Put The Right Food Forward

Put The Right Foot Forward 

Have you ever wondered why the guy is supposed to carry his bride over the threshold? Blame the Romans. They believed that good and evil spirits fought for control at a home’s entrance. For good to prevail, Romans felt you must enter a room with your right foot first. Romans concluded that a new bride in a highly emotional state might be careless and forget about the “right foot” stuff. To prevent possible tragedy, they decided it best for the groom to carry his bride. [McHenry’s Quips, Quotes & Other Notes]

 

The real key to having a home filled with goodness is for the husband to put the right foot forward in guiding the home after he steps across the threshold. He needs to walk in the right path. “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it” (Psalm 119:35). His steps need to be guided by the Lord. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).

 

Headship of the home is commanded by God to be borne upon the shoulders of the man. The head of woman is the man but the head of man is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). Leadership in the home is guided by the man who loves his wife and cherishes her as Christ does the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). That first step across the threshold will never leave in anger (Ephesians 4:25-26; Colossians 3:19).

 

As the groom carries the bride across the threshold of the home he will also be responsible to carry his bride across the threshold of life. By his hand he will protect her, hold her, guide her and softly caress her with love (Proverbs 5:15-20). Together they will share in the blessings of being heirs in one of the grace of life (1 Peter 3:7). With understanding and honor the husband will dwell with his wife shielding her from the dangers of “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

In most cases when the groom carries the bride across the threshold, she is holding on (for dear life) with arms wrapped around his neck. She embraces his role and wraps her love around his life to help him be the man her heavenly Father wants the husband to be. By her example she wins his heart and secures a home built upon the trust and fidelity of righteousness (1 Peter 3:1-6). The conduct of the bride will help create or destroy the home as she submits to the leadership of the husband. This is contrary to popular views but in complete harmony with the will of God.

 

Together they step through the door of their home to create what God intended for man in the Garden of Eden. “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’" (Genesis 2:18). They agree on the plan given to them by the Lord (Amos 3:3) and build a home of unity. He is known in the gate and praised by his family for his spiritual leadership in guiding the lives of his family to the throne of God. As Noah of old, the groom embarks upon a journey of helping his wife and children be found safely in the ark of salvation. Watch that first step – it is a big one!

Sometimes It Is Better To Suffer Wrong

Sometimes It Is Better To Suffer Wrong

The persecution of the early church was gradual but it took on an intensity that resulted in many lives being sacrificed for the cause of righteousness. At first the Jewish council warned the apostles to stop preaching in the name of Christ (Acts 4). The next time they beat them and warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5). Then it elevated to the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 and the “great persecution” by the hand of Saul of Tarsus. James the apostle was killed by Herod (Acts 12) and the apostle Paul spent many days in a Roman prison.

In modern America it would seem out of the question to suffer as the First Century disciples found themselves. Living in a land of “freedom” we have established a theocracy of rights that rejects the idea of having anyone walk on us or use us. Everyone is demanding their rights but never their responsibilities. Like the priest and Levite of the Lord’s parable of the Samaritan, the spirit of “what is mine is mine and I will keep it” pervades the attitudes and hearts of God’s people.

Corinth was blessed to have a “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2) in the midst of idolatry but the influences of the world were impacting the attitudes of “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2). One such problem is found in the sixth chapter. Incredulous to Paul, brethren were taking other brethren to law against one another. It was a shame because they were so carnal minded in their attitudes against one another. Admonishing them the apostle writes, “Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:7). Has pride caused us to view our rights before men over the righteousness expected by our Father? Is there anything in this world that is worth the soul(s) of any person just because we want our rights? Sadly the Lord reminds us that life is not about the things we possess (Luke 12:15) but rather the thing we possess (Matthew 16:26).

Peter reminds the people of God that persecution is a way of life. In his first epistle the apostle exhorts the pilgrims to look at persecution as a blessing to endure as even Christ suffered. “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17). This was said in the context that people will scorn the life of a Christian and denigrate the character of righteousness (1 Peter 3:16). But it is a better thing to suffer persecution for living holy lives than to demand our rights and not allow anyone to take advantage of me. Vance Havner suggested that while the early Christians wore scars we are more comfortable wearing badges.

A fiery trial will come upon all that name the name of Christ (2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12). It is better to suffer wrong by others if it is the will of God and it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong. What sets apart those who live by the kingdom law of God (Matthew 6:33) is they serve a higher power and honor the “King of King and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). Our hearts must profess with the early disciples of Jesus Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Surrendered!

