Trouble-Proofing Your Home

I can’t remember when I first heard it, but the saying goes something like this. "Don’t go looking for trouble. It will find you." I look at my own spiritual journey and feel like too often I have indeed gone looking for trouble. There are now essentially zero limits on the access to information and entertainment in our culture. Everything, good and evil, is as close as the click of a mouse. Strange days indeed.

In my journey through the Bible this year I came to Psalm 101 last week and it cut me to the quick. David pours his heart out to the Lord:

1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. Psalm 101:1-8 (ESV)

Do you hear the yearning in his words? David wanted to be in the Lord’s presence: to sing His praises, to ponder His blamelessness, to walk in integrity, and to fellowship with other faithful people. And the headquarters of this worship experience? Verse two says, “within my house.” David wanted righteousness to reign in his home. That is what I want! I know that at my best moments when I am living in the way that brings God the greatest pleasure, that is what is beating in my heart: make this home an embassy of heaven!

Yet we know that in a moment of passion, David failed (2 Samuel 11). The very moment that he stopped pondering the way that was blameless, he began exploring the pathway to wickedness. All it took was a season of laziness. All it took was a second look. I have seen what lies at the end of that path. You and your family really do not want to go there.

David forgot his own advice—“morning by morning” cut off the access to evil in your life, and plug into the presence of God. Get the Internet filter that will eliminate the threat of pornography on your computer (I recommend Open DNS). Reserve the close friendships in your life for people who are passionate for God. And above all, practice God’s presence. Feed the spirit. Starve the flesh. Trouble is lurking.

Time to 'Fess Up...

This Sunday my preaching will come to a place that’s very personal for me because it’s an issue that God has been dealing with me about for some time. I will begin preaching through 1 Corinthians and I'm touching on an issue that is a constant threat preachers deal with every week.

I would frame it in this simple question: Am I delivering a Christ-exalting word from God, or just a compelling speech? Paul dealt with it in the church at Corinth and declares his steadfast commitment to applying the gospel effectively:

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

I love creativity. It’s just part of my personality. I love words. I love compelling and interesting illustrations. And I truly believe that God’s Word deserves our best efforts at using those gifts He has given us to effectively deliver His message. But we are deluding ourselves if we ever fall into thinking that reaching this world and bringing God glory hinges only on our most well-thought out words and ideas.

A favorite "Peanuts" cartoon of mine had Linus and Charlie Brown looking at the clouds and Charlie Brown asked Linus what he saw. I can't remember the exact words, but Linus said something like, “Over there I see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, and over there I see what looks like Michelangelo’s statue of David. What do you see, Charlie Brown?" Charlie Brown says, "I was going to say a ducky and a horsey, but I changed my mind."

I see more clearly every week that compared to the word of the cross, my words are only elementary and foolish. As much as I love creativity, my greatest need isn’t more fresh ideas. I need a fresh and clear vision of the cross. It, and it alone, is the power of God for salvation.

What's Your Story?

The thing that makes Good Friday "good" is that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin on that day. Only bad people need to repent. But when you're bad, you aren't a good enough person to repent. The only one good enough to do something that noble is God, who doesn't need to repent. That's what makes Calvary so amazing. Jesus owed no debt, but He stepped in on my behalf and accomplished the greatest "bailout" in human history.

So I want to know your story. For the next week both here and on my Facebook page, I'm inviting all of my friends to celebrate the resurrection by telling me your story. To get you fired up about it, I'm sharing Matthew West's video, "Next thing you know." Enjoy the video, and tell me your story. When did it happen? How did it happen? What's your life like now? It's what makes Good Friday great.

The Quest for Joy

“Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.”
Thomas Aquinas

T.A.W. (Thursday Afternoon Worship)

How to Win an Atheist's Respect

One of our Sunday Bible Fellowship leaders, Dale Guidry, pointed me to this incredible video from Penn of Penn and Teller (an avowed atheist). Take a look...