Humility, equality, common sense key to stopping violence

A rash of assaults on women and other complaints have dotted the landscape in and out of sports. While the previous post on coming together for racial equality contains keys to solving this problem, as do posts on things like the good thoughts of Philippians 4:8 and other posts in this blog, this is a specific problem which has troubled people since man brought sin into the formerly perfect world,and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom. 5:12)

That need for humility, of course, is crucial. That post shows how we must never see one race or any group as superior, something discussed more in show 143 here. Here, it means one must not see one gender as worthy of more respect than another. However, it is much more than that.

A desire to be better can be used in a positive way when it leads to hard work, learning new information, strategies, and skills, etc., in order to improve one's lot in life. However, those all deal with raising oneself up in ways that please God, so His perfect plan for your life can be fulfilled, not putting others down. They involve honing God-given things to improve one's abilities to glorify God.

Not only that, but not since Ben Franklin's time has it been possible to know everything there is to know. There will always be someone better than you at something and someone worse than you at something. Hence, there is a need to accept that God has given skills and talents and accept His perfect plan for your life, That perfect plan is fulfilled when you grow in Godliness and develop those rather than letting lust rule and tear others down or wanting what isn't yours.

Yes, I used lust there. Envy, jealousy, and so on could all be placed there. However, what are those but certain kinds - envying someone with better clothes or cars or something is just a lust for those things, for instance. The Bible sums up sin by referring to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(1 John 2:15) Certainly, we want to live, but we don't want to have such pride in it that we think that we have a better plan than God, because God's perfect ways are much greater than our imperfect ways.

Good Thoughts and Attitudes to Ponderr - Putting Others First

This is why, as in Philippians 4:8 above, we must "flee also youthful lusts"(2 Tim. 2:22); this isn't just about physical affection, it is about fleeing that selfishness that causes a person to lust for power and therefore to mistreat those less powerful than them.

This brings us to equality a little more first, to move forward to common sense by making a few comments about the body from the above links, namely that we all perform different roles in that perfect plan, but they all work together to move the body forward along the right path.

To use a silly example, let us suppose that the eye decided it wanted to do something different than the legs says the person was walking along. So comma the eye starts moving the head a different direction. Then comma di convinces the arms to move one of the legs into that direction. Of course, that is silly, although at first you might have thought of a person distracted by something, turning their head, and walking right into a telephone pole. Indeed, that happens sometimes. The point is that this is causing the body to lose focus. There are, of course, timesthe eye see something and realizes that the legs are moving in the wrong direction. That is where the brain as a central processing unit is so important, such as when you are walking around trying to find something, and suddenly you see it out of the corner of your eye.)

Let's use that analogy with the brain as the central processing unit and explore the area of common sense. However, it will not be common sense as imperfect people see it, but as God created us, because His ways are perfect.

There are many reasons that the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) includes things like temprance(self-control), longsuffering(patience), etc.. We need these things to be Godly people; He calls us to be holy not just in our actions in refraining from certain sins but in all manner of conversation, a word which means conduct.

I'd like to take a moment to praise a few boys; these 6-8 year olds are in our church's Wednesday night AWANA program at the same time as a similar-aged girl who has some autism traits. Because of this, she pushes hard at times. She has only done this a couple times, and we as a staff and her parents stay on top of things, but the point is that this girl can't control herself as well as most kids that age.

So, a few times she has pushed these boys playfully, not realizing how hard she is doing it. And, these boys either just stare at her and then walk away or just ask me, "What's her problem." They don't fight back. I have praised them quite a bit for not pushing back, let alone hitting. They know quite well there is no reason to hit this girl. Other workers and I are rightfully proud of their self-control at those times.

All that is to say this. It should be very easy for us to get in our minds an image of a person just walking away from a situation. At their age, of course, it helps to know someone is going to praise them for their self-control, and that praise will sink in and - in the future - help them remember that self-control is a positive thing. Even if a person hasn't had that self-control praised before - or even practiced  it - self-control is still required.

Why? because women are built differently, just like the parts of the body are different. You wouldn't put eye drops in your ear to try to get ear wax out, nor would you put hydrogen peroxide on your skin to make an insect bite stop itching. Things need treated differently depending on where they are - eye drops go int he eye, hydrogen peroxide goes in the ear, etc..

