The Oldest Profession (Part 2)

Speaking of the subject of work... It's definitely something that God is pleased with. Or, in another vein, LACK of work is something God is DIS-pleased with. Consider these Proverbs...

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:6-11).

“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame” (Proverbs 10:4-5).

Now, here's the rub... while God seems to be pleased with work, it won't save anyone's soul.

Some individuals actually believe that on the day they stand before God, they'll be able to present their life of hard work, achievements and business acumen as what God will ultimately be pleased with. While He honors and respects hard work, it is nothing that will guarantee a ticket into Heaven.

In fact, there is nothing that will guarantee a home in heaven except for faith.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

And, of course, the faith we are speaking of here is faith in Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

So, here we are with a dilemma; God likes work, but works won't save you from Perdition.

And yet, the Bible tells us that works are good!

"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done" (Matthew 16:27).

So, what will help us to understand the apparent impasse of all these ideas?

Well, it's simply this... we are saved by our faith. We are rewarded for our works. Many people get these two terms mixed up, or consider them to be synonyms. But they are not.

You see... there will be rewards in Heaven for what we have done for the Lord on earth. Once again... our works won't guarantee us a spot in Heaven, but they will give us dividends in eternity.

What things have you trusted in to earn God's love and favor? Are they legitimate, or are they false? Are you able to rest in the fact that Christ paid for your salvation completely, and that you do not need to earn your way to Heaven?

Feel free to leave comments.

The Raging Beast Within (Part 1)

Guys, this is where we start getting down to some of the nitty-gritty issues of being a man.

I mentioned at the beginning of this blog that there is a book that was popular a few years back that talked about men's issues. I also mentioned that it didn't go deep enough for me. This is where we start going deeper.

I found out a short time back that a man I know lost his wife. It was over online porn. He was addicted to it.

Since the advent of the Internet, this scenario is being played out in greater and greater abundance. It is a problem that is not going away.

This is not being written to condemn any man for getting hooked on this because it can be a powerful addiction. The reason it can be so powerful is because of the way men are wired.

Men are wired in such a way that seeing something seductive or sensual can produce the hormone, testosterone, in their systems. Women are not wired this way and don't understand what a man experiences when testosterone starts surging through their veins and arteries.

Women produce testosterone, but not nearly as much as men. Men produce up to TEN TIMES the amount of testosterone that a woman produces.

God gave this to men in order to keep the race going. Seeing and reacting to beauty and, yes, even sensuality, is what keeps the human race alive and well on planet earth.

Here is the rub... it was intended to create and keep marriages alive and together. But it was never intended for men to use wantonly. It is a way to shake men out of their business-as-usual mode and go, "Wowser!" when they spot a potential mate. It opens the door for them to pursue and attempt to further that relationship.

However, it was never intended for men to revel in wanton lust. Once again, testosterone will kick in when viewing something men deem to be sensual. And if a man is not wary, they will find themselves addicted to a hormone that was originally intended to bring a couple together and continue to stoke that fire throughout their lives.

It was through the original fall of man that this got corrupted - that men would allow themselves to search for and seek out sensuality via inappropriate means.

Jesus' words give us a clear view on why a man should seek to control himself in this area...

"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28 - NIV).

Being visually attracted to a woman is one thing. Reveling in it is another. I heard a wise man once say, "It's not wrong to have your buttons pushed. It's what you do with the signal that matters."

Let's get honest here, guys. In what way or ways do you struggle with visual lust? Are you married or unmarried? How do you deal with the problem of keeping yourself free from being corrupted by visual lust?

As always, I invite your comments below.

Pugilistic Power in Prayer

"Bam!" "Pow!" "Kazowie!" Those were the words I saw on the t.v. screen whenever Batman and Robin would get into a scuffle with the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, and each of their henchmen... twice a week... "same Bat-time, same Bat-channel."

I loved superheroes when I was a kid! I watched "The Green Hornet" and even a really corny show called, "Captain Nice." If they had a mask or a cape, I was right there!

(By the way... the word on the street is that there is a president of a major Christian humanitarian organization who loves comic books - but we'll keep his name on the Q.T. for now.)

During this time (5th grade), we had a game we played on the field during recess. It consisted of dividing up into 2 teams clashing on the field and wrestling all over the ground with our opponents. Basically, it was a free-for-all wrestling match. WWF on the playground!

We would come in from recess with our shirts all grass-stained and sweaty and our hair completely disheveled. But we were happy as clams because we'd gotten all that adrenalin out of our systems and had done what boys our age liked to do.

Every once in awhile, there would be an after school fight (I was in way too many of these) where a couple guys would actually resort to fisticuffs - just like on the superhero shows we all loved to watch.

If there are any ladies reading this, you really ought to try it sometime, because us guys would be having problems with each other... but once we finished the fight, we'd walk away friends. It's so much easier than having all those angst-ridden relationships that you have among yourselves.

But, back to the subject at hand. Guys, you were born that way! And I don't care if you were a bookworm growing up... you were probably reading stories about wars and battles and conquering heroes.

Men, we were made to war. In fact, the Bible says that GOD is a warrior (Exodus 15:3)! And since we're created in His image, we're warriors too!

The only problem is, it wouldn't be apropos for grown men to be running around on a field wrestling with one another. (Actually, that sounds kind of fun, now that I think about it!)

So, how do YOU fulfill your destiny as a warrior?

Do you go and hang out downtown dressed in a costume, like Seattle's Phoenix Jones?

This is the way I have found that we are to walk out the warrior spirit God has placed in every one of us...

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 - ESV).

Spiritually, every day, men... before we head out the door, we need to do what Paul recommends in Ephesians, chapter 6 -

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people" (Ephesians 6:14-18 - NIV).

So, go have some fun right now... get down on your knees... and totally mess up the Devil's battle plans against your life and the lives of those around you. "POW!" "BAM!" "ZOK!"

Feel free to add a comment to this post.

Guy Stuff

I have had this blog page up for some time and have never done anything with it. Today though, I got a wild hair (a.k.a. inspiration from God?) to begin sharing thoughts about being a man in the Kingdom of God.

For some time, I have thought about how it's lonely for men in the church world. There are all types of men's fellowships, breakfasts, conferences, etc. And men are heralded for attending these meetings because it's assumed that most men would would rather not deal with problems that are confrontive and intrusive into their world. So, they are applauded for venturing out, listening to spiritual teaching, and thinking about spiritual issues - and such.

I am not demeaning these avenues of help. And truthfully, I believe it's true in many cases that men have a hard time discussing and dealing with hard problems in their lives. However, in many instances, I think what's happening is that the wrong things are being offered to men. Many churches think that men have to be lured by motorcycles and hot cars. What I believe men are really looking for, for the most part, is a safe place to talk about the real concerns of their lives. The hard questions. The ones they can't talk to their wives about. The ones they can't talk to their pastor about. The shameful memories. The frightening enigmas. The painful wounds.

Awhile back, a book was written that scratched the surface fairly deep about many of these issues (I will not mention the name of the book). For me, however, this book didn't go deep enough. And so, here I am... talking about these problems to the world at large (if I am fortunate enough for this blog to ever have that kind of impact).

This is a scary venture, truthfully. It may requre being more transparent than I want to be. I'm not sure where it will go, but I sense that men need help out there. Help with the pain, the turmoil and the scars that are so prevalent in our culture today.

The fairer sex are welcome to come here too. You ladies may be puzzled about the man in your life. Perhaps you will be able to find some answers here as well.

It is my sincere hope that the words I am posting on this blog will bring hope and solace to some frightened and troubled souls. Perhaps mine as much as anyone's.