Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“Are Adultery and Divorce Scriptural?”

Jeremy Stopford, Semi-Retired Pastor

“SERMON ON THE MOUNT – AND BEYOND !!!”

Sometimes we can make the Bible say anything we want it to. For example, “adultery” and “divorce” ARE in the Bible. But are they right? Do they please God? Did the Lord Jesus say anything about these vital, yet often divisive, subjects?

Read these words of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 5:27-32:

”27 “You have heard that it was said [a]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. ”

As strange as it sounds, this is a true story! In the early 1900’s in churches throughout the United States, preachers were concerned with a new fad among woman: the “top knot”. No, they were NOT [not “knot” – no pun intended!] the “man buns” of today. But the preachers were concerned that the world’s fashion was creeping rapidly into the church. One Sunday, one famous preacher took it upon himself to give the ultimate Biblical proof that the ideals of the world were not meant for the fundamental child of God. “The woman is not to be wearing the styles of the world, “ he boldly proclaimed. “Why, it says so right in the Bible, Matthew 24:17: “Let him which is on the houseTOP (K)NOT COME DOWN to take any thing out of his house.” Hmmm. I wonder if in 2021 he would have used that passage for the current “man bun” phase!

But to answer the lesson title, YES! Adultery and Divorce ARE in the Bible! But are they right? Are they scriptural? Do they please our Heavenly Father? Amazingly, it was important to our Savior to include in the Sermon on the Mount His insights on these most potentially divisive subjects. In our text, the Lord Jesus covers this topic giving several amazing and insightful points.

FIRST, SIN IS NOT AN ACTION BUT A NATURE (verse 27). For the Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jesus’ day, adultery was an outward act. Therefore they could proudly say of themselves – even before the Lord – “I’m not an adulterer. Therefore, I don’t sin.” But for the Lord Jesus, adultery is an outward sign of an inward heart, a human nature which is hungry TO sin! It is not so much that I DO a thing. Rather, it is what makes me do it, what urges me to do it, that matters.

The Bible makes several distinctions about sin. The unsaved – those who have never trusted the Lord Jesus as Savior – are sinners by nature and by choice. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…”. Further, Romans 6:23 adds, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The saved have been freed from the penalty of sin, but they still have a nature which is in a battle between the Lordship of Christ and the dominion of that sin.

The Apostle Paul tells pointedly of his own spiritual struggles, as recorded in Romans 7:13: “Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” Will this battle always be victorious for the enemy, or is the Savior strong enough [how dare I write so!] to overcome the enemy? Paul concludes, in verses 23-25a, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

In Galatians 5:19, where the Apostle Paul lists what he has called the “sins of the flesh”, note the first one on the list: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery…”. Paul sees adultery as a work of the flesh which is in opposition to the operation of the Holy Spirit! Thankfully, the battle has a Victor in our Savior. Even John the Baptist wrote of Him in John 1:29, “…“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Indeed, SIN IS A NATURE, and the Savior and the power of His death and shed blood “take away the sin of the world” for all who trust Him as Savior and Lord of their lives.

Is He YOUR trust? If you love Him as your Savior, do you trust Him as LORD of your life?

SECOND, SIN IS TREATED, NOT BY THE ACTIONS, BUT AT THE ROOTS (verses 28-30). In Matthew 15, the Lord Jesus has a confrontation once again with the religious leaders of His day. They were concerned that His disciples were not obeying not only the law but also one of the many 613 RULES that they had added to the law! In verse 8, He quotes from Isaiah 29:13, “‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” Quoting from a prophet that the Pharisees and other leaders respected, the Lord Jesus put them in their place. The Pharisees were condemning the disciples’ actions. Jesus’ – using their own Scriptures – condemned the root of their religiosity.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior uses the illustration of the eye and the hand. They were created for good! They were designed by their Creator to be used to bring glory to Him. With His words – “pluck it out”, “cut it off”, “cast it from you” – He was not encouraging a gruesome self-surgical procedure. Rather, He was showing a phrase which Paul would use often through His epistles: “mortify”, “put to death”. An unknown author once wrote, “That which God has created for good must be placed on His altar.”

Paul wrote in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

One of his most famous verses is Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” And in Galatians 5:24, Paul goes on to say, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

The outward battle is won by destroying the inward roots!

THIRD, HOLINESS IS NOT IDEALS BUT STANDARDS (verses 31-32). The same theme here is found in Mark 10:1-9. Once again, while the Savior is teaching, the Pharisees – who were SUPPOSED to be the religious leaders and thus God’s representatives of their day – questioned Jesus’ teaching. They tried to trap Him, asking Him, “is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”. The Savior did not go to any one of the Pharisees 613 EXTRA RULES. Rather, He went to creation! Verses 5-9 pointedly say:

“Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

God had given an allowance in the Old Testament, an allowance for the hardness of man’s heart. However, in the Old as well as New Testament times, God’s hunger is for marriage. That is His standard.

OUR CONCLUSION today is wrapped around the heart of our amazing Savior: ALL SIN FINDS ITS HOPE IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST! Here’s a tough question: are divorce and adultery forgivable? A situation is vividly described in the confrontation of the scribes, the Pharisees, the people, the Lord Jesus, and an helpless woman “caught in adultery” (John 8:1-12). The Pharisees wondered what the Lord was going to do to this one so “caught”. He wrote on the ground. “What did He write?”, one would wisely ask. It is implied that He wrote with His finger! Why is that important? In Exodus 31:18, it is said of God, that He wrote the 10 Commandments on stone with His finger! Don’t you wonder if those watching Him understood the implication: what they were accusing this girl of, of that and more they all were guilty!

