From the very beginning, God has given us moral laws. And what was wrong from the beginning is still wrong today in His sight.
All the way through the Bible, immorality is listed along with murder and idolatry. In the Old Testament God demanded the death penalty for this sin. In 1 Corinthians 6 the Bible says that no immoral person can inherit the kingdom of God. There are hundreds of passages that indicate the wrath of God is being stored up against those who commit such sins. What a horrible condemnation this is, and yet this is the Scripture. But to the desperate soul, fully aware of all his or her sin and failure, there is joyful assurance: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Prayer Dearest Lord, I will never be able to thank You enough for the grace, mercy and forgiveness that You have made available to me through Jesus. Thank You for sending Him as my deliverer. Please help me to trust and follow You more. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Billy Graham
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"When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."-Psalm 61:2
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is He, His mercy higher than our sins, His love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock He is since He changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at His feet; He is not disturbed by them, but rules them at His will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by Thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into Thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; Thou, Thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon Thee-we need Thee to bring us to Thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is Thy gift, and Thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with Thy servants. Charles Spurgeon The big day of his release from prison finally arrived for a man who had not known freedom for many years. He stepped out of the prison door onto the street, a free man at last, and stretching his arms upward, he exclaimed loudly: "I'm free!"
A little boy, walking past happily with his mum and dad, heard the man's excited cry, and looking up to the man, said with equal excitement, "So what! I'm four!" U.S. Skateboarder tells it as it is: "It's about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. If God wanted it to be that way, He would have made Adam and Steve, or two females. But He didn't. People, come on. It's simple. It's simple. And your confusing the kids, which is wrong! My nine year-old step-daughter saw this [homosexual lifestyle] on TV the other night and she was like, "Oh, so it's okay." NO it's wrong. You're sending the wrong message to the kids. Does anyone else not see the problem with that? It's wrong. It's wrong. How do you expect to keep a country running, a nation running, a world running, if you're teaching the kids to be... I don't get it. I don't get it. It's actually upsetting if you think about it." Like many Australians I feel a sense of distress at the way the position of Prime Minister of Australia was effectively stolen on the evening of 14th September 2015. Done in such a way so as to deny the people of Australia the opportunity to even email or call their political representatives to have their say, the Deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Julie Bishop, waited until late in the day before she approached Tony Abbott with the news of the challenge. A meeting was then held that night, catching the people of Australia off-guard and by surprise. Before the people knew what had even happened we were told we had a new Prime Minister. While Australians were waking up on Tuesday 15th September 2015, too busy heading off to work to do anything about it, Malcolm Turnbull was rushing through the swearing-in ceremony to become Prime Minister of Australia.
"They have set up kings, but not by me," (Hosea 8:4) Surely the leadership of a country such as Australia should not be allowed to be obtained by stealth, back-room deals, under the cover of darkness, to avoid public consultation or scrutiny, to prevent the people having a say. Yet that is what has happened. Treachery of the highest order, with smooth attempts at explaining it and justifying it. Can the plotters, any of them, now really be trusted? Leaders need integrity. In his victory speech Turnbull said that his would be a "consultative" government. Really! Were the people consulted before the coup? By John Stonestreet
Explicit material is everywhere, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it, right? Wrong. If you had any doubts about the pernicious hold of pornography on American life, recent headlines should lay them to rest: The Ashley Madison website hack … the well-publicized scandals involving Josh Duggar and Jared Fogle … the spectacle of heavily painted topless women parading around Times Square in broad daylight . . . it’s all overwhelming. We’ve gone over some of the stats on BreakPoint before, but here are just a few from the Covenant Eyes website: there have been about 1.5 billion internet searches for porn since the start of the year. Porn in America is a $13 billion industry every single year. And of course the impact goes deeper than any statistic can measure—lost marriages, private and public humiliation, ruined lives and ruined ministries. It can seem that this porn culture is unstoppable. But I have some rare good news—it is possible to push back. The Hilton hotel chain has just removed all pornography channels from its hotels in 85 countries. And you know what prompted this decision? Hilton’s executives were receiving as many as 1,000 emails a week asking