Sex is a Gift!

How fair and pleasant you are,

   O loved one, delectable maiden! 

You are stately as a palm tree,

   and your breasts are like its clusters. 

I say I will climb the palm tree

   and lay hold of its branches.

O may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,

   and the scent of your breath like apples, 

and your kisses like the best wine

   that goes down smoothly,

   gliding over lips and teeth. 

Song of Songs 7:6-9

Love and sex are gifts from God.  Sex is sacred, and a form of praise when a man takes his wife in his arms, and experiences carnal pleasures.  Desire, lust, yearning, and red hot desire burns within us all.  Butterflies, goose bumps, steamy hot perspiration all prepares us for the ultimate expression of human intimacy. 

Sex was created to be shared within the confines of committed love.  There is nothing dirty, abnormal, or disgraceful about finding joy in sensuality.  Men and women were made to become one flesh.  We are puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.  A matter of fact, sex is the first commandment that God gave to humanity.  God said, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen.1:28), and God wasn’t talking about farming.  The only way to procreate is to have sex.  The first man and woman were naked and unashamed because they were pure and free.  They enjoyed one another in every fleshy sense because everything God created was good.  The writer of Proverbs 5:19 tells husbands, “…May her breasts satisfy you at all times; may you be intoxicated by the ways of her love.”  In Song of Songs 1:2 the maiden says of her lover, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!  For your love is better than wine.”  Sex is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed by men and women alike.

Society has perverted the beauty of sex, and turned it into something naughty and taboo.  Puritanical ideals have made sex a hellish act full of shame and sin.  Hedonistic ideas have turned sex into pornographic smut that destroys intimacy and corrupts the spirit. Both ways are out of balance.  In all things, there must be balance.  God is a God of balance. 

Sex is a smoldering fire that must be contained within the confines of a committed relationship.  If it burns free, it can burn down your whole house.  If it is suffocated, the flame can die, leaving you cold and callous.  Keep it in its proper place and your heart and bed will be warm for a lifetime.  Enjoy each other.  Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day Weekend.

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

Humble Yourself or Get Humbled

Humility is something that is very foreign to some of us.  In an individualistic society, we are bombarded with self-promotion.  Everything centers on personal happiness, selfishness, material gain, physical vanity, overweening egos, instant gratification, dog eat dog mindsets,  religious and cultural bigotry, and everything me me me me me. 

Sometimes we are knocked off of our pedestals because we have naively exulted ourselves higher than the God of Heaven.  If we refuse to humble ourselves, God will humble us.

Look at the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4.  He is the mightiest king on the earth, and his arrogance is astounding.  He gives all the credit to his success to himself.  Nebuchadnezzar does not acknowledge God nor man.  He isn’t at all grateful for the God that created him, the people who helped him stretch his kingdom to the ends of the earth, his mother that bore him or his father that seared him, the army that fought for him, or the architects that built his great city.  He is power drunk with himself, and God humbles him by taking all of his good fortune away.  Nebuchadnezzar went insane for seven years.  He grazed the grass like an animal.  He was made to crawl like a lowly beast because of all the years he made himself higher than all those around him.  When he came to his senses, he humbled himself and gave praise to God, and all of his good fortune was returned to him.  Nebuchadnezzar became a better man than he was before.

Life has a way of humbling us if we refuse to humble ourselves.  Sometimes the horrible circumstances we find ourselves in, are of our own doing. 

Always live an existence of gratitude.  Give glory to God.  Be appreciative of all those who have helped along the way.  Be a help to others.  Let humanity exalt us for our great works so that we don’t have to exalt ourselves.  In humility, love hard and live free.

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

Ride or Die

The choice to serve God should never be dependent upon what God will or won’t do for us.  We have to decide in our hearts to be all in or all out.  We have to be ride or die for God. 

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego always remind me of what true faith looks like.  When being faced with certain death for not bowing to a false god, the three men replied to the King of Babylon’s threat in Daniel 3: 17-18, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”  For certain, whether they lived or died, they would not bow down.  They made it perfectly clear that they would never conform; that they were not interested in lives as sycophants.  Death would be better for them than being followers of foolery.

We have to be willing to die for our beliefs; to trust God even when things seem to be to our detriment.  We have to be able to stand for what is right, what is sacred, what is in line with God’s purpose for us even when it goes against what the world says or our personal agendas.  Of course this is hard, but we must have faith that God is on our side no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in.  It is important to know that God does not bend to our will; but, we are to bend to God’s, and trust that God will not put us in a situation that does not benefit God’s divine purpose.  For we must realize, God’s plan will ultimately better all humanity by bringing us all within God’s loving presence and everlasting peace. 

