Memorization Monday - Expected Fruit - Joy

John 15:11 [Jesus said], "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

Memorization Monday - Expected Fruit - Faith

Romans 4:20, 21 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Hymn of the Week - Come We That Love the Lord

Come We That Love the Lord by Isaac Watts

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

Refrain

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
Religion never was designed,
To make our pleasures less,
To make our pleasures less.

Refrain

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But favorites of the heavenly King,
But favorites of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.

Refrain

The God that rules on high,
And thunders when He please,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas,
And manages the seas.

Refrain

This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our Love;
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
To carry us above,
To carry us above.

Refrain

There we shall see His face,
And never, never sin!
There, from the rivers of His grace,
There, from the rivers of His grace,
Drink endless pleasures in,
Drink endless pleasures in.

Refrain

Yea, and before we rise,
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
Should constant joys create,
Should constant joys create.

Refrain

The men of grace have found,
Glory begun below.
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow,
From faith and hope may grow.

Refrain

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.

Refrain

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.

Refrain

Biblical Manhood - Part 2

As we think about God’s Pattern for Christian Manhood we are thinking through how we can reflect the glory of God. We were made in His image and likeness and are to make Him look good. As Christian men we need to think seriously about this. Paul said that when he became a man he put away childish things (I Corinthians 13:11). We men tend to hang on to our childish ways. I’m sure most of us have seen the bumper sticker that says the only difference between the man and his boys is the price of the toys.

Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Seminary, has compiled a list of 13 marks that distinguish a boy from a man. I would strongly encourage you to read over that list and evaluate your progress by some of the markers he includes there. http://www.albertmohler.com/2005/04/21/from-boy-to-man-the-marks-of-manhood-part-one/

Another thing the Bible tells us to do is to lay aside every weight and sin that hinders us in our race (Hebrews 12:1) The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:4 that a good soldier does not entangle himself with the affairs of everyday life so that he may please him who has called him to be a soldier. The point is that we as Christian men need to avoid those things which entangle us and hinder us from being everything God would have us be for His glory. As you look at your life, try to think through what those things are that might be a hindrance. Once you have identified them, take steps to reduce and eliminate them from your life so that you can run the race God has laid out for you.

Biblical Manhood - Part 1

We were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). We were made out of mere dirt in a form that would reflect God’s likeness. Think about that! That is why He made us – to show forth His glory. The fall, of course, messed up that likeness. God’s image is still there but there are many blotches on the image and it’s our responsibility to pursue Godliness so that the world will see what He is like.

God also wanted a relationship with us. There had been a loving relationship among the members of the trinity in eternity past and that relationship and fellowship was intended to extend to mankind. After the fall, when God came to walk and talk with Adam as He normally did, Adam hid himself. Sin had put a separation between God and man. (Isaiah 59:2)

Our challenge as men is that in the middle of a world marred by sin and with personalities wounded by sin, we are still to reflect God’s glory and have a relationship with God and with other human beings.

What then does God want from me? In Deuteronomy 6:5 God says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” Jesus added “and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39. He goes on in Deuteronomy to say that these words are to be in our heart.

Loving God is a command. That means it’s not just an emotional warm feeling. It is something we are to do. It requires action. Loving God involves our whole being. If we are to love God with our heart, that implies the emotional side of our being. Loving with our soul implies the psychological side. Loving God with our strength means there is energy and power behind it. And if we are to love God with our mind, that means our focus and whole rational being is involved. The Scripture adds to the intensity of the command by using the word “all”. We are to love with all of our soul, all of our mind, all of our strength and all of our heart. That’s a tall order and one that should bring with it a great deal of humility as we realize how totally impossible it is to do this perfectly.

When we think about the chief ways to love God, we need to consider these passages: Deuteronomy 5:10; John 14:15; John 14:21 and Luke 6:46. I think if you read these verses carefully you will discover that loving God is closely associated with obedience. We can’t really say we love God and then refuse to do what He asks. So if we are to pursue loving God with our whole being, we are going to have to pursue obedience with our whole being as well.

