Everything God made is good. Food is good, but to a glutton it can be a control factor. If a desire for food is out of God’s control and replaced with lust for food, the lust takes control. This can ultimately lead to an untimely death due to various diseases. Food becomes the god of a glutton, for whatever you honor the most, is your God. The same can be said of a drug, pornography or sex addict, as well as the thief, liar and homosexual.

I know that when discussing homosexuality, many will revert to Levitical law. However, if we are going to do that, we must consider the whole Levitical law and if so, then our point becomes mute. Read the book of Leviticus if you want to understand what I mean.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church wrote this in chapter 6:9-11 of First Corinthians: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

If we believe the Bible to be God’s Word, then what conclusion can we draw from these few words of Paul? Here are three that I can see:

1) Some who were now in the church were having sex outside of marriage, some were drunks, some served other gods, some were party animals, some passive homosexuals, and some aggressive homosexuals and so on.
2) Left to these conditions, they would spend eternity in hell. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?”
3) All of these conditions were able to be overcome by the name of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Please understand Paul’s attitude here. It is not an attitude of hostility, anger, or “holier-than-thou.” Paul is speaking from a heart of love and compassion for all people trapped in sin. We must also understand that everything listed here is sin. Sin defined is simply missing the mark, and with each of these areas, those who commit them are missing God’s mark for their lives.

God’s plan for people is hope, trust, love, and receiving their fulfillment through Him. A thief is not trusting in the Lord to meet his needs. He is stealing from others, not believing that God can be faithful to him. A fornicator desires sex above lovemaking in its proper venue of marriage. Sex is the ultimate bonding of one body, one heart, to another for a lifetime. God’s Word establishes that it be the fruit of a covenant between one man and one woman. Fornication is sex outside of this union, which leads to broken hearts and wounded spirits, as well as psychological and physical damage.

So it is with homosexuality. The Bible defines it as sin. Some have played with the Greek definition here trying to make these words somehow refer only to prostitution. However the definition of homosexuality, as Paul uses it, is merely a man having sex with another man and can easily be extrapolated for lesbianism as well. Do homosexuals “love” one another? I have a number of gay friends and I believe they do. But are all feelings of love healthy and true? I have had many men and women in my office who have “fallen in love” with someone else other than their spouse, but what they are really saying is, I have a need that this person is filling. It doesn’t negate that the feeling is there. It is a real feeling; it is simply being fulfilled in a way that will never completely fulfill them. Most of the time it is about woundedness, loneliness, or lust. There is a brokenness here that needs healing.

If the Bible says that stealing and drunkenness are wrong, then there must be a reason. Drunkards and thieves will never be able to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives because they demand their own way above the great plan that He has for them. So it is with homosexuality. God wants everyone who considers himself or herself gay, to understand a love that is deep, pure, and that will last a lifetime, trusting that God has a better plan and that the life they are now living is not one based on truth but on brokenness. There is a real genuine love that God has for every broken person. All of us were broken at one time or another. Falling in love with Jesus heals our brokenness and leads us away from our wounds, rejections, lust and so many other things. It leads us to wholeness.

Often when this discussion takes place, I am considered intolerant of others. That would be the farthest from the truth. If I truly believe the Bible states that homosexuals, thieves, liars, fornicators are going to hell, then I would be the most hateful of people to not express a plan of God’s love and healing about them and to them. I am intolerant of sin – my own and others -and anything that would keep people from knowing God’s great love for them.

So how does marriage fit into this discussion? Man does not have the right to dictate the definition of marriage. God created and defined marriage. It is not an institution established by man.

Genesis 2:24:

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

Marriage is God’s institution for nurturing, growth, health, love, and a strong society and culture. Yes, marriages fail. Fornication, adultery, lying, and all sorts of things have corrupted it. None of that has to do with God’s intent and purpose. A man and woman submitted to God’s plan and purpose and committed to God can be a sign and an example of God’s great love for all people. Marriage, according to Ephesians chapter five, is an example of God’s great love for his church.

This battle over the culture is really not about marriage, law, or civil rights; it is simply about God’s plan and purpose for people. Our culture has walked away from the love of God and has instead chosen to define life and love as we see fit. In the book of Judges in the Old Testament, when every man did what was “right in his own eyes,” violating God’s plan and purpose, the nation suffered.

God’s plan for all people is freedom, love, joy, and a fulfillment of the destiny He has created for us all. Please refer to Jeremiah 29:11

On May 14th, 1948, Israel became an independent nation once again. It had been about 2,500 years since the Jewish people independently ruled the land God gave them (Genesis 17:7-8). Why does this matter for Christians? Here are two reasons why you should care!