So ARE DIVORCE AND ADULTERY FORGIVEABLE? All sin finds its forgiveness in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The invitation is available to all.

The hope is available to all!

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

Is the Lord Jesus YOUR trust?

If you love Him as your Savior, do you trust Him as LORD of your life?

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“To Kill or Not to Kill – is that a question?”

May 26, 2021

“SERMON ON THE MOUNT – AND BEYOND !!!”

By Jeremy Stopford, Semi-Retired Pastor

From Matthew 5:17-26

The story is told about a snail who was in a horrible accident. How horrible was it? Well, he lost his shell! So he went home to recover. Several days later, a good friend stopped by. “I heard about your accident,” the friend said. “How do you feel?”

“Well,” said the snail, “to be honest I feel a little sluggish.”

Don’t you think that we occasionally feel a little sluggish in our appreciation and respect for, as well as the regular application of, the amazing love and grace of God for us?

The Sermon on the Mount, and in particular the verses which follow the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), have much to say about the practical application of the teachings of our Savior!

But PLEASE remember this: while the Lord Jesus IS a Great Teacher – He first of all is LORD OF ALL! His desire is not for us to be good students of the Word. His desire is for our WORSHIP of Him FIRST of all!

Into that scenario come the verses of today’s text,:

”Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 5:17-26.

In this section, our Savior begins a vivid attack/counterattack with the false teachings of the religious leaders of the day. Those leaders were suffocating the grace of God with their rules and regulations!

Do BELIEVERS have rules and regulations that are suffocating? I once walked into the gym of a neighboring church. As one enters the gym there were written on the wall next to the door the “Twenty Rules for Gym Use”.

Ok, I get it. There should be rules for courtesy of our fellow gymnasts. But THESE rules were even more specific than that: what clothes to wear, what length of hair for boys, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. From the minute I walked into the gym after reading those rules, I felt I couldn’t breathe! I was fearful that I might intentionally or unintentionally break one of those 20 rules!

AND dear friends, that was how the religious leaders of Jesus’ day affected the populace of Israel!

It behooves us to see the Savior’s insights into a number of the leaders’ views on something as foundational to the state of the nation as murder. What is His heart?

FIRST, God’s view of murder and killing has never changed! Exodus 20:13, a part of the 10 Commandments, says, “Thou shalt not kill” [or “murder” in NKJV]. To kill means “to break or dash into pieces; to slay in a violent or unjust manner; to murder without cause”. The phrase “without cause” is a key! God never applied “killing” or “murder” to the slaying of brute beasts! Can you imagine what the Lord, much less Old Testament theologians, would have thought about today’s “animal rights” activists? He would have said that while the 10 commandments do NOT cover that, He would rather have a respect for all life. Furthermore, in Genesis 9:6, written well before the law, the Lord says,

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image

of God He made man.”

God takes a high view of ALL human life! So, for example, when you read in the paper about an airplane crash where there were no survivors, what is your first thought? It SHOULD be not only for the families of those victims, it should be this: “where are those victims now spending eternity? Were they ever under the hearing of the Word of God, and of the love of God in Christ? Did they ever receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior?” We need to have God’s view of people! People are eternal beings!

So since God’s view of murder and killing has not changed, even the Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jesus day should have been surprised when the Savior made a more practical application in Matthew 5:22:

“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be

in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in

danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell

fire.”

Wow! So SECOND, God’s view of murder includes more than just a physical slaying! It is more than just the letter of the law! It involves causeless anger against a fellow human being.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 97:10:

“You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He preserves the souls of His saints;

He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”

Ephesians 4:26 directly quoted Psalm 4:4:

““Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath…”

Do you feel anger or rage, even against someone who has done nothing to you? The Lord Jesus is saying that that is equal in His sight to…MURDER.

What about “RACA”? “Raca” is the word for “worthless fellow, a senseless empty head”. If you were to call your brother that – apparently something that those of the religious right of the day felt free to do – Jesus says that you are guilty as if guilty of murder.

AND if you call someone “FOOL”, that in our Savior’s eyes (and heart!) is the utmost in human abuse. Consider again all the animal cruelty laws that are in the books. When I worked for the City of Norwich (NY) police department, I was authorized to enforce those laws. But here is the Lord’s “HUMAN CRUELTY LAW”! He said that if you call someone a “fool”, you are guilty of “hell fire”, or “Gehenna”. The citizen of Jesus’ day would know that He was equating the awfulness of the city dump – with its constant burnings and otherwise heinousness – as a human picture of an eternal truth. He was showing that it is possible for someone to be in danger of more than just man’s judgment. Someone can be guilty of God’s judgment: hell fire.

THIRD and last, there must be reconciliation. Verses 23-26 can be summed up well with His one pointed statement:

“Agree with your adversary quickly…”!!!

God’s view concerns outward relationships! There MUST be reconciliation, something the heart of man often overlooks. Think of this: God demands a reconciliation between man and Himself through the cross in order for a person to have fellowship with the eternal God. So it shouldn’t surprise us that God also wants reconciliation between man and man in order to have a relationship with one’s fellow man!

