As we watch another national figure sink deeper into a quagmire where he may have to resign his seat in Congress, we are reminded why cheating is such serious business (in this case, it may not even involve a physical relationship with someone. Only indecent pictures texted via social media).
People in high profile in our nation are facing serious consequences for their actions. A former Governor is currently having to face a several million dollar divorce - a pro golfer has lost millions in marketing support for having multiple affairs. There are serious consequences for failure in the faithfulness department.
What usually takes the greatest beating when there is unfaithfulness, however, are the relationships men have with those who mean the most to them.
I believe that most men who cheat think about the consequences of their actions, but feel a sort of invulnerability about being caught. In other words, they think about what possibly could happen, but don't really believe it will.
That is why the devastation is so pronounced when the truth finally comes out.
And that's why some men take chances... foolish chances that can cost them untold heartache and agony.
A wise pastor I knew at one time, who is no longer with us, used to say this often... "Sin will always take you farther than you want to go... make you stay longer than you want to stay... and make you pay more than you want to pay."
We as men need to ask ourselves often, "Are moments of pleasure worth a lifetime of pain?"
And let me say, I know there are many men who practice faithfulness in their lives and marriages, and they should be greatly commended. However, I have been so caught off guard by men who have been caught in an affair. It has taught me that there is NO one who is immune to this temptation.
If you have failed in this area, there is redemption. If you are tempted in this area, there is provision. And if you have hurt someone, there is always the possibility of reconciliation.
As Jesus said, "...the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27 - NIV).
Mark Joneschiet Music
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Is Pleasure Wrong? (Part 3)
In my earlier post, I talked about how God is against fleshly or carnal pleasure, meaning that pleasure that is focused entirely on the self is wrong. But is all pleasure condemned by God?
First of all, we have to remind ourselves that God invented pleasure. He is the one who created us in a way so that we could experience enjoyments in life. The primary pleasure we should be focused on is pleasure in our relationship with our Creator.
The Westminster Catechism asks this... "What is the chief end of man?" The answer? "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." In other words, we are to have pleasure in our relationship with God.
This is one of the first things that went out of kilter when Adam sinned. Our focus came off of God and onto ourselves. We are now self-focused, rather than GOD-focused.
Second, sin corrupted us so that we actually became enamoured with pleasing ourselves. Our motivations and passions tend to be toward what makes us happy for the moment.
Third, we tend to try to find ways to modify pleasure. What I mean is that, we are often only happy with a certain pleasure for a period of time, therefore, we try to find ways to enhance or modify it. We find ways to cause it grow toward the ultimate experience, but somehow, we are never quite able to achieve it.
In all of this, we are never able to achieve lasting pleasure.
So, the question remains, 'Is pleasure wrong'?
The thing we need to keep in focus is that God created our ability to enjoy pleasure. What we need to understand is that we need to have a relationship with God in order to know what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Some behaviors are obviously wrong as displayed in this passage...
"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:19-21).
Others are not so clear... "But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean" (Romans 14:14 - NIV).
Once again, in order to know and enjoy the pleasures that God has reserved for us with a clear conscience, we need to establish and enjoy a close relationship with Him every day, which is pleasure in itself.
First of all, we have to remind ourselves that God invented pleasure. He is the one who created us in a way so that we could experience enjoyments in life. The primary pleasure we should be focused on is pleasure in our relationship with our Creator.
The Westminster Catechism asks this... "What is the chief end of man?" The answer? "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." In other words, we are to have pleasure in our relationship with God.
This is one of the first things that went out of kilter when Adam sinned. Our focus came off of God and onto ourselves. We are now self-focused, rather than GOD-focused.
Second, sin corrupted us so that we actually became enamoured with pleasing ourselves. Our motivations and passions tend to be toward what makes us happy for the moment.
Third, we tend to try to find ways to modify pleasure. What I mean is that, we are often only happy with a certain pleasure for a period of time, therefore, we try to find ways to enhance or modify it. We find ways to cause it grow toward the ultimate experience, but somehow, we are never quite able to achieve it.
In all of this, we are never able to achieve lasting pleasure.
