Category: Reflections Articles

We just celebrated our 250th birthday as a nation on July 4th. If you are like many, it was probably a enjoyable day of family, patriotism and fireworks. It is also an opportunity for reflection for the child of God. Consider what crossed my mind on that day.

I am amazed at the size of the celebrations. They went all out in Washington D.C. with a speech from the President, the honoring of centenarian veterans of World War II, and what was billed as the biggest fireworks display ever in the history of the world! (President Trump likes big things).

Debbie and I went with six of our grandkids (and their parents) to a bridge near downtown Fort Worth to watch our city’s fireworks display. There were hundreds of people on that bridge watching with us. I wondered what it would be like if I had the opportunity to talk to so many non-Christians at one time about our Lord. Continue reading “Observations About the Fourth” →

In Jesus’ sermon on the mount we read His teaching on the subject of swearing (5:33-37). By this we do not mean profanity, which is condemned elsewhere in scripture (Colossians 3:8).

What is under consideration is the taking of an oath to establish the verity of your words. This was actually a practice that had authority under the Old Covenant. “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2).

In Jesus’ time swearing was a common practice among both Jews and Gentiles. Vows were not made solely in God’s name, but by physical things, as alluded to by Jesus in (5:34-36): heaven, earth, Jerusalem, even by your own head. Continue reading “Swear Not At All” →

We know that truth (no matter the discipline) is objective. Truth is defined by Webster: “the body of real things, events, and facts; the real facts about something; the state of being the case.”

It can be simple or complex mathematics, scientific discovery, or spiritual truth. In all cases it is real and certain. Let’s give an example. Some people claim the earth is a flat, stationary disk with the North Pole at its center and Antarctica functioning as an ice wall around the edges. The recent scientific achievement of Artemis II (the trip to the moon) was accomplished by knowing the true nature of the earth. Further, photographs clearly show the spherical nature of the earth. It is a fact. (Actually a fact that has been known for hundreds of years, despite the claims of the Flat Earth Society).

When we get into the realm of religion, people deny that objective truth still remains. People began to claim that “your truth is different from my truth.” This type of Postmodern thinking is unacceptable to most, except when it comes to God. But it must be noted that thinking the earth is flat does not make it so. Thinking 2+2=5 does not make it so. And thinking that there is no objective truth about God and His will for man does not make it so! Continue reading “The Objective Truth of God” →

In Mark 10 (as well as Matthew 19 and Luke 18) we read of a rich ruler who asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. It is evident that Jesus knew what was in the man’s heart. He knew that the man’s riches were a problem for him. After a short conversation he answered the man’s question with these words: “One thing you lack: God your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” (21). This brought sorrow to the man despite his devotion and sincerity, as he was unwilling to put the Lord (and eternal life) ahead of his great possessions. Continue reading “The Problem with Money” →

Anyone who has read the apostle Paul’s letters know him to be a man of great passion. He loved his brethren deeply, and dearly wished them to be strong and fruitful children of God. This is seen in his admonitions and in his entreaties. One of the phrases we see time and time again in his epistles is “I beseech you…”, or some variant. “I am pleading with you”, “I appeal to you”, “I urge you.”

The word beseech is used by Paul in the sense of begging or entreating. There is a difference in emphasis with asking as opposed to begging. Begging indicates a desperation for that proper response. Paul understood how important all of this was and is, and was figuratively (and maybe even literally) willing to get down on his knees and beg for his brethren to do what was right!

Consider: Continue reading “I Beseech You” →

King Jehoash (Joash) began to rule in Judah at age seven, after his grandmother Athaliah had killed all the other sons of his father Ahaziah, and took the throne at Ahaziah’s death. As an infant he had escaped the fate of the other royal heirs, because he was hidden by his aunt when the murders took place. Athaliah ruled Judah for six years before she was killed by a coup led by the priest Jehoiada.

Obviously a seven year old could not reign without help. The priest was his advisor for much of his reign of forty years. But not all of it. In the majority of his reign he was a good king. He is noted especially for the repair and restoration of the temple (originally built by Solomon) which had been neglected. The two histories of Jehoash in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles had this to say:

“Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kings 12:2).

“Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2). Continue reading “Receiving Instruction” →

The fourth and fifth chapters of the book of Judges give a riveting account of a battle between the Israelites and Canaanites during a time when Jabin the king of Canaan had subjugated the Israelites. This was allowed because “the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (4:1).

A central character in the narrative was Sisera, who commanded Jabin’s army. The army was strong, with 900 chariots of iron. The Israelites had suffered under the rule of Jabin for 20 years.

After a period of chastisement, God would heed the cries of the people, and raise up judges to end the oppression. He brought peace and prosperity back to the people of Israel. On this occasion that judge was a woman, Deborah, who also was a prophetess of God.

God gave the command, and Deborah called upon a man named Barak to lead the army of the Lord. Her words to Barak, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you 10,000 men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand?’” (4:6-7). Continue reading “Most Blessed Among Women” →

The inspiration for this short article comes from my son’s fine sermon (6/14/21) titled Spiritual Sobriety. Early in the lesson he spoke of the reasons why people today drink alcohol. One of the main reasons is that alcohol lowers inhibitions. Alcohol is a depressant to the body. It slows you down (your reflexes and brain). It also clouds judgment and lowers self-control. It slows down the pre-frontal cortex which acts as the command center for executive function, impulse control, and long-term consequence planning. It also alters neurotransmitters further relaxing the brain and reducing restraint, making rational decision-making much more difficult.

