in humility , asked God to cleanse him from his wickedness, and asked to be restored into a relationship. And God would have done it!

Instead Cain was angry, downcast, and dejected. His motivation was all about himself, not about the Lord. His heart was not genuine. So God warns him. Notice the Lord’s initiative in this passage: God comes to Cain despite unacceptable offering. Gen 4:6-7: The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.” God’s warning was also an invitation.

We see same tendency in ourselves. We refuse to submit to God’s commands for spiritual discipline, ethical integrity, social responsibility, respect, and kindness in all relationships.
Often we are afraid of God’s calling to our life. For Cain, this should have led to a time of reflection and honesty. Instead Cain only thought about himself, and how he felt. He ignores God’s plea - he defies God.

Step 2: Rejecting God’s correction

Gen 4:7: If you do what is right, you will be accepted. But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.” When we reject God’s correction, we become more vulnerable to dark desires. We make a choice against God. Any time we make a choice against God, it is automatically a choice for Satan. First God says: If you do what is right you will be accepted. The He says if you don’t, sin is crouching at the door. This is a very graphic picture! Lord gives Cain warning… and hope. He in effect is saying: You are out of step, but you can make it right, and you will be accepted.

As He did with with Cain, God always appeals to us to flee from sin. Are there signs of sin crouching at the door of your heart? Do you hold anger or grudges against somebody? Maybe you’ve been dealt with unfairly by a boss or a teacher? Maybe discontent is on the prowl. You see your friends or acquaintances getting ahead in life, and you seem to be left behind. Maybe there are physical temptations knocking at your door. Whatever it is, will you hear the warning?
Or will you allow it to take you one step farther away from God?

Step 3: Welcoming sin

Now we see Cain take another step away from God. He refuses the discipline of the Lord. He opens the door of his heart and embraces the charging beast of sin. The beast devours and consumes him and he becomes a beast himself. In his raging bitterness and jealousy, Cain pounces on his righteous brother and kills him without remorse. Sin consumed Cain, and then he consumed an innocent person. Cain was angry with Abel. It looks like it must have been a long-lived bitterness, not just because of the fact that Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable to God while his was not. The Bible doesn’t state why Cain was bitter against Abel. The fact that is clear is that Cain harboured deep resentment and bitterness against his brother.

Don’t underestimate the power of sin. It is wicked, and it is swift. Sin contaminates every aspect of life:
Between a person and God
Between a person and others
Between a person and him or herself
Between a person and the established order
And although God pronounced a curse on sin, we see here that the real curse is sin itself, destroying creation from within..

Step 4: Missed repentance

Gen 4: 8-9: Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Cain murdered his brother and buried him in the field, out of sight, but he couldn’t hide the fact from God. Once again, the Lord seeks out Cain and asks him a question: “Where is your brother Abel?” Let’s face it. Do you think the Lord didn’t know where Abel was? His question to Cain was similar to the question He asked Adam & Eve, Where are you? The question is not an accusation, but rather, another opportunity for repentance and grace.

What would have happened if Cain had repliedinstead like this?: “I killed him. I don’t know why – I wish I hadn’t. I would do anything to have him back.” What do you think would have happened? Like the prodigal son, he would have fallen unto the arms of God and received forgiveness. But instead, Cain responded: “Am I my brother’s keeper?’’The implied meaning of the word ‘keeper’ is like that of nursemaid. It denotes a condescending attitude toward Abel, and even toward God. It shows a burning animosity against Abel.

When Adam & Eve sinned in the garden, they hid. They were ashamed. However, how does Cain react? Not with shame. He is arrogant. There is a nonchalance about him that shows a cold hard heart. If you are ashamed because of your sin, God bless you! Of course, we don’t want to be locked into shame: we want to be set free. And when we confess our sin, God forgives us & cleanses us from unrighteousness. But God pity the person who doesn’t care. When we refuse to repent, when we refuse to speak the truth, when we deliberately defy God – we are in big trouble. We are in mortal danger, as Cain was when he answered God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It denotes hatred towards his family, and direct defiance of God.

