Category: Christian Living

Don’t Swim in the Sewage

Imagine yourself walking on a warm sunny day, having your walk interrupted by the joyful sounds of people splashing and playing in a water just over the next hill. As you curiously crest the hill you see the people frolicking about in the water but something seems strange. You notice that there is a large pipe with sewage waste from the toilets and sinks of the city filling the swimming hole. The swimmers are covered with stinking brown waste but are dunking one another, jumping in, and playing games despite the foul water. You wonder if they have lost their minds, especially as they call out to you, as you stand unstained and clean on the shore, to come join them in the fun.

This disgusting scene is pictured in Peter’s warning in 1 Peter 4:1-5:

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (ESV)

Foolish Living Seems Fun…For A Time

People swimming in a cesspool of sin want you to join them and think it is foolish that you would skip out on the “fun”. They are living wasteful lives but think they are living the good life. Only when they start reaping the harvest of their sinful actions and notice the scars on their heart and mind of wasteful living do they realize how foolish they have lived.

The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-31 describes a young man who wants to get the money that he would inherit when his father dies so he can go live like he wants. He lives a wild life surrounded by “friends” who help him live a wasteful life. Eventually the money runs out, the so-called friends move on to someone else who has money to party with, and he has to take a job feeding pigs. His life is so pitiful that he desires to eat the nasty slop that is fed to the pigs. He comes to his senses and returns home but he has lost his financial inheritance and has the scars of shame and regret for a life lived in sin. One can be forgiven by God but forgiving oneself can be more difficult.

Sinful Living Has Eternal Consequences

Those who are swimming in spiritual sewage forget that they will be condemned for rebellion against God if they do not repent. We must choose instead to live a pure life, outside of the sewage, and escape the earthly consequences of foolish living and the eternal punishment that the wicked will suffer.

The Bible describes the law of harvest, in which we will reap from the seeds we plant, in Galatians 6:7-10. We may not like the consequences of our actions but we cannot escape them. The results in our life, whether good or evil, are based on decisions we have made. That is why it is important to choose friends who will help you live righteously, entertainment that will not defile you, and actions that reflect God’s glory.

God wants young people to enjoy their life but to do so in godly ways. Living in drunkenness, sexual immorality, and impurity will not lead to good consequences on earth or eternally. Following God’s guidance will allow you to know true joy and contentment in this life. Remember the exhortation of Ecclesiastes 11:10:

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (ESV)

Don’t Be Deceived By God’s Longsuffering

We can sometimes be persuaded to do wrong when we see that  people aren’t struck down immediately for sin. We can be enticed to leave the wisdom and direction of God to do impure and sinful things. Some are deceived, thinking they can participate in sin then later repent and live the holy life. There is no guarantee that such a person will not die while in sin or may adopt sinful ways and not be willing to repent later even if they know they should change. It is like a smoker who knows that he is damaging his health and wasting his money but he has done it for so long that it is very hard to quit even when he knows he should.

Remember that God’s delay in judgment is for our salvation, not to give us more opportunity to sin, 2 Peter 3:8-13. Peter says that since we will be judged we should live lives of holiness and godliness hoping for the coming of Jesus.

When you are tempted to forsake holy living to do sinful things, remember the sickening picture above and don’t swim in the sewage.

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Trust God Completely And You Can Face Anything

Though you are beginning a life independent of your family, you will never live a life independent from God’s rule. However, you must choose whether you will trust God completely with your life and enjoy the benefits of His love and care or follow your own passions and desires and suffer the negative consequences of your decisions. A life lived trusting God allows us to be confident, comforted, and content. It is a life in which much of the suffering that results from poor choices and selfish living can be avoided. Most of all, you can face the greatest trials and challenges knowing that God is with you and is taking care of you.

Trust Requires Complete Dedication

Trusting in God requires a complete dedication to living with God as the center of our life. It can be likened to a base jumper or parachutist taking a leap into the air trusting in the parachute, their preparation, and other gear to guide them safely to the ground. We can study God’s word and do good things but we must take a leap and make God the center of our decision process and choose to live to His glory. Some people live a life that agrees with God–they are doing what they want to do but it happens to be what God wants them to do–but our challenge comes when we must do what He commands when we desire to do something different.

We must trust God with our whole heart and mind. Proverbs 3:5-8 urges us to trust God with our whole heart and mind:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (ESV)

Complete Trust Enables Us To Face Any Challenge

When we have this kind of trust we can face any challenges, even death for the cause of Christ. Paul told Timothy, in 2 Timothy 1:12, that he was not ashamed of being a prisoner and was ready to face death, because he entrusted his life to God. Imagine having that kind of confidence! That is why the believer, compared to a sheep in Psalm 23:4, could walk through valley of the shadow of death (a fearful trial that is surrounded by dangers) without fear–for God is with him. And it is God’s guidance and discipline (rod and staff) that provides comfort as we live in His care.

