09

Jump Start # 1868

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1868

Proverbs 30:11 “There is a kind of man who curses his father, and does not bless his mother.”

 

There is a kind of man, that’s how our verse begins today. There is a certain type. He’s not good. That expression begins the next three verses. All four times this expression is used, what follows is not good. These are not quality people. These are not those who are walking well with the Lord. A footnote in the New American Standard Bible and translated this way in the King James is the word “generation” instead of kind. Other translations, such as the ESV and the NIV begin these sentences with, “There are those who…”

 

I don’t think these passages are describing different generations, such as grandpa, son and grandson. There are places in our Bible where that is found, such as Ezekiel 18. But here, it seems the Proverb writer is pointing out certain people who are trouble. That has always caused righteous people to wonder. Why do some come from good homes and yet they turn out to be so mean, disrespectful and full of themselves? Why are some the way that they are?

 

One of the books on my shelves is entitled, “Big Dummies of the Bible.” That title would offend many today. I once preached a series that I called “Bad boys of the Bible.” It’s easy to find a list who fit that description. This Proverb passage neither tells us why some are this way, nor what to do with them. It just states that some are like this.

 

When you read these four verses, it’s nothing but bad news and trouble. A man who curses his father is going to bring grief to the home. A man who pretends to be pure when he is not, kills any influence he has. Then comes the arrogant. Proud. Boastful. Can’t tell them anything. The last verse in this Proverb series describes a man whose teeth are like swords. He is hurtful with his words. These “kind” of people leave a trail of destruction and pain.

 

What are we to make of these passages? What is there about these “kind” of people? Some thoughts:

 

First, not everyone is good at heart. Some want to believe that given the chance, everyone will do what is right. Not so. Some believe there is a reason that some have become sour and mean in life. Fix that cause and they will sweeten up. Not so. There is a kind. Why are they this way, they have chosen to be. And the real reason is that there is no God in their life. How can someone be mean to his own parents? How can someone destroy another with harsh and cruel words? They don’t care. Their conscience is callous and dead. It doesn’t bother them to be mean. They have chosen not to be good.

 

Second, righteous people need to put some distance between these kind of people. Sometimes that is hard. You just can’t leave your job, especially if you do not have another one. Sometimes these people are in your family. But to the extent that you can, you need to not let them bother you, hurt you and influence you. You need to be careful about what influence they have around your children. I see little kids in the store saying some of the most foul words. Where did they pick up those words? The answer is pretty obvious: Either watching terrible shows that no one should watch or from those in the home. Put some daylight between you and “those kind” of people. They are not good and they will hurt you.

 

Third, you do not have to become like them. Maybe these verses describe your parents. Maybe they describes your friends in school. You don’t have to be like that. Abigail was married to a man who was considered worthless and evil. God called him that. His servants called him that. Even Abigail, herself, recognized that he was worthless. Married to a selfish and cruel man did not change her. She was kind, generous, apologetic and helpful. She managed to turn the anger of David away from killing her worthless husband. You do not have to be like those around you.

 

Fourth, a person is not born this way. And, a person does not have to remain this way. People change. Some from good to bad. Others, from bad to good. Put the Gospel in an honest heart and step back and watch the changes. We sometimes have a hard time allowing someone a chance to change. We remember their mean words. We remember how cruel they were. Now, later on, they changed. Do we trust them? Do we forgive them? Do we allow them to be what God wants or are we always in the background reminding others of how bad they once were. The truth be known, all of us have changed. We all have a past that isn’t pretty. We all have trashed the commands of God. We all have ignored God and done what we wanted. And certainly, we would not want anyone reminding others have how terrible we once were. We’ve changed. Those days are over. The same must be allowed of others.

 

Fifth, the more generations that pass through a family without God the worse each generation will become. We don’t get better without God. We get worse. The first pages of Judges illustrates this. Joshua and his generation served the Lord. There arose another generation who did not know God. They bowed to idols. Following them, it got even worse. This is the concern we face in this country. There was a time when just about everyone went to some church. That church may have been goofy and off the charts with God, but they went. They knew something about God. Not today. We have a generation who has never stepped into a church building and they have no plans to do that. They have become their own god doing whatever they want. The children of these people are moving even farther from God. New words are being invented just to describe what these folks are doing. Throuple, is one example. It is a fairly new word. It is used to describe three people who are living as a “couple.” It wasn’t too long ago that such things would have been shamed off the planet. But now, new words are being invented to describe these evolving relationships that are spinning away from God.