Gen 4: 10-12 : The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Once again, God’s question to Cain, “What have you done?” is not a request for information.
God’s questions are always soul-searching questions, to give us an opportunity for self-examination. This is the last opportunity for Cain to come right with God and Cain misses it.
He could have, even then , at that late hour, repented of his sin and asked God for forgiveness, and God even then would have forgiven him and restored him. But Cain does not, and God finally speaks judgement against him.

And what does God give Cain? He gives Cain what he wants: He expels him from His presence.
What He says in effect, is “You are going to be a restless wanderer. You don’t want anything I can give you, so go out into the world.” The implication is that wherever Cain goes will be a desert place called Nod, where in Hebrew tradition are those who are lost wander around.
It’s a sad, frightening, chilling place to be.

Gen 4:13-14: Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” But the Lord said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Notice Cain’s reaction: “My punishment is too great for me to bear.” He complains – but he does not repent. What would have happened if instead Cain had said, “Lord, your punishment is more than I can bear. I’m broken; forgive me. I want to change.” ? What would God have said?
“Welcome home, my son! Kill the fatted calf! My son was lost and now he is found!” That is the depth of God’s grace and His pursuit. But Cain says, “They will kill me out there.” But God actually protects him by putting a mark on him. Here again we see the mercy of the Lord. But it is mercy with judgement. That is how God does things sometimes.

All along the way, God gave Cain ample opportunities to repent:
. First, Cain brought his grain offering out of a sense of religious obligation
· He went though the formality and then learned that God was looking into his heart and not just at the action
· He resented divine correction, becoming resentful, antagonistic and bitter.
· The bitterness led to murder
· Cain was rebuked by God, and his heart was hardened
· Finally he was driven into exile

For us, the process of falling into sin, in a nutshell, is as follows:
· When we deny our problems and sins, we grow to resent God
· When we are defiant in the face of God’s warning, our resentment turns into resistance.
· Finally, deliberate disobedience leads to defying God and being driven form God’s presence.

Just like Cain, we fear humiliation, rejection, being seen for what we are. But we should be more afraid of hardening our hearts as Cain did. Look at Heb 3:7: As the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” and at 2 Cor 6:1-2: As God’s fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says: “In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour; now is the day of salvation.

Where are you? (hiding as a result of sin)

The last time I spoke to you was about the process of temptation, and how, by means of a 5-step process, Satan got Eve to disobey God and eat of the fruit from the forbidden tree. Before I get into the next step in this story, I need to clarify some-thing which if I don’t, could lead women to assume a hefty dose of guilt, and the men become smug and self-satisfied.

After all we talked about last time - about how the devil drew Eve little by little into sin - we are left with some questions: Where was Adam all that time? Did he not have a degree of responsibility in what happened? Yes he did! The Bible states, either explicitly in most versions, or implicitly in others, that Adam was with Eve all along. He could have helped her in the confrontation with Satan; he could have defended her, or advised her, or exhorted her, or warned her, but he didn’t! He just was present with her; he allowed her to toy with the idea, then eat of the fruit, and when Eve gave him some of the forbidden fruit, he ate it too. So he was just as guilty as his wife in the matter.

Having clarified that point, let’s move on and examine what happened next. Read Genesis 3:6-13. Douglas Mumford, a Christian author who analyses this passage, comments the following: "Let me set the stage. What was going on in the Garden of Eden as the taste of fruit was still on their lips? The silence was awkward. Suddenly they had become conscious of every word, every move, every sound. Each was lost in thought – strange thoughts. Thoughts they had never had before. Their conversations had always been so light and easy before. But now it seemed like a strange intrusion. Out of habit they stayed close to each other – but facing away from each other most of the time. Their newly made covering felt uncom-fortable, so unnatural against their bodies.
Then each of them heard a sound. Just the day before, that sound had been welcome…When they heard Him coming, they had eagerly run to meet him. They had talked and talked, savouring the serene leisure of the close of the day…
But this time it was different. This time a strange tingle shot through each of them…Instantly, each of them wanted to run from, not toward the sound. They couldn’t bear to look in God’s eyes. The laughter and freedom of yesterday were now dim memories. Now there was simply one desire – to get away. So they hid themselves. And the Lord called out, “Where are you?"