Jesus said that the second commandment is to love our neighbor as our self. That too is a difficult assignment. Just think about the many ways we show love for ourselves. We make sure we are well fed and generally cared for. We make sure we have enough sleep and enough leisure. Jesus said that we are to look after our neighbor in the same way. Immediately when we hear that we begin to make excuses as to why He can’t really mean that since we do have to take care of our own job and our own home and that leaves very little time to focus on those same areas in the life of our neighbor. As I think about myself, I’m amazed that I have so little concern for those around me. It’s pretty convicting to think about.

If you're looking for some good passages to help you sort through what other basics God requires of you, look at Micah 6:8 and Hebrews 12:1-14. Make a list of the challenges that God gives to us men to help us live lives that are faithful to Him.

Here are some questions you could ask yourself to check on your progress in these important areas:

What steps can I take to increase my love for God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength?

How can I follow the challenge of Deuteronomy 6:8, 9 to keep God’s commandments a focus in my life and home?

How well do I respond to the discipline God brings into my life?

How can I be more obedient in loving others the same way I love myself?

Biblical Manhood - Intro continued

I got to thinking about the fact that God tells us that we were created in His image and likeness. I remembered that Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 11:7. He is talking about head coverings which I don’t want to get into right now, but he says, “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since (and here is the part I want to focus on) he is the image and glory of God.” Here God is saying that man is the image and glory of God. The word behind image is “icon” and the word behind glory is “doxa”. Most of us know what an icon is. It is a picture or representation of something. We are that image of God. We are the picture and representation of God in the world! We get the word doxology from doxa. A doxology is a word of praise. We are the glory or praise of God!

Most of us don’t feel like we do a very good job of representing God as His image and glory, but the Bible says that that is what we are. How can we improve; make the image clearer? In 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul writes that we, “with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In that verse you see the same two words – image and glory. The key to showing that image and glory more clearly is to gaze on the glory of the Lord Jesus in His Word and as we do that more and more the Spirit of the Lord transforms us (the word is metamorphosis) into His image from one stage of glory to another. There are not a lot of secret steps here. It's a matter of spending time reading, thinking about and reflecting on scripture, the Word of God. It's a pretty simple concept really.

Biblical Manhood - Introduction

As a Christian, I look to the Bible to explain to me my purpose in life as a human being, but also to teach me what it means to be a man, a male human being. I believe that there is a God and that he is the only one that has the ability to explain to me why he made me and how he plans that I should honor him the most as a man. So the purpose of these few articles on Biblical Manhood is to explore some of the basics of God's design.

When we read the first few chapters of the book of Genesis we discover something right away. That is that God created us for a purpose and yet Adam’s sin brought a curse upon us that changed everything.

First we learn in Genesis 1:26 that God created us in His image and in 2:7 we learn that we are made of the dust of the ground. First of all that is difficult to comprehend. How can God take the dust of the earth and create something that is in His image and likeness? Being in the image of God implies responsibility and requires obedience in order to display that likeness. After the fall, this became much more difficult and requires more diligence and discipline relying on the Spirit of God within us to provide what is needed to accomplish this.

Second we learn in Genesis 1:26-28 that we have been given dominion and are to subdue the earth. This means we are to have leadership and are accountable to manage what God has given us. The fall of course made this much more difficult since the creation resists our management of it. This shows up in the fact that weeds grow much more easily than the vegetables we’re trying to grow in our garden. It also shows up in the fact that things wear out, break down and in other ways cause us frustration and toil.

Finally, God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. Everything God had made He said was good except He said that it is not good that man should be alone. So we learn that marriage and family are part of God’s plan. In this area also the fall has taken its toll. It’s not easy to maintain the kind of marriage relationships and family relationships required to carry out God’s plan.

So, with these three areas we have the outline of where we are headed with the God’s Pattern for Christian Manhood study. We are going to look at what we must do to glorify God has we show forth His character and likeness. We are going to look at our dominion and leadership in the world which includes our vocation, money management and time management. And finally we are going to look at the need for moral purity and maintaining healthy and godly relationships in marriage and family.

Memorization Monday - Expected Fruit - Faith

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Hymn of the Week - All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name! by Edward Perronet

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall
And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all.
And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all.

[John Rippon add­ed this verse in 1787]

O that, with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all,
Join in the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!