 

Sixth, these four verses in Proverbs are enough to make one depressed. But we won’t go there. Because of God we can live a better way. Because of God we can go to a better place. Because of God we follow a better way. There is hope and that hope is in the Lord.

 

Finally, these verses, written a long time before Jesus walked on this world, reminds us that there are plenty of people that still need the Lord. Jesus said to lift up your eyes and look upon the fields…All around us are broken homes, broken lives and broken vows. The world doesn’t have any answers. God does. Dysfunction is now the new norm. Yet, all these years later, Jesus remains not only the best, but also the only answer.

 

There is a kind of man…There is also a kind that walks with the Lord. That’s where I want to be found.

 

Roger

 

 

 

08

Jump Start # 1867

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1867

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.”

 

Our verse today carries a very narrow audience. It is written to Christians about the death of Christians. As Paul explains, the Lord will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. These were people who were “in Jesus.” These were Christians. This section ends with, “comfort one another with these words.”

 

One of the challenges in life is trying to find something to say to a person who is hurting or grieving. People feel compelled to say something profound at the funeral home. They think that what they say will bring sunshine back, remove dark clouds and will be remembered forever. Not so. Actually, by the time three more people pass through the line, the grieving family has forgotten what you have said. Your presence will be remembered more than your words.

 

There is a distinction found within our verse today. There are those who have hope and those who have no hope. Those with hope do not grieve the same as those without hope. Those with hope are the Christians. They are the believers. They are the ones who understand resurrections, second coming, Heaven and “this world is not my home.” It’s hard, but they understand that their loved one has merely moved to another room in God’s house. They know that the person lives. There is no “The End” to our story. Death is hard even for the family of a Christian, but it’s not despair.

 

There are those without hope. They don’t know what they believe. They have not had time for the Lord nor have they been serious about Him. Following God’s word has not been their choice. Worship didn’t happen much to them. They pretty much lived in this world and never gave much thought about the spiritual side of things. Death comes. The family is shaken and torn up. All kinds of wild ideas float around. No one knows for sure because they do not stand upon any real foundation. They do not even know enough about the Bible to know where to read. They believe that their loved one is in Heaven. There is no foundation for that belief other than they can’t bear to think of the alternative. Heaven is a distorted concept of whatever the person liked on earth. I’ve heard people bragging about having a beer in Heaven. But their hope is nothing more than wishful thinking. It’s holding on to a four-leaf clover.

 

The most difficult thing is trying to offer comfort to those who have no hope. They have ignored God all of their life and now, in death, they want to believe that God is so eager to have them that the gates of Heaven have swung wide open for their loved one. As a preacher, it’s hard to preach those kind of funerals. The family wants the preacher to walk their loved one right up to Heaven itself. He was such a good guy they all say, yet there was nothing spiritual ever going on. Honest and godly preachers know that false hope is really no hope.

 

Paul’s words in our passage does not address this situation. What do you say to a family when their loved one was not a Christian?

 

First, we are not the ones to determine the eternal destiny of any soul. That’s God’s business. We do not know everything. We do not know the heart of a person. So assigning someone to Heaven or Hell is up to God.

 

Second, some things are obvious. We know what the Bible teaches. A life lived ignoring God will not please God. This is not the steps to follow in life. This is not a life that will end well with God. Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins, are the words of Jesus. There is no sugar coating that. There is no way to turn that into a happily ever after story.

 

Third, comfort the family by letting them know that you care and that you are sorry. Death is sad. Death is not God’s friend, but His enemy. Death came about because of man’s sin. God didn’t design death as part of His original plan. Those that do not know the Bible are often confused and some are angry with God. Standing in line at the funeral home is not the place to get into a Biblical discussion about life after death. Let them know that you are praying for them and that if they would like to get together in a couple of weeks to talk, you’ll be happy to do that. Give them some time to get through things.

 

Fourth, don’t go along with things that are not true. I’ve been asked, “Don’t you think that mom is up there dancing with St. Peter and all the angels?” I’d say something like, “that’d be a sight, but I don’t think that’s happening.” The world has turned Heaven into a fantasy island where people golf, walk their pets, shop, eat chocolate and you hear all these weird and unbiblical ideas coming out.

 

I say, “He’s in the hands of God and that’s the best place he came be. No one is more fair, just or merciful than God. God knows his whole story and God will do what’s right.” Quickly I usually add, “And you and I know that we best spend some time with God as well. Why don’t get back to church this week?” Those simple words, turn the conversation from where the dead is to where the living is. Nothing more can be done for the dead but we certainly can do things.

