Koffee's House

Death The Final Frontier

Or Is It?

By

Kevin R Schultz

08-14-2025

  This morning I received the call that my wife had passed. Now this was sad news for me and it will be difficult for me in the coming months. After 45 years there is going to be a huge hole in my heart.

  Now some people’s feelings might get hurt by this but please do not keep saying things like she’s in a better place, she is no longer suffering, the good Lord has taken her home. Then there is, she will be looking down, watching over and protecting me. All you need to say is you have my condolences, if you want to talk just call, but if you make those kinds of statements you make sure I have your number so I can call you if the need aise. 

 Now so you understand, I know that when you say those things it is because you really don’t know what to say to me at a time like this. Also talk about some of the interactions you have had with said person. You would be surprised at how much it helps me to know how many lives that my wife has touched.

  And now for the title…

Death the Final Frontier

Or Is It?

  With these pages we are going to take a long and deep look at this question.

  Now we are going to be breaking this down into three sections.

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. The Gospel of Satan.
3. Summary.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 American English

GOS’PEL, n. [L. evangelium, a good or joyful message.]

 The history of the birth, life, actions, death, resurrection, ascension and doctrines of Jesus Christ; or a revelation of the grace of God to fallen man through a mediator, including the character, actions, and doctrines of Christ, with the whole scheme of salvation, as revealed by Christ and his apostles. This gospel is said to have been preached to Abraham, by the promise, “in thee shall all nations be blessed.” Gal 3:8.

 It is called the gospel of God. Rom 1:1.

 It is called the gospel of Christ. Rom 1:16.

 It is called the gospel of salvation. Eph 1:13.

 1. God’s word.

 2. Divinity; theology.1

  Now this is a very important Gospel, it tells us what God has done for us. Without what Jesus Christ did for us, paying the price for our sins by dying on the cross and His Resurrection. This includes past, present, and future sins. Now Christ Jesus had to die for all our sins otherwise no one would be going home to be with the Father, or even getting down from the cross.

Now let us look at what the scripture has to say on this.

  Before Jesus Christ could start His ministry he had to be baptised to receive the Holy Spirit. He could not start His ministry without the Holy Spirit in Him. Mark 1: 8.

Mark 1:6-8 (NKJV)

6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying,

 3:11; John Matthew 1:27; Acts 13:25

“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. John 1:15, 3:30; Luke 3:16; Acts 13:23-25; Revelations 18:8

 8 “I indeed baptized you with water,

Acts 1:5, 11:16

 but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Isaiah 44:3; John 20:22; Acts 2:4, 10:45; 1 Corinthians 12:13

John 1:26,1:33, 1:31; Acts 8:36; Joel 2:28; Acts 19:4-6; Matthew 3:11;Acts 11:15,19:4 

  When Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit is when His Gospel starts. (Matthew 3:13-14)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

  It is only after Jesus Christ is baptized does His ministry on earth start. Now on to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  We are saved by Grace through Faith in who Jesus Christ is.

Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 American English

GRACE, 

 2. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.

 And if by grace,then it is no more of works. Rom 11.

 3. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.

 My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor 12.

 4. The application of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner.

 Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom 5.

 5. A state of reconciliation to God. Rom 5:2.

  Okay the simplest way to describe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is…

We are saved by Grace, through Faith in who Jesus Christ is, our Lord and Savior, and through repentance invite Him into our hearts. Jesus then enters and resides in our hearts, in the form of the Holy Spirit.

  Here are some of the benefits of Salvation…

1. The forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:31, Acts 13:38 and

Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14

2. The gift of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:22;;  John 14:26, 20:21-22; Acts 9:31, 10:38, 11:16. 

3. Being reconciled with God and spending eternity in heaven.

Matthew 5:24; Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:22

Now this is where the baptism comes in…

I say this is because our ministries can’t even start until we have been baptised with the Holy Spirit.  

  Even Jesus Christ had to be baptised before He could start His ministry,

With that said we can only start and do the works that God has assigned to us with the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of Satan

I still have some time.

Actually we don’t because we do not know when our time here on earth is up, only God knows this. When our time is up and we pass from here it will be too late to ask for forgiveness and enter into heaven.

  And at that time we will be cast into the lake of fire.  Here are some verses to look at…

Matthew 8:5-12

Verses 5-9 is where the centurion was asking Jesus for His help and that he believed and had faith in who Jesus Christ was, and He healed the servant right there.

