Category: Culture

Self-Esteem (Or is it Esteeming SELF)

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The other day I was listening to the radio when the most beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace came on.  It was sung by a choir of children.  As their angelic voices rang, I paused from cleaning the kitchen.  I listened to them sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a child like me…”  Being that I have heard this song sung my entire life, this stood out because the original version of the song says, “that saved a wretch like me.”  As I asked myself why they changed the words, I already knew the answer.  We cannot have children calling themselves wretches; it might hurt their self-esteem. 

In an effort to build up children, some people have stopped keeping score during sports activities.  The reasoning is that if one team loses they will develop poor self-esteem.  Giving every child a trophy at the end of a sport’s season is along the same line of thinking.  I have heard of teachers who do not give F’s anymore to students.  They instead give U’s for unsatisfactory or I’s for incomplete.  We don’t want a child to know they failed.  When we placate to an already self-centered nature that is ingrained in all children, we foster in them a deeper selfish attitude.

There is a lot of talk in even Christian circles about self-esteem.  For example, Christian’s are terrified to point out sin in a brother’s life.  Even though the Bible clearly says that we are to admonish one another.  The justification for this is that we might hurt their feelings.  We might make them feel bad.  We might crush their self image.  But consider for a moment exactly what we are saying when our only concern is “self-esteem”.  We are saying that we should esteem self.  We must build people up in that we don’t damage their ego.   However, when we build up ego, we essentially Edge God Out.  In all of our concern with self has anyone stopped to consider how God feels in it all?

Can I suggest that this is the problem with our society?  We are too concerned with “self”.  For the last few generations people have not been taught correctly from the Word of God about the condition they are in prior to God’s grace.  In an attempt to build up self we have become blind to the truths of Scripture about the state of mankind.  “Well, we’re all just sinners”, many will say placing themselves in the same category as the rest of the world.  But let me submit that it was not until I stopped looking at everyone else, focused upon my own life, and fully came to grasp with what a wretch I was, that I could I fully understand God’s amazing grace.  Until I saw myself as filthy and undone could I accept the righteousness of Christ.  Until I truly saw myself as lost and without hope could I become saved with complete assurance.  Until I could cry out like the publican, “God be merciful to me a (the only one) sinner” or until I could say like Paul that I am the chiefest of all sinners did I truly understand my position before God.  Until I repented and turned from my sins could I be made right.  Until I realized that I was sick in sin could I be healed.  “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Mark 2:17.

 My children are precious and as a parent I naturally want to build up their self-esteem.  But a building of self, while soothing to our sinful nature, is to their eternal detriment.  The best gift I can give them is to show them how they stand before a Holy and Just God.  It is when a child understands this and accepts God’s salvation then they have true worth, God’s grace is truly amazing, and their esteem is in Him alone!  “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” Psalm 118:8.

Lift Up Your Eyes

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“Why are we helping people who are living in blatant sin?” I asked my husband. He had received a call from a young man who needed help. As my husband spoke with him, he discovered that he had a live in girlfriend. I believe in helping. There are those who are trying to live good lives and struggling in this world. Sometimes a helping hand can make a world of difference. I know we have been there in the past and God has used others to come along side and bless our family. But this was different. Wasn’t it?

“Go get some food out of the freezer, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk and we’ll add it to the box of food from the church.” He said. “I still don’t think we should help people who are fornicating.” I replied. He told me that we needed to. This would be an opportunity to talk to this man and woman about the Lord and their need of repentance. So I reluctantly went along.

It took us some time to find the place. We were looking for a house. What we found was some type of business which looked more like a junk yard. In the midst of the junk was a small trailer like you would hook up to a truck. It was a little smaller than my bathroom and it had an extension cord run through the window for electricity. My husband spent quite a bit of time talking with this young man and woman. He wanted to find out about their life. They were without a home, without a car, without a job, living in a borrowed trailer in exchanged for a little side work. They had no family, no way to get married, and no hope.

As my husband spoke to them, he told them about the Lord. He explained that God cannot bless them while they are living in sin. He tried to shed the love of God upon their lives and give them hope. He gave them the food. Then he prayed with them, got in the car, and drove away.