 

After more than three decades of doing funerals I see those who have hope and those who don’t. The sadness is different. Their words are different. They walk away from the grave differently. Believers have a confidence, hope and assurance. Those without hope or a false hope, seem lost, confused and unsure of what to do next.

 

It is sad when the departed is a Christian, but the rest of the family is not. I’ve seen that far too many times. Hope is with the one who has died. He spent a lifetime walking with the Lord. The rest of the family has done their own thing. And now for the first time in years, these grown kids hear the Bible read. They listen to prayers. You can see how uncomfortable they are. They want to get through this as fast as they can. The funeral home is packed with Christians and the family doesn’t feel any connections. And we know unless there are some serious changes, they will never see the departed again. It’s tragic.

 

Years ago, I bought a set of old commentaries. I had never heard of them before. The only reason I wanted them was that they were stuffed full of newspaper clippings and old articles. I wanted to see those. Among them, was an original clipping from a New York newspaper around 1899. The news was about the funeral of the famous agnostic Robert Ingersoll. He hated religion. His funeral, this clipping reported, was all secular. No prayers. No Bible readings. No preaching. No Heaven. No hope. All secular. All earthly. The funeral ended. It was time to go bury the old fool. His wife and two daughters refused. They clung to the body. The article ended by saying, maybe tomorrow he will be buried. This is where having no hope takes you. There is no comfort in sorrow. There is no hope beyond the grave. It tragically ends in horror, despair and agony.

 

Our hope is in the Lord. It is the Lord that we love, obey, walk daily with and follow. Heaven is more than a wish or a dream. It is a promise to those who belong to the Lord. We have a hope, that not even death can touch.

 

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 1866

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1866

Proverbs 7:21 “With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him.”

Our verse today is taken from an eyewitness account of a wreck. I’ve seen car wrecks. I was walking in a parking lot once when two cars backed out at the same time. They hit. I saw it. This wreck didn’t involve cars. It wasn’t something that after a couple of weeks in the body shop, everything is fixed and nice again. This was a moral crash. The consequences would be long lasting and devastating. A man is looking out of his window and he sees a young man walking down the street. The young man is not smart. Not dumb in book knowledge, but not street smart. He’s naïve. He doesn’t realize that he is walking down the wrong street at the wrong time of the day and looking for him is the wrong person.

 

A woman meets him. She’s married, but she doesn’t care. She is dressed like a prostitute—which implies revealing, immodest and suggestive. She has something in mind and she wants that to be in his mind. Then comes our verse. A conversation takes place. She talks and he listens. She brags on him. She flatters him. She fills his head with lies to get what she is after. He listens. He believes. And a terrible crash takes place. Like being shot with an arrow, he has sinned. Adultery has taken place. “He does not know that it will cost him his life,” the utter reality of what he has now done.

 

He didn’t mean to. It just happened. He wasn’t at fault. She led him and deceived. He only did it once. Doesn’t matter. She talked and he listened. She sold him lies and he believed them.

 

There are several lessons that come from this chapter.

 

First, the devil is alive and well. He is powerful. This same story is repeated over and over. Among brethren, adultery is destroying marriages and tearing up congregations. The devil deceives us. “With many persuasions” we are enticed. With flattery we are “seduced.” The devil has no regard. He doesn’t care about the little children who will suffer because of a divorce. He doesn’t care that men may have to resign as deacons or elders because of this. He doesn’t care that the church may suffer a large set back because of this. He doesn’t care that several may lose their souls over this. Satan simply doesn’t care. He smiles as the young man in our story takes the woman’s hand and follows her to her place. He smiles as they embrace. He smiles as the passion of sin overtakes what they know is wrong. He smiles as guilt and shame follows the young man for weeks and weeks after this.

 

Satan will use co-workers and neighbors to fill the role of this woman. Satan will use church members and best friends to stand in her role. Innocent. Naïve. Not thinking. Not being alert. Satan sets the trap. He watches and smiles as we surf the internet, stopping on places that are inappropriate and that fills the heart with lust. The thoughts planted, now he arranges the reality. Two friends reaching out on Facebook. A casual lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex. So innocent. So naïve. Like a giant chess game, Satan moves pieces here and there so opportunities present themselves. A late night. A stressful time in the marriage. A little moving here and a little moving there. A little flirting. Nothing serious. A little teasing. A touch on the arm. A lingering look. And right before our eyes, check-mate. How did this happen, we say. I never saw this coming. I never intended for this to happen. Satan did. It was right by the book, his book. It took time. He was patient. He was watching. And he smiled the whole time. Satan is powerful.