Of course, it's also wrong for women to bully men, but the vast major5ity of this selfishness in hwo they treat others is done by males in a relationship. This is why Jesus kept pushing meekness, another Fruit of the Spirit - thsi is power under control, not overpowering people but tenderly guiding.

Not only that, but men and women are equals, we just have different general attributes, with each individual having their own and needing to be accepted for how God made them.

We have shared that some but as a church generally failed to speak out strongly against abusive behavior, a failure we must repent of, as I've noted before, in praying for revival. Of course, it can also be argued that the Holy Spirit convicts people of the evils of such things, and that people who do them are not going to be in church or will just sit and pretend to be Godly because their hearts aren't right or perhaps they never trusted Jesus Christ to save them in the first place.

Whichever the case is, domestic violence is an evil which must be stopped. The way to do it is by changing our attitude toward others.

Proper Attitudes About Relationships - Eliminating Lust

Before, such as here, the need was discussed to center our focus on others and not ourselves. That is certainly part of it. When we realize other people matter, we will be kinder and more considerate and realize that some people have handicaps, for instance, like I do with several physical and developmental ones. However, it goes beyond just helping a blind person see something that you can see perfectly well.

The important part is to recognize that while we refer to girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, and children as "ours" in one sense, they really aren't in another sense. Oh, relation ally, there is a logical sense that, yes, you are related to someone in such and such a way - "this is the computer's mouse" means that mouse is used by that computer - but relation does not equal possession. Any mouse could be used as long as it's compatible, to use that example further.

Relationships were created by God before the fall of man - Adam and Eve are married in Genesis 2:24-25, while sin doesn't come into the world till the next chapter. After sinc omes in, there is suddenly disputing and arguing and the chance for all sorts of things. Physical lusts suddenly existed when they didn't before. Instead of automatically being a perfect situation, a relationship takes work on all parts - A healthy relationship requires communication, and that communication is easily broken if we're not careful.

This is where that lust comes in. Even without that problem in language, there is that desire to make a relationship everything we want rather than working together toward a common goal. It's as if the eye and the ear, working together in a body, suddenly decide they want to do different things. Or, worse yet, the left leg and the right leg try to go off in different directions.

Some central processing unit is needed. God provides that processing unit through his Word, the Bible, which tells us to love one another, to edify (build up) one another, to be subject to one another  and to work with one another. The Bible never commands one side to boss the other around and doesn't even allow it, in fact. As that one link said, Eve was created from Adam's side, not his head or foot.

And, parents are to be examples of Godly love, compassion, gentleness, kindness, and so on, teaching their children to be part of that loving unit by co-operating and becoming kind, caring people who will not act selfishly. Just as most if not all of the boys have been taught who were being so kind when that girl was being so pushy.

If one party is not able to be a spiritual leader, that God commands, another shoudl take over and try to work themselves out of a job jsut like a missionary would. This free blog book, based on the Shunemmite woman's story beginning in 2 Kings 4:8, shows how, and should be widely distributed.

We need the courage to stand up for woman and children because they need protection. Yes, at times we must sand up against female abusers, too; we should always look at the facts of a case as well. However, we must be willing to take a stand for the absolute right and wrong that God commands us to have in protecting those who are mistreated, so that they know they can feel safe in coming to us and that we will stand for them and against abusers. Look at it as getting an abuser help if you must, but we as a society should not accept what is really just a form of lust - a lust for power, power that is not our right to have. There is never any reason to hit a woman, and in fact even nonverbal abuse is wrong because we are not meant to force others to do anything in a relationship. We are supposed to lovingly guide. (Yes, even discipline of children, though it may have to be harsh at times, should NEVER be about brutality and power but has to be about showing Godliness by guiding them in a Christlike manner to be examples of Godly character themselves, by showing those fruits of the Spirit so they will want to copy and will know how. You might, as that blog book shows, even be able to be the one a kid copies who isn't your own, becasue we all need role models and some kids need to use other adults as those models of good behavior.)

This iswhy such violence is wrong - communication must be the center of every relationship, and adults are able to verbalize their concerns without such threats against someone who is less able physically. If a person has trouble, they must walk away till they're calm; against part of that meekness Jesus had and that we should have, too.