As we drove home and talked, God taught me a lesson that I pray I will never forget. You see, I live a very sheltered life. Sure, I know there are those who have it hard but this was not about “having it hard”. They were not struggling to make their car payment; they didn’t have one. They were not struggling to pay the cable bill; they didn’t have a TV. They were not facing foreclosure; they didn’t have a home. They were not having trouble at work; they didn’t have a job or a way to even find one. And even if they could find work they would have no way to get there. Even if they wanted to repent and live pure before the Lord where would they go? If this young man left this woman to make it right, where would he leave her? She had no family, no job, no home, nothing.

I had no answers for them. I could give them a few groceries but it seemed in vain. All the worldly wisdom that could be offered seemed futile. (“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work,” James 3:15-16). Only God has the answers. It is His wisdom that this young couple needs. (“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace,” James 3:17-18). I pray that as we strove to point them towards God that we did it in a pure, peaceable, gentle way that was full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

This world desperately needs the Lord but sadly, many of God’s people have lost their influence. There are a number of reasons for this. The first is that we have stopped living a separated life style. We do not live holy lives; therefore, the church has been relegated to the corner of society. The second reason is because we have refused reach out. We are content to focus inwardly. Evangelism has ceased. As one old preacher use to say, “We have become fish tank keepers instead of fishers of men.” I believe that most pastors have a heart for evangelism. The problem is that they are so busy dealing with the woes of the congregation, the sins of the people, and irrelevant issues within the church that they simply do not have any time left for those outside. But evangelism does not fall to just the pastors. The Great Commission was given to the church (the people). So that falls to me and every other true believer. Sure I have a high calling of focusing on my home, my husband, and my children. But I am to also be light to a darkened world and salt to a wounded people.

Our Lord said, “Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest,” John 4:35. My problem is that I haven’t been lifting up my eyes. I haven’t been looking. Let me take that back. I have been looking but perhaps I need to stop looking in such a judgmental way and begin to look with compassion and love. Not with worldly compassion and false love that ignores sin but with godly compassion and true love that confronts sin and points sinners to their only hope – Jesus Christ.

Family Movie Night – This Saturday!

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Once again Wal-mart and P&G is sponsoring another Family Movie Night.  It premieres on FOX this Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 7 pm CST.  If you enjoyed Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project, or A Walk in My Shoes you will probably want to mark your calendars for their newest addition of family friendly movies – A Change of Plans.

Our society appears to tear apart the seams of families.  Busyness takes away family meal time.  Separate lives take away family unity.  The culture weakens families as a whole.  Change of Plans is a refreshing reminder of what life looks like when we make family a priority in our lives.  It brings to light that sometimes life does not play out exactly the way we plan it.  And in the end that really does not matter if we will simply embrace what is truly important.

As a believer, my faith in Christ Jesus is the foundation on which I stand and the filter in which I view life.  While this movie is a secular movie, it is family friendly.  I have said for years that Christians in this country need to stop tolerating foul language and filth from Hollywood.  The reason the movie industry is what it is today is because of the 80+% of Americans that profess Christianity yet supports, encourages, and enjoys filthy movies.  I have tried to express this in a more palatable form but truth is truth.  I understand this culture.  I was once a part of this culture.  At one time in my life my professed faith did not influence what I watched.  The Lord is opening my eyes.  With all of that said, I am on board with what Wal-mart and P&G are doing.  I pray that as more and more Christians take a stand and refuse to allow the dirty tentacles of Hollywood to reach into their living rooms, that more movies like this will be made and aired on TV. 

Click here to watch the trailer and enter to win a 55″ flat screen TV and other great family entertainment prizes!

Keep reading for a brief synopsis of CHANGE OF PLANS…

Sometimes Life Gives You More Than You Bargained For

Up to this point, Sally Danville’s life has played out just as she hoped it would. A beautiful and free-spirited musician, she and her fighter-pilot husband, Jason, live life on the go, free of domestic responsibilities. But with a single phone call from Child & Family Services case worker, Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show), she learns that things don’t always go according to plan. Sally (Brooke White, American Idol) is met with the news that her best friend from college has died in a tragic accident on a Peace Corps mission and has named Sally the legal guardian of her four kids – 3 of them adopted from third-world countries. Now Sally and Jason (Joe Flanigan, Stargate Atlantis) must quickly learn to parent this instant family and help the kids deal with the culture clash of life in America. The story is both humorous and heartwarming, revealing how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others.