As we close our lesson for this week, please note a small word, only 7 letters.

QUICKLY! (v. 25)

Remember the account of that airplane crash? Life is full of the unexpected.

QUICKLY!

“Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2)

QUICKLY!

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20)

QUICKLY!

Blogs

TOUCHING FIRST BASE

WEEK TWENTY-ONE, 2021

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

The 1924 baseball World Series between the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees remains legendary. It persists in the memories of a few fans and in the sands of time as one of the most exciting baseball championships in the history of the game.

It was the seventh game of the series. The Senators and the Yankees were tied, three games apiece. It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The first two batters struck out. As a pregnant pause reverberated throughout the stadium, the third and final batter approaches the plate. His team was down by one run. The pitcher released a fiery curve ball. Strike one! He repeated the pitch. Strike two! The pregnant pause became a deadening silence. Many in the crowd suspected that all has been lost. Then, the third pitch barreled toward the plate. Amazingly, the batter eyed it perfectly. His forceful swing sent the ball well on its way. The crowd erupted into pandemonium as they thought that he had hit a homerun.

But, the ball hits a pole and bounced backward into fair territory. Rather than a homerun, he had to settle for a triple. As the runner approaches third base, the outfielder threw the ball to the shortstop who in turn prepared to hurl it to home plate. Then, the third base coach directed the runner to steal home. So, the runner, hoping to win the game and series, ran and sled toward home with all of his might. In what seemed an eternity, the runner made it to home.

As the crowd exploded into sheer exuberance, the home plate umpire surprisingly called the runner out. Utter mayhem resulted as the crowd protested the call! Fearing a riot, the umpire convened a conference of all of the field umpires and himself. Finally, they reach a decision. The home plate umpire went to the mike to announce the determination. “The runner at home is called out because he failed to touch first base.”

Imagine that! The entire season and the World Series are lost due to a technicality. The runner in his excitement failed to touch first. Countless hours of practice, travel, and games were summarily nullified by a small yet very significant omission. However, that is also the case with the life of faith.

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. It did not matter that Nicodemus was one of the teachers of the law. His knowledge of the law was not synonymous with a relationship with God. Even though Nicodemus, as a member of the Sanhedrin, was a keeper of the history, literature, and religion of Israel, he had missed first base because he failed to seek a vibrant and growing relationship with Almighty God.

In the Church we fool ourselves if we think we can rely upon ritual, tradition and sacraments alone. We, too, must ensure that we touch first base by being born again.

Do you just go to church or have you been born again?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

For those who do not know the ABCs, they are as follows:

A – Admit you are a sinner and understand that we can never be “good enough” to please the Father.

B – Believe in your heart that Jesus died in our place to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins and have faith that God raised Jesus from the dead to conquer sin and death for all who will accept Him. This is the only sacrifice the Father could ever accept.

C – Call on Jesus to be your Savior, and confess you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Romans 10:13 is God’s absolute guarantee for all who will receive and accept His Son; “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

— o —

Many today live solely to serve their own pleasure.

People haven’t changed. Living for the moment, they have become slaves to the passions of their flesh. If these people only knew where their chosen path would lead, I believe they’d choose another path. When Jesus called us to follow Him, He said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” That cannot be said concerning the yoke that comes upon the person who has chosen to live after his own flesh. Dan Shock

— o —

A man once asked Isidor Isaac Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. The Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn’t so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, “Did you ask a good question today?” Asking good questions, The Rabi said, “made me become a scientist.”

Asking good questions is important in life generally speaking, and even more important, spiritually speaking. The Bible raises many very important questions worthy of our consideration.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. Roald Dahl

God doesn’t require that I do the very best, only my very best. Dan Shock

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Decision making, like coffee, needs a cooling process. George Washington

You cannot change the circumstances, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. Jim Rohn

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. Mark Twain

Half-hearted commitment will never result in total victory. Dan Shock

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. Maya Angelou

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” Og Mandino

Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show. The minimalist.

Never let go of what you do know, because of something you don’t know. Dan Shock

Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. DEAN ACHESON

Blogs

Covid 19 and the UNEXPECTED Problems of Burial

I saw a bumper sticker on a car near Houston. It stated, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I can.”

As a New York native, I can only agree with the sentiment of that bumper sticker, and though Texas has its challenges, it’s clear that the quality of leadership directly impacts the quality of life.

An email from an old an dear friend made me realize how blessed this 81-year old is that he wasn’t stuck in a nursing home in New York during the Pandemic, a nursing home for which the New York governor had responsibility.

My friend has been officiating over funerals in a small town in central New York. Here are his words:

All these people providentially went to their eternal reward during the winter.  Now remember that this is NY State.  We have LOTS of snow during the winter.  Cemeteries are CLOSED until the robins show up – usually not until May????

THIS YEAR, for example, one of the area funeral homes – mind you, small towns USA – had 80 deaths in November, with 40 of them from one nursing home (all 40 Covid-19 related!).  Then, December, January, February he had another 100 deaths.  He normally stores the “caskets” in the cemeteries’ vaults.  But by January they were FULL!  So, brace yourself, a local Catholic Church volunteered its “fellowship hall” to have the caskets stored in.  Can you imagine?

Keep in mind that many who died were cremated, and did not pose a “storage problem” to funeral homes. He went on:

I am thankful that it does give an opportunity to share the Good News to hearts that need true comfort.  Did you know that Psalm 23 makes no sense UNLESS you know the Good Shepherd as your Savior?