That “Where are you” was more than a request to find out their location. God knew exactly where they were. The purpose of the question was to get Adam and Eve to confess where they were spiritually. Where they were spiritually can be summarized by two words: guilt and fear, and that spiritual condition of a combination of guilt and fear drove them to hide from God, and that same condition drives us to hide from God too.

Adam said, “I was naked.” God’s reply was “Who told you that you were naked?”.We can interpret the true meaning of this question by God as, “Who made you self-conscious about your body. Why do you suddenly need to hide?” So we see that the knowledge of evil brought with it the sense of shame. Theologically, there is a difference between being unclothed and being naked. To be unclothed simply meant that Adam and Eve had no clothes.There is a baby picture of me in my mother’s album showing me in the bathtub – totally unclothed and totally relaxed about it. At that time I was too young to understand evil, so there was no self consciousness involved. Being unclothed simply means to have no clothes on. Before the fall, Adam and Eve had no clothes on. They were comfortable not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually. No self-consciousness interfered with their relationship with God or with each other. But sin brought a new and upsetting sense of self. This is described as nakedness. Nakedness is more than just physical exposure of the body.
It involves being vulnerable in heart, mind and soul. Nakedness refers to being open, being seen for who we really are in our whole person. And that can be very threatening.

Evil distorts how we see ourselves and others. We no longer look with pure eyes of appreciation. Now we see each other through the lenses of lust and judgmentalism
We longer walk in freedom, carefree and accepting of who we are. Haunted by the threat of nakedness and vulnerability, we want to cover up and posture so that others are impressed. Or at least maybe they won’t see our faults....

So what is shame? Shame is a sense of lowered self-worth. It’s a sense of knowing that you haven’t been the person you want to be. You haven’t lived up to the standards you have for yourself, and you want to hide that from people. You don’t want people to see that you’re not quite what they think you are. You are afraid of rejection, of punishment.

So enter the second part of the spiritual condition of Adam & Eve: Fear. Vs 10. …”I heard you in the Garden and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” When you slip, you try to cover it up. You play the hypocrite, the actor, hiding behind a mask. When we become aware of our weaknesses, we want to hide.
When we are hurt, we want to hide. When we fear that too much is expected of us, we want to hide. And when we hear God approaching, most of us want to hide. So maybe you say to me, “Hey, I don’t hide from God! I don’t do that sort of thing!” But as it says in Jeremiah 17:9, our hearts our deceitful above all things, and many times we do things without realizing the real motive behind them. The fact is, we hide in many ways. Let’s look at some of the ways:

1. Avoidance. This was Adam and Eve’s strategy. They hid themselves, hoping that God would go away. Avoidance is a major coping strategy.
• We avoid going to the doctor so we don’t have to face the truth about our physical condition.
• We avoid talking to someone with whom we have an issue to avoid confrontation
• WE avoid starting exercise so we don’t have to face the truth regarding our physical condition
• Some people avoid going to church because they want to avoid considering God’s call on their lives.

Avoidance is simply another term for delay. Unfortunately problems don’t go away if we avoid them; usually they get worse. God flushed Adam & Eve out of the bushes so they could face reality in the most effective way. God’s direct, timely approach resulted in coverings, natural consequences, and the promise of salvation.