The Christ in Christmas

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is approaching. It is the time Christian people have set aside to celebrate God’s greatest gift to mankind – His Son. It is a season of joy, peace, and love. It is a season of music, laughter, and festivity. It is a season to think of others, to give gifts, to send cards, and visit loved ones. But above all, it is a season of focusing upon Christ, The Incarnate God, dwelling among men.

I realize for some this may not be true. There are those who view this season as just another holiday filled with hustle and bustle, crowded shopping, credit card debt, parties, alcohol, over eating, stress, and more stress. Often the focus is on Santa Clause, elves, reindeer, and over-indulged children getting more stuff. I have never wanted this time of the year to build selfishness into my children. When they were little and others would make a “wish list” of gifts they wanted, I would encourage my children to make a list of things they would like to do or buy for others. It is not about self. To truly celebrate Christmas is to bring out the Christ in Christmas, lifting up His name, and pointing others to Him.

How does one go about doing that practically? How do we bring out Christ in Christmas when all of society has their eyes elsewhere? First of all, we must remember that regardless of what others may say Christmas is a Christian holiday. Christmas is about Christ. Society confirms this by their relentless effort to remove the true meaning of Christmas. If Christmas were a meaningless pagan holiday there would be no attack upon it by the enemy. But it is not. In the hearts of millions of believers all over the world, this is a special time of worship, a time of reflecting, a time of gratitude, a time of joy, a time of honor, and a time of praise.

These are the thing I want to instill in the hearts of my children. Every year after the Thanksgiving holiday our family pulls out Christmas music, the trees, lights, and decorations. This tradition is not merely habit. For our family there is meaning and purpose behind it. This week as we were putting up our Christmas tree, my eight-year-old said, “Mom, tell me again what the tree represents.” You see, every year their father and I explain to the children how in our hearts the tree symbolizes the tree that Christ was crucified upon. It is a reminder to us that the babe in a manger grew up, lived a perfect life, and died upon a tree for the sins of the world. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed,” 1Peter 2:24.

As we hang the ornaments upon the tree each one represents something. The angels are a reminder of the messengers of glad tidings. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” Luke 2:13-14.

The doves remind us of the Spirit of God. The bells remind us to ring out the Good News. Even the candy canes have significance. They, in the shape of a shepherd’s staff, remind us of the Great Shepherd. When turned upside down the “J” reminds us of Jesus. The white in the candy tells us Christ’s purity. The red stripes represent our Saviour’s stripes. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed,” Isaiah 53:5.

And the star that my husband places upon the top of the tree is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him,” Matthew 2:2.

After we put up the tree, Abigail arranged the Nativity scene on top of our piano. As we gather around and sing songs this season it will be a constant visual of who we worship and sing praises to.

Even the Christmas balls remind us of the world and how, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”

When we placed the candles on our table as a center piece we were able to remind the children that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,” John 8:12.

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As Dana hung the lights on the outside of the house we explain to the children that as children of God we are to let our light shine for all to see. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5:16.

Each night between now and Christmas day Dana will read an Advent story to the children before bed. Advent – Adventus. Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus. Behold, the Lord, the Ruler is come. The tradition of advent is a threefold celebration of the birth of Jesus, His eventual second coming to earth, and His continued presence in our lives here and now. God in our past, God in our future, and God in our present.

Nothing is done without meaning. Everything is done with purpose.

What does this season mean to you and your family? Is Christ the center of all you do? Is there purpose behind your traditions? Are you building in your children a life of selfless giving to others? Is Christ in your Christmas?

May our Lord richly bless you this season but more importantly may you be a blessing to Him!