So throughout this month, I’ve had the joy (not you, sorry) of spending much time with families whose loved ones passed away during the winter.  And fortunately, some had professed faith in the Savior, but sadly most haven’t.  So the true comfort, true ministry, comes for those who remain.  [And they never tell me ahead of time:  “oh my mom Mable is dying – would you go visit her BEFORE she dies?”].  

So, we get a picture of the sorrow being experienced across America, including Texas, but especially New York State.

God grant that unbelievers will seek the Lord while it is yet day, for the night cometh when no man may work.

Blogs, John Grant

THE BOTCHED SURGERY

WEEK TWENTY, 2021

It was 1943 and the young lady lived happily in Greece with her family. She was a Jew. Her name was Garmaine……… Garmaine Pitchon.

One day there was a knock at her door and strangers told the family that they would be in danger if they remained in Greece, so they were being relocated to a place where they would be safe. They were told to board a train, where they were packed in unsanitary conditions for their long ride to their ultimate destination ….. Auschwitz.

Recently I had the privilege of walking those train tracks into the station where they were told to get off the train and were separated into groups. Within about ninety minutes most were forced to strip naked and sent into a giant shower, only there were no shower heads, only gas. With tears in my eyes, I have stood in the “shower” where more than a million Jews were gassed.

Of those who for various reasons were not gassed, they suffered tremendous atrocities. Garmaine had to watch her grandmother shot in the head before she went to Cell Block #10, where those chosen for medical experimentation were housed.

Carl Clauberg experimented with sterilization in the camp. Part of Block No. 10 was put at his disposal. Several hundred Jewish women in Block No 10 were used for his “medical” experiments. Clauberg developed a method of non-surgical sterilization that consisted of introducing into the female reproductive organs a specially prepared chemical irritant that produced sever inflammation. Within weeks, the fallopian tubes grew shut and were blocked. Clauberg’s experiments killed some of his subjects and others were put to death so that autopsies could be performed.

They were searching for a convenient means of mass sterilization that would enable the Third Reich to carry out the biological destruction of conquered nations by “scientific methods” by depriving people of their reproductive capacity.

Then it was Garmaine’s turn to present herself for sterilization. Once on the table, the German doctor made an incision and removed one of her ovaries. As he was about to do the other, there was suddenly an Allied air attack and the doctor ran for personal protection. A Jewish doctor, also a prisoner who was shortly later exterminated was forced to assist in the medical procedures. Before leaving, the German doctor commanded the Jewish doctor to finish the procedure on Garmaine.

As he began to do so, he leaned over and whispered to Garmaine, telling her that he had to make an incision to look like he had done the procedure, but he stopped short of any removal. He told Garmaine to do two things, first to disguise any monthly evidence that would show she was not sterilized and secondly he said “When you have your first baby, think of me.” That first baby is my now close friend Sol Pitchon, who came to America and surrendered his life to Christ and dedicated his life to saving babies, as he believed God had saved him “for such a time as this.”

Working in crisis pregnancy centers for the past nearly 25 years, Sol has saved the lives of more than ten thousand babies who would otherwise have been aborted and he continues to do so.

That’s why God saved the life and reproduction ability of Garmaine so Sol would be born to her and save the lives of so many others!

The ultimate way God turns what was meant for evil into good is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sin does not glorify God. But God uses sin for his glory by saving us from sin. … Therefore when we allow God’s grace to redeem us from our sins, God is turning what was meant for evil into good.

Thank you God. Thank you Sol.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

COVETNESS:

The only thing we should covet is a closer relationship with God. The Bible tells us that covetousness is idolatry. That’s because the thing you desire becomes the central focus of your heart and mind. All your waking hours are spent scheming ways to get that thing for yourself.

The Bible says we are to covet just one thing. “But covet earnestly the best gifts (of the Spirit)” (1 Corinthians 12:31 KJV). The only thing we should covet is a closer relationship with God. If you are going to crave anything at all, crave the power of God’s Spirit working freely and fully in your life.

— o —

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.

The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.

For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.

— The Minimalist

— o —

Pixar Animation Studios has become perhaps the most preeminent name in children’s entertainment. They have been a mainstay at the Oscars for more than two decades and, this year, developed two of the five movies nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. Soul took home the award, becoming the eleventh such Pixar property to do so.

The success of their recent offerings is not the only reason they are in the news today, however.

Last week, word began to circulate that they were looking to cast someone to voice the character Jess in an upcoming project. Jess is described as someone who is “compassionate, funny, and always has your back.” They are looking to for a 12–17-year-old who is “enthusiastic, outgoing, funny, and energetic” who also feels “comfortable acting in front of a microphone” and can “authentically portray a 14-year-old transgender girl.”

If that last part caught you by surprise, that’s kind of the point.

—Ryan Denison

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Following after emptiness only makes you empty. – Dan Shock

If you want to fly, you have to give up everything that weighs you down. – Toni Morrison

The circumstances you face aren’t nearly important as the conclusions you draw. – Pastor Ken Whitten

No work we undertake will be of any value, unless the Lord is with us. – Dan Shock

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Giving to the Lord should be the greatest joy and the greatest happiness that you know. Anything I offer to God must come from a willing heart if it’s to have any value.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley

If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools. – Plato

St. Augustine noted, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

EVERYTHING IS TRAINING FOR SOMETHING. – Men of Iron

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all. – Emily Dickinson

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. – Louisa May Alcott

Blogs, John Grant

MORE

Week 19, 2021

By retired Senator and attorney John Grant

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

We live in a culture that is never satisfied and always desires more: More money. More clothing. More toys. More square feet. More followers. More power. More wealth. More prestige. More reputation. More sex. More. More. More.