Verses 10-11 He tells the centurion and those around him that they would be going to heaven because of their faith in who He was.

In verse 12 He is telling us what will happen to the unbelievers.

Here are some more verses to look at…

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:47-50; Luke 13:23-28

Now for those who still think there is still time look at these verses.

Matthew 24:36-37, 48-51. Also some friends have told me that they know people that will be in hell so they would not be alone, however the problem with that thinking is that the separation of God from your soul is going to be so painful that you will not be able to see or know anyone else is there.

The Summary

  Now I know I am going with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not that of Satan. I am looking forward to the time God calls me home, until that call comes I will do the very best I can. 

  Of course I will do better whenever I allow the Holy Spirit to guide me.

Whenever I need a spiritual boost I read the bible, talk to my friends again I keep coming back to Luke 13:22-28.

  Verses 22-25 are talking about Jesus Christ being the only way into heaven and once He closes the door that is it.

  Verses 26-28 tells us the results of our lack of belief.    

Koffee’s Faith Journey

By

Kevin R Schultz

Helpless

07-30-2025

  I am going to talk about how being helpless is gnawing at me two different ways. And here they are.

1. Feeling helpless because I can’t provide the level of physical care that she needs now.
2. Feeling helpless because I know that soon I will lose the second light of my life.

 Feeling helpless because I can’t provide the level of physical care that she needs.

  I have been married to my wife for 45 years and taking care of her needs. After two years she had a stroke (complication from surgery). Her needs changed, so did my skill set. I learned how to help her with her therapy. At times I prepared her plate, cut the meat into bite size portions that she could eat and swallow easily. Made a lot of soft dishes.

  We used to watch T.V. or movies together. Go to the theaters to see first run movies, restaurants for date nights. The older we got the more help she needed and the more I helped  her. If she needed help going to the living room, I was there, if she wanted to go to church, I took her and used a wheelchair to do it. ( good thing she had a pushy husband)

 Then her health got worse, along with mine and I could no longer do anything for her. Now how do I deal with this turn of events? I turned to God to help me understand and get us through this. 

  I asked God for the strength and wisdom to get through this stage in life. And in my weakness God answered my prayer. 

  For you see on our own we are weak and with God’s strength we can accomplish much.

Phil 4:13 NKJV)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Also see 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Feeling helpless because I know that soon I will be losing the second light of my life.

  Now let me explain this statement, I called my wife my second light because Jesus Christ is my first light.

  This helpless feeling is coming from the man’s way of thinking, that we should always be able to fix or improve on everything but we can’t. My wife and I have been together for 45 years. That is a lot of time spent together, we have fallen deeper in love over the years and she will be severly missed.

 My wife is dying and I cannot fix this, only God can. Just putting this down in print does make it final and my heart really feels the pain and emptiness knowing she will be leaving soon.
 

  There will be a hole or empty spot in my heart that will need to be filled. It will be filled only by God, and it will be filled the way He wants it done.

  Now going through the scriptures looking for the correct ones to use, God speaking to me and teaching me, God taught me that I was not as helpless as I thought. There is prayer, I had a lot of people praying for my wife and me. The church I am a member of, they are praying all the time, the Men’s Ministry, and church leadership.

  My sister-in-law’s church. My other sister-in-law, other friends of ours.

  And now the big one there is God and the scripture He guided me to. Let us see where He took me. Once again there is Philippians 4:13, then there are these…

Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 2:1   

  Now here are some more verses that I am going to take a closer look at.

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 (NKJV)

1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Point One

  Here God is saying that when our earthly body (house or tent) dies we have a new one waiting for us in heaven, one He has made, which will never decay.

Point Two

  For us christians this is a good thing,for we know that we have eternal life with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Point Three

  The best part is that God has guaranteed this with the gift of the Holy Spirit

Point Four

  We do not need to worry about our bodies when we die because it will turn to dust, but our spirit will immediately be with the Lord.

John 14:1-3 (NKJV)

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14:27 (NKJV)

1 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

  We are told that when calls us home that Jesus will come and receive us Himself. He also gives us His peace and with it we may still grieve but it will be easier to deal with.

  So as you see with all this that has given to me by God I am not ever been helpless, maybe hapless but never helpless.

By

Kevin R. Schultz

At Peace

07-30-2024

  I have had several people asked me, how can I be at peace with Karen in Hospice and then me watching her slowly going down hill medically?

