Reliable Truth

With Father's Day coming soon, I wanted to share this talk to fathers and daughters. I believe one of the most important responsibilities that we have as fathers is to teach our children to be wise - that when they leave our houses, they would possess great wisdom. Proverbs 3 says, “Wisdom is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand and in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She’s a tree of life to those who hold her and happy are all who hold her fast.”Dads, we must be very proactive in teaching our daughters about what it means to be wise. In today's episode I cover four important issues that your daughters really need to understand, along with specific ways we can pray for our daughters. Happy Father's Day!

The greater the power anything has for good, the greater the power it correspondingly has for evil. This is called the Principle of Double Effect. An example of this might be nuclear power. When you harness nuclear power, it can be used for such good in generating electricity for people's homes and for businesses. But when it's made into a bomb, it can be incredibly destructive. Another application of this principle goes like this: the greater the power anything has for joy in this life, the greater the power it also correspondingly has for pain. You see, God has given us a number of wonderful gifts that bring much joy and goodness to our lives, but they bring this joy and goodness when they're used and enjoyed the way God intended. But, when these same gifts are misused and abused by us, they can bring an incredible amount of pain and sorrow to our lives. I believe this is particularly true of sex. Our sexuality is one of the most meaningful and powerful sources of joy in this life, but it's only when we experience it in the way God designed it. However, when our sexuality is misused and abused, it is the source of unbelievable pain and heartache. Unfortunately, large numbers of young people are finding their lives damaged emotionally, psychologically and physically because of careless and ill-advised decisions they've made with their bodies. Today I'm presenting the Biblical view of sexuality - the way God designed it. I contend that the healthiest, most meaningful, most satisfying and most pleasurable sexual experience is found between a man and a woman in a covenant relationship called marriage.

What does the farmer expect from the fruit trees he plants? To bear fruit, of course! Today I want to look at the parable of The Sower and the Seed, and it’s found in three of the Gospels. Today we'll study it from Matthew 13. The seed is God’s Word, and the soil is man’s heart. Who is the sower that sows the seed? It’s not God. It's you and me! We’re called and have been given the privilege to plant and water God's truth in people’s lives. So God basically has chosen to make His appeal to the world through us.But Satan desires to blind the mind, to snatch away the message. To snatch away the Gospel. There’s a great verse - it’s Acts 26:18, where the apostle Paul said, “God’s desire is to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those that have been sanctified by faith in Me.”This should be our objective: to be growing and maturing in our faith, in our relationship with God, so that our life is useful to the Master and has the ability to bear fruit, wherever God chooses for you and for me to be fruitful. I encourage you to pray consistently Colossians 4:2-3, "...That God would open up a door..." I don’t believe that you should go and barge into somebody’s life and say, "This is what you need to do." Instead, pray this: "Lord I pray that you would open up a door. I’m ready to be used by You, I’m looking to you to open up a door to be used in the life of somebody else." I promise you, if you will pray that, it will happen. Just get ready.

What is the role of truth in our lives? I believe we must learn the importance of finding out what is true - because truth is paramount in the Christian faith. King David warns us in Psalm 15, of the importance of speaking the truth in our hearts. Healthy people are willing to confront the truth about themselves - and take appropriate action. People who have the habit of not facing the truth, have a habit of having trouble living in every aspect of their lives, in their jobs and in their personal relationships as well. Being centered on the truth is crucial to a healthy, vital human life.How healthy are you?

What has shaped your ideas about life and about God? Where did you get those ideas and beliefs? Where did you get the perspective that you bring into your life? If God came and spoke to us, I think He would tell us to listen to the words of Jesus. Listen to what He has to say to you, and about where you are in life. "But why should I listen to Him?" you might ask. What does He have to say that’s relevant to me and my life?The first reason is that His words are true. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Whether you lived a thousand years ago, or whether you live today, Jesus' words will have an everlasting application to your life.A second reason is that one day, our lives will be judged by His words. In John 5:22-23, Jesus says, "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." That sure gets my attention.And lastly, Jesus warns us in Mark 4:24 to “Consider carefully what you hear...” Our lives are shaped by so many things, by so many influences. What if the influences that have shaped my life turn out to be wrong? What if I’ve been misguided?I believe that we all need someone who serves as a true compass to lead us to what is true, what is accurate, and what is wise. I contend that Jesus is that compass.

What is the object of life? And what are you hoping to achieve in this life?American Trappist monk, Thomas Merton said this, "If you really want to know a man - to know what's at the core of his being," he said, find out what he's living for now - in the present. Jesus gives us some good insight on this in one of my favorite parables, found in Luke 12. It's about a businessman who stores up treasure for himself, but he is not rich towards God.It's not so much that prosperity corrupts men. It's what prosperity makes available to us that potentially can corrupt us. Prosperity can cause us to live for ourselves, to want to be left alone so we can pursue our own dreams. Ahh, a life of ease... is it really as great as it sounds?

How great is my desire to know God and to truly find Him as a living reality for my life? For many people, God is nothing more than a concept or a distant being that’s out there, but not One that's alive and that you can have a relationship with.Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD..." If this is true, God should be a living reality to everyone who truly seeks to find Him. But if God is not a living reality in our lives, maybe it’s because we haven’t sought Him. And maybe it’s really because we have no interest in having Him in our lives. Is this willful blindness?

Today Richard joins Dr. Michael Easley of Michael Easley inContext to discuss Biblical Manhood in a Man-Hating World. Dr. Easley’s experience in ministry spans four decades as a gifted Bible teacher and church leader. He was the 8th president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois  He shares a passion for ministry, heart for people, and love of God.Michael Easley inContext wants to help you understand how God’s Word applies to the context of your life through interviews with subject matter experts, and men and women striving to obey Christ and His Word. Find out more about Richard's book The True Measure of a Man - Read Chapter 1 for free. This episode originally aired on Michael Easley inContext. Click here to listen. 

HG Wells was one of the great historians to have ever lived. He was not a Christian nor a religious man, but in his book The Outline of History Wells concluded that Jesus was the most dominant figure in all of history. How did Jesus do that? How did he become the most dominant figure in all of history? Not by power, prestige, influence nor outward appearance. He chose the path of humility.Watch the video of this message here!

Is the hope of Easter real? 11 Corinthians 4:16 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." The apostle Paul was saying that with the passage of time, if you don't have a strong, vibrant spiritual life, you cannot help but naturally lose hope. Most of us know that the body is dying. We also know that everything in this life that we've accomplished and worked for will be lost the moment we die.We should build everything in our lives around Jesus, if indeed He is the risen Christ. And yet this is the struggle that so many of us have: we might acknowledge Jesus as Lord of the universe, but we just don't want Him to be the Lord of our lives. Who is Christ to you?