In fact, in many ways, the pursuit of more defines our entire society. But there is a problem with the lifestyle choice of desiring more. When we constantly desire more, we are never satisfied. Because no matter how much we accumulate or achieve, more always exists. By definition, it is unquenchable.

No matter how much money is in your bank account… there can always be more. No matter how big your house… there can always be more. No matter how many likes on your Instagram post or views on your Tik-Tok video… there can always be more.

When more is the goal, we never fully arrive. It is insatiable. And that is the problem with always wanting more. Happiness and contentment will always elude us if we are looking for it in the acquisition of more.

I suppose, if it was commonplace to see an end to this pursuit, that would be a different story. If human beings eventually arrived at a level of more, and suddenly became content, we could all strive to reach that magical level. But that is not the example surrounding us. Quite the opposite in fact. Most everybody who acquires more, only continues to pursue it.

We see it in the lives of individuals who amass great fortunes but are not satisfied. We see it in the world’s largest corporations who continue to pursue greater and greater market share and profits. We see it in those who acquire power and then work relentlessly to keep it and expand upon it.

In the early 1900’s, John D. Rockefeller was the richest man in the world. He was once famously asked by a reporter, “How much money is enough money?” Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more.” More can never satisfy.

Of course, we don’t need to look at the lives of others to understand this phenomenon. One look in the mirror reveals the same motivation inside us.

The average American home has tripled in size in the last 50 years and continues to grow larger and larger. The average American woman owns 4X the amount of clothes as her grandmother, but continues to purchase. The average American home has 300,000 items inside it… and yet Amazon arrives on our doorstep several times each week.

When more is the goal, we will never find contentment. More is always a moving target. Never fully attainable.

We live life with only two options. We can continue to pursue more. We can believe there is a better life waiting if we were just to acquire more money, more property, more fame. Or we can reject the false notion that more is needed to discover happiness. And we can find contentment in our circumstances and gratitude for the blessings we already possess.

We can best arrive at the second by turning to scripture. True, biblical contentment is a conviction that Christ’s power, purpose and provision is sufficient for every circumstance. We are to learn how to walk through all kinds of adversity believing in and experiencing Christ’s sufficiency.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

The choice is yours.

As for me, I’ll choose contentment with less.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Easy religions always appeal to the flesh because they don’t require a denial of self. Yet what did Jesus give as the first requirement for someone who wanted to follow Him? “Deny yourself.” I cannot live after the Spirit and after the flesh. These two things are contrary.

• Easy religions will never bring you to the true and living, eternal Creator.

• Easy religions might please my flesh, but they do not please God. In seeking my own pleasure, I lose His. If you follow these easy religions, you will find yourself alienated from the true God as you seek to make a god out of yourself.

• The path into eternal life begins at the cross; you can’t escape it. It is a straight path. It is a narrow path. But it leads to eternal life. Dan Shock

— o —

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.” —JOHN ADAMS

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

The greatest cure for discouragement is to get busy doing God’s work. Dan Shock

A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success. JOYCE BROTHERS

If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. Winston Churchill

Some claim to be Christians don’t understand the gospel of substitution because they still believe in a gospel of self-salvation. Ken Whitten

Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you. WALT WHITMAN

If we can’t live on 90% of our income, we probably can’t live on 100% either. Dave Ramsey

Blogs, John Grant

Crossroads

WEEK EIGHTEEN, 2021

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16).

All of us some time or another are confronted with “crossroad” experiences in our lives. I am not talking about which movie to see. I am talking about those significant decisions that have profound impact on the direction of our lives. Which college to attend, what career path to pursue and the big daddy of the all, who to marry.

We find ourselves at a crossroads and if we take the right road, we end up where we ought and want to be. If we take the wrong road, the further we go, the further we get from where we ought to be.

I remember some of those crossroad decisions in my life. They weren’t easy and often I was torn between what I desired and what I knew was right. There I stood… at the crossroads…. choices, decisions, action, inaction. Many of those times came before I was a Christian and knew that the Bible could give me great guidance in making those decisions. Here are some Biblically based suggestions to pray when you are faced with those crossroad decisions.

▪ Choices allow us to love or not… help us choose love.

▪ Choice allow us to choose right or wrong… help us choose right.

▪ Choices allow us to choose the light or the dark…. help us choose light.

▪ Choices allow us to choose between good and bad… help us choose good.

▪ Choices allow to choose between good and best… help us choose best.

▪ Choices allow us to choose you… help us draw near to you.

▪ O Lord, we give you thanks and praise for allowing us to make our own choices.

▪ O Lord, help us choose wisely.

▪ O Lord, help us choose your paths and your ways.

▪ O Lord, as we stand at the crossroads, help us choose the ancient path, the good way and help us walk in it.

O Lord, help us choose You.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

FIVE BEST SENTENCES

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation!

— o —

Entering the first church ever built:

The church built over the site of Jesus’ birth makes this point in a profound way.

When I lead study tours to Israel, we always visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. This was the first church building constructed under the reign of Constantine (ca. AD 330). The original structure was burned and destroyed in the sixth century, then rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (482–565).