  Well the answer quite simply is God. He has been with us from the beginning of this journey. He brought Psalms 23 to my attention in the start of this journey. Today we will look at other verses of scripture that talk about God’s peace.

  Well let ‘s start on our journey of peace. I am going to take another look at Psalm 23:1

Ps 23:1 (NIV)

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

  With God as my shepherd I will be able to be at peace because He is the one guiding me and watching over me. He will take care of all my needs, even the ones I don’t know I have. Because of this I will never be lacking.

  Now let us break this verse down further shall we.

Ps 23:1 (NIV)

1 a The LORD is my shepherd, – Psalm 28:7-9, John 10:7-11

  Verse 28:7 that God is my strength and my shield, that tells me that God is going to get Karen and me through this trial we are navigating, it also tells me that He is going be there with me when Karen goes home to be with the Lord.

  Since God made these promises (and God cannot lie) I can trust in Him with a joyous heart, and song in my heart. I would sing out loud but then I would scare everybody else away.

  Here is what it says in The Biblical Illustrator…

 The Lord is my strength and my shield.

A sacred solo

Note in the three sentences-there is in each that which is inward and that which is outward. “The Lord is my strength”–that is inward; “My shield”–that is outward. “My heart trusted in Him–inward; “I am helped”–outward. “My heart greatly rejoiceth”–inward; “With my song will I praise Him”–outward. It teaches us that truth and beauty of form are to be linked together: to be holy we need not to be uncouth.

It also asks these four questions

1. Now as you walk around the walls of your own soul, have you got God as a shield?

2. You, young fellow, are you shielded by God?

3. Is God your shield?

4. Have you covenanted with Jehovah?

  Verse 28:8

The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

 With God as my strength and shield and the gift of salvation building a fortress around my soul that not even Satan can get through, gives me a peace in my heart.

  Verse 28:9

Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

  Now what I am getting from this is…

1. Get out the message of the Gospel to the unsaved.

2. Be a blessing to them, guide them.

3. To be there for them, do not give them the Gospel and once they except Jesus Christ do not abandon them. Always be there for them with answers for their questions, or just to listen to them or pray with them.

  Verses John 10:7-11

  Verse 7

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

  Here we are being told that Jesus Christ is the gate, the only way into Heaven and the sheep are the lost souls, searching for what the are missing.

  Verse 8

All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.

  Here He is talking about false teachers leading people down the wrong path, which leads to spiritual death(separation from God).This is why those that reach out and teach others have to make sure we teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for we will judged more harshly then others if we teach the wrong thing.

  Those called thieves and robbers are the false teachers, and those that listen to them and go by what they teach will never make it into Heaven.

  Those that listen and do not follow what the thieves and robbers (false teachers) are teaching are the sheep, who will hear the true Gospel and will follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The sheep will be residing in Heaven with the Lord.

  Verse 9-10

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

  Here Jesus is telling us that He is the only way to the Father, we will find peace in Him, our stength will come from Him, the answers will come from Him. We will have a full life. As long as what we do or ask for is in God’s will He will provide for us.

  Please also look at these verses…

John 14:6; Ephesians 2:18

  Verse 11

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

  Not only is Jesus the only way to the Father, but He also paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross, thus making it possible for us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

1 b I lack nothing.

  How can I not be at peace knowing God is going to be there with me. Knowing God knows what my needs are and taking care of them. Giving me the wisdom to understand the difference between wants and needs.

  I mean what other God loves His creations so much that He set up our plan of salvation before He even created us? Well since there are no other gods except our Father in Heaven

  Also look up these verses

Psalm 84:11, Psalm 107:9; Philippians 4:19

By

Kevin R Schultz

Loneliness Part 1

5-8-2024

  You know when I decided to do this particular post I did not realize there were so many ways to feel so alone. I will go over some of them the best I can, these thoughts will be based on biblical principals. If this offends you, you do not have to read on, just remember that these biblical principles do work in the secular world as well.

  There are three areas of Loneliness that come to mind right away and they are…

1. The loneliness of asking for help and seemly no one responds.

2. The loneliness of depression.

And the worst of all…

3. The loneliness of feeling God is not there with you or helping you with whatever trial you are going through.

  Let us look at the first one. (The loneliness of asking for help and seemly no one responds)

  There have been times when I have felt this. It seemed everybody I called could not talk to me. I felt and started to think they did not want to help or talk to me.