So, the question remains, 'Is pleasure wrong'?
The thing we need to keep in focus is that God created our ability to enjoy pleasure. What we need to understand is that we need to have a relationship with God in order to know what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Some behaviors are obviously wrong as displayed in this passage...
"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:19-21).
Others are not so clear... "But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean" (Romans 14:14 - NIV).
Once again, in order to know and enjoy the pleasures that God has reserved for us with a clear conscience, we need to establish and enjoy a close relationship with Him every day, which is pleasure in itself.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Is Pleasure Wrong? (Part 2)
One of the words the Bible uses for the word, pleasure, is carnality. The word 'carnality' is translated from a word in the original New Testament language (Greek), which is, sarx. The word is literally translated as, the flesh.
An example of how God views the flesh is found in this passage...
"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:1 - 7 - NIV).
This passage is not referring to our physical flesh. That would be the word, soma, or, body.
Sarx has more to do with unbridled desire and wanton passion. The 1960's had a term that described sarx very well... "If it feels good, do it."
The hard part about understanding this is, not all things that can fall under the heading of carnality are intrinsically wrong. For instance, sex inside of marriage is right, but outside of marriage, it's wrong. Eating is necessary. Overeating is not only wrong, but harmful to the body.
There are several problems with giving into the carnal or fleshly nature...
First, the more you feed it, the greedier it gets. In other words, feeding the fleshly nature with what it wants only tends to make it want more. So, if you think, "Well, I'll just appease it this time and then it'll go away," you are badly mistaken. Appeasing it only makes it want more.
Second, there is something called the law of diminishing returns. Once you start feeding a carnal passion or desire, it not only wants more, it starts saying, "This is not enough. I am bored with what you are feeding me. I want something with more taste... something with more feeling... something far more provocative!" It starts getting bored with the same old thing. It wants to go deeper into the realm of experience.
Third, it tends to divert attention away from worthwhile pursuits.
Fourth, it often damages relationships and causes hurt and pain due to the focus it gives to the self. Carnality is all about me, me me and not about others.
Finally, in the end, it leaves you unsatisfied and strips you of your real feeling. Individuals often go deeper into carnal delights, trying to enjoy the original rush of pleasure that they first experienced, only to find that it is no longer achievable.
What are some ways in which you have experienced this in your own life? Have there been any 'deadening' of passions due to pleasure seeking? Have you ever experienced a broken or hurt relationship due to focusing on carnality? What type of pleasures do you feel are appropriate as a Christian?
As always, please feel free to leave a comment.
An example of how God views the flesh is found in this passage...
"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:1 - 7 - NIV).
This passage is not referring to our physical flesh. That would be the word, soma, or, body.
Sarx has more to do with unbridled desire and wanton passion. The 1960's had a term that described sarx very well... "If it feels good, do it."
The hard part about understanding this is, not all things that can fall under the heading of carnality are intrinsically wrong. For instance, sex inside of marriage is right, but outside of marriage, it's wrong. Eating is necessary. Overeating is not only wrong, but harmful to the body.
There are several problems with giving into the carnal or fleshly nature...
First, the more you feed it, the greedier it gets. In other words, feeding the fleshly nature with what it wants only tends to make it want more. So, if you think, "Well, I'll just appease it this time and then it'll go away," you are badly mistaken. Appeasing it only makes it want more.
Second, there is something called the law of diminishing returns. Once you start feeding a carnal passion or desire, it not only wants more, it starts saying, "This is not enough. I am bored with what you are feeding me. I want something with more taste... something with more feeling... something far more provocative!" It starts getting bored with the same old thing. It wants to go deeper into the realm of experience.
Third, it tends to divert attention away from worthwhile pursuits.
Fourth, it often damages relationships and causes hurt and pain due to the focus it gives to the self. Carnality is all about me, me me and not about others.
Finally, in the end, it leaves you unsatisfied and strips you of your real feeling. Individuals often go deeper into carnal delights, trying to enjoy the original rush of pleasure that they first experienced, only to find that it is no longer achievable.