In fact, I'll go a step further and say that the entire appetite for lusts is way off. There are many better things to do than that, and it should be an honor to be a virgin. Sadly, not everyone will be, but there is no excuse for any man to be taking advantage of someone. If one man wants to do stuff with a woman outside marriage that's one thing, even though it's sin and cheapens it, but life is not a video game and there should be no competition or guys getting together in what was created to be a very special time for one man and oen woman to share! God created that stuff to be done within marriage as a special thing between a husband and wife, in fact! No woman should ever be put in a situation where she feels pressured into doing something she doesn't want to - and no man should, either!

After all, God gives freedom, the freedom that He provided on the cross when He died to take the punishment for our sins and rose from the dead. Each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. It's a prayer one can pray right now - just Admit you're a sinner and fall short of God's protection, Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to save you, Choosing to let Him make you new inside and forgive and cleanse you and come live in you.

Once you trust Him to save you, He makes you new inside.He will grow the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) in you. You can do it right now where you are. And, go he to e-mail with someone and get gerat encouragement.

Be thankful for life, let Jesus give life more abundantly

Though the posts have been fewer, I hope many continue to pray and spread the word on praying for revival. This post - on Memorial Day, when we remember those who gave their lives - is very appropriate because it concerns how our society loves life on an individual level.

Like Jesus does at times, I'll start with a question to make readers think. Since Jesus promises to give life and life more abundantly than the world can(John 10:10), then it makes sense to get that, since it'll be more plentiful, fulfilling, etc. than what we could have without Him, right?

Our society loves to "live life to its fullest" - we hear many slogans about this. And yet, as I discussed in this ministry blog post, people have constant contact through the Internet but it doesn't provide the unconditional love and depth of relationships that a personal relationship with Jesus provides; He is personal. It is far more rewarding than just the physical, which as valuable or special. For example, this recent ministry post shared how a relationship with Jesus can help a child in a very difficult home life to feel loved - and how we should come alongside, a focus of shows 114 & 117 on the Youthquake site's radio page.(You can probably guess parts of this will be on the ministry blog, too. Please pray for such kids at Camp CHOF and elsewhere - sponsorship for underprivileged kids are always helpful.)

To have a true repentance revival in our nation, we need to take hold of that "life more abundantly" that Jesus promises first, since I've noted before that it must begin with us. Jesus wants to forgive each of us and save us from our sins. Forgiveness is something we all need, as this shares.

Then, let's consider how to pray for and interact in this society that is always giving messages about loving life, and for our nation as a whole.

To those who will love life - 1 Peter 3:8-11

I have, in my immediate family(counting retirees and spouses) more than a handful of doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. You can imagine I've heard much about how fleeting life is and living each day to its fullest. These occupations naturally cause one to think about that.

And yet, that is something even children can understand. As one example, my uncle was moved to be a doctor after seeing a Life Magazine article on kids with club feet at age 8.

Such things breed thankfulness, a desire to cherish each day, and so on. However, in that desire to enjoy life to its fullest, it's easy to forget God if we're not careful.

God loves and cares for us as His creation - we are each "fearfully and wonderfully made."(Ps.139:14) He wants us to pursue the dreams He gives us - just like He made sure my uncle saw that article and gave him that compassionate personality to know he wanted to help people. He took hold of what God had given him, and God blessed him. He has certainly lived life to its fullest, helping untold thousands of people.

It would have been terrible if he'd refused to think of others and instead done what some of his generation did. He'd never have helped all those people. "Enjoying life" has to mean more than just pleasing oneself - life is about helping others in a Christlike way, as noted in this post. And yet, there are some who think it's better to please themselves and only think about what they can get out of something, not what they can give.

Therein lies the problem. 1 Peter 3:10 addresses those who would "love life," and brings in verses 8-11 as well on being compassionate, doing good and eschewing evil, etc.. If a person turns away from a life of loving their neighbor, being kind to others, and so on, and turns to evil instead (for instance, throwing away a promising career with drugs or lustful behavior), they'll miss out on the great opportunities God has for them.