  I started to feel so alone, but then I had to realize that as much as they might want to help me at that time. I had to remember that I was not as important as any family member they would need to help. Their families needs should always come (if they are Christians Jesus Christ is always first.) before me. Now one of my friends runs the Men’s Ministry and they have a big event coming up that keeps him very busy

with prep and set up.

  Others had health issues they had to take care of first, other family members they had to take care of.

  These things they have to take care of and concentrate on first, God wants us to take care of first. Take care of our church duties first. I do not have the right to force my needs on others, even if I wanted to. I have to remember that I am not the only one with problems.

  And most importantly there is prayer. We can ask God for His guidance, His comfort, and most importantly His will in what ever trail we are going through.

  Just remember in the poem Footprints when the person in poem asked God when he was going through his trials where he (God) was because he only saw one set of footprints instead the usual two, God’s answer was there was only one set because that was when God was carrying him. (Okay so I paraphrased it.)

  Now let us look at the second one. (The loneliness of depression)

  The only thing I can say about this is that, do not try to overcome depression by yourself, it will not work. I know from experience that it only makes it worse. You need to talk to professionals who specialize in the treatment of depression. There are good doctors and counselors that deal with depression.

  Find someone you feel you can trust to help you. Make sure they have your best interest in mind.

  Now let us take a look at the third one, which is the worst one of all from a Christians point of view. The loneliness of feeling God is not there with you or helping you with whatever trail you are going through.

  Three Dog Night had a hit song called One, it started with a verse that said one is the lonelist number. This is so true especially when you don’t feel like God is there with you. To this day I can get that feeling if I let life get the best of me. What do I do when I feel life is about to run me over, I talk to friends, people I trust who can lead to the right passages in the bible to guide and lead me through the rough times, and most important praying and reading scripture.

  Here some scriptures that have helped me. I will list them and break them down with supporting verses.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

  Look up and read these verses of scripture…

2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 3:16; Colosians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:17

2Thess 3:3 (NIV)

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

But the Lord is faithful,

1 Corinthians 1:9

and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Matthew 5:37

  The Lord will be faithful to us if we follow His will for us. As long as we stay faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ will always be faithful to us and he will protect us from the evil one. By staying true to God and ourselves God will keep Satan away.

1Pet 5:7 NIV Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Cast all your anxiety on him

Psalms 37:5; Matthew 6:25

because he cares for you.

Psalms 55:22; Hebrews 13:5

  Now I am going to do this one a little bit differently, I want you to actually look up these verses and see how much both the Old Testament and the New Testament give the same message of strength and how much God loves us.

Jer 31:3 NIV The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved

Deuteronomy 4:37

 you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Hosea 11:4; John 6:44

  Again I want you to look these supporting verses and let God speak to you.

  Now in writing this blog God has showed me that Karen and I are not alone, that God is truly with us. He has told us in His word that He will always be there for us, even when it seems like He is not.

  We can always talk to God in prayer and if what we are asking for is in His will He will answer it.

By

Kevin R Schultz

Random Thoughts that God

Turned into Guidance

6-19-2024

  Now that I have been a guest in the hospital for just under a week, I have a lot of random thoughts running throught my mind. Thoughts like…

1. Why is this happening to me?
2. What does all this mean?
3. Am I listening to God, or am trying to handle everything on my own?
4. What happens when you let God lead.

(John 3:16-17 [NIV2])

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

(John 3:16 [NIV2])

For God so loved

Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 4:9-10

 the world that he gave

Isaiah 9:6; Romans 8:32

 his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him

John 3:15

 shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:36, John 6:29, 6:40, 11:225-26, 3:17

(John 3:17 [NIV2])

For God did not send his Son into the world

John 6:29, 6:57, 10:36, 11:42, 17:8, 17:21, 20:21

 to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Isaiah 53:11; Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11, 19:10; John 1:29, 12:47; Romans 11:14; 1 Timothy 1:15, 2:5-6; 1 John 2:2, 35

(Phil 4:13 [NIV2])

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:17

* Some versions say “I can do all things through Christ who stregnthens me”

  Through all these random thoughts God has shown me that He will…

  1. That God will be there to guide us.

  2. That He will carry us when we falter.

  3. That He will get us through whatever trials we are going through.

  With those three points made we see that God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us holds true. No matter what we are going through He will be there for us.

By Kevin R Schultz

Forgiveness

3-28-2024

  Now when I decided on this subject I thought it would be a simple little post. Then I started looking at all the information on this subject. I knew it would be a rather large post. We will look at both the secular and spiritual aspects of forgiveness. 

