RESOURCES FOR MEN

Most Valuable Resource: THE BIBLE.

Memorizing Scripture May Be Easier Than You Think

I know a lot of Christians who have good intentions when it comes to memorizing Scripture but can’t seem to get into the disciplined routine it takes to do so. There is hope! One of the easiest ways to memorize Scripture is to strategically place Bible verses in a place where you will see it frequently.

There is Biblical precedence for this concept:

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”   – Deuteronomy 6.6-9, NKJV

You can use it as art on the wall…

Or place a notecard in a place where you will see it everyday…

My wife bought this framed blackboard and occasionally writes a new verse on it…

A little creativity can go a long way with this concept. Seeing these verses over and over daily will requires little effort on your part and helps download God’s truth into your mind and heart.

Can you think of other ways to keep Scripture before you so that it takes root in your heart and mind?

Book Review: Family-Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

I don’t recall when I first heard of Voddie Baucham but we did have the privilege of seeing him live at the Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis back in 2006. During that same timeframe I called him and talked with him about twenty-five minutes. He was gracious and I recall our conversation went very well. What I cannot recall is why I called him in the first place!

I started reading his first book, The Ever-Loving Truth, but did not finish it, which is nothing new in my world. This book, Family-Driven Faith, which I purchased through the Amazon Kindle Store and read over three devices (my iPad, my iPhone, and my wife’s Kindle Fire), was more engaging to me because of my interest in the subject matter. Two areas of interest drove me to read this book: (1) how to do a better job as the spiritual leader of my home and (2) how to more effectively lead our church to equip parents in discipling their children. Family-Driven Faith is the only book I have ever read that that I can recall addresses these two issues, and Baucham does so boldly and directly.

Why People Fight

Grace: “We’re fighting over that Christmas doll.”

Daddy: “Well you need to learn to share.”

Grace: “But we both want it.”

My two daughters came into my bedroom this morning, the younger one crying and the older one explaining what all the fussing was about. The above exchange reminded me of a section of Scripture that helps us to understand the root of all conflict:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. – James 4.1-2a

As parents of four young ones, we see this played out on a daily basis. Sadly we see it among adults far too often as well. On occasion we even see it in our marriage.

Learning Through Affliction

A few Sundays ago at Harvest, I delivered a message titled, “How Can I Really Change?” one of the points was if you really want to change in your life, if you really want to experience growth, you need to accept God’s change agents in your life, including difficult trials. Here is a good quote from Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990) on this reality:

I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness.”

The Secret to Loving God

We are commanded to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Matt. 22.37). And yet we find it hard to love God more than our own desires and the tangible people and things around us. What is the secret to loving God more? The answer is found in Luke 7.36-50 where a woman shows great love for Jesus by pouring expensive oil on his feet, washing his feet while she wept. Some present were repulsed because she was a woman of ill repute. Jesus used the moment as a teaching lesson, sharing a story about two debtors who were forgiven their debts, one more than the other.

When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” (Luke 7.42-43)

Jesus goes on to say that the woman loved much because she was forgiven much, and then states this truth in the opposite form: But he who is forgiven little, loves little (Luke 7.47b).

The secret to growing in your love for God is to grow in your understanding and appreciation for how much God has forgiven you.

What, after all, is the great secret of loving Christ? It is an inward sense of having received from Him pardon and forgiveness of sins. Those love much who feel much forgiven. He who has come to Christ with his sins, and tasted the blessedness of free and full absolution, he is the man whose heart will be full of love towards his Savior. The more we realize that Christ has suffered for us, and paid our debt to God, and that we are washed and justified through His blood, the more we shall love Him for having loved us, and given Himself for us.”  – J. C. Ryle

Fighting Sin

Came across this great quote by Billy Sunday over at Trevin Wax’s blog:

I’m against sin. I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got a fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got a tooth. And when I’m old and fistless and footless and tootheless, I’ll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!”

10 Spiritually-Minded Ideas for 2010

"Teach us, O Lord, to number our days, that we might have a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90.12

1. Read the Bible more than in any previous year.

2. Pray for your pastor at least once a week.

3. Buy yourself a high-end Bible after perusing J. Mark Bertrand’s outstanding website: http://www.bibledesignblog.com.

Recommended Daily Devotionals

Tim Challies has put together this helpful post of recommended daily devotionals.

Parenting Moments Lead to Spiritual Applications

Tonight I was watching the kids while Superwoman went shopping for groceries and necessities. The kids enjoyed playing, which being translated means when it came time to start thinking about showering and getting ready for bed, the house was a disaster.  As I struggled to keep them on task in cleaning up, the thought hit me:

IF ONLY MY KIDS HAD THE SAME ENTHUSIASM FOR PUTTING TOYS UP AS THEY DID FOR GETTING THEM OUT!

Between my verbal encouragement (attempting to keep them on task) I was daydreaming about what it would be like for them to attack their chores with joy and enthusiasm, when suddenly another thought hit me:

IF ONLY I HAD THE SAME ENTHUSIASM FOR REPENTING OF SIN AS I DO FOR COMMITTING SIN!

Ouch. Ok, God. Just as my kids need to be trained and grow in many areas, so do I.