MAN: Not many pure hearts in that group!

"The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain."

Deuteronomy 1:6

As the end of the last century approached, I was reminded of something D. L. Moody said at the end of the previous,

“I believe … four-fifths of the church is wandering around in the wilderness, far away from the cross of Calvary and the Promised Land.” Moody was commenting on the lives and character of Caleb and Joshua. Specifically he said, “… these two men … looked up yonder.” [Bible Characters: “Caleb”; Thos. W. Jackson Publishing Co., Chicago; 1902, pp.34-36]

George W. Truett added, their report was a “full-of-grace” report. [“Jewels From Past Giants.” Pulpit Helps, January 1995, 6-7]

When I think of men of the bible, I do what others do (right after I think of Jesus): I think of Paul, David, Moses, etc. But when I take serious inventory of biblical men, four stand out: Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, and Stephen.

One reason I admire them [the same reason Moody gave] is, there’s nothing special about them. Basically, they were men like other men, who simply stood out; but they were additionally “can do” men. It seems our world lacks men of this caliber today.

Just a few years ago, the world fantasized at the character of Mel Gibson in Brave Heart; but the fact remains, his history was written by men and embellished by men. Men of Pure Heart, like Caleb and Joshua, are men of all heart; their stories written by the hand of God, through a man of God.

Look around today. Look at the devastation brought on by supposed men-of-conviction, who are not men-of-resolve. Look at the horrible decisions made in this world as the result of men who fear popular opinion.

Luther fanned the flames of revolution when he pointed the way to reformation; he swam against a huge tide of popular opinion. Our own American revolutionaries sacrificed virtually everything to secure this land for us. And what of Jesus? What did He secure for the Church? Political correctness?

Praise God some Christian men are recognize a higher standard of manhood than that foists upon us by our culture! Consider: In 1960 only 5% of American children went to bed without a father in the house; today the number exceeds 25%.

Recently a woman discovered she couldn’t obtain enough “Mother’s Day” cards to give to male inmates in her state’s prison system; on the other hand, she couldn’t give away the “Father’s Day” cards.

In a study of 11,000 crimes, no link was found between the crimes and poverty or race; a link was found, however, between the crimes and “father-absent households.”

And men continue to get women pregnant and remain strangely silent as they continue to abort their babies in record numbers.

Men who fearlessly face the bogeymen of life are invaluable to their nations, their neighbors, their families, and their churches.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Mankind, Religion

HYPOCRISY: Parenting, the greatest example!

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The “greatest commandment” means, quite simply, we must put the love of God first; not in word only, but, as James says, as “an effectual doer”!

A few years ago, in a study of apostasy among adult children of the faithful, the primary cause given for leaving the faith of their parents was hypocrisy among family and church members. [“Parents teach by example in matters of faith,” New York (AP); reported in Lake County Record-Bee, Friday, May 14, 1993, p. A8, in “Religious News.”]

The predominant perception of these adult children was that the lives of those who should have most reflected the teachings of Jesus, did not!

If our lives reflect a biblical faith and a child-like trust in God, our children will want what we have; they learn from us that life is only meaningful and only complete if Christ is the head of our homes.

Christianity, Hypocrisy,
Illustrations, Religion

MARRIAGE: What We Should Have The Courage To Say!

"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together."

Deuteronomy 22:10

With Christmas as one of the most popular times during the year for weddings, we offer the following marriage ceremony between a Christian and a non-Christian for your convenience.

Dear Friends, we are gathered here today to witness a disaster in the making. For reasons none of us can understand, Martha here has decided she wants to be married to Chester.

Martha – church-goer, hymn-singer, happy, raised right – is throwing it all away in order to marry Chet here, a smug, ungodly rascal who gets with his buddies and makes jokes about Christians. Why Chester and Martha want to lock themselves into marriage is beyond me.

You two will be unequally yoked. In Deuteronomy 22:10 God tells farmers not to do that. An ox and a donkey or a mule and a cow are different animals. They can’t work together. Over in the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 6:14, God tells brides and grooms not to make the same mistake; for Christians not to marry unbelievers.

Now, the reason He addresses this to you, Martha, is because, as a believer, He sort of assumes that you will obey Him. He knows that Chester here doesn’t pretend to do so. But if you choose not to, you shouldn’t bother to call yourself a Christian.