Entrusted With Arrows

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“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”  Psalm 127:3-5a

 Movie Makers has just released a new documentary which I recently had the privilege to review.  Entrusted with Arrows: Entrepreneurial Homeschool Fathers, is an hour long documentary challenging ordinary men to be extraordinary fathers.  Statistics show that the average father spends less than seven minutes of quality time with their children each week.  Perhaps just as alarming, statistics also show that children in Christian homes are being raised without a biblical worldview.  These children in turn reject the faith of their parents when they reach adulthood.  The film highlights fathers who have rejected the world’s standards.  They have embraced a more biblical model because they understand that they are called to disciple their children.   

 We get a glimpse into the lives of average men who have chosen to not just educate their children at home, but have chosen to come home and lead in the discipleship of their children.  The common denominator in all these families is their faith in God.  We see God open doors as they start home businesses.  They stay with their children on a regular basis and follow the commands of God to teach, train, and disciple.  As they follow in obedience, we see God bless these families.  This film is encouraging and uplifting, pointing us to God and His will for Christian homes.  It is a must see for those whose hearts desire is to follow God in every area of their life.

 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deu 6:6-7)

Troubled? Discouraged? Needing Confidence?

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The signs of the times are ever before us. The news is depressing at best and down-right scary at worse. Many are left without hope. They have nowhere to turn, no answers, and merely an unwelcoming future. I can see why many are disheartened.

But the truth is that there is hope. There is hope when the financial market collapses. There is hope when the environment rages. There is hope when the political leaders fail. There is hope when your entire world crumbles. In a world full of despair it is refreshing to read a book that shines a light on that hope. That is just the type of book that Dr. David Jeremiah wrote in Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World.

In a striking contrast to his book, What in the World is Going on?, Dr. Jeremiah delivers a message of hope that is imperative for the troubled soul. In it he lays before us a plan of living the Christian life in this uneasy world. With the foundation of the Holy Scriptures, he inspires his readers to look beyond the immediate – that which is filled with concern, chaos, confusion, and commotion – and encourages us to lift our eyes to the eternal. Persuading the reader to stay calm, compassionate, constructive, challenged, connected, centered, consistent, committed, and convinced, Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World imparts a spirit of peace and confidence to the weary mind.

Do not be troubled; despite the darkness that surrounds us, there is hope in Jesus Christ. The light shines most brilliantly after the fiercest storm. And Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World paints that picture in a very straightforward way. It is a book that I will be recommending to friends this year.

Disclosure:  Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.  I am not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Any other “MEAN” parents out there?

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Every year about this time I go through the same dialogue with my children. It usually goes something like this…

Sorry, you can’t watch that video today. You know the rule. Once school starts back up we turn the TV off completely during the week.

But mom, we don’t watch that much TV. We don’t even have cable or local channels. Everyone else watches much more than we do.

Sorry children, we don’t live our lives in comparison to others.

But what’s wrong with watching a good wholesome movie every now and then?

Nothing is wrong with it. But I don’t want you children to spend your life watching other people live fake lives. You have a life to live. Now go do it! Be creative. Learn a new skill. Read a book. Make a difference to someone around you. Explore the world. Work with your hands. Write a letter. Play a game. Change the world.

I believe that they understand my heart on this issue. Maybe they are just use to this answer or perhaps they realize that their father and I are resolved. But the truth is, there is just too much living to do for us to waste it in front of the TV.

It’s getting GLORIOUSLY DARK!

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I’m always amazed at how few people care about what is going on in the world.  While I must admit, following the news can be rather depressing.  However, we should be responsible enough to stay up-to-date on what is going on in the world.  Why?  You ask.  Because, as believers in Christ, we have an obligation to warn those without of the coming judgment.  Am I gloom and doom today?   Reading the news, it would be easy to be so.   According to today’s Drudge Report, Israel has ‘8 Days’ to hit Iran nuclear site.    Why is it that a nation as small and insignificant as Israel is always in the forefront of the news?  I believe the scriptures bear out the answer.  Yes, the last days are here.  Second Timothy three gives a description of the last days.  Man will be…

-lovers of their own selves       -trucebreakers

-covetous                                 -false accusers

-boasters                                  -incontinent (without self-control)

-proud                                     -fierce

-blasphemers                           -despisers of those that are good

-disobedient to parents            -traitors

– unthankful                             -heady

-unholy                                    -highminded

-without natural affection                 -lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God

Does this sound like today’s society?  The passage goes on to say that people will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.  (Just how many American’s claim to be religious today and live ungodly lives?)  But this next attribute is what gets my attention.  Second Timothy 3:7 says, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  We live in the information age.  Technology is at its peak, yet still exceeding.  People are very smart and learning more and more everyday but very few know the truth.  Let me prove it.  Just ask someone if “truth is relative” and see what they say.  Statistics prove over and over again that very few “born again Christians” acknowledge that truth is absolute.  How sad!