Door of Humility

The Door of Humility provides entrance to the massive church. It was created to keep looters from driving carts into the church and to force even the most important visitors to dismount from their horses to enter the holy place.

Every time I bend down to enter the church that commemorates Jesus’ birth, I remember again that the best way to come to a King is in humility.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Waste no more time arguing about what a good person should be. Be one. —MARCUS AURELIUS

When God touches your heart, it fills with love and peace. Though the storms may rage, you have a glorious confidence in God’s ability to control life’s circumstances. Dan Shock

Through Jesus, your past is explained, your present has a purpose, and your future is secure. What more could you really want in life? —Jase Robertson

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. —Edith Wharton

How foolish it is to think that we can hide the truth from God. He knows the truth. God sees right through all of the disguises, because He sees our hearts. —Dan Shock

Whenever a nation’s laws no longer reflect the standards of God, that nation is in rebellion against Him and will inevitably bear the consequences. —Rep. Greg Steube

The uncommitted stand by and watch as the forces of darkness take over. —Dan Shock

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” —Lou Holtz. Former Notre Dame FB Head Coach

Some people stop living before they die. —Ken Whitten

***

Blogs, John Grant

WHAT IS YOUR FROG?

John Grant, Week Seventeen, 2021

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Mark Twain is purported to have given this advice. If you ever have to eat a live frog, it’s best done first thing in the morning. If you have to eat two frogs, he reportedly recommended eating the bigger one first. I know this scenario is awfully unlikely, but it’s good advice, nonetheless. Why eat the BIG frog first thing in the morning, you ask? Because you can go through the rest of your day knowing that the hardest task is behind you!

What “to-do list items” are you most tempted to procrastinate on? What goals have you had forever, but not taken the first step toward? What difficult decision have you been delaying? That, my friend, is your big frog! Give yourself a deadline; then get started.

The bottom line? You can’t just pray like it depends on God. You also have to work like it depends on you. If you want God to do the super, you’ve got to do the natural. And you have to start first thing in the morning.

How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it, yet many of us never give the morning a second thought beyond getting out the door on time. Our morning rituals are as unplanned as an earthquake. Is that the best way to start the day? That’s sounding the retreat before the day even begins. If you want to win the day, you’ve got to attack the day. How? Eat the BIG frog First.

Some people like to ease into the day without breaking a sweat, and I totally get that. Perhaps even sleep in on occasion, which is totally fine. But there is something to be said for starting the day with a challenge. It might be raising your heart rate via exercise or lowering your blood pressure via meditation. Either way, consistency is king.

What’s the one thing you least like to do, but you feel best about afterward? That’s your frog. The good news? Well-begun is half-done! If you do the natural, it sets God up to do something super. Start each day with HIM. Read His Word and go to him in prayer. Then whatever the day hold, you are ready to eat your frog.

What is your BIG frog?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

We need a proper perspective of the giants in our lives. We need to take our eyes off of the problems and look instead on the Lord. We need to remember that God is for us, and He has made all the resources of heaven available to us. Through the power of the Lord, every giant in your life can fall. But we must trust Him. Dan Shock

— o —

Parking Lot and Vehicle Safety

In your car:

1. Lock your car door immediately after getting in your car.

2. Do not sit in your car in a parking lot — get in and drive off.

3. Check your surroundings before you turn off your car and get out. Anything suspicious – Drive Off!

4. Keep your cell phone handy at all times. A decent medical kit along with a flashlight, raingear and tire repair tools is highly recommended.

5. Make a practice of filling your gas tank when it drops below 1/2 full.

6. Don’t EVER park next to or get in your car next to a panel van.

7. When stopping, make certain you can see the bottoms of the tires of the car ahead of you. This leaves you room to drive around that vehicle.

8. If you are being followed, drive to the nearest Emergency Room.

Around Your Car:

1. Be alert and aware when leaving stores, malls, etc.

2. Have your keys in your hand as you approach your car. Around 40% of all robberies happen at the door of a car.

3. Look inside your car before getting in.

4. Lock your car and take the keys when you get out to pump gas.

5. Don’t use ATMs at night or in vulnerable places.

6. Avoid filling your arms with packages that obscure your vision.

7. Avoid stairs in parking garages —walk down the ramp facing traffic.

8. In parking lots, walk down the middle, not close to parked cars (unless there is traffic approaching).

9. If a driver asks for directions while you are on foot, stay back several feet from the car.

— o —

WE CAN AVOID TRAGIC MISTAKES BY:

(1) ALWAYS ALLOWING GOD’S WORD TO GUIDE OUR DECISIONS.

(2) NEVER MAKING A DECISION UNTIL YOU HAVE FIRST SOUGHT GOD’s GUIDANCE THROUGH PRAYER. Dan Shock

NOT A SINGLE WORD OF GOD HAS FAILED. Dan Shock

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

When we read the Bible, God talks to us, but when we pray, we talk to God. Dana Hardee

When God cleans us up, we are ready to go to battle; when we try to clean ourselves up, we just move the dirt from one spot to another. Dwight Short

God is looking for men and women with open, willing hearts, those who would say, “Here I am, Lord. I am not content with my life the way it is, Lord. I want to give it all to You.” When discontentment brings you to a total commitment to Jesus Christ, that’s good discontentment because it leads to progress. Dan Shock

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. MAYA ANGELOU

NOT A SINGLE WORD OF GOD HAS FAILED. Dan Shock

I’ve always been amazed at folks who think that success in life is anti-Biblical. How can anyone think that God created us to be unsuccessful in any area of life that He ordained as good? The Preacherman

He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life. RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Don’t be busy; Be productive

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“Light in a Dark Place”

Jeremy Stopford, Semi-Retired Pastor

“SERMON ON THE MOUNT – AND BEYOND !!!”

