The Cliffs Notes

Posted on July 14, 2017 by glenn

When I was in high school I did not particularly enjoy reading.  Of course there were many books assigned for us to read and on which we were to write reports.  I can still remember several assignments such as The House of Seven Gables, the Scarlett Letter, Animal Farm, Where the Red Fern Grows, Jane Eyre, etc.

I would usually try to find the Cliffs Notes version of the book to avoid reading the entire book.  We would be asked to write a book report and that could usually be done from the abbreviated reading.  If given a test on the book, the wise teacher would choose questions that were not in the “notes” version.

That is funny, because now later in life I enjoy reading and spend much of my time reading and writing.  Though I enjoy reading from many sources, I spend a great deal of time reading the Bible.

Consider this thought.  Suppose you were asked to write a brief book report on the Bible.  I think I could do that.  In fact, if one wanted to really be brief, the Bible message could be summarized in one sentence.  The Bible’s message is the salvation of man by GOD through Christ as revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Christ was once faced with a similar summation request when He was asked to reduce the entire Law of Moses to one statement.  A lawyer asked Jesus to name the greatest command of the Old Law.  The Old Law contained a total of 613 laws.  There were 248 positive laws and 365 laws of a negative nature.  So asking Jesus to choose one of 613 was meant to be a challenge and was really an attempt to trap Him.  Matthew 22 contains other such attempts from the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  What was the greatest of all the commands according to Jesus?  His perfect answer was simply, the greatest law was to love GOD and love one’s neighbor.

Here we have the Old Testament summarized in one statement and at the heart of that statement is one idea.

Love.

Let’s carry the idea a step further.  Suppose you were asked to summarize the entire Bible in one word.  What if you were asked to summarize the entirety of Scripture with just one word?  What word would you choose?  Hint: Jesus’ answer above might be a good place to start.

Think about this. There are over 750,000 words in the Bible.  If one were to type 60 words a minute, it would take 217 hours to finish it.  Think of it this way, working 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, it would take almost a month of typing.  That is a lot of words.

So choose one word that would summarize the Bible.  Actually there is a verse that does this or at least summarizes the Old Law with one word.

Galatians 5:14 – For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love.

1 Corinthians 13 – And now abides faith, hope, love, but the greatest of these is love.

When listing the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, the first one mentioned is love.

1 John 4:8 – He who does not love does not know GOD, for GOD is love.

Love.

In some versions of the Bible the word love appears more than 500 times.  Even though 1st John is a relatively small book, the word love appears more times in this book than any other book of the New Testament (24 times).  The book having the second most occurrences of the word love is the gospel of John with 20 references.  John wrote much about love and this is why we often refer to him as the Apostle of love.

Love.

Webster defines love as an unselfish concern for the good of another.

If we wish to be acceptable to GOD, we must love.  I want to be acceptable to GOD.  How about you?

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Health Tips

Posted on July 8, 2017 by glenn

I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health.  3rd John, verse 2

John began his short letter to Gaius with a simple prayer for him to be in good health.

How we all wish for this.  It has been said that through stressful working years, some have ruined their health in search of riches only to find themselves later in life willing to spend all they have to recapture good health.

If you have your health, you should be very thankful.  As the commercial says, it is priceless.

An aged gentleman recently gave the following advice.  He said, “You might live a long life, or you might live a short one.  But either way, trust me when I say that you’re going to wish you took better care of yourself in your youth.”

Recently I enjoyed a conversation with a friend who is 84 years old and in failing health.  This older gentleman and his friends are still very involved in business and in the community.  They all range in age from 84 to 87.  They are all very active.  When he found out my age (presently 60) he called me a youngster! I don’t get called that very often.

In our conversation, he made what I thought was a profound observation.  He said, “Stay involved, stay active, stay connected to people.  I am going to give you a big word of advice: socialization.”  According to him, the second most important thing one can do is stay involved and stay connected with people.  His advice is backed up by research.  One of the preventative measures to take against Alzheimer’s disease is to remain socially active.  He said the alternative is to go home, sit on the front porch, and die.