What are some ways in which you have experienced this in your own life? Have there been any 'deadening' of passions due to pleasure seeking? Have you ever experienced a broken or hurt relationship due to focusing on carnality? What type of pleasures do you feel are appropriate as a Christian?
As always, please feel free to leave a comment.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Oh, My Papa - Part 4
"You're JUST like your father!" How many of you guys have ever heard that proclaimed over you?
It's not always a bad thing. Some guys would love to be just like their fathers. I'm afraid however, that this decree is usually offered as a pejorative.
What I'm concerned with today is sinful traits of fathers. Many men believe in what some call 'generational sin' - the idea that if a father is involved in some kind of sinful practice or addiction, their son (or daughter) will probably practice that same sin.
The passage that most will cite to prove this is Exodus 20:5 - "For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments."
The first thing I want to mention is that all of this is couched in the Old Testament. Since Jesus, the entire play book has changed.
But just to cut to the chase here, what this verse is really saying is exactly what it DOES say... that if a father sins, God will punish the children for their sins three and four generations down the line. It doesn't say the children will inherit their father's sinful tendencies. It says they will be punished for what their fathers did that was wrong in the sight of God.
So, it's a warning to fathers to think about what they do, because their children, their children and even their children's children could be punished for their sinful behavior.
That's a sobering thought.
But here's the good news! God rescinded that decree later in the book of Ezekiel - "The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20).
So, where does that leave us with the idea that if your father sins, you'll probably be the same way? Well, we all have tendencies to be like our parents in certain ways. Like, a sibling will say, "You said that just like Dad," or, "Dad used to get that same expression on his face."
And it's true that certain tendencies can be genetic and a person will need to be careful about certain behaviors. But overall, there is nothing in scripture that says, if your dad sinned a certain way, you will too!
"Well, Dad had an affair, so I guess that explains why I had one too." "Dad was a drunk, so I guess that explains why I am too."
On and on the excuses go. But bottom line, our behavior is our own. And each of us will have to answer for it as individuals.
Today, my prayer is that everyone reading this will realize that they don't have to follow any of the poor behavior their father may have engaged in. Each of us has the power through God's grace to resist any weakness we may have in our character.
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (I Corinthians 10:13 - NIV).
Please feel free to leave a comment below.
It's not always a bad thing. Some guys would love to be just like their fathers. I'm afraid however, that this decree is usually offered as a pejorative.
What I'm concerned with today is sinful traits of fathers. Many men believe in what some call 'generational sin' - the idea that if a father is involved in some kind of sinful practice or addiction, their son (or daughter) will probably practice that same sin.
The passage that most will cite to prove this is Exodus 20:5 - "For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments."
The first thing I want to mention is that all of this is couched in the Old Testament. Since Jesus, the entire play book has changed.
But just to cut to the chase here, what this verse is really saying is exactly what it DOES say... that if a father sins, God will punish the children for their sins three and four generations down the line. It doesn't say the children will inherit their father's sinful tendencies. It says they will be punished for what their fathers did that was wrong in the sight of God.
So, it's a warning to fathers to think about what they do, because their children, their children and even their children's children could be punished for their sinful behavior.
That's a sobering thought.
But here's the good news! God rescinded that decree later in the book of Ezekiel - "The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20).
So, where does that leave us with the idea that if your father sins, you'll probably be the same way? Well, we all have tendencies to be like our parents in certain ways. Like, a sibling will say, "You said that just like Dad," or, "Dad used to get that same expression on his face."
And it's true that certain tendencies can be genetic and a person will need to be careful about certain behaviors. But overall, there is nothing in scripture that says, if your dad sinned a certain way, you will too!
"Well, Dad had an affair, so I guess that explains why I had one too." "Dad was a drunk, so I guess that explains why I am too."
On and on the excuses go. But bottom line, our behavior is our own. And each of us will have to answer for it as individuals.
Today, my prayer is that everyone reading this will realize that they don't have to follow any of the poor behavior their father may have engaged in. Each of us has the power through God's grace to resist any weakness we may have in our character.
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (I Corinthians 10:13 - NIV).
Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Monday, April 25, 2011
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.
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.
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