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

We have now come to the second lesson in the “AND BEYOND !!!” part of the Sermon on the Mount.

Let me introduce this week’s lesson with a most unusual illustration. The date was Friday September 25, 1992 and the place was Beaver Meadow, New York, a very rural community about one hour south of Syracuse in the central part of the state. I was in the 7th year of my service there as pastor. It was about midnight. My wife and I were “long gone” in sleep when we were suddenly awakened to the noise of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. We quickly dressed, ran outside, and followed the noise of the trucks. At the same time, we also heard a most unusual sound – one which we hoped we were wrong in our evaluation.

But we were correct – the garage of the neighbor directly across the street AND next to the church was on fire! The night was enjoying a confusing blend of light (from the fire) and dark (from the night). Mingled with the light and dark were the voices. There were voices of anguish from the family and community members who were concerned not only with the location of the fire, but also with the preservation of the family’s house to the north and of the community church immediately to the south of the burning garage.

It was a COLD early fall night. We quickly went to work! We set up tables and chairs and throughout the long night supplied drinking water and brewed massive quantities of coffee for the firemen and other emergency workers.

By morning the garage was a complete loss. Not only was the owner’s business gone – his woodworking shop from which he created amazing pieces of oak furniture. The elderly family dog – well, actually, he was the entire neighborhood’s dog! – had succumbed to the smoke just inside the garage door.

The next day we all commented how much light and darkness mixed together without distinction. My wife and I were blessed to serve in the pastorate here, and yet, and yet!, for a brief moment the light of the fire and the darkness of the night combined to show us just how quickly light and dark can mix in the hearts of those to whom we were called to minister, and to whom we were trying to make an eternal impact.

In a nutshell, that is what Matthew 5:14-16 is all about. LIGHT and DARK. They are designed by God to be distinct from each other. But our Savior is quick to note that sometimes, SOMETIMES, in His children they appear confusingly together. Sadly, though, the distinction God wants for His children is forgotten. Listen to that distinction during the Egyptian plagues in Exodus 10:23, “They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” And when describing the separation of Israel from the Egyptians who were following, Moses wrote (Exodus 14:20), “So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.” As the Israelites were always in the light, God’s design is that the Christian as well is always to be in the light.

As I prepared for this message/lesson, I learned much about His usages of LIGHT and DARK in the Good Book. Allow me to collate a few of those amazing passages.

FIRST, let’s look at WHERE WE ARE – IN DARKNESS! Job said of the leadership of the nations (12:25a), “They grope in the dark without light…”. The prophet Isaiah warns (5:20a), “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…”. Our Savior gives the heavenly assessment (the complete passage is John 3:19-21), “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil… But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” The prophet Isaiah put it all in perspective as he looked forward to the coming of the Messiah (9:2)- a prophesy which our Savior said referred to Himself (Matthew 4:16): “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” In direct contrast with the offer of His light, the darkness of the world is a vivid picture of death without Jesus.

SECOND, let’s look at WHOSE WE ARE – IN CHRIST! Even in the Old Testament, the psalmist David cried out about his relationship with his Savior. Note the amazing start of Psalm 27:1a, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” Once again, our Savior gives His interpretation, His application to Himself (!!!) (John 8:12), “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Throughout the psalms, the authors show the connection with our identification with the Savior, Listen to this sampling: “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.” (43:3). “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (36:9). “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.” (89:15). So how is the child of God to reflect Whose we are, an identity that should be on display from the moment we trust Jesus as Savior? Listen to the Apostle John’s wonderful words (1 John 1:7): “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” We belong to the King of kings! He is pure LIGHT. And in His light we are, for we are “in Christ!

THIRD, let’s look at WHO WE ARE – THE LIGHT! We are a refreshing brightness! (How can that be?). David quoted the Lord’s words about himself in 2 Samuel 23:3b-4, “‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds,

Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.’” The Christian in turn is a REFRESHING BRIGHTNESS in a dark world! In 2 Kings 8:19, in spite of the description of King Jehoram’s wickedness, God gives a sobering evaluation of the nation: “Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.” The Christian in the world is like the remnant of Israel – he is to be a REMNANT OF GODLINESS AGAINST SIN. In the book of Esther, the nation had won the victory against the evil of one of the members of its leadership. In turn, it was said of itself, “The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor…”. The Christian in the world is to be what we have – LIGHT: HOPE AMONG THE HOPELESS! And the Apostle Paul gives a reminder of the Christian’s position, as he says in Romans 13:13, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Armor? What does that make the Christian? He is a SOLDIER OF LIGHT AMIDST THE DARKNESS OF THE WORLD!

TO CONCLUDE, let’s look at WHAT WE HAVE – EXAMPLES OF

ENCOURAGEMENT! How is it even possible for soldiers of LIGHT to be light in this dark world? Where are we to look when we KNOW that we ARE to be LIGHT, when there is so much DARKNESS around us? We look to the Good Book to see others who have gone on before, those who were LIGHT while living in the real DARKNESS of their world! Let’s listen to two of the classic lines of two of God’s choice servants:

Listen to DANIEL: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10). In the midst of DARKNESS, Daniel knew where to find LIGHT – by maintaining his custom of walking with the Lord in prayer,

Listen to JOB: “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:20-22). Do you hear him, dear people? Eventually in this wonderful book, we will walk with Job as he loses EVERYTHING, even the support of his wife. Yet in the big picture, when he had NOTHING in the world, HE HAD THE LORD! And so do we.

The children of LIGHT who serve the King of kings in DARKNESS can follow our SAVIOR Who IS LIGHT! The children of LIGHT can be encouraged with those who have also served the King of kings in DARKNESS. Choice servants like Daniel and Job – and many others – are there in scripture to remind us that we are not alone!

Press on, child of LIGHT, in the DARKNESS of the world around us, a world without God and without hope. Be the LIGHT in the DARKNESS that will point those who are lost and without hope to the One Who is PURE LIGHT, the One Who gave Himself for our sin at Calvary,

Remember WHO YOU ARE…

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Ask yourself: “WHO AM I and WHOSE AM I?”

Blogs, John Grant

TRUE LIFE REVEALED

Week Sixteen, 2021

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (1 Corinthians 5:11).

He was considered by many to be one of best evangelical expositors of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. Ravi Zacharias was an Indian-born Canadian-American Christian apologist who founded the RZIM. He was involved in Christian apologetics for a period spanning more than 40 years.

He had spoken in hundreds of churches and at hundreds of conferences around the world. Thousands of people were influenced by his preaching. Even I was when he graced the pulpit in my home church. Many considered him to be the most significant Christian apologist of modern times.

But, after his death from cancer a year ago, it became apparent that there was another Ravi Zacharias. Following his demise, dozens of women came forward to tell of their abuse. His ministry board engaged a law firm to do a complete investigation and the results were astounding. He had been leading a double life.

Mr. Zacharias had been living a lie; engaging in molestation, sexual sin, and even rape- on several continents and with many women. He turned out to be a perverted deviant, and not just lately for a short period, but a long time. In fact, Ravi seemed to have chosen his type of business (spa/massage) for this reason and had seemed to have structured his business operations with the intention of perpetuating then hiding his craven sin. His sexual sins also included other sins of misuse of ministry funds to support his sex partners, and of course, lies and hypocrisy.

How do or should we as Christians respond? Witnessing the fall of someone we greatly admire elicits deep, painful emotions. We feel betrayed by them and embarrassed that we trusted them. The more public our faith in them, the more public our shame and the deeper our anger. We wonder if there is anyone we can truly trust. If they were part of a larger movement, that movement’s reputation is disgraced along with them.

And remember that sin always affects the innocent. Satan loves to use one sin to destroy as many lives as he can. The next time you are tempted with “private” sin, remember the victims of Ravi Zacharias’ sins. The women he abused will never forget their pain, and his family and colleagues are shamed and grieving as well.

The next time you are tempted by “private” sin, see this temptation as bait in a cage. And know that its consequences will be far worse than its rewards for you and everyone who knows you. I will repeat a statement I have made often over the years: sin will always take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay. Always.

Before we judge Zacharias, we much remember if this could happen to Ravi Zacharias, it can happen to any of us. None of us are exempt from Satan’s bait.

Be always on guard, for the trap is set for you.

We can never sin alone. Our sin grows and ultimately affects the whole church. Private sin needs private confession. Public sin requires public confession. —Dana Hardee

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Basic Safety at Home

1. If you have a security system – use it!

2. Never open your door to a stranger.

3. Never tell anyone you are home alone.

4. Keep you home well-lighted at all times – inside and out.

5. Keep windows and doors locked.

6. Keep shrubs around your home well trimmed.

7. New home or apartment? – have ALL locks rekeyed ASAP.

8. Never hide a door key under a mat, flowerpot or mailbox.

9. Lock your doors whenever you are in the yard or garage.

10. Take a cordless phone or your cell phone with you when you work in the yard.

— o —

General Awareness and Mindset

1. Stay alert anytime you are outside your home.

2. Walk with eyes up, looking around you at all times, not looking down at or talking on your cell phone.

3. Maintain your personal space in public.

4. Check behind you periodically.

5. Look for anything in the immediate area that looks out of place, out of context, or “just not right”.

6. Mindset: “I won’t be a victim!”

— o —

C. S. Lewis, from his book, “God in the Dock,” offers this interesting bit of dialogue regarding prayer. “Praying for particular things,” said I, “always seems to me like advising God how to run the world. Wouldn’t it be wiser to assume that He knows best?”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

We can never sin alone. Our sin grows and ultimately affects the whole church. Private sin needs private confession. Public sin requires public confession. —Dana Hardee

I should live in constant preparedness for eternity. Dan Shock

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. WINSTON CHURCHILL

When you fail to surrender, you’re really saying, “I know better than God.” And only a fool would think that. Dan Shock

In running from God’s will, we run into things we should be afraid of. Ken Whitten

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? ABRAHAM LINCOLN

If God is the one “who gives you the ability to produce wealth,” then He gets to dictate what we do with financial excess, whether it’s abundance from a paycheck or profit from a business. Jordan Raynor

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. WALTER ELLIOTT

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