The Scriptures extol the value in staying connected socially.  Luke 2:52 clearly identifies developing socially as one of the 4 primary areas of growth.  Here it is said of Jesus, He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with GOD and men.  The wise man Solomon gave similar advice in Proverbs 3:4 when he wrote, find favor and high esteem in the sight of GOD and man.

Since my older friend said this was the second most important thing one could do for good health, I naturally wondered what he considered the most important thing.  He told me later in the conversation and it also is exactly consistent with the medical field.

My friend said, “The number one thing or the most important health decision you make is what you put on your fork.”

A fascinating study of health and food is the Old Testament delineations of clean and unclean meats.  The 11th chapter of the book of Leviticus gives detailed instructions as to what meats were permissible to eat.  Only in our modern times do we fully appreciate the health value in those restrictions.  For example, the children of Israel were forbidden to eat swine, aka pork.  We now know of the parasites in pork that are potentially deadly if the meat is not cooked properly.  This was not an issue for the children of Israel during the Old Testament times, since the eating of that meat was forbidden.  We are no longer under the Law of Moses and according to Acts 10 those restrictions are no longer binding on us.  But we are now aware of the need to cook certain foods to an acceptable temperature.

The lesson is clear.  What we eat is important to our health.  And we are social creatures and would do well to remain socially active.

If you read my blogs, I count you a friend.  And as such, as John wished for his friend Gaius, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health.

 

 

 

 

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My Life According To

Posted on June 23, 2017 by glenn

I read an interesting paper once that described how television influences the way people see the world around them.  There is no denying the effect that the world’s most potent communications instrument has on the viewers. I have long railed against the image of the husband and father that is portrayed in most of the sitcoms.  This image is usually a weak, bumbling character that is ridiculed even by his children.

Social media today is carrying this false perception of life even further.  As we read and see pictures of others we get an impression that is often far from reality.  By looking at pictures and posts we form the impression that their lives are without troubles.  And we thus have unrealistic expectations in our own homes.

Rather than letting television or social media define my life maybe I should turn to the pages of scripture to research what GOD has to say about the matter.  Rather than “Life According to TV” let us consider “Life According the Scriptures.”

The Bible actually clearly divides this idea into 2 categories.  On the one hand, we see the unbeliever, the one living life according to the world’s standards.  Paul described this individual in Ephesians 2 as walking according to the course of this world, conducting [oneself] in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.  In general, this is living life according to the world’s definition of success and happiness.  We’ll refer to this as living life according to the world.

On the other hand, the faithful follower of Christ will be interested in patterning his life not according to the world (Romans 12:2) rather according to GOD’S word.  As an obedient believer, my desire for life is not to be found in lockstep with the world.  I want to walk in such a way that I will be pleasing to my Creator.  I find those instructions in His word.

The phrase “according to Your word” is found 22 times in the Bible.  Twelve of those 22 times are found in Psalm 119.  A look at those 12 references makes for a profitable study.  For example, the question is asked in Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man cleanse his way?  The ESV renders it “How can a young man keep his way pure?”  And the answer is, “By living according to Your word.”

Think of how life would be if lived according to this simple formula: To let GOD’S word determine our every step in life.

Yes, the Bible presents this as a choice between living “according to the course of this world” and living “according to Your word.”

Some questions for us to consider are:

  1. How do I live my life?  Do I live my life according to the word or am I being squeezed into the mold of the world?
  2. Can those around me tell the difference?
  3. What is the difference?

There are but 2 choices to define our lives:

According to the Word

Vs

According to the world

On paper, there is very little difference.  In fact, there is only one letter difference, the letter L.  But oh, the difference that letter L makes inserted into the word.

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Fatherhood in 5 Passages

Posted on June 18, 2017 by glenn

I am passionate about several subjects.  If you get me talking about them you might not be able to quiet me.  Some of these are: what constitutes being a man, the home and marriage, financial management, and parenting particularly as it relates to the fathers.  Now I am one that shares my opinion about things fairly freely however, there is not much interest in what I personally have to say about these matters.  But as in all things, we should be concerned with “What says the Scriptures?”