  First we will look at what forgiveness means in the secular world. 

  We mere humans can and do forgive & forget like we should, however when it comes to the forgetting part a lot of times we don’t forget, we just file it away for later use. Usually with very bad results, like ruined relationships, hurt feelings, and enemies for a lifetime.

  We can’t seem to get past our bruised egos. We get set in our ways and thoughts and cannot see or understand that by not forgiving the hurts someone else has done to us can harden our hearts. The unforgiveness locks in the pain and anger within ourselves. This leads to these things happening…

1. Makes it hard for us to trust others, it’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Wondering if you can trust this person, asking is he/she going to break my heart or not.
2. The stress of keeping all that pain, anger, and wondering what that person is up to can cause some serious health issues.
3. It can also change your personality from a pleasant, kind hearted, always wanting to help others to a mean spirited person who only wants to chase others away. Which is a very sad and lonely way to live.

  We must realize that by filing away the hurt that was caused us, we are not forgiving the person/persons. I have forgiven many who have caused me hurt and still have a good relationship with them. Then there are others who I have forgiven but due to the problems and hurt they have caused me I could never trust them again.

  Now how can I say I forgave them and still not trust them. Well knowing how they are I go by these set of rules…

1. Is helping them in God’s will. – If this is what God wants me to do, I am all for it.

2. Are they the only ones to get anything out of it? – If they are the only ones to gain anything from helping them (they are doing this for themselves and claiming it is for God) then I will not help them.

3. There must be others that are being helped, other than the one asking for help.

4. Before doing anything, whatever the situation is I need to take it to God in prayer.

  Now for Christians we are commanded to forgive. We are also commanded to do God’s will in everything we do.

  Read Matthew 6:10, then read Matthew 6:12, then read Matthew 6:14-15. In verse 10 we are being told to  do God’s will in everything we do. In verse 12 we are told to forgive those who have sinned against us, so God can forgive our sins.     Verses 14 -15 are more specific instructions on this topic for us to follow…

Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV) *Some bibles use trespasses and others use the sins.

14  “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

  You see God does tell us to forgive those that trespass or sin against us. So how can God show us understanding or mercy when we don’t show it towards those that have sinned against us? 

  Now I know this is not always easy to do, from personal experience. There are times this is very easy to do when I get more information on what was said and why it was said. It could be just a simple misunderstanding. Then there are the times when it takes you totally by surprise and don’t understand why. 

  These are the times you take it and give it to God in prayer. Ask God for understanding what happened, strength and wisdom in dealing with it. And more importantly ask God for the strength in forgiving whatever the sin was.

  Now let us look and see what we gain when we can forgive those who have caused us hurt…

1. We have a piece of mind, a calmness of the spirit.
2. An ability to possibly heal a wounded heart.
3. Repair a broken relationship. 
4. And most importantly any blessings from God, by being able to forgive God can now forgive us.

  Now out all these #4 is the most important. I do not want to miss out on any blessings that God wants to send my way. I know this sounds a bit greedy, but these blessings will only come my way if I am doing God’s will in my life.

By Kevin R. Schultz

MEMORIES

9-22-2023

Genesis 2:18-24 (NKJV)

18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

  I just listened to my brothers’ Celebration of Life service and two things struck a cord with me. What struck me were two songs that were mentioned,  one was read and the other one was sung, they were Love the People God Gives You (read) and It Is Well (sung).

  The first song is talking about those people God puts in our lives. I remember the first time I saw Karen, well here comes Memory Lane.

  That night I went out to have a couple drinks, shoot some pool, and relax. When I was there shooting pool some girls (friends of Karen and her sister Marla) entered the bar bringing Karen with them, they talked Karen into coming out with them (telling her she needed to get out and relax).

  When our eyes met, both of us knew we would be spending the rest of our lives together. Now that night I couldn’t lose at pool, no matter what I did. I called some of the craziest combos that should not have worked, but did. All I wanted to do was sit down and get to know Karen better.

  In the meantime whenever I got up to take a shot Karen would move her chair closer to mine. I finally just gave up the table and sat down next to Karen and we talked. And as they say the rest is history.

  Now how does God enter into this? Well before I went out that night I had a conversation with God. Now how did I know it was God I was talking to? Simply, I was getting better answers than I could give myself. 