 So, am I gloom and doom?  Yes and no. 

 Yes, the world is ending.  Read 2 Peter 3:4-7, 12, 11 Cor. 5:10-11, Rev. 20:11-15.

 No, because the ending of the world means for every believer the beginning of eternity.  Christ is coming soon.  The heavens will soon be mine.  My affections are already there.  How exciting!  It thrills me to see prophecy fulfilled. 

 If you do nothing else today, I pray that you will …

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. (2Co 13:5a)   For the times that we are living in are becoming gloriously dark!

A Penny Saved

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I take my profession very seriously. My career is my family. I was handpicked for this job by the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. He gave me the title of help meet and mother. My pay is in blessings and eternal rewards. I have complete job security. I never have to worry about a cutback. I don’t have to worry about my paycheck being spent. Office politics is a nonissue. And, I look forward to Monday mornings. I love my job! Part of my job responsibility is to make sure that I am a good steward of all that God has given me. One way I am trying to do this is to work on the principle that a penny saved is a penny earned. Therefore, if I can save my husband money by how I manage our home, I am earning him money.

Of course, as Christians when it comes to “earning money” we must be careful to have the right motives and a biblical attitude.

• If we have clothing and food we should be content (I Timothy 6:8).

• It is God that gives the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

• When He gives us riches we are not to set our heart upon them (Psalm 62:10).

• If he takes our wealth away we should still bless His name (Job 1:21).

• God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5).

These are just a few of the principles the Bible speaks on about finances. There are many more. God’s Word is sufficient. We’ve always believed it, now we’re trying to live it. Here are a few things I have done away with this year to help save a penny, thus earning one.

Household cleaning items – Like, rinse aid for dishwasher, Windex, room deodorizers, fabric softeners, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, etc. All of these have been replaced with vinegar. Vinegar is one of the most frugal, all purpose, natural clean items you have on hand. It can be used effectively for many things. Do some research on the subject. You’ll be glad you did and so will your pocket book!

Disposable razors and shaving cream – We were spending a small fortune at the store for disposable razor blades each month. My husband looked into getting an old time safety razor from his barber. He now pays around 3 dollars for 10 blades. Each blade last a lot longer than the average disposable razor blade plus it is double sided; therefore it is like buying 20 blades. He also purchased the old time shaving soap. It cost less than one bottle of shaving cream and will last 4 times longer. Instead of purchasing shaving items weekly we make one or two small purchases a year.

Pool chemicals – When we lived on the coast we were spending close to $100 a month on pool chemicals. Last year my husband invested in a salt water filter. It was the best investment we could have made for the pool. This summer we have spent $30 on salt. Plus, not to mention all the benefits of how much healthier the salt is than the chemicals. We love it!

Packaged foods – One meal that I fix consistently every day is breakfast. As a result I was spending a lot of money on Bisquick. I now make biscuits and pancakes from scratch. It is easy, better for you, and a lot less expensive. I also no longer buy Sloppy Joe mix in a can (around $1.50) and use instead equal amounts of ketchup and BBQ sauce. It taste good and is very easy. I make my own sweet and sour sauce and many other items. With a few strokes on the keyboard you can find all sorts of recipes. It is worth the extra effort and your family will appreciate the better quality of the food. Your husband will appreciate the reduction of your grocery bill.

Laundry soap – This is my all-time favorite money saving tip of the year! I first read about making my own laundry soap in the Duggar’s book. (I just love this family!) My mother convinced me to try it and Lord willing, I will never buy laundry soap again. It is so easy to do. In fact, my 11 year old daughter made it last week. We use to buy Tide at between 15 – 20 dollars for 110 loads. We can now make the same amount for about 10% of the cost. Go to the Duggar’s website to find the recipe.

