Month: July 2021 (Page 3 of 3)

Men, when we look for signs of God’s displeasure with our declining culture, a recent tweet from the ALCU gives one pause: “On International Women’s Day, here’s your reminder that trans women are women.”  This proclamation declares that a biological man who thinks himself to be a woman is, in fact, a woman.  In a follow-up tweet, the ALCU then says almost in defiance to any opposition, “No one gets to tell us what it means to be a woman.  Not our bosses.  Not the government.”  “So, take that!” is the inference.  In response, Glenn Stanton notes in The Daily Citizen™, “What we have going on here is a redefinition of the word and its redefiners are being dishonest about this fact.  The trans prefix itself proves the point. It…literally means “Not a female, but feels he is.”  Even though the Oxford English Dictionary defines a woman as an “adult female human being,” the ACLU wants to reserve the right to define transwomen as women.  But as Stanton states, “They do not have the right to change that important and fundamental definition for everyone else.”  He ends by saying, “To resist their efforts is called reason. Calling it transphobic is not a counterargument.  It’s just name-calling.”

Men, this is an attempt to change our view of reality by simply stating a woman can also be a man.  The ACLU’s statements attempt to create an “objective” view of reality – but they fall short. The written Word of God offers a different view of reality: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Tim. 3:16-17).  

“The word Paul uses indicates not that Scripture itself or its human authors were breathed into by God, but that the Scripture was brought into existence by the breathing out by God” (Bible Speaks Today).  Simply put, these are the words God has given us to live by.  Jesus himself declared, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 3:4).  I well remember memorizing these passages in the early 1960’s while attending a Bible school in southern California.  Little did I realize how important my commitment to making the Scriptures the final authority in all matters of faith and life would be.

My wife and I survived the turbulent 60’s, began our family, and ministered as a clergy couple for 40 years. Through it all the Bible has been a reliable guide, giving us a clear view of reality in a growing spiritual wasteland.  For 55 years, Judy and I have committed to learning and teaching Scripture.  As Isaiah says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). 

I humbly encourage you to make the Bible your “go to” on all matters of faith and practice.  After following the Lord for over 60 years through some significant cultural upheaval, I challenge you to: 

• First, submit your thinking to the authority of Scripture.
• Second, integrate and apply Scripture to your life.
• Third, check all other views of reality against what the Scriptures teach.

The more I dig, the more I explore the claims of other religions, and the more I seek the God of truth in the midst of it all, the more I find that the scriptures reveal truth, and it is the truth that sets us free.

Recently I was very touched by Casting Crowns’ new single, “Scars in Heaven.”  When I first heard it online, I cried like a baby.  It was the chorus that broke me:

The only scars in Heaven, they won’t belong to me and you

 There’ll be no such thing as broken and all the old will be made new 

And the thought that makes me smile now even as the tears fall down

Is that the only scars in Heaven, yeah, are on the Hands that hold you now.

I had Judy come and listen together with me while I cried some more and held her.  Why?  It was the words: “If I had only known the last time would be the last time/I would have put off all the things I had to do/I would have stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter/Now what I’d give for one more day with you.”  Then in verse 4: “Until I’m standing with you in the sun, I’ll fight this fight and this race I’ll run.”  

I read in The Christian Post of Mark Hall, the front man for Casting Crowns, sharing the story behind the song:  “I began to write the song [while] watching my mom care for her mom and dad as they were passing away.  They passed away within a year of each other.”  Hall notes, “There’s this moment when we are suddenly very aware of their absence… The world seems quieter.  You realize you’re not going to hear their voice again.”

Men, my testimony to you is that I love my wife more and more as we grow older.  I don’t know why.  I suppose it’s partly because we become more dependent on each other, knowing we are both in the “4th quarter” of our earthly lives. But I believe the biggest reason for my emotional shift is what Jesus has done for me in creating space in my heart to love my wife more deeply.

Men, my word to you is this: Don’t waste your best emotional energy, or let it keep you away from sharing your emotions with your wife.  I can only thank God and give Him the glory for the love he has given me for my wife and for the desire to share more and more of my heart with her.  Remember the words of the chorus: “Now what I’d give for one more day with you.” 

Your wife is a gift from the Lord, “The one who has found a good wife has found what goodness is and obtained a delightful gift from the Lord” (Prov. 18:22 NET).  “Good” can also mean “virtuous,” “kind,” “cheerful,” or “content.”  The word “goodness,” “describes that which is pleasing to God, beneficial for life, and abundantly enjoyable.”  A virtuous, cheerful wife is “a delightful gift from the Lord.”

Men, I confess that for years the desire in my heart was to share with my wife how much I cherish her.  But out of pride and stubbornness, words seemed to get stuck inside, left unspoken.  I didn’t allow myself to share words of affection.

Please, don’t do that to your wife.  Tell her how wonderful she is and mean it.  Don’t wait till tomorrow or for a bright, sunny, relational day.  Ask God to give you a new love for your bride – and cherish her.  You do not know what tomorrow will bring.  Remember the words, “Now what I’d give for one more day with you.” 

Possible application: leave 5-7 Post-It Notes around the house telling your wife why (and how much) you appreciate her.