Trust That God’s Way Is Right

As the passage quoted earlier from Proverbs 3 tells us, don’t be caught up in your own understanding. Remember that the instruction from the Bible comes from an eternally wise God and has been proved true for thousands of years. It is not the product of ungodly men or the shallow knowledge of a few decades of life on earth. Trusting God means that we realize depending on our own understanding  usually leads to foolishness or, sometimes, evil. You don’t have to experience sinful things to know that they are wrong. Trust that God’s way is right and is designed for your maximum good in life and that avoiding sin will bring you greater joy and contentment in life. Do not be deceived.

Trust God completely and He will take care of you, guide you, and make all things work for good.

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Why Older People Give Youth Advice (And Why You Should Listen)

Loving GranddaugherOlder people frequently enjoy the opportunity to share a lifetime of wisdom with young people at various stages in their lives: graduation, going off to college, workforce, or war, marriage, birth of a child, etc. Such a desire arises from love for the young and a desire to save them unnecessary heartache, suffering, or unnecessary painful, and often lifelong, consequences. The wise young person will realize that this advice is given out of concern and will recognize that they can avoid some mistakes by listening to the warnings of those who have already passed through a treacherous way.

A young person may be tempted to dismiss or diminish the advice because “things are different now” and “we live in different times.” Technology may change and many things may seem more advanced, but basic human nature remains the same throughout the ages. The book of Ecclesiastes emphasizes this cycle of life and that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So your parents may not have had iPods when they were young but they still had to make good choices about entertainment and their friends.

For example, consider this quote that speaks so well of the immorality in our nation:

“All is full of criminality and vice; indeed much more of these is committed than can be remedied by force. A monstrous contest of abandoned wickedness is carried on. The lust of sin increases daily; and shame is daily more and more extinguished. Discarding respect for all that is good and sacred, lust rushes on wherever it will. Vice no longer hides itself. It stalks forth before all eyes. So public has abandoned wickedness become, and so openly does it flame up in the minds of all, that innocence is no longer seldom, but has wholly ceased to exist.”

Yet this quote is not from modern times but it is Seneca speaking of ancient Rome! Time, technology, and political power may change but people remain the same. Listen to the godly advice of those who are older because the principles are timeless.

Don’t forsake the wisdom you have received from godly sources. For example, the book of Proverbs reminds us to not forsake wisdom shared by godly parents (Proverbs 1:8—9; 29-33; 3:1-4). Following such wisdom will decorate your life better than jewelry, direct your steps on the path of a good life, and warn you of dangers that can damage or destroy your life. As Proverbs 3:4 says to write such wisdom on your hear so that “…you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” (ESV)

You may not always understand or appreciate the godly wisdom from parents, Bible class teachers, preachers and Christians, but it can be the greatest treasure in life if it keeps us from making terrible mistakes that could make our life more difficult. Don’t hesitate to talk to those who are much older, like grandparents or older people in church, and ask them for advice to help you live a better life. Then listen carefully to the lessons of wisdom spoken in love to help you have the best life you can live.

Other Articles in this series:

8 Groups Changing the World Without Using Church Funds

The church, as described in the New Testament, is limited to what it can financially support although individuals are not limited to what they can support from their finances. For example, individuals can financially support any widow they choose, whereas the church is limited to providing regular support only to faithful widows with demonstrated lives of service and no other family means of support (1 Timothy 5:9-16). The church was “not to be burdened” with responsibilities that belonged to others. The limits to what the church can use its funds for does not limit the effectiveness individual Christians can exercise in God’s service.

Individuals can make a great impact because the giver is closer to, generally engaged with, those in need. An individual who has a special interest in a particular need will continue to be involved in relieving the need while others are invested in relieving other needs. Individual Christians do countless good work to those around them and people in far off places. I know several businessmen who spend time in foreign lands and working with certain needs that few outside of their circle of associates know about.

Instead of complaining that important work will not get done unless the government or church sets up and funds organizations, certain individuals have already seen the needs and worked to solve the problems they identified. Some work on these problems themselves or with groups of likeminded individuals. In some cases they have formed organizations to focus on the need. Here are some organizations that are run by individuals and do not receive money from churches to accomplish their work.

1. 1213 (www.1213online.org) 1213 provides support to volunteers by assisting with physical needs of suffering Christians while the volunteer encourages the spiritual support of the person or family undergoing the trial.  As their website says, “Our mission is not to replace nor supplement the work of the local church, but instead to provide assistance to servants that may not have resources to aid people in need. 1213 will establish a network of volunteers across the country, and eventually around the world, that are embedded in their local communities and ready to serve when needs arise. Funding of this will come from individuals and no contributions will be accepted from churches.”