them to take that step. A key factor in this development was that Hilton already had a policy against their properties being used for sexual exploitation. Pat Truman, president and CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which organized this three-year campaign, said that Hilton eventually “realized it didn’t make sense to be against [sexual exploitation] while promoting pornography, which is so closely connected to it . . . Sex traffickers use pornography to sell prostitution. It’s all connected.” He’s right. In addition to all the other ills linked to this social ill, the link with sex trafficking has been well documented. According to a report in Scotland, for example, a statistically significant association exists between pornography use by men and the frequency of their use of women in prostitution. Another study states, “Interviews with 854 women in prostitution in 9 countries…made it clear that pornography is integral to prostitution . . . [A]lmost half … told us that pornography was made of them while they were in prostitution. Forty-seven percent of respondents were upset by attempts to make them do what their clients had previously seen in pornography.” In an era where top dollar is the bottom line, it’s great to see a corporation like Hilton do the right thing. So let’s congratulate Hilton hotels. And I should mention that Hilton joins a short but growing list of hotels who have previously made the same decision. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation says that Omni, Drury, Ritz-Carlton, Nordic Choice Hotels, and Marriott have all dropped pay-per-view pornography, although some still allow guests to access porn through their own wi-fi connections. Now, Hilton’s decision won’t eliminate (porn) from American culture, but it’s a great reminder to all of us about the power of an email message or phone call delivered winsomely in the cause of decency and human dignity. It reminds us that the bad ideas that seem to dominate our culture are vulnerable because bad ideas create victims. The wreckage caused by the sexual revolution is becoming all too evident—even to the most hardened of secularists. Rather than panic and despair, let’s push back against pornography—certainly in our households, and also in our communities. Why? Because businesses and legislators are listening. Excerpt taken from Breakpoint.org ‘For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role‐model of reconciliation and forgiveness, He stretched out His hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.’ Queen Elizabeth 2014.
‘God sent His only Son “to serve, not to be served.” He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ’. Queen Elizabeth 2012. ‘God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) – but a Saviour, with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.’ Queen Elizabeth 2011. ‘For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. God sent His only Son “to serve, not to be served”. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.’ Queen Elizabeth 2000. On 9 September, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in British history – having been on the throne for 63 years and seven months. Over that period, there have been12 British Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill to David Cameron and 12 American Presidents, stretching back to Harry S Truman. New Life "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings."-Psalm 112:7
Christian, you ought not to dread the arrival of evil tidings; because if you are distressed by them, what do you do more than other men? Other men have not your God to fly to; they have never proved His faithfulness as you have done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with fear: but you profess to be of another spirit; you have been begotten again unto a lively hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things; now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess? Again, if you should be filled with alarm, as others are, you would, doubtless, be led into the sins so common to others under trying circumstances. The ungodly, when they are overtaken by evil tidings, rebel against God; they murmur, and think that God deals hardly with them. Will you fall into that same sin? Will you provoke the Lord as they do? Moreover, unconverted men often run to wrong means in order to escape from difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if your mind yields to the present pressure. Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea, "Stand still and see the salvation of God." For if you give way to fear when you hear of evil tidings, you will be unable to meet the trouble with that calm composure which nerves for duty, and sustains under adversity. How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God's high praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had none to help you, magnify the Most High? Then take courage, and relying in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." C.H. Spurgeon Tuesday September 15, 2015 In answer to some questions from his kindy teacher for a Father's Day card my 4yo replied:
1- What makes Dad happy? "Me. Because Dad's my friend." 2- How old is Dad? "8" 3- How tall is Dad? "Tall as a house." 4- How do you know Dad loves you? "Because he says thank you to God for giving me to him." Daddy, I love you
Each and every day I love it when you make me giggle And when we romp and play I love it when you tickle me And chase my fears away But most of all, I love it, daddy, When you kneel with me to pray Daddy, I just love you! © By M.S.Lowndes Father's Matter. True Family Matters. Fathers: Read This and Rise to the Challenge.