 

Second, God is stronger than Satan. This is why we are told to be alert. This is why the Thessalonians were told that Christians are of the day, not the night. Awake. Alert. Looking. Watching. Careful. Not putting yourself down the wrong street, at the wrong time of the day and certainly not listening nor believing the words of the wrong person. Joseph fled. The Corinthians were told to flee fornication. Don’t stick around and argue. Don’t debate. Don’t try to out wit fornication. Put on your running shoes and leave. You may have to leave your place of work or school or neighborhood, or sadly, even congregation to avoid Satan’s trap. God can defeat Satan. Surround yourself with godly people. Build a fortress of truth around your heart. Keep your eyes open. Be ready.

 

Third, the stats show overwhelmingly that most adultery occurs between people that know each other. It’s with co-workers, friends, neighbors, and sadly, church members. Why? Could it be that we are among “family and friends,” and we certainly would never think that something like that would happen here. Oh, Satan hopes you will believe that. Let your guard down. Take your eyes off the horizon. Turn the radar off. Relax. And before you know it, check-mate. He got you.

 

There is never a time, and never a place that we let our guard down. There is never a time and never a place that we turn off our spiritual radar.

 

Fourth, the way Proverbs 7 is written, it doesn’t sound like the naïve young man went looking for trouble. He was naïve. He was innocently walking down the wrong street. For us, it may be innocently texting someone that we are not married to. Keep your conversations short, to the business and let your mate know. Don’t be talking to others about things that it’s none of their business. If you need to talk to someone, talk to your mate or a counselor or with the shepherds in the church. The lonely hearts club is the starting place for the wrong street and the wrong person. The lonely hearts conversations generally do not end well. Be smarter than that. Don’t walk into Satan’s trap.

 

Fifth, God can repair what Satan tears up. Satan doesn’t do anything good or right. He leaves messes. After convincing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, we don’t read about Satan again in Genesis 3. He’s gone. God is the one who must come and clean up the mess that he created. God always does. Satan puts large dents into our marriages. God knocks the dents out. Satan causes us to only see problems in our marriages. God reminds us of our blessings. Satan makes us only see ourselves and how miserable we are. God gets us to see our families, our church, our friends, our influence. Satan hides sin. God reveals sin. Satan never shows the consequences. God does. Satan hides truth. God reveals truth. Satan doesn’t tell you about the bitter aftertaste of sin—guilt, shame and punishment. God reminds us of the honor and glory of walking in truth with Him. Satan is heading to Hell. God’s home is Heaven.

 

Many have walked down that wrong street with that naïve young man in Proverbs 7. They have allowed conversations to go too far. They have crossed the line with their affections. They have committed the sin of adultery. God can save a marriage, even after that. Forgiveness. Grace. Trust. All of these can be restored as folks walk with the Lord. Unfaithfulness does not mean automatic divorce. It doesn’t have to. Let God save, repair and make better what you promised.

 

Under the banner of forgiveness, things can be better. It’s not easy. And, Satan will fight you all the way. He doesn’t want your marriage to survive. He will launch more torpedoes. He wants to sink you and your marriage. Make changes. Put God in charge. Seek first God’s kingdom and God’s ways. Fight. Don’t give in. Roll up your sleeves and standing along side of the Lord, the battle belongs to the Lord.

 

It’s time to kick Satan down the street and for us to get off the wrong street and return to following God.

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 1865

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1865

Acts 9:36 “Now in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did.”

 

Our verse today comes from the powerful story of Peter raising someone from the dead. The person he raised was Tabitha or Dorcas. She became ill and died. The disciples sent for Peter. He came. He knelt down, prayed and said, “Tabitha, arise.” Her eyes opened and she sat up. Many believed as a result of this.

 

There are lessons here for us.

 

First, resurrections are rare in our Bible. We may get the idea that hundreds and hundreds were raised. We may think that resurrections happened just about every day. They didn’t. There are less than a dozen specific people that were raised.

 

Second, the people that were raised were believers. Tabitha was. Lazarus was. The synagogue official believed. Jesus raised his daughter. At the death of Jesus, several righteous in Jerusalem were raised. We don’t find the Lord or His apostles randomly empting cemeteries of everyone who was buried. You’d think, raising some heathen out of the torments of Hades would be a powerful witness to a community, but that didn’t happen.