2. Busyness. We hide behind our activities. We keep so busy with the issues that are around us such as schoolwork, family, sports, work, business deals, and church work, that we are deaf to the inner cries of our souls. Many times people who have an opportunity to sit and rest will keep going at a frantic pace because they don’t want to face up to what the quiet would bring. But constant motion will not bring us peace. As we rush about, we are less and less satisfied. And the time comes when we are forced to stop, through illness, a family or relational crisis, or an emotional overload. Then nothing will remain hidden.

3. Accomplishments. We often live as if success in one or two areas could make up for our failures or shortcomings in other areas. But what good is your performance? What good is your success? What good are bigger houses, flashier cars, a bigger name or reputation, etc.? Plaques on the wall cannot substitute for piety in the heart
Commendation from the world cannot excuse a lack of consecration in our life. Assets in the bank cannot atone for resistance to God’s call.

4. Pursuit of pleasure. We hide behind entertainment and pleasure. But pleasure can be a distraction that diverts us, or a drug that numbs us. We feed our body and our desires while we ignore some of the urgent needs of our heart. Pleasure has its place in life. It was created by God, but when pleasure keeps us from our spiritual priorities, it becomes a problem.

5. Going through the motions. Revelation 3:16 describes this condition as being lukewarm, which means outward involvement that keeps our heart insulated and isolated from the touch of God. As it says in 2 Tim3 “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”We hide by being close enough to God to think that it makes a difference, but far enough away to keep God from making a difference in our lives.

Hiding doesn’t work for long. It isn’t effective. It robs us of what we need most in life. The amazing grace in this story we are analyzing is that hiding is based on a wrong idea of God. God is not as we expect Him to be - ready to condemn, punish, abandon and reject. He loves us so much that He wants to correct us and encourage us and redeem us. When you hide, you become your own prisoner. God is the One who seeks to set you free.

Hiding is based on the premise that God can’t see us unless we want to be seen. Listen to what King David said about the effectiveness of hiding:

Ps 139:7-12: Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there
If I make my bed in the depths,
If I rise on the wings of the dawn ;if I settle on the far side of the sea
Even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
And the light become night around me.”
Even the darkness will be not be dark to you;
The night will shine like day, for darkness is as light to you.

King David found that there is no way to hide from God. Because God is God, nothing in all creation escapes His notice. If we hide, God will always find us. But here is the wonderful thing that we need to remember in those moments of guilt and shame, when our instinct is to run and hide somewhere: God longs for our redemption, not our punishment! God’s chastisement of us is never to seek revenge; it is always to seek our repentance and regeneration. It is always constructive; never destructive or vindictive.To come out of hiding into fellowship with God – even if it means chastisement – is to be redeemed.

Going back to our story in the Garden, God could have acted in a number of ways:

• He could have tried them, sentenced them, and put them to death right away. After all, he had warned them: if they ate of the forbidden fruit, they would die.
• He could have ignored them; left them alone in disgust. He could have decided to start again somewhere else, and leave them alone to their own devices. Have you ever heard of cases like that?

But here is the truth we need to grasp. God did not do any of those things. Instead, when we sin, God comes looking for us; When we fail, God seeks us out; When our reflex is to hide, God’s response is to find.

“Where are you?”

Our God is a searching God
In Luke 15 Jesus uses 3 parables to describe the seeking and finding God:
• God is like the shepherd who seeks the lost lamb
• God is like the woman who loses one of her ten coins
• God is like the father of the prodigal son, who welcomes his son back when he returns after a long period of rebellion.

“Where are you?”
This question exposes our anxious guilt and hiding reflex, but it also reveals the very character of God. Our God is the God who seeks and finds. Our God is the God who doesn’t desert us when we fail Him. He doesn’t degrade us or devalue us when we fall. He doesn’t threaten or intimidate us. You see, God asks us where we are in order to draw us into a relationship. God is looking for us, inviting us to come out of the hiding caused by our shame, our guilt or fear.


QUESTIONS
1. Have you seen your hiding place as we have described it?
2. How have you been hiding from God?
3. Why have you wanted to hide?
4. Has it worked?