Tipping God

Tipping God 

“Behold a certain man went with a friend into a place to eat. After the lunch the waitress brought the bill and the man, in the sight of his friend, placed a sum of money beneath his plate. The friend was amazed and asked what this money is. The man replied that it is the customary thing to do to place 15% of the bill under the plate. The friend was confused. A waitress served the man for a few minutes and he gave her 15% of the bill. His Heavenly Father has served him all his life, given him every good and perfect gift and the man is offended when asked to give something to support the work of his Heavenly Father. Does the man think more of the waitress than he does of his Lord?” (Author unknown).

The eternal struggle of man has always been the ingratitude for what God has done for him every day. Jesus reminds us that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Paul and Barnabas pleaded with the citizens of Lystra to know the “living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:15-17). Selfish man believes that he has the power and wisdom to produce crops, glean the fields and harvest the bounty of this earth without the help of the Lord. His technology gives him a smug feeling of security that falsely belies the reality that without God man is nothing (Isaiah 40).

When men exalt their own superiority they become unthankful and futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts are darkened by the pride of life (Romans 1:18-23). Like the man in the story above the view of God is degraded in contrast to offering to others a tribute of honor. What has God done for me? Why should I honor God with my life? While the hard-working individual can expect a monetary reward for their work how can we deny God His due? People of God are asked to return the bounty of their material worth for the glory of God and often a pitiful measure is begrudging torn from their hands.

How much should I give to the Lord? Tithing was a Jewish practice removed from God’s law under Christ but now giving comes from the heart (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). Here is the test of the heart and the hand: given a choice many people submit the scraps of their wealth and sometimes begrudge that and worry about how much to give. It is not a matter of how much we give it is a matter of how much we keep. In light of that comparison how can we view what God has done for us and we do so little? We gladly tip the waiter 15% and throw a few dollars before God’s throne.

It is often said that repaying the debt we owe Christ for His sacrifice is impossible and many give that way. The amount is not the question because the Lord sees the heart of man and what he trusts in (Matthew 6:19-21). Loving God so much and trusting Him so little to care for our earthly needs drives our motives for giving (or not giving). The fool of Luke 12 left all he had on earth when he died because he was not rich toward God (Luke 12:13-21). Life is not about the abundance of things we have because what we have is an abundance of God’s blessings if we trust in Him.

Which Church Did Columbus Attend?

Which Church Did Columbus Attend?

The year 1492 is indelibly stamped on the minds of all schoolchildren as they learned the history lesson of the voyages of Christopher Columbus with three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina. While Columbus was not the first person on the continents of North and South America, his voyage opened the flood gates for discovery, conquest and settlement. Born around 1451 his life would change the face of the known world to a global understanding of our planet. He died in May of 1506 in Valladolid, Spain.

It was not until his latter life that Columbus looked deeper into matters of religion. Turning the pages of history to the year of his voyage to America would beg the question of which church would he be a member of in 1492? Pope Innocent VIII had just been elected head of the Roman Catholic Church in the year of his great voyage. Columbus was in fact Catholic and believed his mission of sailing the oceans was to spread Christianity. But were there other churches that he would have known about in his lifetime? The answer is there were no Protestant churches in existence during the lifetime of Columbus. Martin Luther would not begin the period of reformation until he nailed his 95 theses on the door of All Saints church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 (nine years after the death of Columbus).

From the simple act of protest Martin Luther began a time of reform that created every church that stands beneath the Protestant flag. Christopher Columbus could not have been a member of 99% of the churches we find on every street corner in America today because they did not exist while he lived. There were only two churches that existed in 1492: the Roman Catholic Church and the New Testament church. The Catholic Church was the apostate body of people who rejected the New Testament as authority. The New Testament church had been in existence since Peter (an apostle; not a Pope) and the other apostles declared the way of salvation on the Day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2).

The New Testament church has never failed to be in existence since the work of the early disciples. It was called by many names in the New Testament: “church” (Acts 2:27); “the Way which they call a sect” (Acts 24:14); “flock” or “church of God” (Acts 20:28); “saints which are at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1); “churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2); and “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16). Columbus was not a disciple of the New Testament church but was a Catholic. No Protestant church can trace their lineage to the First Century. Each one was begun by a man and is less than five hundred years old.

Christopher Columbus should have belonged to the church Jesus died for as well as each person today. There are as many flavors of churches today as there is ice cream in an ice cream shop. But Jesus only died for one church – His (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28). We must not believe that a ‘sign out front’ will make us the church Jesus gave His blood for. Our obligation to God is to follow the authority of the Bible and the Bible alone. Can I find the name of the church I am a member of in the New Testament? If not, then I am serving a religion of man and not of God. Is the Bible my only source of authority? If not, I am serving the will of man and not of God (Matthew 15:13-14).