Bible

Don't Be a Hindered Husband

eric — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:55:01 -0500

Men, notice the last portion of this verse (emphasis mine).

"Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." — 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV)

There are two reasons for this: 1) For her good and the good of your relationship, 2) so your spiritual growth isn't hindered.

Teach Me Your Ways, O Lord

eric — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:41:15 -0500

Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV)
⁴ Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

4,000 Years of Communication with the Heavenly Father

eric — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:57:43 -0500

I was thinking about adoption this morning. How, as Christians, those who acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that we have been adopted by the Heavenly Father; that is, God.

The Bible spans approximately 4,000 years of human history and God's interaction with mankind. We have a written account of God's character which remains consistent from one book to another while being written from the perspective of 40 people that penned 66 books that make up the Bible as we have it today.

"⁴ But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵ to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶ Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba,[a] Father." ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." — Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)

We have a Heavenly Father that has adopted us as sons and daughters through the final payment for our sins through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. We have a God that has taken the time, over thousands of years, to get through to mankind; to tell us that He wants a relationship with us.

Don't you think that a God pursuing you and making every effort to get through to you is worth responding to?

Please don't spend all your time waiting for God to "call your phone", so to speak. He already has. He's just waiting for you to respond.

If you just need to respond more often, read your Bible, pray and get involved in a local Bible-studying church.

Just respond.

Don't Stare at Your Meal. Eat it!

eric — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:36:10 -0500

My son has a sweet tooth. Okay, he has a full set of Sweet Teeth. I warmed up the remainder of the baked cinnamon and cream cheese bread breakfast dish my wife makes that we love to eat. My son had eaten his portion, but my daughter, our middle one, hadn't eaten all of her's and said she was finished. My son knew this was a great time to offer to take care of that for her.

Jokingly, I said, "You can't eat that. You just have to sit there and look at it." He smiled, knowing I was kidding him and fixed his eyes on that bowl. It was his sole focus. Of course, I told him to go ahead and he gladly finished it off.

After seeing him staring at that bowl of food, it hit me. How often does give us spiritual food that we just stare at instead of eat? How often do we go to church events, pray for things, hang out with other brothers and sisters in Christ, but we never eat? We never read our Bibles and we aren't consistently applying it to everyday life. We just sit there and stare at the food in the bowl thinking that should tide us over for the week until we can come back and stare at another meal.

A body that doesn't eat doesn't grow, but wastes away. Make sure you eat well this week.

1 Peter 2:2-3
² "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."

The Call to Proper Accountability; Not the Lack of It.

eric — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:26:13 -0500

It has always bugged me that the verse in Matthew 7:1 is often misquoted by people. Here's what it says: ¹“Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Then they conveniently ignore or purposefully leave out the context of verse one by leaving out verses 2-5 as they provide more insight and practicality:

²"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³ "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

(Note: Now verses three through five balance it by touching on the hypocritical that prefer to constantly point out the mistakes of others, but what was on my mind pertains primarily to verses one through two.)

If you leave it at verse one, like most people prefer to do for their own "moral" protection, then they think they can silence you on your Biblical-based stance on an issue. They see this as a call to avoid accountability, which can be viewed as such if you leave out the other four verses.

Consistently Linked

This may sound silly, but most people can't fold down one finger on their hand without it also pulling another finger with it. Even if it is slight, they are linked together and affect one another. Go ahead and try it.

The same can be said of the Bible. You can't go around spouting one verse without "pulling" other verses with it that support what is being said (or disprove it if you're distorting it).

I once had a business owner quote Matthew 7:1 to me when I questioned their unethical business practices while using God to get business. They were indignant at the thought of anyone questioning the inconsistency in what they claimed with what they actually did.

It's Good For Us

Sadly, a lot of Christians don't want accountability because that means they would have to admit they aren't making the best choices and living their life inline with what Christ wants of us. They will pull out Matthew 7:1 to try and get people to turn a blind eye or they'll "judge" them too. This isn't at all helpful to growth in our relationship with Christ as they're taking it at putting an entirely negative slant on it.

You see, Jesus Christ's words in Matthew 7:1 are not a call to live a life without accountability. Quite the contrary, His words here are the beginning of the call to live a life of consistent accountability to one another. Verse two plainly says that the way we make judgements is the same way others will judge us and this is a good thing.