2. Sacred Selections (www.sacredselections.org) Their website says the purpose of Sacred Selections is to “Sacred Selections is committed to providing the financial means of bringing together the need for and the longing to give love, through the process of adoption.” They are fighting the battle against abortion by financially helping babies find families. I have heard many wonderful things about this organization and the work they are doing to help others.

3. Open Hearts Helping Hands (http://www.openheartshelpinghands.com/index.html) Run by volunteers and receiving no money from any churches, this organization helps Christians in Zimbabwe to relieve various needs in addition to hunger. For the churches that want to help, they will provide direction so the church can meet the need directly but will not act on the church’s behalf.

4. Florida College Camps There are many hundreds of individuals who volunteer thousands of hours to provide fun and spiritual growth for many young people during camps during the summer and winter. There are many camps associated with the Florida College booster clubs throughout the US where kids can have fun in a wholesome and modest atmosphere. Some camps, such at the Alabama Camp, have winter camps as well. You can find more info a the Florida College Camps web page.

5. Other camps are run by brethren such as Rustic Youth Camp are able to provide fun, education, and most importantly, spiritual growth opportunities. They not only provide general summer and winter camps but also special leadership camps for young men and the GEMS camp for young ladies. These camps are sustained with camp fees, private contributions and donations, and countless volunteer hours.

6. Some brethren have visions of providing a secular education combined with a spiritual education for the complete development of young people. Schools such as Athens Bible School were formed to, as their vision states, “…to provide each student with a quality education in a Christian atmosphere by working with the home and family to foster the complete and harmonious development of the whole person: spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially.” I have known many ABS graduates over the years who appreciate the smaller school environment and the religious education they received.

7. There are also schools, such as Florida College Academy that were formed to provide a quality education taught in the context of a God-centered life. Schools like Athens Bible School and Florida College Academy are staffed with highly qualified educators who love God and the children they educate.

8. Florida College (www.floridacollege.edu) I am biased to recommend this fine accredited liberal arts college in a suburb of Tampa, FL that offers two and four year programs because I attended there for two years. It has a great selection of Bible classes, morning devotions, and a faculty and staff comprised of Christians. Their focus is on providing a quality education in a Christian atmosphere without taking contributions from churches. From the beginning it has been funded with individual contributions and tuition.

Individuals able to do some amazing things to the glory of God in the lives they touch whether alone or in joint effort with other like-minded people. These examples of individuals working together demonstrate the variety of things that can be accomplished to make this world a better place without the need to solicit church funds.

How I Was Wrong About A “Dead” Church

When I came back from college one year, I was on a spiritual high having learned much in my college Bible classes, the church where I was attending, and many studies with Christian friends. I was wise beyond my years and eager to share my insightful observations with others. Sitting around the kitchen table one day, I remarked to my mom how our church seemed so dead and that we needed to be “more active.”

My mom kindly told me to sit down and said, “Let me tell you about this ‘dead’ church.” She then began to name person after person, from the oldest to the youngest and the many acts of service they were doing to the glory of God.

She told me of the older mother and daughter who allowed the church to meet in their house, at great inconvenience, when it started. She told me the numerous specific acts of service that the men did for the brethren and those in the community. She told me of the ladies who cleaned numerous houses, provided babysitting without cost, and other humble service to their brethren and others on a continual basis. She told me of the Bible classes with the lost and the encouragement of the weak and unfaithful.

She pointed out that she knew these things because of what she overheard, work she had done with them, or hearing the recipients praise the name of these brethren. She said that I would not know these things otherwise because the brethren were being humble and just going about doing good without fanfare or expectation of earthly praise or reward.

In her wise way, she then asked what I had been doing. At that time much of my effort was selfishly spent on myself. How many cards had I sent or calls had I made to the sick? Oh, I would come when called and work willingly and enthusiastically; but what work was I seeking to remedy the needs of my brethren? It seemed my incorrect and unfair characterization of the local church was only a reflection of what I was failing to do in God’s service. I reacted as Job did when rebuked by God: I put my hand over my mouth and said I would not speak of such again.

When you are quick to condemn brethren worldwide because they have no concern for the poor, ask yourself what you have done for others. I know brethren who have opened their homes to house those in need, made numerous meals and bought groceries for needy families, provided for starving brethren in foreign places, and provided home and car repair services for free to needy brethren.

When you are quick to condemn brethren for not spreading the gospel, ask yourself what you have done to teach others. I know brethren who have a calendar filled with studies or provide a location or babbitting to help the teacher and student. I know businesspeople who take time from work to go to foreign lands to spread the gospel, provide support to preachers, and use their company resources (copiers, computers, etc.) to encourage the spread of the gospel. I know people from all walks of life who are constantly looking for opportunities to teach others.

Reminds me of a visual description our Lord used: we must first get the log out of our own eye so we can help with the grain lodged in the eye of our brother. I was glad my mother helped me dislodge that log so I could see the beauty of God working through the lives of so many in my local church and join with them to offer service to the glory of God.