In honor of Father’s Day, let us consult the Bible as it relates to fatherhood.  After all, GOD chose to refer to Himself as “Our Father in heaven.” And thus in the pages of Scripture we find many lessons as we consider Him as the perfect example.

I would like to suggest a picture of a godly father could be formed by visiting 5 significant passages.  From each we can take away a single description of a worthy father.  A godly father will lead, leave, train, admonish and encourage.

Passage #1

For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. Gen 18:19

The father is given the spiritual responsibility to lead his family.  The Hebrew word for command is a very strong word.  It is the same word GOD used when He commanded Adam not to eat of the fruit.  The father is to lead his family not in some passive way.  Rather he is to be in charge of his family taking the responsibility to lead and command those in his household in those things of eternal consequence.  Note those things mentioned: to keep the way of the LORD and to do righteousness and justice.

Description #1 Lead the family

Passage #2

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.  John 4:20

Here we see the importance of a legacy for the family. Our fathers worshiped here implies this practice has been ongoing for generations. Inherent in this is passing the love of the truth from generation to generation.  The passage found in 2 Tim 2:2 actually lists 4 generations.  I know of families in which a godly man influenced his family for generations to come.

But here is the point.  In order to leave a legacy, one must create a legacy.  Really we all are leaving some type of legacy.  The question is what kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Description #2 Leave a legacy (to leave one you must create one!)

Passage #3

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

I have heard some say this is written to parents and I will agree there is truth in both parents being involved in the process.  But let’s be clear – the Greek word translated father is pater, which is the male.

Training and admonition of the Lord

Training comes from the Greek word Paideia.  This word means the whole training and education of children.  Included in this is the cultivation of the soul, especially by correcting mistakes and curbing passions.

The word admonition comes from the Greek word nouthesia and is referring to a mild rebuke or warning, necessarily a part of the training process.

Description #3 Train or educate the whole child

Passage #4

Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  Hebrews 12:9

Children need their fathers to be fathers, not friends.  Fathers have the responsibility of molding, correcting, etc.  And the result is respect.  And this respect will lead to the deepest of friendships.  But respect cannot be sacrificed for friendship.  Along the way, if given the choice between love and respect one must choose respect.  Always.  Because love will follow respect.  However, if love is chosen, neither love nor respect will result.

The word corrected in the Greek refers to a trainer, a teacher, a chastiser or discipliner.  Most of the time we associate discipline with punishment but do note the root of discipline is disciple, to follow.  The goal of chastising is to lead, to show the way.

Description #4  Admonish, correct, disciple

Passage #5

as you know how we exhorted, and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children     1 Thes 2:11

  1. Exhorted – Greek word parakaleo – encouraged, support, call to one’s side
  2. Comforted – Greek word paramytheomai – to encourage, to comfort
  3. Charged – Greek word martyreo – to be a witness

Description #5  Encourage, comfort, support

5 Traits of a Worthy Father

  1. Lead
  2. Leave
  3. Train
  4. Admonish
  5. Encourage

I am thankful to know many fathers striving for these 5 traits.

 

 

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Blood

Posted on June 12, 2017 by glenn

I am one of those people who gets queasy at the sight of blood.  I remember when my wife and I had our blood tests before we got married.  I sat down and made it through my procedure fine but when they started drawing her blood, I almost passed out.  It was embarrassing because I thought I was the big strong man.  The sight of her blood changed that quickly.

Leviticus 17:11 makes an interesting truth concerning blood by stating, Life is in the blood.  Until fairly recently the medical community didn’t acknowledge this.  Our nation’s first President, George Washington, likely died from being bled to death.  Suffering from possible pneumonia, he was bled a total of 4 times before he died in an attempt to cure him.

It was a common practice for centuries to treat illnesses by bleeding the patient to rid them of what was thought to be bad blood.  If the patient didn’t improve, maybe it was because they didn’t get out all the bad blood.  Maybe the patient should be bled some more.  One can see how this could lead to death or at the very least add to the health problems.