Sounds bad, doesn’t it. And yet people love to drink! Why? These effects feel good! People fell less stressed, often have more (though misplaced) confidence, and because they feel “loose” laugh and interact more easily. Later on, they may regret what they say or how they interact, but in the moment they feel good. Continue reading “Heightened Inhibitions” →

I came across a phrase with which I was not familiar the other day, “hedonic adaptation.” Looking up the meaning of the phrase I read, “Hedonic adaptation is the psychological tendency to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness after major positive or negative life events. Also known as the ‘hedonic treadmill,’ it explains why the initial thrill of a new purchase or a major life milestone eventually fades, bringing our emotions back to a baseline set point.” Simply put, it is getting used to pleasure!

The conversation which used this phrase used it in the context of social commentary on our culture. The man quoted from Warren Buffett, a philanthropist who as of this year is the ninth wealthiest man in the world (146 Billion dollars). Buffett was talking about an earlier rich man, John D. Rockefeller who lived from 1839- 1937. Rockefeller was the richest man in the United States, and the world at that time. Adjusted for inflation, his net worth is estimated to have been between 400 and 600 Billion dollars. Continue reading “Hedonic Adaptation” →

Have you read the description of the Cretans in Paul’s letter to Titus? “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:16). His assessment agrees with a Cretan prophet who said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (1:12). Paul had also described these people as being idle talkers, deceivers, subverters of whole households, teaching things they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain (1:10-11)

Paul had left Titus in Crete (1:5) to appoint elders in every city, to help deal with these people. They were to be men of faithfulness regarding doctrine, that were “able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (1:9).

Titus himself had a responsibility in the midst of this conflict with evil men. Paul wrote to him, “Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth” (Titus 1:13-14). Continue reading “Cretans Are Always Liars” →

The title of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, is a greek word meaning “origin” or “beginning.” Similarly, the Hebrew title is taken from the first phrase, “In the beginning.”

The book of Genesis gives us a glimpse of the origin of humanity. It has fallen into disrepute in the last couple of centuries as men have developed other ideas regarding our beginning. Science has adopted the theory of evolution to describe how we came about. Due to the scientific method of inquiry, the theory has limitations. Though it has been accepted as correct by a large part of the world’s population.
In contrast, faith in an Omnipotent Creator as an explanation for our existence has lost adherents over the years.

Here are a few things I would like for you to consider:

• The scientific method relies upon the validation of hypotheses through repeated experimentation leading to consistent data. This is why the concept of evolution between kinds (a Biblical concept) has not been validated. It can’t be observed scientifically, as what is posited is to have taken place over millions of years.
• The data that exists regarding both stellar evolution and the evolution of life can be described in light of a supernatural omnipotent being. The fact that this is not demonstrable by the scientific method, or that its origin is ancient, does not mean its not true. For the Christian, the belief that “God made it that way” is unacceptable to much of modern society. There is a bias regarding our own time. Progress in technology and scientific discoveries have made men arrogant, thinking we are brighter than those who have gone on before.
• Scientific views of where, when and how life originated can’t be scientific. They are speculations based upon the theory of evolution itself. Science is limited in this way.

The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1); and, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

There is a reason why this explanation has staying power, though some have rejected it. It is truth, and all you have to do is look at the universe to see the beautiful proof of design and that Designer! “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalms 19:1). Many choose science as their religion. We look at the evidence and know our God and Father to be from where we came!

Just a few years before the exile of Judah into Babylonian captivity, the prophet Jeremiah warned the Jews of their judgment and the years of desolation that would follow. He wrote, “And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the LORD; and I will make it a perpetual desolation” (Jeremiah 25:11-12).

It is this prophecy of Jeremiah to which Daniel referred in Daniel chapter 9. As a young man, he was taken by Nebuchadnezzar in the first wave of captives (cf. Daniel 1:7). Chronologically, this chapter takes place in the first year of Darius the Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans. In effect, the prophecy of Jeremiah was coming true. Continue reading “Understanding by the Books” →

There is a wonderful passage of scripture in 2 Samuel 22 where David thanks and praises God for his deliverance. David had been through so many trials in his time after being anointed by Samuel to be king. He had to hide from the murderous intent of Saul. He had suffered the great indignity of his son Absalom committing treason, very nearly taking his kingdom away from him. He had battled enemies of Israel throughout his reign. In verse one we are told, “Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” Continue reading “I Will Call Upon the Lord” →

The wise man who wrote the book of Proverbs said, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Proverbs 4:14).

Thousands of years after the creation of man, many think themselves very capable of identifying what is truly evil. Yet with this supposed knowledge of right and wrong, it is obvious that evil persists and even flourishes in our day.

I submit that people are less knowledgeable than they think. For every condemnation of murder there is a rationalization of the act in any particular circumstance. Too often men designate what they do not like as evil, and pronounce what they desire as good. In effect, the concept of right and wrong varies depending on who you talk to. Few will accept the contention that right and wrong can be objectively attained, or know how it can be done! Continue reading “Knowing Right Before God” →

There are several New Testament texts that detail the responsibilities to be found in a family as God would have it. One of these is Colossians 3:18-21, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

In this short text, Paul concisely describes the primary responsibility of each party. He does the same in Ephesians 6:1-ff. Put simply, The husband is to love. The wife is to submit. The children are to obey. The father is to discipline and instruct in a righteous and loving way. If we add to this Paul’s instruction that the older women teach the young women to “love their children” and be “homemakers,” we get a pretty clear role of everyone in a typical family (Titus 2:4). Continue reading “A God Fearing Home” →