Excerpt from "Our Lord Prays for His Own"

Now, as our Lord Jesus Christ's motive in the sanctification of Himself was in order that believers might be sanctified, His [purpose] must be accomplished and attained; and therefore, as believers in Him, our sin is entirely put away as if it had never existed-- "Removed as far as the east is from the west" from us (Ps 103:12)in every sense of the word from us; for either our sin was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ, or it was not. Which is true?
Either the Lord Jesus Christ made His soul an offering for our sin, that He might make an end of sin, or He did not. Which is true?
Either the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead--God, in this way, publicly acknowledging that His offering was accepted, that justice was satisfied, the sin atoned for, and blotted out in the precious blood of Christ--or it was not so. Which is true? And if the sin was laid on Jesus, it cannot be laid on the believer, who is identified with Him in God's sight; if justice was satisfied by the sacrifice of Christ, justice will never demand the sacrifice of the sinner; if Jesus was raised from the dead because of our justification, who is to condemn us?

Marcus Rainsford "Our Lord Prays for His Own" Page 340

Another Excerpt from "Our Lord Prays for His Own"

In this excerpt, the author is dealing with the topic of sanctification. Sanctification is God's action of setting us apart as holy and dedicated to his special use.

Rainsford writes:
It follows therefore that, according to the purpose and will of Him with whom we have to do, the "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty," we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot be more sanctified than we are.
Oh! that we might drink into this great fact. The reason is a very simple one, it is because the ground of our sanctification is not anything that we are, anything we have attained unto, or can possibly attain unto even by faith; the entire ground of our sanctification in the sight of God consists in what the Lord Jesus Christ is, and what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.
Neither can we be more dearly loved; not even in glory shall we be more dear to our heavenly Father than we are now here below, tempest-tossed as we are, and tried and troubled with "fightings without, and fears within."
Neither can we be more "perfect" or "accepted" even in glory; for it is written, "Ye are complete in him which is the head of all principalities and power."
Neither can we be made more [fit] for glory than His grace has already made us; the moment we came as poor sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him, He "was made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption," in the fullest and in the divinest sense thereof, and in the fullest and divinest measure thereof.

"Our Lord Prays for His Own" by Marcus Rainsford, pp 339-340

Memorization Monday - Expected Fruit - Faith

Acts 27:25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

Hymn of the Week - Blessed Redeemer

1. Up Calv’ry’s mountain, one dreadful morn,
   Walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn;
   Facing for sinners death on the cross,
   That He might save them from endless loss.
   • Refrain:
     Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!
     Seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree;
     Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading,
     Blind and unheeding—dying for me!
2. “Father forgive them!” thus did He pray,
   E’en while His lifeblood flowed fast away;
   Praying for sinners while in such woe—
   No one but Jesus ever loved so.
3. Oh, how I love Him, Savior and Friend,
   How can my praises ever find end!
   Through years unnumbered on heaven’s shore,
   My tongue shall praise Him forevermore.

Why you should be concerned about moralistic therapeutic deism?

What is moralistic therapeutic deism?

Moralistic therapeutic deism is a term coined by Christian Smith in his book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Smith followed up with another book called Souls in Transition, in which he went back and interviewed the same people during their early twenties. I'll provide some links with more details below, but I would like to take a small amount of your time to summarize what I have learned from what Smith and others discovered.

Moralistic therapeutic deism has become the predominate religion among teens and twenty-somethings. By extension we can presume it is the message they are getting from their parents and churches. Let's take each of the three words separately to get a handle on what this means.

Moralistic--We need to learn to be good, nice and polite and not hurt others.

Therapeutic--God wants us to feel good about ourselves and our circumstances. He wants us happy.

Deism--There is a God out there. He doesn't have much to do with me as long as I'm nice and doing good. He pretty much is not involved in day-to-day events in my life or in the world. I don't bother him and he doesn't bother me.

The point I want to make in this short article is to say that the findings are that this belief system is by far the most predominant in our society. There is very little understanding of the Gospel, sin and salvation. Hopefully this can change if those of us who claim to be Faithful Christian Men teach the truth faithfully to our families and in our churches. We need to talk often with our children to see what message they are picking up from us. We might mean well, but they might be hearing something totally different from what we are trying to say by our words and examples.