The study of blood is an interesting Bible topic.  The word blood is found 424 times in the NKJ.  It is found 19 times in the book of Hebrews.  Chapter 9 of Hebrews makes for a good study since 10 of the 19 times in that book are found in this one chapter.

With our modern medical advances, we now appreciate that physically speaking, there is life in the blood.  A study of the Scriptures will reveal there is life in the blood spiritually speaking as well.

GOD chose to make a connection between blood and cleansing.  In the garden we learn that sin brings death (Genesis 2:17).  After the fall of man, Adam and Eve, realizing their nakedness, covered themselves with fig leaves.  The text says GOD clothed them with skins from an animal (Genesis 3:21).  One of GOD’S creatures had to die to provide this skin.  So we see from the very first sin, a shedding of blood was required.

That there is a connection between blood and the forgiveness of sin is confirmed in Hebrews 9:22 as we read, without shedding of blood there is no remission.

The 5th chapter of Romans speaks of blood and sin.  We read that we are justified by His blood (v9) and we are reconciled to GOD through the death of His Son (v10).  It is clearly taught that our forgiveness is tied to the blood of Christ.

I’d like to suggest that just as there is a connection between the forgiveness of sin and the blood of Christ, there is also a connection between baptism and His blood.

Saul was told in Acts 22:16, Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.  Even though Saul was a penitent believer, he still had his sins.  The reason was because he had not yet come into contact with the blood of Christ.

The word baptize comes from the Greek word, baptizo.  The meaning of this word is to dip, to immerse, or to submerge.  Being immersed in water is a beautiful representation of being buried with Christ (Romans 6:4).  One comes into contact with the cleansing blood of Christ in the burial waters of baptism.

The English word baptize is not found in the Old Testament.  Yet when the New Testament opens we find John baptizing in the wilderness.  Even though the word is not found in the Old Testament, the idea of baptizing is not totally foreign to the Old Testament.

The Hebrew word, tabal, is a word with a very similar meaning to that of baptism.  The meaning of the word tabal is to dip, plunge or immerse.  This word is found 16 times in the Old Testament.  The first usage is found in Genesis 37:31.  In this passage Joseph’s brothers dipped his coat in the blood of the animal.  It is interesting that the first usage of this Old Testament equivalent of baptism is directly involved with blood.  In fact most of the usages of tabal involve blood.

I don’t think it is by coincidence that tabal, baptism, and blood are all linked.  They all play a role in the plan for man’s salvation.

The sight of blood might make me queasy but I am oh so thankful for it.  The blood of my Savior shed on the cross of Calvary many years ago cleanses me from the stain of sin.  It gives me hope in heaven.  Amen!

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G

Posted on June 3, 2017 by glenn

Today my Teresa and I celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.  What has happened in 40 years?  We’ve lived in 7 different homes, in 3 cities, received a total of 4 degrees from 3 institutions, been blessed with 2 sons, later 2 daughters-in-law and now 4 grandsons.  Life has been good.

When the grandkids came along it was decided to call us Pop and Granny.  But as time went on the first grandchild could say everyone’s name except his Granny.  One day at the spur of the moment I told him to call her “G”.  He immediately yelled “G!” and it stuck.  From that day forward we became known as Pop and G.

To the family, G stands for Granny, but today as we celebrate our 40th anniversary I could make the case that G stands for Grace.  She has been a gift of grace to me.  Whatever little or much that I am today I owe to the grace of GOD through the support of this loving wife.

In describing the virtuous wife of Proverbs 31, it is said of her that her husband is known in the gates.  Her husband was held in high esteem in no small part because of the role she played in his life.  I have been blessed with a lifetime of support from the one standing beside me, forever avoiding the limelight yet supporting, encouraging, and helping.  She has been my helper as described in Genesis 2:18.  One translation renders this verse, I will make a helper as his complement. 

