Tag: pleasure

Temptation

Today’s reading is Proverbs 5 where a stern warning is given about adultery.

In this chapter King Solomon is writing to his son to tell him about the risk of the temptation of adultery and seeking temporary pleasure over the fruits of faithful marriage over one’s lifetime. This is steep contrast to what the world tells us. Sexual promiscuity is everywhere in ads, TV shows, movies, and now on social media. Satan and the world tell us to seek pleasure, you deserve it. It’s ok…just like the fruit in Genesis 3. The book of Ecclesiastes is also attributed to King Solomon and in it he also warns about seeking pleasure over what God wants.

I’ve mentioned in past writings that some years ago I had the opportunity to work with Jason Selk. Jason was a sports psychologist for professional teams and athletes and then began personal and business coaching as well. One of the things he talked about was doing a life projection when making decisions in the moment. If your goal is to get in shape and stay healthy, picture yourself 5 years from now if you don’t say yes to that workout you don’t feel like doing. And then picture yourself healthy when you say yes to that workout. One of my friends who was not a believer and now is and who is also very into personal and professional growth and books and podcasts on that topic said that pretty much every concept comes from the Bible. Well, we can see it here…

“and at the end of your life you groan,

when your flesh and body are consumed,

and you say, “How I hated discipline,

and my heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

or incline my ear to my instructors,

I am at the brink of utter ruin

In the assembled congregation.”

Proverbs 5:11-14

Solomon is giving his son a life projection and telling him the temporary pleasure the world and Satan is telling you to chase is not worth it at the end of your life. How you feel on your deathbed about your choices and the life you lived is much more important. If you are someone who has fallen into this snare, know that there is forgiveness at the cross. Psalm 103:12 says he removes our sins as far as the east is from the rest. Read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. God loves and forgives you and wants you back.

Jason once told a story about a man he was coaching who struggled with his weight. They were out to dinner with a large group having a great time. After dinner the waiter came up and said he’d be right back with the dessert tray. At that point the man abruptly left and went home, despite the great time he was having. The next day, Jason asked him why he left so quickly. He said he’d done a life projection, and he didn’t like the person he saw 5 years from now if he said yes to a dessert…so he removed himself from the temptation. Not only did he do the life projection like taught here in the wisdom God gave Solomon, but he also follows what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:7-9 where he says if your eye or your foot or hand cause you to sin…remove it (not literally). Billy Graham said he would never put himself in a situation where he was alone with another woman who was not his wife.

Let us remember what God taught us in the very beginning in Genesis 2:24 and Jesus reiterated in Matthew 19:4-6..

“He answered, Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife,, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefor God has joined together, let not man separate.”

 

Daddy Issues

Today’s readings are 1 Kings 3, 2 Chronicles 1, Psalm 42, and Romans 8.

This weekend my 10-year-old son Deklin and I attended DADCAMP which is a camp for Dads to bring their son or daughter from 1st grade up through high school. It was an amazing experience I won’t forget, and hope Deklin won’t either. DADCAMP is a Christ-centered. biblical organization with a focus on inspiring Dads to be the best Dad they can be. Check out https://www.dadcamp.info/our-story.html for more info.

At DADCAMP they spoke about how 80% of those incarcerated have an absent father. Younger generations are leaving the church and their faith at the largest rates ever, yet when a Dad follows Jesus, 93% of the time so will his children.

I’m always amazed at how when we dig into God’s Word, He speaks to us directly related to what is going on in our lives. 1 Kings 3:3 says…

“Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father…”

We know not only did Solomon follow God, but he ultimately showed his level of commitment by building a temple to honor Him. We see right here in the Word where David followed God, and as a result, so did his son Solomon.  This still holds true today.

At DADCAMP we covered a book called, Father God:Daring to Draw Near by Dave Patty. This book discusses how there are 2 conversations recorded with God the Father and Jesus in Matthew 3:16-17 and Matthew 17:5. In these verses, we find God the Father communicates 4 things to Jesus, His Son.

  1. Identity – “This is my Son.”
  2. Love – “Whom I love”
  3. Pleasure – “With Him I am well pleased”
  4. Place – “Listen to Him!”

The author Dave Patty says the following…

  • Identity gives value
  • Love brings security
  • Pleasure gives motivation
  • Place brings honor

We see how God the Father felt about His Son. Not so ironically, Romans 8:12-17 tells us as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we who believe are now children of God. In fact, those verses in my Bible are under the heading “Heirs with Christ.”

12 So then, brothers,[a] we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[b] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

You can read for yourself here where when you believe you are now seen in the same way as Jesus, as a child of God who is glorified with Him. This tells us we now have an identity which brings value, love which brings security, pleasure which gives us motivation, and place which brings us honor from our Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:37-39 expands on this to tell us we are victorious, and nothing will separate us from His love and the way God feels about us now that we are His children through Jesus.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some reading this may not have had the best relationship with your own father, but we can all go forth and live life with confidence based on the relationship with have with our Heavenly Father through Jesus.

 

Pleasure in Our Love for Him

Today’s reading is Psalm 147.

I have to admit I began reading this chapter in preparation on the Bible app on my phone while sitting at my niece Delaney’s graduation. There were 401 in her graduating class. I also have to admit that while I was very happy to be there and very proud of her..our last name starts with the letter B. So, she was announced very early on and then after what seem liked quite a while later, I said to my brother, ”Ugh…we are only in the D’s still!” Shortly thereafter I read Psalm 147. I was reminded again how different God is from me and the humans he created.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers the outcasts of

Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:2-3

Every single one of those graduates matter immensely to God. He created each one of them. He knows their story and every little and big thing about their past and their future. And most importantly, despite their past or future missteps or mistakes He loves them more than they can imagine…every single one of them. Jesus said in Matthews 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more of value than they?”

During creation, God said about each day that it was “good.” But, on the sixth day when He created us, he said in Genesis 1:31,”…behold, it was very good.”

The graduation recognized those for their accomplishments through notations in the program and attire worn such as medals, pins, and colorful stoles. And those students are deserving of that recognition for their hard work, but what is so unfathomable about God is that He loves all those graduates and us the same regardless. And what He takes pleasure more in than all their accomplishments is when they love Him.

His delight is not in the

Strength of the horse,

nor His pleasure in the legs of a

man,

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his

steadfast love.

Psalm 147:10-11

As humans, we are attracted to those that have the best grades, best personality, are the most athletic, or the best looking, but that doesn’t matter to God. In fact, He may have taken the most pleasure in the boy or girl who graduated 401 out of 401 in the class because they love Him. It is so comforting throughout the Bible how we see how God uses the meek and the lowly and some of the worst sinners for His purpose. As Romans 11:33 says, His knowledge, wisdom, and ways are unsearchable. This should give us so much peace if we feel we have messed up or not had the worldly success we wanted or met the expectations others had, or we had for ourselves. All that matters to God is that we love Him. And if you are reading this and you haven’t loved Him yet, or at least not as much as you think you should, God tells us yet that’s ok in Romans 5:8, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He does not care about your past. God wants your heart, and He wants it now. And it’s never too late.

I am extremely proud of my niece Delaney. She was Homecoming Queen and has had success both in the classroom and on the lacrosse field. She is beautiful both inside and out. What I am most proud of though is the woman of faith she has become and her love for the Lord. I wish her all the success in the world. No doubt her future is bright. But, in the real world we know their will be challenges for her because well..that’s just life here on Earth. However, I have no doubt she is ready to face the future because she is strong in the Lord and has put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-11).