Here are some resources for understanding this phenomenon better:

http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/09/13/almost-christian-a-conversation-about-adolescents-and-christianity-with-kenda-creasy-dean/

http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/01/what-is-moralistic-therapeutic-deism

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-27/living/almost.christian_1_teens-share-moralistic-therapeutic-deism-dean-talks?_s=PM:LIVING

http://www.albertmohler.com/2005/04/11/moralistic-therapeutic-deism-the-new-american-religion-2/

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/09/07/the-spiritual-state-of-the-emerging-generation-a-conversation-with-christian-smith/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moralistic_therapeutic_deism

Our Lord Sanctified Himself for Us

In John 17 Jesus said that He sanctified Himself for our sakes.

Rainsford in "Our Lord Prays for His Own" puts it this way:

"So here our Lord saith, 'for their sakes,' to supply all their need out of My own fullness, to make My strength perfect in their weakness, to be the fountain-head of their life, to be their light, and their joy, to be 'Made unto them wisdom, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption' (1 Cor 1:30)

"To be a wall of fire round about them, so that no evil may befall them,

to be the glory in the midst of them, so that every blessing may be with them,

that they may be kept from falling, and presented faultless before the presence of My glory with exceeding joy,

that they may lack nothing that is good for time or for eternity, the life or in death,

That they may evermore be filled with all the fullness of God, and kept for Me and the Father forever, 'I sanctify Myself.'"

"For their sakes," and for their sins: we read in Galatians 1:4, He "gave himself for our sins," that we might be forgiven' and not only forgiven, but that we might be "justified from all things"; and not only justified, but that we might be adopted, made sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty; and not only adopted but "sanctified"; not only delivered from destruction, but exalted to holiness; not only saved from hell, but brought to heaven; that His glory might not only be "seen on us," but that it might be "revealed in us."

Excerpt from "Our Lord Prays for His Own"

In John 17:19 Jesus prayed, "I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified."

Rainsford goes on to point out that:

In all of God's dealings with His people, God generally begins with the Lord Jesus and do unto Him, and with Him, what in His purpose in grace and love He intends to do with us.

"Thus, God in the first instance unites Christ to Himself, and then in Christ unites Himself to His people."

"Christ is 'the first begotten among many brethren,' and then we are begotten in Him;

Christ is the 'most blessed for evermore,' and we 'blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings.'

First, the Father gave to Christ ' to have life in Himself,' and then He gave us life in Him;

Christ is first filled with 'all the fullness' of God, and then we out 'of his fullness have received, and grace for grace';

Christ was first manifested and declared to be the Son of the Father, then we in Him;

Christ crucified for sin, and we 'crucified with Him';

Christ risen, we 'raised up together with him';

Christ more than conqueror, we 'more than conquerors through him';

Christ set down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, we 'sitting at God's right hand in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus';

the Holy Spirit descending without measure upon Him, so we might, through the anointing of our High Priest, enjoy His power and share His blessing."

Here's What I Think

Would God allow a repentant mass murderer into heaven and send millions of good moral people to hell? This is the kind of question that troubles many people when they consider Christianity. I certainly cannot solve all of the issues related to this in one short post, but let me explain how I understand the Bible and the God it presents to us.

First there is the question as to how we come to a conclusion of what is fair and just and what is not. Is this something that we as human beings come to individually or even collectively, or is it something outside of ourselves? If the question of fairness and justice is something we each come to individually, it is then true that all of us reach the same conclusions on every single issue that confronts us? I don't think so. So is justice a matter of collective agreement? We take a majority vote on whether it is just or fair to treat someone in a certain way? Was slavery right and just because at that time there was a consensus that it was right and good? Should we have left Hitler alone because he and a good number of other Germans thought Jews were inferior and should be exterminated? Are these things a matter of public opinion or do they transcend our human decision making process? I think you know the answer to that question.

If we have to look beyond ourselves to find out what is just and fair, where do we look? Many people, including myself, have concluded that the God presented to us in the Bible is the one who determines how things are and what is just and fair and moral. Obviously not everyone agrees with that, but that is where I'm coming from.