 

Third, the people that were resurrected were raised by a man of God. It was the Lord, the apostles, the prophets that did the raising. These people were committed to the Word of God as it was delivered. Around these resurrections were opportunities for people to believe the Gospel message. Many became believers because of what they witnessed.

 

Fourth, when people were raised, the Bible never records anything that they saw or heard on the other side. We don’t read about any of them writing a book about “Heaven,” as seems the popular trend today. Many of these modern accounts take place in hospital operating tables, without a man of God, prayers or calling upon the Lord. Many of these who claimed to have been raised were not followers of God’s word. There are many problems with these modern stories. They don’t match the Biblical records.

 

Fifth, many times prior to the dead coming back to life, the man of God actually spoke to the person. This is especially true of the Lord. This shows that He has all authority. Even the dead could hear and obey Him. This authority was passed on to the apostles. Our verse shows Peter telling Tabitha to arise and she sat up. She heard him. She obeyed him.

 

Sixth, the people who were raised, all died again. Jesus was the first to be raised to never die again.

 

In our verse today, Tabitha is described as a disciple who abounded with deeds of kindness and charity, which she did often. She made tunics and garments for others. What she did touched the lives and the hearts of the other disciples. She made a difference. There is no indication that she taught others. There is no books of the Bible that are attributed to her. She was not an apostle. She didn’t preach. She didn’t heal anyone. She didn’t do any miracles. But, she continually abounded with deeds of kindness and charity.

 

She was kind and she was generous. Her spirit touched the lives of others. She made a difference. Imagine if we all could walk in her shadow. Imagine a church full of people who abounded in kindness and charity. Imagine people going out of their way to welcome a new family. Imagine the food that would be taken to someone who was sick. Imagine the kind words of encouragement to a young preacher. Imagine the pats on the backs given to busy shepherds. Imagine the smiles and the hugs from someone who was kind.

 

It is easy to look at this and think, so she made some clothes for others. Big deal! It was a big deal. It wasn’t just the clothes that she made, it was her generous heart and her kind ways that were behind all of this. Every marriage, every home and every congregation has it’s own tone or atmosphere. The people set that tone. Some places are cold and tense. You can feel it. You see it in the way that people talk to each other. You see it in a couple who are always picking on each other. Little jabs here and there. One wonders if they are like this around others, what is it like when they are alone? You see this in the members of a congregation. The judgmental stares. The cold eyes. The indifference and ignoring of new people. It’s not healthy nor good. But with a Tabitha around, kindness abounds. She would be one that turns the tone and the temperature of a congregation to a much more pleasant setting. She would be one that you would want to be around. Can you imagine what it would be like to go out to lunch with a Tabitha? Forget what you ate, you would leave with a heart bursting with goodness, encouragement and love. You’d think to yourself, “I want to be just like her.”

 

We all can learn much from Tabitha. Too many congregations are operated like a business. So formal and lack of feeling that you’d think you were in a rental car office rather than a church building. Kindness begins in the heart. It comes from one who has walked with the Lord. Jesus abounded in doing good deeds. He was the master of kindness. Far too many want to run to Jesus calling the Pharisees “hypocrites,” forgetting the context, the time spent and the purpose of Him saying that. The Lord was kind to Zacchaeus. The Lord was kind to the children who were brought to Him. The Lord was kind to the embarrassed woman who touched Him from behind. He was kind to the bent over woman when the synagogue official blasted her.

 

Spend time with Jesus. It will smooth your rough edges. Kindness changes how we speak to one another. Calm down. Cool down. Put the daggers away. Be kind, even when correcting. Multiple times the N.T. tells us to be gentle, even when correcting. Kind. Gentle. Thoughtful. Encouraging. Helpful. Building up. Wanting the best from others. Don’t drive people away. Not being mean, ugly or rude. Kind in our preaching. That doesn’t mean being soft, but it does mean not to destroy someone. Kind in our announcements. Kind in our prayers. Kind in our talking to one another.

 

We do well to take two spoonfuls of kindness every morning before we left the house. Some might need three. The kind person thinks before he talks. He finds ways to build bridges and not burn them. He looks to himself as much as he does others.

 

The disciples sent for Peter, not just because of their own died, but a kind one had passed. Had she been an old grump, one wonders if Peter would have been called. They might have thought, let the Lord have her and give us some peace. But she wasn’t that way. She was kind and they were better because of that.