By Darrell Brown The clock on the wall was just about to tick over to 3pm. Most guys I knew didn’t finish work until at least five; some didn’t get home until after seven. I was sitting in a boardroom listening to two men talk about the long hours they had been working. One was sharp and young, a partner in an advertising agency I was doing some work for. The other was his client, the chief executive of a company that manufactures kitchen stoves and associated appliances. The chief executive mentioned he had been starting work before 6am and not getting home until after 8pm. Not to be outdone, my agency friend explained that not only had he been working similar hours but he was also taking work home with him that he continued after dinner. You could see they both wore their long hours as some sort of badge of honour. My silence in these conversations probably said more than any words could. Instead, my thoughts drifted off in the direction of my two boys and what they might be doing right now without me. I looked across at the chief executive and saw a picture of his family next to the computer on his desk. His wife had given him five beautiful children. Knowing how much time I spent with my two boys, I knew that five must have been a big responsibility. I wondered if he knew his children as well as he knew his business. My agency friend was also married and had two young children of his own. He had arrived that morning in his new two-door silver sports car. I had asked him somewhat jokingly how he managed to squeeze his two kids into the back seat. He had replied with a smile: “Only just!” I remember thinking how difficult it would be for their little faces to peer out of those tiny windows — the world rushing by and no way to see it. Sadly, today many men are becoming more detached from their children when they are needed more than ever. So many men now put corporate success before their family. Somewhere, our culture took a turn down the wrong path, and I think we’re way past that point when we should all realise we are going the wrong way. The clock moved towards 3.15pm, signalling my favourite time of day. I loved being home when the boys arrived back from school. It’s an experience shared by only a small group of extremely fortunate fathers. I could always hear their footsteps as they came running down the driveway and along the side of the house. If I timed it right, I could walk out of my office just as they ran straight into my arms. “Daddy! Daddy!” they would scream. Their small, lightly framed bodies would catapult forward and collide into mine with a thud. Of course, it wasn’t the force of their little bodies that hit me; it was the power of love deep inside. Who would have thought love could be so strong? It’s funny how nature can sometimes become a metaphor for your own life. Sitting outside on the back porch one night, I found myself staring at a couple of moths dancing around a light globe. The moths appeared totally mesmerised by the light, the warmth, the brightness and the glow. They would leave the light momentarily to venture off into the darkness, only to return quickly and slam right back into the shining globe. That was me. I was the light … and my boys were the moths. If there’s anything more powerful in this world than the love you feel for your children, I haven’t discovered it yet. As with all experiences, you can’t feel anyone else’s love, just your own. Someone can tell you how much they love you, but all you can ever feel is the love you have in return. Since the boys gave me the opportunity to feel the deepest love imaginable, it felt natural to want to spend most of my waking hours around them. To love this deeply is to find your life’s purpose. Anything beyond that is a bonus, and can only ever take second place. Even finding a cure for cancer wouldn’t measure up. Perhaps if we all could experience a love this pure, there wouldn’t be any cancer. As a freelance cameraman, I usually would average about three to four days’ work a week. I liked it because I could make a good wage and still have plenty of time to spend with the family. Some people used to ask me why I didn’t start my own production company or expand my talents into other areas. The truth is, I could never think of anything to do with my time that would be more valuable than being with my boys. Sure, the extra money would have been nice. But at the end of the day it seemed so insignificant compared with the responsibility I had taken on as a father. Many years stretched ahead of me, years in which I could make money. But time with our children is lost with every passing day. Besides, I had never heard of any father lying on his deathbed saying, “If only I’d had made more money.” More often than not, their biggest regret was that they didn’t spend more time with their children. Now going on 16, my boys will soon be getting their driver’s licences and heading off on their own life journeys. The tiny frail bodies, so soft and subtle as little children, are now tall, strong and hardened with time. However, although their external frames have changed greatly, I feel their hearts have remained the same. As their father, I still hug them as tightly now as I did back then. A handshake just won’t do. I still kiss them goodnight and tell them how much I love them, every day. Those big bright eyes and beautiful smiles still remind me how lucky I am to be a dad. I know I can’t get back those early years: changing their nappies and washing those tiny little bums; waking up on Christmas morning to see if Santa and his reindeer had come; climbing up into the tree house and watching the