Whatever your answers to these questions, know that God is even now seeking you. Listen to the voice of His Spirit, calling

“Where are you?”

Those You Love

Oh Lord, I want to write sweet lovely things and since I can’t, I’m at a loss.
I know now that it’s because today, with me, you will be cross.

There are things I have overlooked, and this is unacceptable to you.
Make me understand; show me exactly what I need to do.

When you numb your pain, and numb your thought,
Tell me, what lies do you think you bought?

When you anaesthetize your your heart and mind,
Tell me, what real comfort do you find?

When you cover your ears and eyes and refuse to hear or see,
Tell me, what glory do you give Me?

I’m sorry, Lord, that in my despair
I fell in error.

I’m sorry, Lord, that led by fear
I refused to see or hear.

I’m sorry, Lord, that in my attempt to numb the pain in my heart
I hurt you from the start.

I know now that you want me to triumph above all difficulties
And never stop trusting you.
Come, Holy Spirit, help me and teach me how to carry through.

I know now that you want me to obey you; not in part, but in all.

Come, Holy Spirit, help me and hod me; don't let me fall.

I can run, and numb, and anaesthetize my pain,
Out of this, what can I gain?

Only more pain.
So heal and cleanse me, Lord, with your blessed rain.

Dress me in the white robe you have for me.
Open my eyes that I may see.

Place my name in the book of life.
Grant me by your grace, eternal life.

Please forgive me for my failed attempt.
Forgive me for treating others and myself with such contempt.

I know now that you want my love to conquer every fear.
Come, Holy Spirit, let it be your voice, and not the enemie's, I hear.

I choose to repent and mend my way.
It is you alone, my God, I will obey.

I gladly accept your correction, your rod.
Lead me, Holy Spirit, to repentance, that I may find favor before my God.

I drop to my knees, and look up to you in the heavens above.
I am in awe, Lord, that you would care for me like a precious dove.
I know now that you only reprimand and correct those you love.

Ana Cecilia Petersen
17/2/07

Lord, make me ever obedient to You alone.

Six Levels of Relationship Between God and Man

Think about a relationship between a husband and wife. They have several levels of relationship: Acquaintances, Friends, Sweethearts, Spouses, and Lovers. As we move to a new level, do we drop the previous ones? No, these leves are: Increasing & Simultaneous.

I was reading a book where they refer to an author named Jack Hill that mentions the six levels of relationship between God and Man. The six levels of relationship that we will meditate on today are:
1. Potter / Clay
2. Pastor / Sheep
3. Lord(King) / Servant
4. Friend / Friend
5. Father / Son(Daughter)
6. Lover / Love


1- Potter / Clay
Jer 18: GOD told Jeremiah Up on your feet! Go to the potter's house. When you get there, I'll tell you what I have to say." So I went to the potter's house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. em>Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.Then GOD's Message came to me: "Can't I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?" GOD's Decree! "Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel"

Rom 9:20 -21 Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans?

In the book of Job, at one moment Job is complaining to God about his condition and God decides to answer – three chapters worth of answer that shows how the Potter answers the Clay when it is out of place. Job 38:1 And now, finally, GOD answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: "Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much!Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone....."

What are the benefits? “He’s got the whole World in His Hands”, etc

What are the responsibilities? Thanksgiving, Acceptance, Submission, etc

God is a sovereign Being, and has a sovereign and uncontrollable power over his creatures; he has an indisputable right unto them, and can dispose of them as he pleases

2- Pastor / Sheep
Psa 23 GOD you are my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of GOD for the rest of my life.

Isa 40:11 Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms, Hugging them as he carries them, leading the nursing ewes to good pasture.

John 10:1 "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good--a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."
Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good--sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for--will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He's only in it for the money. The sheep don't matter to him. "I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.

What are the benefits? Protection, guidence, etc.

What are the responsibilities? Follow Him (Not follow the thief), Listen to Him (Not listen to the thief), Debt of Life – He gave his life for us.