Once after teaching a lesson from Proverbs 31, I was reviewing my handwritten notes.  When making the above point I wrote “she makes her husband a better man”.  Only in my haste of writing my notes, I had dotted the first e in the word better making the word bitter.  I thought it made an interesting truth.  Wives can make their husbands better or they can make them bitter.  I have been the recipient of the former for 40 years.

Grace is a marvelous study in the Bible.  Grace as it appears in the Greek New Testament appears as χάρις.  The English word is Charis.  The word means good will, loving-kindness, and favor.  Our word charity derives from Charis.  In the New Testament the word grace is found 156 times.

What is grace?

Grace is simply what I need but don’t deserve.  Spiritually speaking, without it I have no hope of salvation.  Grace is GOD offering me the opportunity to be saved, giving me something I need but don’t deserve.  Of course, I have to take that opportunity.  This gives us an understanding of Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are you saved through faith.”  Grace is GOD’S part, His making a way possible while I was still a sinner and not deserving (Romans 5:8), and faith is my part, accepting the terms He set forth.

In my life I have been the recipient of grace in so many ways.  Aside from the spiritual blessings, I can think of no other blessing any greater than that of a loyal and faithful mate for 40 years.  She has always been and continues to be what I need but don’t deserve.

Happy Anniversary G!

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The Crisis of Our Day

Posted on May 19, 2017 by glenn

Leadership is the great crisis of our day in the church.  Such an observation has been made by many.  The Bible relates many examples of leadership.  Consider Ezra.  In the closing events of the Old Testament when GOD’S people were returning to the city of Jerusalem to rebuild, Nehemiah was the leader of the efforts to rebuild the wall.  Ezra was more of a spiritual leader.

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.  Ezra 7:10

Notice the 3 phrases in the passage beginning with “to”; to seek, to do, and to teach.

Ezra is a wonderful example of a great leader.  A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

A leader is one who knows the way (to seek the law), goes the way (to do it), and shows the way (to teach).

First I must seek to know the way myself.  In that great passage wherein Moses encourages Israel to love the LORD GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and to teach them diligently to your children, it is oft overlooked that GOD commanded to teach self first (Deut 6:1).  One cannot show the way until he first knows the way.

Secondly, even knowing the way is not sufficient alone.  One must lead by doing.  Don’t tell me, show me.  It is a “do as I do” attitude that will prompt me to follow.  The folly of leading from behind is an oxymoron.  One has to be out front in order to lead.

Thirdly, a leader is one who knows the way, leads by example, and then finally passes those skills on.

Paul demonstrated these same leadership qualities.

Philippians 4:9 – The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the GOD of peace will be with you.

Paul says those things you learned from me, whether it is what you heard or what you saw me do, you follow my example.

And then in some of his last recorded words in 2 Timothy 2:2 – And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful me who will be able to teach others also.

This verse lays out the plan for the gospel to be passed from generation to generation.  Note there are 4 generations listed in the verse, Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others.

It is liken to a relay race where the participants pass the baton from one to another.  Each is careful not to drop the baton.  Where are you in this race?  Are you passing the baton to faithful men in the next generation?  Do you have it yourself?

Remember the lessons from Ezra and Paul.  The first thing is to have the truth yourself.  The next important thing is to demonstrate it in your actions.  And then, lest we drop the baton, commit these things to the next generation that they may teach others also.

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How Do You Explain GOD?

Posted on May 12, 2017 by glenn

How do you explain the fact GOD had no beginning?  Or explain His omniscience (all knowing) or His omnipotence (all powerful) or His omnipresence (everywhere present)?

The problem with trying to explain any of these is that we are trying to place GOD inside His creation, into our existence. Whether it is time or knowledge, we cannot use mortal terminology to explain an immortal GOD.  If GOD is placed into any of these realms or limited by any of these descriptions, HE no longer is GOD.  As GOD He must remain outside these descriptions.  He is not limited by nor bound by His creation.

The opening verse of the Bible gives us a very simple description of the beginning.  In it are the 5 manifestations of science.  Here we have Time, Force, Energy, Space, and Matter.  The Creator of these cannot be bound or explained by them.

