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In Jesus' Name We Press On

Nora Fisher

There is a beautiful worship song with the title "In Jesus' Name We Press On" and oh how I love it. You may want to think about the lyrics when you hear it again.

How we need to learn to press on in spite of ourselves, what our families and friends say. Perhaps our households are in turmoil and are profits are lower then expected. Ask the Lord to teach you how to press on. What great joy there is keeping what the Lord has shown us in our hearts. Jesus wants us to daily touch the hem of His garment. In His name, heartaches, disappointments, and trials are lighter. We can continue to live and see tomorrow because we know in whom we place our trust.

Press on sisters and brothers and continue to hold on to Jesus and the faith He has instilled in you. Let God's holy arms soothe, quiet, and rock you. Storms may come and go but Jesus will remain the same. Press on in the midst of both good and bad. The Lord has had you in the palm of His hand along with me and so many others. He won't and doesn't want to let us go.

Simply..........press on!

Nora Fisher and her husband Gary are long-time members of Christian Challenge where both are very involved in ministry. Nora has taught classes in our School for Christian Workers as well as our high school Sunday School class. She currently ministers on the worship team and to many women in her daily activities as a Mary Kay consultant.

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Hebraic Antiquities

Elaine Ward

GOD HAS A WRITTEN PRE-NUPTIAL AGREEMENT.

I dare say that most who read this portion of the Eastern Gate do not have a pre-nuptial agreement in their marriage. Some may view it as an agreement which protects ones material goods. Some see it as a way of dissolving a not so perfect marriage. Whatever the reason, many marriages in this modern day and age, use pre-nuptial agreements.

Last year I read with great interest about the Hebrew Kethubbah (a pre-nuptial agreement). Most Jewish engagements are accompanied by this pre-requisite to marriage. It involves a bridegroom paying the father of the bride a dowry price. We see in Gen. 24 Abraham sending his servant with a dowry for his sons bride. The oldest preserved Kethubbah, was found in Assvan, Egypt dating from the 5th century B.C.E.

GOD HAS A KETHUBBAH.

It is His Written word to us. It incorporates all of the customary conditions and provisions. God's Kethubbah says, "I will never forget you my people, I have carved you on the palm of my hand." God's Kethubbah says in Dt. 28:1-14, "If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." God proceeds to pronounce 12 specific blessings to His Bride to be. Time and again God's Kethubbah says:

If you will, I will. Prov.8:l7
If you will, I will. Dt. 6:4
If you will, I will. Is. 55:3

Every Kethubbah contains mutual obligations. Some for the bride to be and some for the groom. A beautiful tradition is that the bride permanently holds the Kethubbah in her possession. We too hold our written Kethubbah in our possession. We can see what our groom expects of us, and can read all of His precious promises to us.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED YOUR KETHUBBAH??????????????????

Elaine Ward has been a member of Christian Challenge for nearly 20 years. She teaches the Old Testament Bible Survey in our School for Christian Workers and has a passion for the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith.