Archive for the ‘Encourgement’ Category

Spiritual Training 24 January 2014

Posted: January 24, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths, or merely human ideas about God.  It is not a human book.  Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed his person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down his message for his people (2 Peter 1:20,21).  This process is known as inspiration.  The writers wrote from their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts.  Although they used their own minds, talents, language, and style, they wrote what God wanted them to write.  Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing.  Its words are entirely authoritative for our faith and lives. 

The whole Bible is God’s inspired Word.  Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our lives.  The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true.  It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live.  It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved.  God wants to show you what is true and equip you to live for him. 

In our seal for the truth of Scripture, we must never forget its purpose-to equip us to do good.  We should not study God’s Word simply to increase our knowledge or to prepare us to win arguments.  We should study the Bible so that we will know how to do Christ’s work in the world.  Our knowledge of God’s Word is not useful unless it strengthens our faith and leads us to do good. 

Lets Bring it Home: How much time do you spend in God’s Word? Read it regularly to discover God’s truth and to become confident in your life and faith.  Develop a plan for reading the whole Bible, not just the familiar passages.  The Bible is “God-breathed.” Read it, and use it’s teaching to guide your conduct.

Proverbs 24:03 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 24, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 24, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 24:3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.

A prosperous and long-lasting family and estate are built by wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. There are no shortcuts. There are no alternatives. The foolish and wicked may appear to be building great houses, but they are coming down soon. There is no cheating this rule. If you compromise wisdom, you will lose your family and estate.

Your “house” is not just the building you live in. It includes your posterity and inheritable assets. It includes your literal house, but do not dilute the lesson. Wisdom and understanding here are far more than creative blueprints (Pr 11:29; 14:1,11; 15:25,27)!

It is possible to see the wicked with large and prosperous families, but their duration is short. Consider David’s observation, “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found” (Ps 37:34-36).

Righteous men want to leave a godly and prosperous family in the world (Pr 5:16-18; Ps 127:3-5; 128:1-6; 144:12-15; Mal 2:15). They want to train children and grandchildren to perpetuate the truth of God in the earth (Deut 4:9-10; 6:4-9; Ps 78:1-8; Joel 1:1-3).

Consider the house of Abraham in size and quality. The nation of Israel came from his loins, which he built and established by wisdom and understanding (Gen 12:1-3; Neh 9:7-8). He feared God and lived by faith more than any man of his generation (Gal 3:9).

Consider the houses of Lot and Eli in duration and honor. Lot lost everything and polluted his own daughters (Gen 19:30-38). Eli’s family of priests was cut off and destroyed for the compromise of a sentimental and weak father (I Sam 2:27-36; 3:11-18).

Your family and estate will only prosper by wisdom and understanding, which is plainly found in Scripture. If you live by any other means, you are doomed to trouble, pain, and destruction. Humble yourself, and shore up your house with the Word of God! Today!

The house of God, the church, is built and established the same way, by wisdom and understanding. The foundation is laid in the Lord Jesus Christ, and every minister must build only with gold, silver, and precious stones. For the fire of his Lord’s examination will consume any wood, hay, and stubble. Let every doctrine and practice of every church be based only in the pure wisdom and understanding of Scripture (I Cor 3:11-15).

Spiritual Training 23 January 2014

Posted: January 23, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 3:14-15 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.      

Besieged by false teachers and the inevitable pressures of a growing ministry, Timothy could easily have abandoned his faith or modified his doctrine.  Once again Paul counseled Timothy to look to his past, and to hold to the basic teachings about Jesus that are eternally true.

Timothy was one of the first second-generation Christians: he became a Christian not because an evangelist preached a powerful sermon, but because his mother and grandmother had taught him the Scriptures when he was a small child (1-5).  A parent’s work is vitally important.  At home and in Church, we should realize that teaching small children is both an opportunity and a responsibility.  Jesus wanted little children to come to him (Mathew 19:13-15).  Like Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois, do you part in leading children to Christ.

For Timothy, the “holy Scriptures” was the Old Testament.  The Old Testament is important because it points to Jesus Christ.  At the same time, faith in Christ makes the whole Bible intelligible.

Lets Bring it Home: Like Timothy, we are surrounded by false teachings.  But we must not allow our society to distort or crowed out God’s eternal truth.  Spend time every day reflecting on the foundation of your Christian faith found in God’s Word, the great truths that build up your life.

Proverbs 23:32 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 23, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 23, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 23:32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 

What bites like a serpent and stings like an adder? Too much wine or other form of alcohol (Pr 23:30)! Drunkenness bites and stings those who drink too much. The consequences of drunkenness are painful, and a rule of wisdom is to never get drunk.

This short proverb is in the middle of Solomon’s warning against drunkenness (Pr 23:29-35). God created wine to calm and cheer man (Pr 31:4-7; Ps 104:14-15). But when it is foolishly drunk to excess, wine will bite and sting those drinkers with numerous wounds.

For those who love truth, it is very important to know that Solomon did not condemn the moderate use of wine or strong drink (Pr 3:10; 9:2,5; 31:4-7; Eccl 9:7; 10:19; Song 1:2,4; 4:10; 5:1; 7:9; 8:2). In agreement with Solomon, Old Testament saints and the Lord Jesus Christ drank wine (Gen 14:18; Deut 14:26; II Sam 6:19; Luke 7:33-34; John 2:1-11).

Solomon, confirming the rest of the Bible, condemned drunkenness, which is drinking to excess and losing self-control (Pr 20:1; 23:21; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:18; I Cor 6:10). The context of the proverb is clearly the abuse of wine causing drunkenness (Pr 23:29-35). But the moderate use of wine is as holy and noble as the moderate use of bread or oil (Ps 104:14-15). Abusing wine is a sin called drunkenness; abusing bread and oil is gluttony.

Bible readers ignorant of context or proverbial language think this proverb condemns all wine and strong drink. They assume the bite and sting are the tingling of champagne’s carbonation, the after-taste of dry wine, or the burning sensation of straight whiskey. But the proverb describes the consequences of drunkenness, not the taste of alcoholic drinks.

The bite and sting are results of drunkenness – “At the last,” as the proverb declares. Wine appears very pleasant in the glass (Pr 23:31), but its abuse can bring pain and trouble (Pr 23:29-35). In this sense it is as dangerous as the bite of a poisonous snake or sting of a venomous viper, which is the simile here. You should not play with either.

Consider the bite and sting of drunkenness. You will ruin your reputation with unplanned folly, like Noah and Lot (Pr 20:1; 23:33; 31:4-5; Gen 9:20-22; 19:30-38; Eccl 10:1). You will be reduced to poverty, like the prodigal (Pr 21:17; 23:21; Luke 15:13-14). You will have immediate sickness and eventual liver damage and death (Pr 23:29,34-35; Is 19:14).

The proverb applies to the abuse of any mood-altering chemical. Christians are told to reject the mood alterations of drunkenness and to instead choose the filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18-19). There is no bite or sting in the Holy Ghost: there is joy and peace in believing: there is singing from a melody in your heart (Rom 14:17; 15:13; Eph 5:19).

Proverbs 16:09 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 16, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 16, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. 

Men have intelligence. They set goals and plan the means to achieve them. Irrational creatures cannot do this; they only react by instincts to stimulus. But the sovereign God manages the details of men’s plans, so that you are dependent upon Him, for He may bless the good man with a favorable outcome and turn the evil man’s plans upside down.

This proverb of Solomon is important. God rules your life. Man proposes; God disposes. Man freely devises; God powerfully directs. Man creatively plans; God masterfully dictates. Man acts as he pleases; God is pleased by how He uses man’s actions. God is the LORD! Your life and its plans are in His hands. Learn how to utilize this knowledge.

Many wander and wonder through life, wishing they knew God’s will for them. But His will is not a mystery, and much of the answer is in this proverb. Commit your works to the LORD (Pr 16:3; Ps 37:4-5); devise a way to achieve your desired godly objectives (Pr 16:1; 15:22; 20:18); believe that He will take care of the details (Ps 37:23; 84:11).

Obedient Christian reader, these words are for you: the LORD gave you a heart, so follow your affections for what you prefer. He gave you a mind, so think of how you might achieve your goals. Once you commit it to God and follow the rules of Scriptural wisdom, go for it! No matter what it is! Simply submit it to God’s will (James 4:13-15).

There is no “perfect” anything, so do not look for it. You live in a sinful world; everything is imperfect. God has not revealed perfect choices. You cannot see even the outcome of the next five minutes. You will waste your life searching, and you will always be frustrated. Most any job will do, if the Lord directs your steps. And this is the same with marriage, house hunting, business deals, family size, and so forth and so on.

Ruth was a poor widow in a foreign land. She devised in her heart to glean fields – pick up scraps after the reapers – a lowly job with little future potential (Ruth 2:2). But the LORD directed her steps to the field of Boaz, a rich, single man who ended up marrying her, and they had David as their great-grandson (Ruth 2:3; 4:17). Give God the glory!

The Jews were condemned by the Persian Empire to genocide! Esther devised in her heart to have King Ahasuerus and Haman to lunch, though she feared for her life to even ask for the meeting (Esth 4:16-17). But the LORD turned the king’s heart toward her with great affection and responsiveness. After she told him of Haman’s evil plans, the King found Haman begging on her bed, and that was that (Esth 7:7-8)! Give God the glory!

Abraham devised a way to find a wife for Isaac, and the servant met Rebekah first. Jacob devised a way to flee from Esau, and the Lord blessed him to become rich with a large family. Joseph chose to be righteous, and the Lord directed his steps to Egypt’s throne. Jesse devised a way to send food to his sons in the army by his youngest son David, not knowing that God was directing David’s steps for a showdown with Goliath.

But look carefully at Esther in reverse. Haman devised a way in his heart to annihilate the Jews, and he manipulated King Ahasuerus into signing the decree (Esth 3:1-15). But the Lord directed him to total humility and ruin by building a gallows, meeting the king at a time that resulted in honoring Mordecai, and falling on Esther’s bed (Esth 5:1 – 7:10)!

Consider Joseph in reverse. His brothers devised a way to get rid of “the dreamer,” who tormented them by his divine revelations, but the Lord directed their steps to sell him into Egypt, where he saved them all from starvation some years later (Gen 45:4-8; 50:19-21). They eventually fulfilled every dream Joseph had about them bowing low before him.

The Jews devised in their hearts to rid themselves of Jesus of Nazareth, but the glorious LORD turned their devices upside down. His crucifixion was God’s choice for the salvation of the very people they hated and hoped to ruin, and He returned in holy revenge to destroy their temple, city, and nation. Every step they took in this most heinous crime was according to God’s eternal purpose (Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 15:18).

When hearing about plans of wicked men, do not worry. They can bring nothing to pass that God has not already planned from eternity to overrule for His own glory, purposes, and people. The wicked are His pawns or puppets – His sword and His hand (Ps 17:13-14). Remember, He may even allow prosperity to deceive them (Pr 1:32). Remember, He may allow them to be successful for a while to heap up riches for you (Pr 13:22).

When facing a decision and not knowing what to do, here is wisdom. Submit your life and works to the LORD, choose that course that pleases you best within the limits of godly wisdom, obtain the approval of many wise counselors, and move ahead trusting the Lord to take care of the details out of your control. Do not fret about perfect goals or strategies, for you are not capable of picking them. Your Heavenly Father cares for you, and He can more than compensate for any “mistake” you make with an inferior choice.

Learn the additional wisdom of Psalm 127:1-2, where David explained that your best efforts are vain without God’s blessing. Though God expects you to apply yourself diligently to achieve your goals, the outcome truly depends on His favor, not your ability or genius in planning or executing your desire. He wants you to back off unreasonable worries or effort and go to sleep, because He loves you and will provide what you need.

Spiritual Training 16 January 2014

Posted: January 16, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 3:08-09 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth-men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concern, are rejected.  But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. 

According to tradition, Jannes and Jambres were two of the magicians who had counterfeited Moses’ miracles before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11,12).  Paul explained that just as Moses had exposed and defeated them (Exodus 8:18,19).  God would overthrow the false teachers who were plaguing the Ephesian church.

We can hide our sin for a while, but eventually the truth will be revealed.  Sooner, or later, distraction, opposition, anger, or fatigue will wear us down, and our true hearts will be exposed.  The trials of life will conspire against our efforts to maintain a religious front. We can’t pick when and where we will be tested by adversity.  Build your character carefully because it will come out under stress.

Lets Bring it Home: Live each day as if everyone will one day know your actions.  It is useless, in the middle of a test, to acknowledge that you should have prepared.  Now is the time to change anything you wouldn’t want revealed later.

Proverbs 15:02 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 14, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 15, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 

You can say the wrong thing, and you can say the right thing the wrong way, or at the wrong time, or to the wrong person. Wisdom learns what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and to whom to say it. Truth is not enough. Do you know how, when, and to whom to speak the truth? Fools babble without regard to these four factors of godly speech.

Solomon taught often that speech is one of the most obvious signs of wisdom or folly (Pr 10:18-19; 15:28; 17:27-28; 18:6-7; 29:11; Eccl 10:11-14). A wise man or a fool can be easily discerned by his speech, which is measured by content, manner, timing, and audience. The key to this proverb is the qualifying adverb “aright.” A wise man speaks knowledge acceptably, but a fool prates on and on without knowing what he is saying.

This proverb is for your success. Fools destroy relationships and aggravate situations by talking far too much about far too little. They love the sound of their voice expressing their feelings and opinions, but no one else does, so they eventually lose all friends and opportunities for advancement. Those around them finally get tired of cringing every time they open their mouths and/or having to do damage control after they have spoken.

Wise men wait until they have something valuable to contribute, and they say only what is necessary, in the right way, at the right time, to the right audience. Others quickly learn to stop speaking and to listen when such wise men begin to speak. Because all their words are profitable and acceptable, others want them around, so they are promoted to positions of authority and influence due to their wise speech habits (Pr 16:13; 22:11).

What is godly content? The proverb says wise men speak knowledge. They do not give vain opinions, which fools love to do. They study before they speak (Pr 15:28). They crave the certain words of truth (Pr 22:17-21). They know speech contrary to Scripture is worthless (Is 8:20). They want to edify (Eph 4:29). Speak only if you have truth (Pr 16:23), when important to the hearers (Pr 29:11); cut your words in half (Pr 17:27-28).

What is godly manner? The proverb says wise men speak aright, which means rightly, correctly, properly. Gracious speech is acceptable speech (Pr 22:11; Eccl 10:12). The Lord Jesus spoke this way (Ps 45:2; Luke 4:22), and it is a commandment (Col 4:6). Gracious speech is agreeable, charming, courteous, gentle, kind, pleasing, polite, merciful, and thankful. Seek the love of others with each word (Pr 22:1; 24:26; 25:11).

What is godly timing? A wise man listens before speaking (Jas 1:19). He makes sure he knows a situation before talking (Pr 15:23; 18:13; John 7:24). He alters his speech for his audience (Pr 25:20; I Cor 9:19-23). He lets the more knowledgeable speak first (Job 32:4-7). He knows that haste in speech makes him worse than a fool (Pr 29:20), especially in the house of God (Eccl 5:1-7). Slow down! Listen first, think second, and speak last!

What is a godly audience? Not all deserve words of truth spoken graciously at the right time. Ignore fools after an initial rebuke (Pr 26:4-5). Avoid scorners altogether (Pr 9:7-8). The Lord Jesus taught this wise rule (Matt 7:6). Warn the unruly, exhort saints, comfort the feebleminded, rebuke sinners, and train children (Lev 19:17; I Thes 5:14; Heb 10:25).

Knowledge and truth do not allow speaking any way you wish. There are rules of wisdom and godliness for how you handle knowledge and truth God gives. Everything, including speech, must be done without offence in Jesus’ name (I Cor 10:31-33; Eph 4:15).

Spiritual Training 16 January 2014

Posted: January 14, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 3:01-07

(1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 

(2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

(3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

(4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –

(5) having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them.

(6) They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,

 Because of the cultural background, women in the Ephesian church had received no formal religious training.  They enjoyed their new freedom to study Christian truths, but their eagerness to learn made them a target for false teachers.  Paul warned Timothy to watch out for men who would take advantage of these women.

(7) always learning but never able  to acknowledge the truth. 

This verse is not opposing study and learning; it is warning about ineffective learning.  It is possible to be a perpetual student and never graduate to putting theory into practice. But honest seekers and true students look for answers.  Remember this as you study God’s word.

Lets Bring it Home: New believers need to grow in their knowledge of the Word, because ignorance can make them vulnerable to deception. Seek to find God’s truth and will for you life.  Then do as he says.

Proverbs 14:11 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 14, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 14, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked shall be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

How successful is your family? How long will it last? What impact will it have for truth and wisdom? God and men will overthrow the house of the wicked, but they will bless and favor the estate of the righteous. Solomon watched families of wicked men come and go, but he saw the godly seed of the righteous continuing in prosperity for generations (Ps 37:34-40). Here is a proverb that condemns the wicked and encourages the upright.

The wicked build houses – solid, substantial, and permanent dwelling places – to get themselves a name (Ps 49:6-14). They trust their wealth, their intelligence, their strength, and their reputations to deliver them. The upright may begin with only a tabernacle – a fragile, temporary tent. But God will tear down the former and bless the latter. The great reversal of fortune is by the decree of the watchers, or angels – God favors the upright!

Sin is the ruin of families. If you want your family to endure and prosper, you need to pursue godliness and holiness like the upright man. You need to set the Lord first in each life in your house (Ps 101:3-8; 128:1-6; 144:11-15). But the wicked will not think about God at all; they want to do their own thing; they cannot sin enough (Ps 10:4; 58:3). The Lord has guaranteed by this proverb that He will overthrow such a man and his house.

Consider the house of Eli, priest of Israel. God had promised that his house would last forever as His chosen priests, but Eli would not stop his sons from sinning. So God overthrew his family in one day (I Sam 2:12-36; 3:1-18). His two foolish sons were killed in battle; Eli fell backward and broke his neck when he heard the news, and his daughter-in-law died in childbirth (I Sam 4:1-22)! The Lord overthrew the house of the wicked.

Consider Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery at seventeen; he was falsely accused of attempted rape of his master’s wife, and he was thrown into prison. Surely his life and estate had reached rock bottom. But he had resisted his master’s wife’s advances. God raised him out of prison, put him on the throne of Egypt, and made each of his two sons a tribe in Israel – a double inheritance! The tabernacle of the upright flourished!

Other examples of houses being overthrown and tabernacles flourishing could be given, but there are greater reckonings that most ignore – death and Judgment Day. The beggar Lazarus had no house in this world, but he flourished in heaven, while the rich man that lived luxuriously in this world was overthrown and tormented in hell (Luke 16:19-31).

What can you do? Teach your children and grandchildren the Bible so they will fear God and keep His commandments, for His rules are the life, wisdom, and righteousness of your family tree (Deut 4:5-8; 6:4-9; 32:46-47; Ps 34:11; 78:1-8; Joel 1:1-3; Eph 6:4). Keep their priorities on Jesus Christ and heaven, lest they be belly worshippers that mind earthly things (Phil 3:18-19; Col 3:1-4; Heb 11:8-10,13-16). Pray for them every day.

Spiritual Training 14 January 2014

Posted: January 14, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 3:01-05

(1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 

Paul’s reference to the “last days” reveals his sense of urgency.  The last days began after Jesus’ resurrection when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost.   The “last days” will continue until Christ’s second coming.  This means that we are living in the last days.

(2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

(4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –

Why is it so tempting to love pleasure rather than God?  Pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled.  Most pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice.  Pleasures benefit us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the future.   Pleasure has a narcotic effect; it takes our minds off ourselves and our problems, Love for God reminds us of our needs and our responsibilities.  Pleasure cooperates with pride.  It makes us feel good when we look good in the eyes of others.  The love God we must lay aside our pride and our accomplishments.

 (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them. 

The “form” or appearance of godliness includes going to church knowing Christian doctrine, using Christian clichés, and following a community’s Christian traditions.  Such practices can make a person look good, but if the inner attitudes of belief, love and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless.  Paul warns us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians. It may be difficult to distinguish them from true Christians at first, but their daily behavior will give them away.  The characteristics described in 3:2-4 are unmistakable.

In many parts of the world today, being a Christian is not especially difficult-people aren’t jailed for reading the Bible or executed for preaching Christ. (However, this kind of persecution is very real for many believers.) Paul’s descriptive list of behavior in the last days describes our society-even, unfortunately, the behavior of many Christians.

Lets Bring it Home: Have you chosen to love pleasure, or to love God? How do you know? Check your life against Paul’s list.  Don’t give in to society’s pressures.  Don’t settle for comfort without commitment.  Stand up against evil by living as God would have his people live.

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