3- Lord & King / Servant
Psa 116:16 O LORD, I am indeed your servant. I am your servant, the son of your female servant. You have freed me from my chains.


Mat 24:45-51 "Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? The master will put that person in charge of giving the other servants their food at the right time. That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes. I can guarantee this truth: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.
On the other hand, that servant, if he is wicked, may think that it will be a long time before his master comes. The servant may begin to beat the other servants and eat and drink with the drunks. His master will return unexpectedly. Then his master will severely punish him and assign him a place with the hypocrites. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.

What are the benefits: Belonging to the Kingdom

What are the responsibilities? Work, Multiply our talents, Obedience, kneel before the King, etc.


4- Friend / Friend
John 15:12-19 Love each other as I have loved you. This is what I'm commanding you to do. The greatest love you can show is to give your life for your friends. You are my friends if you obey my commandments. I don't call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing. But I've called you friends because I've made known to you everything that I've heard from my Father. You didn't choose me, but I chose you. I have appointed you to go, to produce fruit that will last, and to ask the Father in my name to give you whatever you ask for. Love each other. This is what I'm commanding you to do. "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me before it hated you. If you had anything in common with the world, the world would love you as one of its own. But you don't have anything in common with the world. I chose you from the world, and that's why the world hates you.

Exo 33:11-12 The LORD would speak to Moses personally, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would come back to the camp, but his assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, stayed inside the tent. Moses said to the LORD, "You've been telling me to lead these people, but you haven't let me know whom you're sending with me. You've also said, 'I know you by name, and I'm pleased with you.'


Deu 34:10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD dealt with face to face.

What are the benefits? We have an opinion, etc

What are the responsibilities? We know what God is up to, we spend Time with Him, we Know him and know His heart, we share our burdens, we relate to each other, we are comanded to love each other, etc

5 - Father / sons and daughters
1Jo 3:1 Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God's dear children. And that's what we are. For this reason the world doesn't recognize us, and it didn't recognize him either.

Rom 8:14-17 Certainly, all who are guided by God's Spirit are God's children. You haven't received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God's adopted children by which we call out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. If we are his children, we are also God's heirs. If we share in Christ's suffering in order to share his glory, we are heirs together with him.

Gal 4:1-7 Let me explain further. As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. He is placed under the control of guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. It was the same way with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son into the world. A woman gave birth to him, and he came under the control of God's laws. God sent him to pay for the freedom of those who were controlled by these laws so that we would be adopted as his children. Because you are God's children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into us to call out, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer slaves but God's children. Since you are God's children, God has also made you heirs.

What are the benefits? We have access to all that belongs to the "family", unconditional Love, etc

What are the responsibilites? We are not of this world, the Kingdom is ours – Our inheritance, we are guided by His Spirit (Rom 8:14), we are like Him - His representatives, etc


6- Lover / Bride
Rev 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came to me and said, "Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb."

Isa 62:1-5 For Zion's sake I will not remain silent. For Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness shines like the dawn and its salvation burns brightly like a torch. The nations will see your righteousness. All kings will see your glory. You will be given a new name that the LORD will announce. Then you will be a beautiful crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal crown in the hand of your God.
You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will no longer be called Destroyed. But you will be named My Delight, and your land will be named Married. The LORD is delighted with you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a woman, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.


2Co 11:1-3 I want you to put up with a little foolishness from me. I'm sure that you will. I'm as protective of you as God is. After all, you're a virgin whom I promised in marriage to one man-Christ. However, I'm afraid that as the snake deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Rev 19:6-8 I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king. Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory because it's time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride has made herself ready. She has been given the privilege of wearing dazzling, pure linen." This fine linen represents the things that God's holy people do that have his approval.


What are the benefits? Intimacy, joy, love, dancing, etc

What are the responsibilites? Commitment, Faithfulness, Purity, Waiting and preparing for Him, Passion