So stand firm.  Don’t be lukewarm.  Have no fear of the mortal but the Great Immortal!  Walk in faith knowing that God will never leave you nor forsake you.  Love hard and live free! 

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

Mercy (love) v. Sacrifice

This morning, while doing my morning prayer and reading, I stumbled upon Hosea 6:6 and the spirit of the Lord came upon me.  The verse read, “For I desire mercy (steadfast love) not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”  Suddenly I became painfully aware of what is most important to God.  It is simply to love one another and getting to know God on a personal level. 

Many times we try to get close to God by sacrificial offerings.  We sacrifice money (tithing); we sacrifice time (volunteering/church); and we sacrifice food (fasting), yet with all of these sacrifices we forget to be truly loving and merciful towards one another.  We sometimes forget what it means to be good to our spouses, effective parents to our children; loyal and understanding friends, helpful neighbors, and compassionate strangers.  We forget to ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s will because we are so busy bending the world to our own will.   Sometimes we are so busy sacrificing that we fail to be in relationship with the God we are supposed to be sacrificing for.

Sacrifices are necessary and God appreciates them, but that it is not the point of it all.  The point of it all is to seek God, to know God, and to let God’s light shine through us by the love we show to others.

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

On Activism and Judgement

When reading the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, I am always moved by Jesus' silent activism and his ability to leave judgment to God.  Jesus shows through his actions how he does not agree with his societal norms like women being second class citizens or cultural bias.  Jesus sits at a well in public and begins speaking with a woman.  In those days, that was unlawful.  Not only was she a woman, she was a Samaritan woman.  Jews and Samaritans weren't supposed to interact with each other.  Yet, Jesus threw all of those manmade rules out of the window and asked a nice woman for a drink of water.  During conversation, it is revealed that this woman was not only a Samaritan woman, she was a worldly woman.  She had 5 ex-husbands and was living with a new man.  Yet, Jesus did not judge her but gave her the gospel and she took it to her town and told her people about him.  Through her testimony, many came to Christ.

We should learn to be like Jesus.  Be advocates of action.  Help transform the world by actions not just words.  Jesus asked no one if it was okay to talk to a woman like an equal.  He just did it because he knew that God made both man and woman in God's image.  When we see injustice, let's do something about it and not just talk about it.

And, oh yeah, leave the judgment to God!  It is not our job to decide whom God can and cannot use for the betterment of society.  We should just do our job and let God do God's.

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

Genesis Ch. 5: The First Family Tree

V. 1 The descendants of Adam (humankind).  Humans are made in God (elohiym)’s likeness.

According to Strong’s Eloheem means gods, goddess(es) or the supreme God.  It could also mean angels or judges.

H430

אלהים

'ĕlôhı̂ym

el-o-heem'

Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: - angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

v. 2 God created male and female and blessed them and named them adam (man).

v. 3 Adam became the father of Seth when he was 130 years old.  Seth was according to his image and likeness.

Adam (Humanity) creates in his image just like God created (adam) humanity in His image.

v.4 Adam lived 800 years after the birth of Seth and then he fathered other sons and daughters.

v. 5 Adam dies at 930 years old.

v. 6 Seth became the father of Enosh at 105 years old.

v. 7 Seth lived 807 years after Enosh’s borth and had other sons and daughters.

v. 8 Seth died at 912 years old.

v. 9 Enosh became the father of Kenan at the age of 90.

v. 10 Enosh lived 815 years after the birth of Kenan and had other sons and daughters.

v. 11 Enosh died at 905 years old.

v. 12 Kenan became the father of Mahalalel at the age of 70.

v. 13 Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel and had other sons and daughters.

v. 14 Kenan died at 910 years old.

v. 15 Mahalalel fathered Jared when he was 65 years old.

v. 16  Mahalalel lived 830 years after the birth of Jared and had other sons and daughters.

v. 17 Mahalalel died at 895 years old.

v. 18 Jared fathered Enoch when he was 162 years old.

v. 19 Jared lived 800 years after the birth of Enoch and fathered other sons and daughters.

v. 20 Jared died at 962 years old.

v. 21Enoch became the father of Methuselah at 65 years old.

v. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Enoch seems to be the first person to have a one on one relationship with God since Adam and Eve.

v. 23 All the days of Enoch was 365

v. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.

Does this mean that Enoch went into the spiritual realm without dying?  Is he the only human 

who has ever escaped death?

v. 25 Methuselah became the father of Lamech at 187 years old.

v. 26 Methuselah lived 782 years after the birth of Lamech and fathered other sons and daughters.

v. 27 Methuselah died at 969 years old.