world go by; hearing them coming home from school and then feeling them thunder into my arms. Even today, I can still hear the distant echoes of laughter from Cody and Taylor, chasing each other down the hallway as fast as their little legs could take them. I can see it as clearly as if it all happened just yesterday. Is this what lies ahead for us? In some ways it doesn’t seem fair. They say we hold our children’s hands for a while but hold their hearts for eternity. This thought warms my own heart and allows me to breathe a bit easier. I think of the many great years ahead and the possibility of grandchildren. Surely I will still have much to contribute as a grandfather? Maybe that’s another book. One I have yet to live. I dearly hope that in raising our boys the way we did, Jules and I have given them both a childhood voice that will serve them well in later life. There are no guarantees, but perhaps the constant loving voices of an adoring mother and a strong emotionally available doting father will be enough. As parents, Jules and I were more than happy to be their “best bet”. I think of two little boys with voices screaming as they ran towards me crying, “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!” and how those little voices inspired me to live the greatest life I could. As a father of two young boys, I did my best to examine my own childhood and look at the things that didn’t work. I am now grateful for all those experiences, and at the same time I have made a conscious choice to change the things that didn’t work. In the end, it’s not what happens to us in life that counts, but how we deal with it. As new parents, we not only have the responsibility but also the opportunity to make sure our own children have the greatest start to life we can give them. Mostly, this comes from bathing them in unconditional love. Edited extract from Raised By Our Childhood Voices: One Father’s Journey to Raise Confident, Connected, Compassionate Boys, by Darrell Brown. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/health-wellbeing/the-importance-of-being-there-for-your-children/story-fnr5f5xi-1227511506383 God's View of Sex
By Billy Graham Perhaps you have been confronted with temptations to sin and have found yourself unable to rise above them. The law has condemned you before God and has done its rightful work. Many have tried with all sincerity to live according to [the] requirements of the law, and have been plunged into despair, being unable to fulfill them. And all the requirements must be fulfilled, for the Bible says that “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). But God, knowing our inability because of sin, has graciously made provision for all our need, great as it is. To the desperate soul, fully aware of all his or her sin and failure, there comes the joyful assurance: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! … There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:25-8:1). Turn from sin and temptation today. Ask Christ to come into your life, and surrender yourself to Him. ©1953 (renewed 1981), 1998 BGEA Excerpt taken from Billy Graham’s message in 1953. The message is just as relevant today and I encourage you to read the full text at: “God’s View of Sex" Throughout the world today, freedom is often taken for granted. Yet freedom is the exception rather than the norm in human history. It is also the case that the institutions of freedom, and particular liberties such as political freedom, religious liberty, civil freedoms, and economic liberty in the West, were decisively shaped by Judaism and Christianity. Knowledge of these contribution, however, is dangerously absent from many public discussions of freedom, and its relationship to other important values, such as dignity and solidarity. How do we bring knowledge of these truths back into public discussion? What are the new threats to these forms of liberty in modern societies whose primary religious roots lie in Judaism and Christianity?
On September 9, 2015, Acton Institute and the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies will hold a day-long conference in Jerusalem – Judaism, Christianity, and the West: Building and Preserving the Institutions of Freedom – bringing together leading scholars from around the world to discuss the ways in which Judaism and Christianity have contributed to building the foundations of liberty, how Jews and Christians can today contribute to the protection of political, religious and economic freedom, and the ways in which they can assist in building institutional safeguards against populism and arbitrary government. This conference will take place at the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center. This conference is the fourth in the five-part series One and Indivisible? The Relationship Between Religious and Economic Freedom. Download the Conference Poster Follow the conversation #JewishRootsofFreedom http://www.acton.org/program/religious_liberty/judaism-christianity-west-building-preserving-inst |
Craig MannersWhile much of what is written in this Blog may currently appear to be counter-cultural, given our post-truth culture, it is in no way counter-human beings. I am always for people no matter what they think, do, or may have done in their past. Where I put forward ideas or debate against certain ideology, behaviour, ideas, movements, politics, I remain very much on the side of the human beings even though I may be opposed to their worldview, behaviour and politics. Such opposition is generally out of concern for the ultimate consequences of such behaviour or ideas, especially for children. |