I still have a lot to learn about being a good steward of my home. So, if you have some money saving tips, share them with me.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

(Pro 31:27)

Contentment, Godliness, and Great Gain

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 Last night I was sitting in a revival service listening to the evangelist preach from 1 Corinthians about the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1Co 6:9-10) As he is going through this list in my heart I am thinking about all the wickedness in our land.

Fornicators – This has become widely accepted even among Christian people today. How do I know this? Because it is flaunted around in the churches; there is no shame anymore. No one bothers to teach against fornication and its consequences. We sweep it under the rug and think that God does not see or care. But Scripture warns; be not deceived.

Idolaters – How easy it is to think in our mind that we are not idolaters. After all, we have never carved a graven image and bowed down to it. But, an idolater is one who puts ANYTHING above God. It can be the god of humanism. This god is based in evolution. It is what our American children are daily indoctrinated in. We see the fruit of this when people slaughter their unborn babies on the altar of convenience. It can be the god of riches. This happens all the time when people bow down to their job and place it above God. We see the effects of this god when parents neglect their church, the home, and their children in a pursuit of wealth. It can be the god of entertainment. How many families miss church due to sports or hunting? How many people place the TV above their prayer time? How many people care more about what Hollywood thinks than what the preacher says from the Word of God? One of the biggest forms of idolatry is when people make up a god in their own mind. They might claim they are serving the God of the Bible but the god they have created in their mind is nothing like the True Jehovah God of Scripture.

Adulterers – I’m always amazed at how many parents openly accept those who are committing adultery into their home to influence their children. It is done every week in Christian homes via the television and internet. Think about this honestly. As believers in Christ we might say how wrong adultery is to our children. But, if we let them watch movies or TV shows that make light of this sin, then we are justifying it to our children. What we are saying by our actions is that adultery is not really that big of deal.

Homosexuals – This is big in today’s society. We are told to accept this “lifestyle”, our children our indoctrinated in it via the government schools, and it is forced upon us in every avenue of society. Why? It is because the children of God will not take a stand. They will not speak out against it. They continue to watch the programs that have them in it. They continue to vote for politicians who are for it. They continue to buy products from companies that support it. They continue to go to places like Disney World who parade it around. And it is all because we love other things more than we love God. We do not hate the things that God hates.

Thieves – There is more thievery going on today than I have ever seen. Our society EXPECTS something for nothing and they do not care where it comes from. We are fine with the government stealing from one class and giving to other. Then often the ones who do work steal from their employers by being lazy. People will steal spouses from one another. Boys steal the innocence of girls. Children steal from their parents. Thieves are everywhere.

Does it sound like I’m being hard on these people? Probably. I should be. God hates these things. But, as the evangelist went through the list last night he did not stop there. The next on the list was covetous.

Ouch!

Why did God place being covetous between thieves and drunkards? It really is simple. It is because God hates this sin as well. After all, it made the top ten. In fact, covetousness is the cause of a lot of the other sins. I believe that the sin of covetousness is killing the testimony of many Christian people. It is also hindering their Christian growth tremendously, including mine. When I have my eyes on “things of this world” my eyes are off God. When I focus on my “wants” I am not content with my needs. When I store up “treasures for myself” here on earth I neglect to store up heavenly treasures. In doing it all, I become worldly minded not spiritually minded. In I Timothy 6:8 we are told that if we have food and clothing we should be content. In Matthew 6, Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of God and all of our needs will be added to us. And Paul tells Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Ti 6:6) In the words of the evangelist last night…

“Christians today are saying, I’m content with my godliness; now give me the great gain!”

Does this describe many Christians today? Does it describe the mindset in our churches? Does this describe the average materialistic American family? I’m afraid it does! I’m afraid it even describes me at times.

God help me to strive to be godly, for you tell me to be holy for You are holy. Lord, help me to make every effort to live a pure life in this world. Father, help me to be content with the things that You give me. I realize that every perfect gift comes from above. Help me to give you honor and glory in my life and live as a light set on a hill in this dark world. Help me to take to heart that godliness with contentment IS great gain and help me live accordingly.