Something sounds a little off about the title of this post, doesn’t it? Yet, this idea resonates with our modern culture. Somebody is going to do something negative to you, so make sure you do it to them first. In other words don’t let someone else get the upper hand. Thankfully, God’s ways are not our ways! Here is what the Bible commands instead: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 Jesus makes this stunning declaration at the end of his Sermon on the Mount. These words challenge you and me to the limits of what it means to have faith in God. […]
Culture
252 posts
by Paul Tripp One of the interpretive problems that gets us into trouble in midlife is that our typical cultural categories for organizing human life are woefully inadequate. We tend to organize the full range of human development into only four categories: child (0-12), youth (13-20), adult (21-65), elderly (65+). When you examine these categories it doesn’t take long to uncover their inadequacy. The categories of child, youth, and elderly are relatively brief spans of time, while the category of adult encompasses forty-five years! Consider for a moment the massive differences between a man twenty-one and a man who is sixty-four. Or, let’s narrow the scope. Consider the remarkable difference in maturity between a person who is twenty-two and […]
The setting is in any one of the high-crime areas of several major U.S. cities. The time is approximately 10:00 p.m. A loud, sharp bang gets everyone’s attention. A young child turns to her mother and asks, “How many gunshots is that we have heard tonight?” “Two or three.” “Mom, do you think maybe somebody got shot?” “I don’t know baby. I hope not.” “Why do people have to get mad and shoot each other?” “You know the answer, sweetheart.” “I know, it is because of sin. But I still don’t like it.” “I don’t either! But when people turn from God, bad things happen. Do you remember when we read about Noah and the ark in the Bible?” “Yes. […]
In his first epistle, the apostle John speaks of the world as a hostile place. This hostility, however, is masked by deception. The world does not present itself as a hostile enemy. Rather, the world offers itself as the ultimate source of pleasure, fulfillment and satisfaction. The success of this deception is evident in the lives of many children from Christian homes who have been savaged by the world. Too many have repeated the cry of Proverbs: “Afterward you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body, and you will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not demanded my own way! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to those […]
There is a new movie out about Steve Jobs. He revolutionized the way our culture communicates and listens to music. iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPad have literally changed the way people live, work and think. Steve Jobs was a legend. However, there was one area Jobs recognized where he was lacking. Steve Jobs was a private man, even from his own children. “I wanted my kids to know me,” Jobs was quoted as saying by Pulitzer Prize nominee Walter Isaacson, when he asked the Apple co-founder why he authorized a tell-all biography after living a private, almost ascetic life. “I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did,” Jobs told […]
Your objective as a Christian parent is to raise your children to live a godly life following Christ. This idea is exciting, even inspiring. But how conscious are you that there is another side to living a godly life? Encouraging your children to follow Christ also will lead them into persecution. This reality balances the excitement. Following Christ is a wonderful, fulfilling and sobering pursuit. It is a path not to be taken lightly. Paul reminds us of this when he says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” 2 Timothy 3:12 Following God requires courage and boldness. There are enemies on every side, both spiritual and earthly. Living as children of […]
Before the fall, man had a glorious and exciting destiny to pursue. One people speaking the same language gaining dominion over all the earth for the glory of the one true God. However, after the fall, the ugliness of pride supplanted the glory of God in the hearts of men. The evil spread from generation to generation, even to the animals. Only the cleansing waters of the flood would push back the scourge of pride. But the damage was done. Pride had woven its way into the hearts of men. On the plains of what is now Iraq man was again united with one language and one purpose. Only now the goal was not the glory of God, but the […]
Last night a leading presidential candidate dismissed marijuana as a serious health threat. A couple of other candidates challenged this view. Just to clarify I have reposted an article by Dr. Charles Hodges, author of Good Mood Bad Mood. Dr. Hodges posts a clear warning about the dangers of this drug. It is worth your time. Here is his article: I have written often about the perils of the recreational use of marijuana and I cannot resist writing again. The cause for my writing is that the New York Times that has stumbled into the reality that smoking pot does little if any good for those who smoke it. And it has the potential for great harm.[i] In an October […]
The children of Israel were about to leave the immediate protection of God’s special care. In a way it is not unlike when your own children leave your home and face the hostility of a world that has little love for God. For forty years Israel had known protection very much what like you provide for your kids. Manna was provided for them every day. The lived under the safety of the giant cloud that provided shade during the day and light at night. Their clothing and sandals did not wear out. God shielded them from having to provide these basic necessities, just as you provide special care for your kids now. And like with your children this care was […]
The ancient city of Nineveh and Washington D.C. are not dissimilar. Nineveh was powerful, prestigious and evil. The same is true for Washington. Nineveh had no regard for the Living God of Scripture. The same is true for Washington. Nineveh was called to repentance by the Word of God. The same is true for Washington. You might be asking where is the modern day Jonah calling for the city to repent or face destruction. The answer is that there is a voice in Washington more potent than Jonah’s. There are thousands and thousands of Bibles throughout the city and millions more throughout the land. Every leader in the city has access to one. Many even went to Sunday School! God’s […]