 

It’s hard to read this and not think, what if it had been you or me that had passed away in Joppa. Would the brethren had sent for Peter, or would they have hardly missed us? Are we making a difference? Do others see us as kind? Does the Lord see us as kind?

 

Things to think about, especially today.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1864

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1864

Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from it’s fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

 

The Genesis account of the fall of mankind, Eve being deceived by Satan, begins with her conversation with the serpent. She engaged in a conversation with the serpent. He twisted what God said, added words that God did not say and created doubt about what God had said. Then the final punch was the tree itself. It was a delight to her eyes. It was desirable to make one wise. Eve took the forbidden fruit and ate it. She gave some to Adam and he followed.

 

All of this began because Satan got into Eve’s head. He deceived her. The starting point of this downward spiral was the credibility that Eve allowed Satan to have. She had no history with Satan. She had no reference point in her past that she could say, “He was right about that, he might be right about this.” Satan had not blessed her. Satan had not helped her. Satan had not been there for her. God had. God made Eve. God made the creation. God, it seems from the text, had walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. God had been good to them. God had talked with them in the past. Eve had a history with God. God had reference points in her past that she could say, “God has been right and good to us.”

 

It is troubling to see that Eve would believe Satan, when there was nothing to go on. And she would believe Satan’s doubts about God, when she knew how good God had been.

 

This Eve story is repeated again in Proverbs 7 when a man looks out his window and sees a young naïve man going down the wrong street at the wrong time of day and meets the wrong person. She is a prostitute. Her intentions are sinful and wicked. The implications are that they did not know each other. “With her many persuasions she entices him,” is what we are told. He has no history with her. He has no way of saying, “She’s been right before.” Like Eve, he has a conversation with a serpent. Like Eve, he listens. Like Eve, he throws out everything he knows that is good and right. And, like Eve, the naïve young man ruins his soul because he believed the prostitute over what God had said.

 

The Eve story is repeated today through books, college lectures and especially the internet. Someone casts doubts about what the Bible says. They put question marks where God has places exclamation points. They cloud the meaning of the text. They creation suspicion about what the Bible says. They propose alternative meanings, often that lead through the door of error that is not supported by the Bible. And suddenly, just like Eve, just like the naïve young man walking down the street in Proverbs 7, a Christian begins to doubt what God has said. They begin believing the poisonous error that has filled their brain and their eyes. Do they ever stop to think about the background of the person that they are talking to? Do they have a history together? Has this person helped them in the past? Could they say that they were right before? And with all of this, they completely forget about God. God has been right there for them. God has helped them, led them and been right all along. Yet, that is tossed out. A new thought. A new idea. A new way. Different from what the Bible says, and yet, it is followed, believed and accepted. The Christian now doubts the way he has worshipped. Not because of what he sees in the Bible, but because of what a college professor has lectured, or a book has stated or a website has grumbled about. The truth is tossed for a lie. For Eve, it was taking hold of the forbidden fruit. For the young man in Proverbs 7, it was taking hold of the prostitute. And for us, it is taking hold of a lie that the Bible does not teach. For all, the results are deadly. For all, the same steps have been followed.

 

Why believe serpents over God? Why believe prostitutes over God? Why believe a college professor, a website over God? Why trust their words? Why allow the sinister thread of doubt to be woven into our hearts? Why accept their words over God’s?

 

For the young person today, it may be a friend, someone they are dating or a roommate that weaves that doubt into a heart. Is this person right about other moral things? Is this person right about what God says in other areas?

 

For others, it may be a family member or a co-worker, who weaves doubt into our hearts. They speak as if they know God. They say things as if they know more than God. What’s their track record? Is there any reason to listen to them over God?

 

Talking to serpents is a dangerous thing to do. No history. No past. No credible evidence of goodness, accuracy or truthfulness when it comes to religious matters. God is holy and righteous and wants the best from us. Others, simply want us to back off of God and be more like them. Who are we going to listen to and believe? Who is right? Who has been there all along pleading for us to do right?

 

The language of serpents is deception, twisting words, creating doubt and confusing minds and hearts. If God wasn’t right about the forbidden fruit, what else was He wrong about? Could God be trusted about anything? This was more than eating something that was forbidden. This was about believing God. Eve had every reason to stay with God. He was good to her. She had no reason to believe that serpent. Yet, she did.

 

And too often, we follow in those same steps. Believing lies. Accepting things without proof. Allowing our minds and our hearts to be confused. Listening to serpents rather that holding on to what we know is true.

 

Eve should have known better. So, should we.

 

 

Roger