GOD exists outside of these, separate and apart.   If HE does not then HE is not GOD.

Consider the concept of Time, “In the beginning”.   Time has no meaning to GOD.  2 Peter 3:8 says that one day is as a 1000 years to GOD and thus time has no meaning to Him.  One day is defined as a 24 hour period.  This comes from the fact it takes 24 hours for our earth to rotate on its axis. GOD defined a day as the evening and morning in the first chapter of Genesis.  Thus this time would have a different meaning if we lived on another planet.  To The Resident of heaven, earthly time has no meaning.

The idea of no beginning and no ending is hard to grasp.  The concept of infinity cannot be fully understood with a mortal mind.  It is impossible for us to understand that GOD had no beginning.  He is outside the confines of time.

A study of GOD’S Name introduced in Genesis 2:4, translated Yahweh or Jehovah, comes from the verb “to be” meaning the Eternally Existing One.

In Exodus 3:14, Moses asked GOD for His Name to which the LORD GOD said, “I AM THAT I AM.”

In John 8:58, Jesus makes this statement, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”  Don’t miss the tense of the verbs, was and am.

Each of the other ideas in Genesis 1:1 produce the same line of reasoning.

Consider Space, which is the heavens.  For us to confine GOD to space means we are trying to place Him in our sphere of knowledge or existence.  It is futile to limit GOD to a space that He created.

Consider matter being represented by the earth.  It is not possible for us to comprehend how GOD could speak and matter come into existence.  And then for us to confine GOD to the creation is futile.

Read Psalm 139

Verses 1-6 – the Omniscience of GOD – Such knowledge it too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

Verses 7-12 – The Omnipresence of GOD – Where can I go from Your Spirit?  The answer is there is nowhere I can go to escape GOD.

Verses 13-18 – The Omnipotence of GOD – Your eyes saw my substance when yet there were none of them.

 

It takes faith to believe in the things for which we can’t comprehend or explain.  In Hebrews 11:3 we read, “By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of GOD, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

It takes faith to believe in the Genesis account of creation.  But it takes far more faith to not believe in the Genesis account of creation.  To believe in any of the Big Bang accounts of how we came to be requires far more faith.  To believe that mortal, moral man descended (or ascended?) from single cell organisms over billions of years of evolution is too much for me to believe.   So I will choose to believe in the GOD of Creation that exists outside of any explanation for which I have.

I believe, yea I know, that we serve a GOD that is outside of the confines of space, matter and time.  I may not understand it all now but I believe there will come a time when I will.  HE IS.

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Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2017 by glenn

A number of years ago before our younger son graduated from the local university, his mother and I had an evening out that we laugh about to this day.  It was not unusual for us to go to the college campus in the late afternoon to ride our bikes.  On this particular day we ended our ride on the part of the campus known as the strip.  This is where all the coffee and ice cream shops are located.  And we’ll just say it is also the location of other establishments.

On this day we were enjoying our coffee but noticing how wild the establishment across the street seemed to be.  The rooftop lounge was standing room only.  The dress of many of the girls was what I would call provocative.  The guys were loud and rambunctious.  With the spirits of an earthly nature, they all seemed to be living it up.

My wife made the comment that she couldn’t believe that was the environment in which our younger son lived each day.  That prompted her to call him just to check in with him.  When she began describing the scene and where we were, the conversation turned.  We were scolded to no end.

I remember it was like the parent child relationship had reversed.  “What are ya’ll doing on the strip today?  This is Cinco de Mayo!”  Yes, I failed to mention or even realize that it was May 5.  I really don’t think that made much difference.  I figure it was pretty much that way any other day.  But let’s just say there was a lot of partying going on that day.  I remember him saying that was no place for us to be and for us to get out of there.

As I remember this Cinco de Mayo story and think of all those young college kids, I am also reminded of a truthful statement I saw recently.  If you hang out with the wrong people, in the wrong places, sooner or later you will do the wrong thing.