  All that day I was at home feeling sorry for myself thinking about how lonely I was, sure I had my friends but they had their minds on where the next drink was coming from or where the next party was. Or talking about sports which I liked to play but not watching on TV. In short there was not that special person among them. 

  Aah where was I? Oh yes I was sitting there having a pity party and I asked God  if I was ever going to have that special person in my life. I thought I heard a voice saying Genesis 2:18. Well not hearing anything else and being an inpatient person I decided to go out and relax and my future wife walks in the door. As I said earlier our eyes locked and we knew. I know some people do not believe in love at first sight but there she was. If this was not love at first sight then it had to be Jesus talking to both of us at the same time.

  So let us take a look at 

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (some versions say suitable)

  You see God knew who to put in my life and who to put in Karen’s. God also knew when to put us together. I needed someone who was level headed, and who could keep me grounded. Karen needed someone who was going to stick by her side no matter what. You see, two years after we got married Karen had a stroke. God blessed us both with this marriage for you. He knew I would not leave Karen’s side no matter what and Karen would be able to keep me from doing anything foolish. Because of this I know God has blessed this marriage. Also I married a wonderful Christian woman from whom the light of Jesus Christ shines brightly She also knew how to use a cane when needed.

Genesis 2:19-20 (NKJV)

19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 

  Now after Adam named all the animals he still had not found anyone suitable for a helpmate. So God created one. She would be a perfect mate because God created or picked her.

  In Genesis 2:21-22 we see that God creates both Eve and the institution of marriage.

Genesis 2:21-22 (NKJV)

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the 

  Here we see where God took one of Adam’s ribs (please note that God took the rib from Adam’s side) and created Eve with it, and brought her to Adam. This is the first marriage in recorded history. The Father (God) gives away the bride.

  In Genesis 2:23 we see the helpmate gets her name.

23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”

  Here Adam calls his helpmate Woman because she was made with his bones and flesh. Adam also gives her the name of Eve. (because she was the mother of all the living)

Genesis 3:20 (NKJV)

Also here is what commentator Matthew Henry says what Eve’s name means…

Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

life; living, the name given by Adam to his wife (Gen. 3:20; 4:1). The account of her creation is given in Gen. 2:21, 22. The Creator, by declaring that it was not good for man to be alone, and by creating for him a suitable companion, gave sanction to monogamy. The commentator Matthew Henry says: “This companion was taken from his side to signify that she was to be dear unto him as his own flesh. Not from his head, lest she should rule over him; nor from his feet, lest he should tyrannize over her; but from his side, to denote that species of equality which is to subsist in the marriage state.” And again, “That wife that is of God’s making by special grace, and of God’s bringing by special providence, is likely to prove a helpmeet to her husband.” Through the subtle temptation of the serpent she violated the commandment of God by taking of the forbidden fruit, which she gave also unto her husband (1 Tim. 2:13-15; 2 Cor. 11:3). When she gave birth to her first son, she said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord” (R.V., “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord,” Gen. 4:1). Thus she welcomed Cain, as some think, as if he had been the Promised One the “See d of the woman.”

  God has given different tasks to men and women in a marriage. The husband is supposed to be the leader of the household, this does not give him the right to act like a dictator and lord over his wife and kids if any. He should always treat his wife with loving kindness and put her second only to Jesus Christ. Now wives, you need to let your  husbands lead even if you think you know better (which sometimes you do, but I will never admit it). You have to realize that sometimes men need to learn some things the hard way. Husbands, you need to trust your wives, after all God put them in your lives to be your helpmate.

Genesis 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

  Here we see that God is saying that the husband and wife are to become as one within the marriage. Now the husband leaving his father and mother also holds true to the woman. The marriage consists of three…

1. Jesus Christ who is the head of the church.

Ephesians 5:23b; 5:25

2. The husband

Ephesians 5:23a; 5:25; 5:28-31 

3. The wife

Ephesians 5:22; 5:24

Now I have two questions to ask…

1. Husbands are you willing to give everything up for your wife including your life as Christ did for the church?
2. Wives, are you willing to let your husbands lead?

  Now this to the in-laws (both sides), are you willing to let the husband lead in the marriage? God could be sending them down a different path than you want.

  You can give advice but it would be up to the husband and wife to decide on it.

  Now if you follow these principles in a marriage, God’s principles, you will have a blessed marriage. You see, today 10-26-2023 is my wife and I 43rd anniversary. And 41 of those years were after she had her stroke. Wonderful things happen when you trust in Jesus Christ.