We only live a few blocks from the recreation complex in Worthing. It has a picnic shelter, playground equipment, volleyball net, and softball field. The boys love to go there to play. The other day as I was driving home, I noticed a lot of cars there and realized that there was a little league softball game going on.
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I told our three oldest boys about it when I got home, and they were excited to go and watch. They call any shirt that has numbers on it a “ballgame shirt” and any pants with stripes running up the side of the leg “ballgame pants.”
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The oldest is five, so their knowledge of ballgames is quite limited. They saw the catcher and they were wondering why she was wearing all that stuff. I then began to try to explain the most basic rules of the game, understanding that they did not even know what I was talking about when I said “safe” or “out.”
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Most of us take the basics of playing softball for granted, but for my little boys, this is all new to them. It may be easy to take the basics of the Bible for granted as well. We should not be surprised that if someone has not been taught anything about the Bible, that they will not understand it.
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Further, some have been taught the wrong things, so they have come to the wrong conclusions. Imagine if our boys had watched 9 base kickball, and thought that there could be multiple runners on each base and then tried to play softball. Imagine if they tried to use a bat when playing kickball.
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Often people have the same frustration with the things of God. They know about as much about God as my boys knew about softball, but how many adults would have the courage to go to a softball game and ask why sometimes the batter is out after not hitting the ball and sometimes they get to walk to first base. Further, how many people would have the courage to ask why some people get to live with God after they die and others don’t.
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John 3:36 gives the most basic answer, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” That verse taken along with John 3:16 shows us that belief- putting our full confidence in- Jesus Christ is what makes the difference. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life“ (John 3:16).
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Knowing enough truth to get to heaven is one thing, but we should want to learn more. As we walk the Christian walk, we will strike out from time to time, but our walk will be much more effective if we know the rules of the game. That is why we should study the Bible- God’s rule book. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
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God’s rules do not have to be a mystery to us. My desire is to teach people God’s word without assuming that they already understand it. I do not care if they know who Moses is as long as they want to learn. Before they know it, they will be running around the bases of Bible history and Bible application.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Stay Out of the Mud
We have a mud hole in our back yard. Our little boys love to play in it. The other day our four year old rode his tricycle into the puddle and got stuck. His five year old brother found a light log chain, hooked it onto the trike and was trying to pull him out. Earlier the three year old wore his mom’s cowboy boots into that same hole and got them all dirty. Of course she was not happy about that.
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Not only did Crystal have to wash her boots, she also had to wash our boys. We finally had to put limits on playing in the mud puddle. We told them to just stay away from it because they were making too much of a mess.
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The problem is that little boys really like mud holes. Still, their love for mud holes does not make their disobedience okay. The three year old especially has trouble staying away. His lack of maturity is reflected in his disobedience.
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As a father, I get discouraged when my children disobey, but then I am reminded of my heavenly father and my own disobedience. As Christians we are saved by grace, not our works, yet God still expects us to obey Him. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
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I Corinthians 6:9-10 gives a list of sinful activities that would keep us out of heaven if it were not for God‘s forgiveness, but then look at what verse 11 says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Just as the boys get all dirty in the mud hole, our lives are dirty with sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The dirtiness of sin has consequences-death. Still, because of God’s grace, we have the gift of life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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We are all dirty with sin and need to be washed by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. Once we are washed we should not continue to sin just so we can get grace, yet that grace is still available to us when we do sin. Like our little three year old, we should be growing in maturity so that we sin less. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:1-2).
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Sadly, too many people return to the mud hole of sin. “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (II Peter 2:22)
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As believers, we should not go back to the mud hole of sin, instead we should recognize that we are washed through the blood of Christ and then stay clean because we love Him and want to obey Him. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Not only did Crystal have to wash her boots, she also had to wash our boys. We finally had to put limits on playing in the mud puddle. We told them to just stay away from it because they were making too much of a mess.
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The problem is that little boys really like mud holes. Still, their love for mud holes does not make their disobedience okay. The three year old especially has trouble staying away. His lack of maturity is reflected in his disobedience.
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As a father, I get discouraged when my children disobey, but then I am reminded of my heavenly father and my own disobedience. As Christians we are saved by grace, not our works, yet God still expects us to obey Him. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
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I Corinthians 6:9-10 gives a list of sinful activities that would keep us out of heaven if it were not for God‘s forgiveness, but then look at what verse 11 says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Just as the boys get all dirty in the mud hole, our lives are dirty with sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The dirtiness of sin has consequences-death. Still, because of God’s grace, we have the gift of life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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We are all dirty with sin and need to be washed by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. Once we are washed we should not continue to sin just so we can get grace, yet that grace is still available to us when we do sin. Like our little three year old, we should be growing in maturity so that we sin less. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:1-2).
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Sadly, too many people return to the mud hole of sin. “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (II Peter 2:22)
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As believers, we should not go back to the mud hole of sin, instead we should recognize that we are washed through the blood of Christ and then stay clean because we love Him and want to obey Him. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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