This is where we must be careful of the devil's wiles, so we don't follow a counterfeit. The idea of living life to its fullest can be used to make sure one gives all for the glory of God and tries not to miss any chance to glorify Him whether eating, drinking, whatever they do.(1 Cor.10:31). In this way, making the most of the one life we're given means using that life that we have for Him. However, "you only live once" has been usurped by the devil, as explained by Chris Townsend, to get people to think that they, and not God, have ultimate say in every aspect of their lives.

In other words, instead of adding 1 Corinthians 10:31 as a reminder to do all you can to spread the Gospel and show Jesus Christ's love through your actions, many take the idea of having but one life to mean one may do whatever they want, in blatant disregard for God and His eternal truths, because they are led to believe there are no consequences to sin.

There are consequences, however, to all sin, including especially the fact that Jesus Christ had to die to take the punishment for our sin, and then rise from the dead.

So, how do we make sure we're on the right path, and looking at that life we have as we should?

How To Be Transformed

Part of this show "Quest for Truth" did - on connecting with the culture - discussed those verses in 1 Peter 3, though of course there wasn't nearly enough time with all there was to cover.

To put it succinctly, we need to eschew evil. Whereas this society has become very coarse and uncaring, we need to be the opposite, and "be not conformed to this world" but rather "transformed, by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."(Rom.12:2) Because, as this post shows, eliminating that coarseness but instead extending that forgiveness as Jesus has done for us will help make that life more abundant - and pleasant. First Peter also discusses suffering for one's faith, after all, so there is plenty of pain already without us adding to it. We should be showing Christlike love and forgiveness.

In so doing, we can pray for our country to do the same, for people to change on the inside and value the eternal rather than selfishly follow their own desires - to think about those good thoughts to think on from Philippians 4:8. Things that are true, just, lovely, and so on are certainly part of life, and can easily be thought about. Indeed, God can relieve our pain when we "think on thsoe things" and praise Him, just as the Psalms often start with anguish and end with the Psalmist praising God.

The world doesn't know how to accept sacrifice. When people only think of themselves and what they can get out of life, they can end up missing very important things, even if they know Christ as Saviour.

For example, a man I know, and his wife, didn't have peace about accepting a promotion he was offered to what he thought would be the job of his dreams, so he didn't take it. As it turned out weeks later, had he taken that promotion, he wouldn't have been home nearly as fast and his wife may have bled to death at the end of a difficult pregnancy, and the baby might not have survived; even if he had been home the transfer they'd have had would have mean they'd have been an hour away from a good hospital, not a few minutes like they were. God then gave him a better job a few years later. What a great testimony to God's Spirit working and helping us, as well as to what those aforementioned relatives would say about making every moment matter, family being most important (next to God of course, who as we see here provides for that), etc..

There is a great need for repentance revival in this country. And, it's not just because some people are putting jobs, money, and other things ahead of God - at times it's because some people are choosing to follow a life filled with lusts, selfishness, and other sins.

The evils of the world won't last, though. Neither will anything in the world, even the best things; Jesus says Heaven and earth will pass away. Jesus promises us something much better with those eternal rewards, because they can't grow old, rust out, etc., and nobody can take from from us. And, where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.(Mat.6:19-21)

So, a good part of the secret to loving life is building treasures in Heaven. That's because the life that matters isn't here on Earth.

The Life That Matters Is the Eternal Life God Can Give

 The man I mentioned, a follower of Christ, is certainly very grateful that God led him to decline the position and thus probably save his wife and child's lives. However, had he decided on his own to decline it - though such a decision wouldn't have made sense from the world's perspective - he could still say that at least he put his family first, right?

Sure, that's why we have to remember that the life that truly matters is the eternal life God promises to those who trust Him to save them from their sins. Because, without that, we have to suffer for our own sins, and God doesn't want us to have to do that. We could love what we have till we die physically, and it could be somthing like family or relationships or helping others. However, it is by grace - a free gift - we are saved through faith, and "that not of ourselves, if is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph.2:8-9)

In other words, a person who always puts their family first, always cares about others, and all those other good things is still a sinner in need of a Saviour - if they sinned only 3 times a day that's still over 1,000 a year. Without calling on Jesus and receiving Jesus' free gift of salvation that person would also die spiritually.

