“Hear, for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.” (Proverbs 8:6, 7).
When I was a child, my mom told my siblings and me: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” I’m sure all of us heard this admonition at one time or another. As men, we’d probably get in less trouble if we heeded this advice. It is so easy to speak without thinking and allow our tongue to spew deadly poison. Our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and all too often, we use our tongues to wound, kill and destroy. However, if we truly desire to become godly men, we must allow the Holy Spirit to have control over this beast that no man can tame. (James 3:8).
Solomon has set the standard for our manner of conversation. We are to speak: 1) excellent things 2) right things 3) truth. Our speech is to be seasoned with salt. (Colossians 4:6), and we must be prepared to speak a good word in season (II Timothy 4:2). Solomon got to the point where wickedness was an abomination to his lips. If we are to be godly men, we must come to the same place in our lives. We must speak the things that God would have us to speak. We are obligated to use our words and tongue to bring about healing, restoration, reconciliation, exhortation and edification. When we do issue a harsh word, it should be spoken in love with the intent of bringing that person to repentance.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Sexual Continuum
“Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.” (Proverbs 6: 25, 25).
Adultery begins when we lust for another woman in our heart. Adultery is not merely the act itself, because before the deed is committed, it has first been fantasized about, premeditated and lusted after. There is a sexual continuum that occurs once the temptation is presented. James 1:14, 15 expounds: “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when is finished bringeth forth death.” Many men attempt to blame their wives for their infidelities by claiming that their intimate needs were not met; however, the Word makes it clear that men are drawn away by their own lust. The underlying problem is often that we have unrealistic expectations of our spouses. No woman can meet every need and desire in a man’s heart; only Jesus can satisfy every longing of our heart. When we lose intimacy with Him, we place an undue stress on our wives. Dr. Neil T. Anderson said: “All sinful behavior [including adultery] is a wrong attempt at meeting basic needs. The essence of sin is man living independently of God, who has said that He will meet all our needs as we live out life in Christ.” Be wary, men of God, because it is easy to compromise our sexual purity. Remember that the vow we made to our wives is a life-time commitment to love, honor and cherish them for as long as we both shall live. When the adulteress tempts us, may we recognize that to give in means that we have broken our vow before God and men. This temptation has the potential to destroy our family. If we love our wives as we love ourselves, we will do all we can to protect them, love them and honor them.
Adultery begins when we lust for another woman in our heart. Adultery is not merely the act itself, because before the deed is committed, it has first been fantasized about, premeditated and lusted after. There is a sexual continuum that occurs once the temptation is presented. James 1:14, 15 expounds: “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when is finished bringeth forth death.” Many men attempt to blame their wives for their infidelities by claiming that their intimate needs were not met; however, the Word makes it clear that men are drawn away by their own lust. The underlying problem is often that we have unrealistic expectations of our spouses. No woman can meet every need and desire in a man’s heart; only Jesus can satisfy every longing of our heart. When we lose intimacy with Him, we place an undue stress on our wives. Dr. Neil T. Anderson said: “All sinful behavior [including adultery] is a wrong attempt at meeting basic needs. The essence of sin is man living independently of God, who has said that He will meet all our needs as we live out life in Christ.” Be wary, men of God, because it is easy to compromise our sexual purity. Remember that the vow we made to our wives is a life-time commitment to love, honor and cherish them for as long as we both shall live. When the adulteress tempts us, may we recognize that to give in means that we have broken our vow before God and men. This temptation has the potential to destroy our family. If we love our wives as we love ourselves, we will do all we can to protect them, love them and honor them.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Jesus Meets Our Every Need
“Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.” (Proverbs 8: 18, 19).
Everything we need can be found in our relationship with Jesus. He alone has the ability to meet our heart’s desires. He is the Bread of Life that nourishes our soul, and He is the Living Water that quenches our deepest longings. In Him is all wisdom, knowledge and truth. He owns all of creation: “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” (Proverbs 50: 10-12). Valuable riches, honor and righteousness are His to bestow as He pleases. If we are without financially, He is able to meet our need. If we lack spiritually, He can open up His storehouses and bless us beyond measure. When we eat from His tree of holiness and purity, His fruit will fill the hunger of our hearts. Paul tells us to be “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11). The fruit that He gives us to eat is reproducible. What he sows in our hearts will begin to produce fruit of similar kind. Nevertheless, we must continue to go to Him to have the storehouse of our soul filled. If we do not use the fruit He gives or if we horde what He offers us instead of sharing it with others, the fruit will spoil and rot. May we never reach the point where we stop allowing Jesus to fulfill our needs.
Everything we need can be found in our relationship with Jesus. He alone has the ability to meet our heart’s desires. He is the Bread of Life that nourishes our soul, and He is the Living Water that quenches our deepest longings. In Him is all wisdom, knowledge and truth. He owns all of creation: “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” (Proverbs 50: 10-12). Valuable riches, honor and righteousness are His to bestow as He pleases. If we are without financially, He is able to meet our need. If we lack spiritually, He can open up His storehouses and bless us beyond measure. When we eat from His tree of holiness and purity, His fruit will fill the hunger of our hearts. Paul tells us to be “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11). The fruit that He gives us to eat is reproducible. What he sows in our hearts will begin to produce fruit of similar kind. Nevertheless, we must continue to go to Him to have the storehouse of our soul filled. If we do not use the fruit He gives or if we horde what He offers us instead of sharing it with others, the fruit will spoil and rot. May we never reach the point where we stop allowing Jesus to fulfill our needs.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Fear of the Lord and Long Life
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days.” (Proverbs 10:27a).
King Hezekiah is one of the best examples in the Bible of how the fear of the Lord prolongeth days. (Isaiah 38; II Kings 20). After King Hezekiah was told by the prophet Isaiah that he would soon die, he “turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus sayeth the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years…And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.” (Isaiah 38: 2-5, 7, 8). Hezekiah’s fear of the Lord caused him to walk before God with a perfect heart and to humbly petition God to remember his faithfulness. God sent word through Isaiah and also confirmed that He had heard Hezekiah’s prayer and seen his tears by a supernatural miracle. “For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.” (Proverbs 9:11). Fear of the Lord will constrain us so that we can live to the fullest the number of days the Lord has allotted us. (Psalms 39:4).
King Hezekiah is one of the best examples in the Bible of how the fear of the Lord prolongeth days. (Isaiah 38; II Kings 20). After King Hezekiah was told by the prophet Isaiah that he would soon die, he “turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus sayeth the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years…And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.” (Isaiah 38: 2-5, 7, 8). Hezekiah’s fear of the Lord caused him to walk before God with a perfect heart and to humbly petition God to remember his faithfulness. God sent word through Isaiah and also confirmed that He had heard Hezekiah’s prayer and seen his tears by a supernatural miracle. “For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.” (Proverbs 9:11). Fear of the Lord will constrain us so that we can live to the fullest the number of days the Lord has allotted us. (Psalms 39:4).
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