I'm to make sure I am representing Christ well in all I do; in judgements and decisions I make and how I treat people. If I hold you to Christ's standard of right and wrong, you better believe that I expect you to fully hold me to that exact same standard. This keeps me accountable and that's what I need to become more like Christ.

Don't Forget Your Spiritual Breakfast

eric — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:52:50 -0600

I gave the "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" speech to our oldest children this morning when they wanted to pick at their breakfast instead of eat it. (It's frosted mini shredded wheat. What's not to like?)

My proud speech: "Do you know what the most important meal of the day is? Breakfast. You need it to get you going in the morning and help you make it through the day. It will give you energy to run, play, and think. It is very important."

My wife and I got the kids ready and I dropped them off for school as is our priority most mornings. I knew I needed to read my Bible this morning and spend some time with God. In that still quiet voice that he used with Elijah on the mountain, He kept reminding me: "Spend some time with me."

I kept putting that time off for getting some small things done and knew I needed to stop and talk with Him this morning. I stopped what I was doing, and started to read from Nehemiah 1 and how he was in a constant conversation with God through out his day.

Then God used my Breakfast Speech against me:
"Do you know what the most important spiritual meal of the day is? Breakfast. You need time with me to get you going this morning and to help you make it through the day. I will give energy to run, to play and to think about things like you should."

It was an awesome reminder to make time for God, this morning. Now that I've started my spiritual breakfast I need to carry that over with other spiritual meals throughout the day. If I typically eat three physical meals a day and sometimes snack, it doesn't take that much more to do so spiritually, either.

So, don't forget to eat your Spiritual Breakfast and Spiritual Meals today.

It doesn't take much time and your day will have more energy and strength to make it through your day, everyday.

A Time to Laugh and a Time to Shut Up

eric — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:59:47 -0600

We had some good discussion going on last night at the Disciplines of a Godly Man study about Taming the Tongue. One of the things that came to mind towards the end (but I didn't have time to share) was this:

As men, we like to laugh and cut up and have a good time. However, we must be careful not to overdue it and I think guys are notorious for this (myself included).

As men, we shouldn't be a chucklehead. The dictionary defines a 'chucklehead' as a stupid person, but I tend to view it as a person that has to continually be joking and trying to be funny. There's a time to laugh and have fun, but there's also a time to be serious.

Solomon said it best:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: ¹ For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
² a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³ a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
⁵ a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
⁷ a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
⁸ a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Now, notice verses 3, 4 and 7:
³ a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
⁷ a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
(Emphasis mine)

I like to laugh and cut up like the next guy, but I'm working hard to make sure I'm not overdoing it on the joking side. There are times when someone needs to be built up where a joke isn't appropriate for their needs. There's also a time when someone just needs you to sit silently with them.

Basically, it isn't always about us. We're not supposed to be the center of attention at all times. We're to put the needs of others first and, while they may need a laugh some times, it isn't all they ever need from us.

Jesus Created Eyeballs

eric — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:21:10 -0500

Dr. Tim LaHaye (yes, the Left Behind author) was preaching at Southcrest this morning and tonight.

Dr. Tim LaHaye's comments about the blind man blew me away, this morning. I always wondered why Jesus made mud and rubbed it on the blind man's eyes. Dr. LaHaye said, when he traveled to India, there were a lot of people that simply had no eyeballs at all.

It occurred to him that it was likely that Jesus made this blind man see by CREATING eyeballs for him. This explains this rare instance whereas others were healed by Christ speaking to them. Dr. LaHaye then went on to point out the very thing I was thinking: these eyeballs were created from the same substance that Adam and Eve were created; the dust of the earth.

This also points to Jesus Christ being God's son and brings to mind a passage found in John 5:19 (which is typically titled "The Authority of the Son):

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

I just found this to be incredible to think about. Jesus created eyeballs.

Fathoming God: He Rejoices Over Me

eric — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:11:08 -0500

God rejoicing over me with gladness in His heart and quieting me with His love, despite who I am and no matter how down or frustrated I may be, is a powerful reminder for me and difficult for me to fully comprehend.

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

Jesus on What Hell is Like

eric — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:19:36 -0500

Studying Jesus' words on hell and the parable of The Rich Man & Lazarus (the begger) has always been very telling about what hell is like. I've always found this parable to be fascinating especially as God showed me, over time, new things about this parable I hadn't noticed before.