That eternal life is the life Jesus gives that is much more abundant than what we have now. It isn't just the fact God can guide a man to turn down something worldly in order to save his wife and child because He knows the future and we don't. That's just the icing on the cake, the benefit of a personal relationship with God. The main part of that abundant life is that life Jesus Christ gives a person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ to save them from their sins. Only when one does this does one have eternal life. He who hath the Son hath life, and he who hath not the Son hath not life.(1 John 5:12) Just living a Godly life is not enough, one must know Christ personally. Eternal is much more special, much more abundant.

Still, part of that life we can love is in how we are living here on Earth, those things we are doing for the Lord, rather than pleasing ourselves. Instead of the evil motto of "do what thou wilt with no care for the things of God," following Godly principles is the way we love life and make the most of it.

Making the Most of Life by Glorifying God, Pray Others Do the Same

So, as with other things mentioned in various posts here, for there to be repentance revival in our country, there is a part we play, so we can get to the part where we pray.

That part we play is by making sure each of us, individually, knows Jesus Christ as Saviour. This "God's Simple Plan" site above is great, this with the four spiritual laws is also an excellent summary.

Then, we let the Lord transform us continually by helping us to put away those selfish desires and "whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all for the glory of God."(1 Cor.10:31) We use our talents, abilities, and opportunities to glorify Him and to share His love with others. This is something those who do not have eternal life can't do. They can only glorify themselves, and if they give glory to God it is not because He is their savior, it is because they are simply paying lip service or believing in some vague force and not in who God is, a personal God who must punish sin but has done so by taking the punishment for our sin, dying on the cross for each of us and rising from the dead.

At the same time, we need to be careful not to look like the world. Look at 1 Peter 3:8-11 again, that life more abundantly includes eschewing evil. Going back to my earlier examples, if a person chooses to do something selfish - getting into drugs, following their own lusts, being cruel, etc. - they are not loving the life God has given them. They are not glorifying Him. It is impossible to turn from God and say, "I am glorifying God" in the same way it is impossible for a person to put on bathing trunks near the ocean, get all read to swim, and then go into the desert with no water around and say "I am swimming."

Not everyone reading this will be a celebrity or even famous in any way, but these are some good examples in the next paragraph because they involve the images that we see int he media. They can, however, be analogized to anyone - for instance, a factory worker (and there are still some left) can consider how he or she relates to others and making sure they are being a Godly example. And, they can make sure they aren't overly critical. At times, it appears that those who criticize, for instance, baseball players for showing off may themselves crave the spotlight by bringing so much attention to the matter instead of being more forgiving, as was mentioend before, and accepting the different culture.

So, if, for instance, a performer is singing, acting, or whatever in some secular role, they can still glorify God by being light in the darkness. They can choose never to use lyrics that are vulgar or suggestive, but instead ones that uplift. They can encourage things like in Philippians 4:8.(Focus on a song's words forward, not how some used to talk of stuff backwards or even the type, things which distract from the real issue. Frank Sinatra's "My Way" may be the most often quoted secular song by pastors - used in sermons on false pride - and it doesn't even have a guitar.)  They can make sure the focus is on God and what He can do, not on themselves. Songs about relationships can be about loving ones with no sex till marriage and fabulous stable ones afterward. (Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years," for instance.) The performers can refuse to do songs about forcing oneself on someone or sinful lusts. They can, in other words, eschew evil.

Why is that important? Those who try to have everything for themselves are never satisfied. They can't find fulfillment and so they keep trying to find it in pleasure, sometimes drugs, and usually in things that glorify themselves. However, if they are never satisfied, they are truly getting the most out of life, are they? They know something is missing, but not what.

This is the way the devil feeds them. It's a lie that says that they can please themselves with no consequences and that will be sufficient. They might trick themselves into thinking they will be happy if it's always all about them and what they can get. However, they wind up not being happy and that sin has consequences, all the way to a devil's Hell if one doesn't trust Jesus Christ by faith by calling on Him to forgive them for their sins and make them new inside.

So, to love life, focus on the right kind - make sure you have made that choice to accept Christ's free gift of salvation by calling on Him by faith to save you. Then, live for Him, so you can have Him work in you and give you that fulfillment.

 Then, of course, pray others do the same. Pray God will move people through His Holy Spirit to come to know the Lord and then start to be less coarse and more forgiving, less selfish and more caring, and so on.

It takes time and effort. But, it is very much worth it in the end.