The Lord Jesus once asked some people, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ and not do what I say?” He does not address this command to Chester here, because since you are an unbeliever, it wouldn’t do any good anyway. You’re not obeying anything else He says. Why would you obey this?

So, what am I doing here performing your wedding? I’ve asked myself that twenty-eight times in the last two weeks. Probably because Martha’s folks are leaders in our church, and I thought it would anger them if I declined. And some people think, maybe we can reach Chester this way.

Frankly, I’m not too sure disobeying the clear teaching of Scripture is a good way of reaching anybody for the Lord.

Well, let us get on with it. In a few minutes Cherry Dunn will sing the song you have selected for this special day: Torn Between Two Lovers and the theme for Titanic. Then I’ll say some religious words over you as we all pretend that somehow God is blessing what He has forbidden. You will exchange rings and vows and saliva, and leave here seeking the lowest common denominator in your values, your beliefs, and your convictions.

If this marriage works out, it may be the biggest disaster of all, because other Christian-pagan lovebirds will point to you as role models. It’s a frightening thought.

So you will understand if I pray for the success of your marriage, while I pull for it to be awful enough to warn away future travelers down this embattled road.

[Joe N. McKeever, “Disaster in the Making,” SBC LIFE, December 1999, p.6]

So let us pray … and pray … and pray … .

The article above is a parody of a pastor’s comments to a supposedly born-again Christian bride and her unabashed, non-believing fiancée, whom he will shortly join in holy matrimony. Since it says what most of us feel, it is provided in its entirety, just as it appeared in the publication below.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Marriage, Religion, Unequal yoke

DEVOTION - What our sinful carnal nature abhors!

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE! Romans 12:1; other topics - Behavior (as in carnal), Commitment, Knowledge (of God)]

We’ve all seen those late night commercials which say: “BUY NOW … ONLY $19.95 … LIFETIME GUARANTEE, NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!”

According to survey results from the Barna Group, and others, many in the church think the gospel is like that … “NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!” They fail to grasp these two eternal truths: (1) the Father created us so, as the potter owns the pot, He owns us; (2) the Son gave His life as ransom for our redemption while we were yet sinners, He deserves our devotion and surrender.

Commitment or devotion to another comes through in-depth knowledge of that other. Many who go by the name of Christ know little if anything of the Lord they claim to serve. How then, one must ask, can they behave in any other way than as they do?

TAGS: Apostasy, Barna, Christ, Christian, Commitment, Devotion,
Discipleship, Gospel, Lordship, Sanctification

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM! [Deuteronomy 6:4-7; other topics - Love, Spiritual gifts]

A few years ago a man gave his wife a new Cadillac Catera for her birthday. For weeks she babied and pampered that car; washing and waxing it every couple of days … cleaning it inside and out, everyday … the windows looked like crystal … she sprayed it with “new car” fragrance to keep it smelling new.

So, what’s the problem?

Well, the one who gave it to her is feeling neglected; after all, it was out of love that she received the gift.

Are we so intent on the gifts of God that we’re neglecting the Giver of Gifts?

TAGS: Christ, Christian, Committment, Devotion, Discipleship, Holy Spirit

God (Love of)

CREATED OR CREATOR! [Deuteronomy 6:5; other topics - Addiction, Devotion, Temptation]

I love chocolate … if I have one piece, it’s not enough. If there’s any laying around, I’ll eat more … in fact I will often eat the addictive stuff until it’s all gone. That’s why we don’t have chocolate around our house.

We don’t allow anything into our home which tempts any member with something they can’t handle. That’s one reason my family looks forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas … that’s when we bend the rules for them (they hide it … but I always find it).

I was commenting on this to our adult Sunday School class when it suddenly occurred to me just how fond I am of chocolate. Wow! What a revelation! I really love the stuff!

The beauty of this revelation wasn’t so much the conviction I should be under (which I am) but rather the realization of just how much I truly love my Father in heaven.

For some reason (which I cannot explain) I had not, in twenty years, had a decent measure by which to judge my love of God (or my wife or kids, for that matter). This was it! An abrupt intellectual and emotional comprehension of the depth of my affection for a created thing caused me to compare one passion with another, which I also knew was very deep … my love of the Creator (yes, wife and kids, too)!

You’ll be glad to know (I certainly was), God beats chocolate by an enormous amount. Every believer should have such an epiphany … perhaps it will be for others.