Reason 1: Israel’s independence is proof of the One True God revealed in the Bible. By the late 1800’s, it had been nearly 2,000 years since any major Bible prophecy had been fulfilled. But we are now seeing the fulfillment of many last day prophecies. As prophesied, the Jewish people “re-gathered” to their land “a second time” (Isaiah 11:1-12), “the wasteland” became fruitful upon the return of the Jewish exiles (Isaiah 26:6), and Israel became a nation in one day (Isaiah 66:8, Matthew 24:32).

Why does this matter? Israel’s independence is a sign of our Returning King! Jesus said that “the fig tree blossom[ing]” is a sign that we are in the final generation.

Reason 2: Standing with Israel presents a chance to get “the answer” right.
We are always questioning! In the Garden of Eden the question was, “Did God really say that?” Adam and Eve got the answer wrong, and sin has abounded since. Did God really promise the land to Abraham and his descendents? Did He promise to re-gather them after scattering them for their sin? Did He say He would plant them and they would not be removed (Amos 9:14-15)? Did He say, “I will bless those that bless thee, and curse [those] that curse thee” (Genesis 12:1-3)?

We only get the answer right when we take God at His Word… Yes! Join Israel in the celebration of its independence. It is an opportunity to affirm the Word of God and receive His blessing!

1)    Pray together! George Barna of the Barna Research group found that couples that pray together have a much greater chance of staying together for life. Some of our driest times as a couple have been when due to busyness or tiredness Paige and I have neglected to pray together.  We have found in addition to the spiritual blessing from praying together some practical blessing come as well.  Sometimes I am not the greatest communicator in the world, after all I am male. When we pray together I hear Paige’s heart and she hears mine and we are able to keep up on what is really important in our lives. We also know that with all the things happening in the world there is at least one person praying for us.  It is also very hard to stay upset with someone you are praying for (not that Paige or I would know anything about that).

WOW the new ipad3 is out and people are camped out waiting to get their hands on one. What a worldview. A bunch of spoiled brats who can’t wait to get rid of that old dusty Ipad2. People across the U.S. lined up at Apple stores long before the doors opened for business to get there hands on the latest Ipad. They weren’t lined up because Apple was having a tremendous opening sale on these babies. The people were lined up because they wanted IT NOW! Their previous Ipad might have been maybe a year old and they couldn’t wait to replace it with another 500 to over 800 dollar upgrade.

Gotta get their hands on that new Ipad3

In other parts of the world people are also lined up. They are also very anxious and are having trouble waiting to get there hands on something. It’s not an $800 dollar toy or even a ticket to a sporting event. These people are lining up for a single meal.

They’re waiting in line too

These people must be waiting for something awesome...oh ya it's food again.

Sorry to be so hard. It’s great living in America and we should never be ashamed of that. We should also never be ashamed of being prosperous. It’s by Gods’ gracious hand that we see the prosperity that we do. The merciful Lord still blesses us even when many people are denying Him and trying to shift this country off of it’s Biblical axis.

Sometimes we just need a perspective poke to remind us where are priorities lie and where God would have us place them.

For many, love is a feeling. We say things like, “I fell in love with you”, “I feel like I love you” and other such things these are not really love but the fruit of love. Love is not a feeling nor is it an emotion but it is a person.

Here is what the Bible says,

 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7, 8

Now anyone can experience the fruit of love because God is here among all of us. Jesus went away to send the helper, the Holy Spirit, to come to us part of the fruit from Him is love. What a gift God has given even those who refuse to acknowledge Him. Even though they don’t know Him they can still know His fruit, love.

Part of the blessing of both the Holy Spirit’s presence on the earth and the measure of faith given to each one of us in Romans 12 is that despite our relationship or lack of relationship with God we can still feel love. He is love and He is here.

The tragedy is hell. Hell is not only a place of torment and darkness but also a place where love has abandoned everyone. Hell is the absence of God with the absence of God there is no love, no compassion, no grace, and no mercy. It is not simply the darkness, fire, and sulfur that make it such a horrible place but no one has ever felt what it is like to be in the absence of God, until hell.

We love because of God. Thank Him today for His love for you and that you can share that love with others.

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Thinking about the debates and the election coming up it reminds me of how much trouble we get into when we talk before we really have thought things through.

Someone wise once told me we have two ears to listen twice as much and only one mouth so we ought to speak half as much.

James challenges us that the tongue is untamable we need to be careful about how we use it. It is easy to complain. It is easy to say critical or harsh things to people or about them. What we say is only a sign of who we are.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) It is not so much a problem of taming our tongues as it is developing the right attitude. There is a choice that we have to make many times per day and that is to trust the Lord or not.