Influence.  We all have it and we are all subject to it.  Influence can be good or bad.  The people with whom we surround ourselves will have an impact on our behavior.  Hanging out with the wrong people in the wrong places will rarely influence us to do good.

Scripture has many examples of this truth.  Consider the following.

Mark 6 contains the account of King Herod beheading John the Baptist.  It came about because of a rash vow the king made.  The king was exceedingly sorry yet he carried out the execution.  And the Scriptures state it was because of those who sat with him (verse 26).  Note, his behavior was driven by the influence of those around him even to the point of going against his own wishes.

Amnon and Jonadab’s friendship in 2 Samuel 13 describes the sordid story of Amnon’s rape of his half-sister Tamar.  This action was suggested and even encouraged by his friend Jonadab.  Some friend?!  We should choose our friends carefully because they have an influence on our thinking and actions.

1 Corinthians 15:33 is one of four verses in the Bible in which we are cautioned “Do not be deceived.”

What is it that we are at risk of being deceived in this verse?  We deceive ourselves to think that bad behavior in our associations doesn’t have an effect on us.  The rest of the verse in the following translations reads:

NKJ – Evil company corrupts good habits.

ESV – Bad company ruins good morals.

NEB – Bad company is the ruin of good character.

The Bible agrees that if you hang out with the wrong people in the wrong places it will have a negative impact on your behavior.   But I also think that if you hang out with the right people, in the right places, sooner or later you will do the right thing.  Surround yourself with good friends.

The older I get, the more selective I am of my friends.  I would rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.  I’ll leave you to think about that and simply ask GOD to surround me with quarters.

 

 

 

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Grow up

Posted on April 28, 2017 by glenn

I love the spring time.  It is a time of renewal, a time of growth.  I remember as a young man growing up on the farm, it was a time to plant.  By this time we would be putting fertilizer on the plants.  This was a way of feeding them to make them grow.  Even now as I sit in my study looking out over the backyard I can see strips in my backyard where I fertilized the lawn earlier this spring and obviously missed some areas.  The areas that were fed are dark and growing much better than the areas I missed.

Recently in our bible class we had a discussion about Ephesians 4:15.  “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.”  Funny thing that in all my years of study I never really paid much attention to the “up”.  We are all growing older just by being alive and celebrating another birthday, but unfortunately we are not all growing up.

The Greek word translated is auxano which means to cause to grow or increase.  That’s the same idea as putting fertilizer on my garden.  GOD expects His children to grow up, to mature in the faith.  The previous verse in Ephesians makes this very clear.

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.  Ephesians 4:14

We are to grow up and no longer be so gullible to error and false doctrine.

Colossians 2:7 describes this growth process as, “rooted, and built up in Him and established in the faith”.

There is an interesting verse in 2 Kings 19:30 which reads, “And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall take root downward and bear fruit upward.”

This describes the two fold growth of a Christian.  GOD expects us to produce fruit.  But before we can do that we must personally grow downward.  The Colossians passage says, rooted. Think about the seed planted in a cup.  When it first pops above the soil it has already grown roots deep into the soil.  We must grow a firm foundation downward.

To return to our Ephesian passage the next verse tells us what will happen if we are growing.  Very simply, we will be producing fruit.  It says the whole body [is] joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.  The church is pictured as a body with every member a joint.  The term, joined, is a construction term.  We are all fitted together and we all should be supplying our share for the body to grow.

This begs the question.  What am I supplying?

Areas wherein we need to grow in order that we may grow up:

Our prayer life – On a scale of 1 to 10, how would I rank my prayer life considering frequency and intimacy?

Our knowledge of the Word – Am I a serious student of GOD’S word?

Our convictions – How strong is my faith?  Is it strong enough to carry me through hard times?

Our motivation – Exactly why am I a Christian?  Why do I attend the services of the local church?

Our love – Jesus said by this [love] will all men know that you are My disciples.  (John 13:35)  So do I exhibit this love?

As I write this I am reminded that I need to grow up.  Lord help me to that end.

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