If we accept the Bible as the definitive presentation of the God who is actually out there, we have to accept God as he is presented. If we don't like the God of the Bible, we'll need to look elsewhere. In other words, we can't call ourselves Christians and then at the same time reject the God that the Bible presents. If we do that, we are not truly Christians; we are something else.

Does the Bible teach that if a man like Hitler were to repent at the end of his life and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he would be forgiven and enter heaven? The answer is yes. How is that fair when millions of others who are morally upright may be sent to hell?

I think that the problem is that we don't understand God's assessment of all of us. This may not make more people like the God of the Bible, but the Bible teaches that all of us have sinned and have fallen short of God's standard. (Romans 3:23) It teaches that there is no one who is righteous and no one who truly seeks after the real God. (Romans 3:10-18) It teaches that committing one sin makes us guilty of breaking the whole law and subjects us to God's curse. (Galatians 3:10)

The problem in the scenario that we are discussing is that we are assuming that the great multitude of people are good, upstanding, moral individuals. The Bible does not describe us that way. It's interesting the way people tend to view Jesus. He is painted as a meek and mild person who wouldn't condemn or judge anyone but just be loving and kind. One day some people came to him and told him about some Jewish people who had been murdered by Pilate and had their blood mixed in with the blood of the sacrifices. Jesus' response to this was interesting. He said, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He then went on to say this, "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 15-1-5)

The whole Bible and Jesus included presents the fact that all of us have committed crimes against the ruler of the universe and that all of us stand as condemned men and women before God. That includes me and it includes you and it included Hitler and it included Mother Teresa.

But, and it's a big "but", the good news is that Jesus, God in human form, came here and lived the perfect life we should have lived, and he died the death and separation from God that sin required. Jesus' claim is that if we would accept the free gift of God's forgiveness and accept Christ's life and death as applicable to us, God will look at Christ's life as being ours and will proclaim us righteous and forgiven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6) According to the Bible and to Jesus, there are no actual alternative solutions to our dilemma.

The question is not why God would send innocent people to hell. The question is, "Why would God allow anyone at all into heaven?" He does so because he is merciful and gracious.

The God of the Bible is not the wrathful, vindictive, vacillating being that he is sometimes pictured to be. Neither is he the wishy-washy, weak being who overlooks wrongs right and left and lets injustices slide through unnoticed. He hates sin and injustice so much that he came and took the punishment for the world's injustices upon himself so that in love he could justly pardon anyone who humbly comes to him for forgiveness whether it be one of the most "morally upright" people in the world or one of the most despicable.

What would you say?

How would you answer this scenario? Hitler repents of his sins and trusts Christ moments before he dies at the end of WWII. According to Christian teaching, God would save him and he would enter heaven a forgiven man. All of the while millions of people whose deaths he caused would be in hell because they had not trusted Christ. An atheist debating a Christian raised this point as the kind of problem many people have with the "Christian" God. How can God be any sort of God we would want to worship if he would send potentially millions of innocent people to hell and allow a brutal mass murderer into heaven?

I'll let you think about how you would respond to that situation and I'll share my thoughts on it tomorrow. The debate where this was raised came from a British website which features a weekly broadcast and podcast in which discussions and debate are featured. The website is http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable The debate was between atheist Paul Baird and Christian Sye Ten Bruggencate. Ten Bruggencate has an interesting website based on presuppositional apologetics called http://www.proofthatgodexists.org

Tomorrow I'll share what I think is the biblical answer in this situation. It might not make atheists any more inclined to believe in the God of the Bible, but I think it will at least help us understand more accurately what the Bible teaches.

Memorization Monday - Expected Fruit - Love

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

K.I.S.S.

K.I.S.S. -- Keep it Simple Stupid

I like it when complicated things are reduced to simple, easy-to-understand concepts. Sometimes the Christian life can seem complicated. But there are three or four passages in the Bible that come to mind that list sort of a summary of what God wants from us.

The first one is Acts 16:31. It tells us what we must do to be saved. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Solomon sums up the conclusion of everything, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Finally from 1 Thessalonians 4:9 & 11 "Love one another ... and aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.

Simple to understand, isn't it? It's not always that easy to practice, but at least it's understandable. Now let's do it.