When we tear someone down we are merely revealing the insecurities of our own heart. When we are critical (from a negative point of view) we are merely showing our fear.

Secure your heart in trusting the Lord and you will tame and guard your tongue.

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart don’t lean on your own understanding acknowledge Him in all of your ways and He will make your path straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God”

Some one once told me that God gave us two ears so we might listen twice as much and one mouth so we might speak half as much.

Most relationships need to take this passage to heart. Much of what Paige and I need to do when counseling people is to teach them to listen to one another. Hearing and listening are often two different things. You may acknowledge that a person is speaking to you but when you really pay attention to what they are saying you are beginning to listen.

We get into trouble because we do not listen to one another and then we response without really understanding what the person is saying. Many of the walls in relationships are built because we have been too quick to speak and have not truly listened to the person.

Here is a exercise to practice; when someone is speaking to you, fight thinking about your response. Focus in on what they are saying. Many times people will say one thing and mean something totally different or they will say one thing looking for a reaction from you and will make a decision as to what more they will share with you based on your reaction. If someone is taking the time to talk with you, it is important that we learn to listen.

God is always listening to us. He knows our hearts. He knows how to respond. You will know how to respond to someone if you really listen to him or her. If you have a habit of judging quickly before you know their heart chance are you will do the same to God.

Practice listening, it may change every relationship in your life.

In that day Israel will be a third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” Isaiah 19.24,25

What makes this passage remarkable is its inclusivity. All throughout the Old Testament God is calling to his chosen people, Israel. He is seen rescuing them from Egypt, leading them into the Promised Land and giving them His law. He sends them prophets and blesses their battles and calls them to account for their sins. And in the prophetic books, he judges them for those sins and promises to restore them at a future time. These are the wonderful acts of a loving God.

But it always left me with a question: What about the other nations? Doesn’t God love everybody? Here in Isaiah 19 is a peek into the heart of God. I doubt that most citizens of Israel, then or now, would easily use the phrase, “Egypt: God’s People”. But here it is in black and white. I doubt they liked hearing Isaiah say that Assyria was a wonderful work of God’s hands, but that is what the prophet said.

There is a tendency among Christian groups to be exclusive. I’ve noticed many groups of Christians that speak like they are the “remnant”  or that they are really “New Testament Christians”. Other Christians may be saved, but our group is the one that is truly following God. Yes, we are the real church of Jesus. We worship on Saturday, or don’t eat meat, or make sure that all of our people are correctly water baptized. These people love verses that talk about how some people will make it into heaven by the skin of their teeth.

Of course, truth is of ultimate importance. We must follow Christ with our whole heart and truly know him as Lord and Savior. However, God wants to save people. He is not looking for ways to send them to hell. He gave his own Son so that the world may know His love. And He is not willing for any to perish, though hell will be their final place of residence if they reject Him.

The point isthis: the amazing desire of God to restore people into right relationship with him. Egypt and Assyria were pagan nations that were far outside the will of God. They were judged by God for their unrighteous acts. But God loved (and loves) them. He promised to restore them. God has a big tent. Everyone inside that tent must know Jesus as Savior, but God wants to get as many people in there as possible.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 peter 3.9

Tom Hollis

The book of Zachariah has an interesting commentary about the result of sin. Zachariah was written to the first group of Jews to return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah had prophesied because of their sin, that the Jews would spend 70 years in captivity. Zachariah further explains.

Zachariah 7:8 – 13

Then this message came to Zechariah from the LORD: ⁹“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. ¹⁰Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.

¹¹“Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. ¹²They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.

¹³“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

It cost Israel to continually ignore God. They had years of the Lord calling them to repentance but they chose to do things their own way. God may pulls his hand from us but never his presence. He was with them in their captivity. Israel had to learn humility.

There are always consequences to our sins. God is with us even in the consequences of sin. We may pay a high price like Israel for our refusal to follow the Lord but even while paying that price God is always with us, drawing us back to Himself.

God’s character never changes. He may be forced, by our sin to allow us to go through some unpleasant things but He will be with us. He will protect us and cause the circumstances to be the best to draw us back to Himself and His great love and grace. He is not a heavenly ogre waiting to punish us but a loving Father who disciplines those whom he loves.

God’s grace is sufficient for us. He continually guides, speaks truth, and corrects us. As we heed His discipline and correction we live a life of freedom and wonderful relationship with Him. If we do not then He pulls back His hand not for punishment, but to discipline us and draw us back to Himself.  He loves us! He always will! Believe it! When we find ourselves being disciplined quickly repent, turn back to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and He will forgive us and remember our sins no more. You are His child; He believes in you and loves you!