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question and answers for the 21st century Family – Pt 2outlineblanks

“Sin is the universal addiction to self that develops when individuals put themselves in the center of their personal world in a way that leads to abuse of others and self. Sin causes sinners to seek instant gratification, to be first, and to get more than their share – now.“

– J. Keith Miller

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A fallen person married to another fallen person in a fallen world will experience the friction of the fall in their marriage relationship because it too is fallen.

Families are in crisis. Husbands are confused about their role in the family. Wives are discouraged by their  marriages. Single parents are  overwhelmed by their children. Kids are  frustrated by their parents. Families have  hard questions. God’s Word has relevant answers. Please join us for this important series. Every family in attendance will receive a free copy of our friend Dave Earley’s book 14 Secrets to be Parenting.

A list of heroes and saints, real and fictional, came to my mind: Frodo Baggins, William Wallace, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa. Mom. Each was dogged by pain and suffering. They fought evil without, doubt within. Some of them died, but I loved them for their courage. And then there was Jesus, who did not consider his equality with God something to hold on to tightfistedly (the way I hung on to my promises) but emptied himself, became a servant, was stripped, filleted, and hung on a cross to die a horrifying death. Why had they done it? For the goodie bag? For the glory? No. For the worse, the poorer, in sickness until death. For the love. Even my distorted God said it early on in counseling: He didn’t love me because I was good. (And I wasn’t.) He loved me because he is Love. I saw now all too clearly why I had married God: for the power and the glory. For the money. I was a spiritual gold digger. It is a chilling moment when your soul is laid bare in front of God: the real God who is wiser and fairer, more loving, and, yes, holier than thou. He owed me no apology. I thought of Job’s words: “I spoke of things I did not understand…. I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes”(Job 42: 3, 6)  p.219

Nehemiah raised the morale of his colleagues, an important part of any leader’s work. He built up their faith by redirecting focus away from “the impossible” toward the greatness of God. Throughout the record are such assurances as “the God of heaven will give us success” (Nehemiah 2:20) and “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Faith builds faith. Pessimism dismantles faith. The spiritual leader’s primary task is to build the faith of others

Pride takes many forms, but spiritual pride is the most grievous. To become proud of spiritual gifts or leadership position is to forget that all we have is from God, and that any position we occupy is by God’s appointment. The victim of pride is often least aware of the sin. Three tests help us identify the problem: The test of precedence. How do we react when another is selected for the position we wanted to fill? When another is promoted in our place? When another’s gifts seem greater than our own? The test of sincerity. In our moments of honest self-reflection, we often admit to problems and weaknesses. How do we feel when others identify the same problems in us? The test of criticism. Does criticism lead to immediate resentment and self-justification? Do we rush to criticize the critic? When we measure ourselves by the life of Jesus, who humbled Himself on the cross, we are overwhelmed with the shabbiness, even the vileness, of our hearts, and we cry:   Boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner, saved by grace. James M. Gray

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