Luke 16:19-31: ¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Here's what we learn about hell from Jesus:

The rich man was alone
The rich man was in a flame or fire
The rich man knew his wrongs and that he deserved what he received
The rich man could not change his situation or any one else's.
The rich man could see what he could not have.

1) Ultimate Loneliness

There are some that say they're going to party with their friends in hell, etc. but Jesus points out that they will be utterly alone. The rich man was completely separated from God and all the good things associated with Him and His character. Everyone has experienced various degrees of loneliness, but this is the ultimate loneliness; no God, no person, just you and the knowledge of what you should have done in life.

2) Eternal Flame

It does not say that the rich man was burning up and then his pain was over, but that he was in an eternal flame. This flame does not run out of fuel. In Matthew 25:41 Jesus refers to this eternal flame: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” See Matthew 25:31-46 for complete context (notice who it was originally prepared for).

3) Awareness of Previous Life & Actions

The rich man knew Lazarus by name. This indicates that while he lived his life of extravagant luxury and self-absorbtion, he was well aware of Lazarus' plight. Yet, he chose to do nothing about it. For us, James 4:17 clearly states: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins.” The rich man knew his wrongs and that he deserved what he received. He had no excuse. He did not speak of his or Lazarus' previous life as he knew they both received what they deserved.

4) No Control

The rich man had absolutely no control over his situation in eternity. He could not dictate or request that someone go tell his family how to avoid the doom that awaited them if they didn't change their ways as he failed to do. He knew their fate was the same as his unless they repented. How tragic to know what will happen and not be able to do anything about it, especially towards family members and friends. (However, those of us that know Christ can do things today.)

5) Seeing What He Could Not Have

The part about the rich man seeing what he could not have sounds gut-wrenching. He could see even from far off, what Lazarus was enjoying. It seems torturous to be able to constantly see what you could not reach and know you never could.

Final Thoughts

It is worth noting that the Jews in Jesus' time put a lot of stock in Abraham being their father. If they were going to claim Abraham as their father, Jesus was going to point out Abraham's condemnation of their behavior. (It is worth nothing that Christ told this parable after addressing the Pharisees and their love of money. This context is important to remember.)

Some people might have problems with Jesus relaying Abraham speaking only of the rich man having good things in his lifetime and Lazarus having suffering. We do not have record of what Lazarus' life was like outside of his suffering, but the Bible clearly communicates that those without Christ and continuing to live a life of sin will not enter Heaven. All we have recorded is that Jesus spoke of the selfish self-indulgent lifestyle of the rich man. He doesn't touch on Lazarus' spiritual condition as the crux of the story was to point out the Pharisees' love of material things as well as their favoritism towards the wealthy. They were well-known for neglecting the needs of the poor, the orphans and widows.

I do not believe Jesus' words are an admission of opposites in the afterlife. Meaning, if you had good things in life, you'll have bad things in the afterlife and vice versa. Jesus, was merely pointing out that the rich man received what he wanted in life. His life's ambitions was for the “here and now” and the rich man's answer was based on what he was most interested in. If you base your life on material possessions and living it up now with no regard for Christ's work and what He requires, you will have missed the boat and there is nothing else to gain, afterwards.

I know some will say, “Well, that's just a story he told.” If you look at Jesus life as recorded in Scripture, everything he says is to address an issue of importance. Since He is also the Son of God, I'd think he'd also have a better understanding of the afterlife than we obviously do.

We are commanded to share the Good News about Him, but there is personal responsibility for everyone to accept or reject Christ. If having Christ save us and guide us through this life isn't worth sharing, shouldn't steering others away from hell be worth it?

Reminder

For those that have not accepted Jesus Christ's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, what do you have to lose and what do you stand to gain, in regard to eternity?

Resources

If you want to read more about the existance of hell, I suggest reading this article from Hank Hanegraaf at the Christian Research Institute.

I also recommend reading some of the articles listed at the top of BibleGateway's topical page on Hell:

Will Non-Christians go to Hell? - Nobody really believes that, right?
What About People Who Never Hear of Christ? - Will they suffer in hell?
I Wish I Didn't Have to Believe in Hell - Why we can't just ignore hell.
What if there's a Hell? - Could hell actually exist?