Methuselah is the oldest person in the bible.

v. 28-29 Lamech fathered Noah at 182 years old.  On the birth of Noah Lamech said that Noah would bring them relief from their work and toil.

Noah was to bring a blessing to the people.  Out of the cursed land he was to bring rest to the hard working people.

v. 30 Lamech lived 595 years after the birth of Noah and had other sons and daughters

.

v. 31 Lamech died at 777 years old.

v. 33 Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth at 500 years old.

Genesis Chapter 4 Am I my brother's keeper?

Genesis Chapter 4 – Cain and Abel

v.1 Adam and Eve knew each other(had sex) and she conceived.  The fruit of this union was Cain. 

The name Cain comes from the Hebrew word qayin (kah-yin) which means to create.  The name Cain also resembles the verb in Hebrew which means to produce.

v.2 Eve gave birth to Abel.  Abel became a shepherd and Cain became a farmer.

The name Abel comes from the Hebrew word hebel (heh-bel) which means vanity or emptiness.  According to Strong’s, it could figuratively mean unsatisfactory.

v.3-5 Cain brought an offering of fruit to God.  Abel brought God a sacrifice of the first of his flock (their fat portions).  God preferred Abel’s offering over Cain’s.   God had no regard for Cain’s offering.  This made Cain furious and his face fell.

These three verses show the first instance of favoritism in the Bible.  Favoritism always produces a feeling of anger, hurt, and jealously.  These verses also make a distinction between their gifts.  Cain’s gift was a gift of fruit.  There was nothing distinguishable about his fruit.  Abel brought his best, his first, his finest, his fattest.

v.6-7 God asks Cain why his face has fallen.  God tells Cain that if he did well he would be accepted.  God also warns that if he does not do well that sin (with a desire for him) will lurk at the door but Cain must master it.

This verse reveals that God approves of things done well.  Half hearted, effortless sacrifices are not sacrifices at all.  God disregarded Cain’s sacrifice.  It meant nothing to God since it meant nothing to Cain.

v.8 Cain asked his brother to go into the field with him and Cain killed Abel.

This is the first murder in the Bible.  This is also the first of many battles between brothers.  I find it interesting that Cain (creation) killed Abel (vanity/emptiness).

v.9 God asked Cain where his brother was.  Cain lied and said that he did not know.  He is not his brother’s keeper.

Contrary to popular belief, this is the first lie of the bible.  Cain denied knowing where his brother was and became defensive and replied that he was not the keeper of his brother.

v.10 God asked Cain what he had done.  God said that Abel’s blood crying out from the ground.

v.11-12 God cursed Cain from tilling the ground because he spilled his brother’s blood in it.  God made Cain a fugitive and a wanderer.

v.13-14 Cain said that his punishment was greater than he could bear.  Because he can no longer farm and is a fugitive and wanderer, he is afraid that he will be killed.

v.15 God put a mark on protection on Cain so that anyone whoever murders him will suffer vengeance 7 times over.

Although Cain took Abel’s life, God protected Cain’s life.  The mark is not described.

v.16 Cain left and settled in Nod (land of wandering), east of Eden.

v.17 Cain knew (had sex with) his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch.  Cain then built a city which he named Enoch, after his son.

Where did Cain’s wife come from?  This could not be his sister because at this point, Adam and Eve are only reported to have two children (Cain and Abel).  They were not reported to have other sons and daughters until after the birth of Seth.  See Gen.5:4.  This means that there were other people on the earth.

v.18 Shows the generations from Enoch to Lamech.

v.19 Lamech takes two wives (Adah and Zillah).

This is the first instance of polygamy in the Bible.

v.20 Adah gave birth to Jabal who is the ancestor of tent dwellers and livestock owners.

v.21 Jabal’s bother Jubal was the ancestor of musicians (lyre and pipe players).

v.22 Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain who was the ancestor of bronze and iron workers.  She also gave birth to his sister Naamah.

v.23 Lamech tells his wives that he has killed a man for wounding him.

This is the second murder in the Bible.

v.24 Lamech says that if Cain is avenged sevenfold surly he will be avenged seventy-seven fold.

Maybe Lamech feels that his life is more sacred than Cain’s because Lamech killed in self defense whereas Cain killed out of jealousy.

v.25 Adam and Eve had Seth.  Eve said that God gave her another child because Abel was killed.

v. 26 Seth’s son was Enosh.  At this time in history, people started to invoke the name of Yahweh.