Proverbs 11 - Day 11

"Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers."
                                                                     Proverbs 11:14


A good leader needs and uses many wise advisers.  Even King Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, knew that his own personal opinions, emotions, and sub-conscious preferences may bias his decisions.  He sought the advice of his council before making decisions.  Wise leadership seeks advice from a group of wise and trusted "elders".  The "elders" would also seek advice from their groups of wise and trusted representatives from the area in which they represent.  In this way, great ideas would flow to the proper spokespeople and be presented to the appropriate levels of leadership to be discussed and reviewed.  Then, after careful consideration of all the facts, and with input from almost every group or region, the leader can make the best possible decision.  

A wise leader seeks the counsel of many wise advisers.

There's that word "wise" again...  What does it mean to be wise?  Recall from our previous discussion in Proverbs 2 the difference between knowledge and wisdom that knowledge is the accumulation of information and wisdom is the ability to use that information effectively.  We also discussed the importance of seeking God first because God's plan for us will be made clearer the closer we draw to Him.  With the model presented above, the wise leader would present the situation to God in prayer, then present the situation to his leaders so they can present it to God in prayer and to their representatives.  The representatives would present the situation to God in prayer and to their constituents.  The constituents would present the situation to God in prayer and provide feedback to their leaders as to what ideas were presented to them from God.  God will provide a solution through prayer.  As the ideas begin to roll back in to the leadership, they will be able to make a better decision because they sought Gods help in the matter.  God will provide the leadership with many excellent opportunities to solve the situation and God will help them discern the best solution from the group.  The best options make their way up to the leader and the leader, through payer, would select the best course of action. 

True wisdom comes from knowing that even with the best council of wise elders the leader still must bring the issue to the Lord first.  In order to have true wisdom, the leadership must understand that there is still a vastly more powerful being that will provide for the people.  That is as long as the people are walking with the Lord.

What happens if the people aren't walking with the Lord or aren't drawing nearer to God through daily worship?  Recall from our previous discussion of Proverbs 3, if we aren't spending time in the Bible or drawing nearer to God then we may not hear God's voice or recognize His guidance.  If the people aren't walking with God then they'll most likely not see any benefit in bringing issues to the Lord.  They'll say things like "What's the point?  He doesn't answer me." or "Yeah right.  What good does that do?  I just make the decision on my own anyway."  They begin to think that God doesn't exist.  This obviously moves them further away from God.  The decisions they make are made on their own and aren't godly because the decisions are made by humans and humans are inherently flawed.  Therefore, their decisions are also flawed.  If everyone, even the leadership, falls into this category then the nation will fall.   

Maybe I should let that sink in for a minute as you reflect on our current situation as a nation and as a planet. 

How many times have you said "What in the world is going on?"  or "Who was the idiot that made that decision?" or "How did that person get elected?"  or "Who in their right mind would ever see that as the best possible course of action?"  

We get the elected officials that we deserve!

Are you spending time in the Bible?  Is your family spending time in the Bible?  Have you trained your kids to seek first the wisdom of the LORD?  Are you encouraging everyone you meet to get together to study the Bible?  If we don't ALL start moving toward God, then we will continue to see the rapid descent of our schools, our community, our nation and our world until it falls!  We cannot elect the proper officials if we haven't first sought the wisdom of the LORD. Our elected officials must also seek first the wisdom of the LORD.  They must encourage all to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so they provide the proper advice and counsel to the person in charge.  And ultimately, the person in charge needs to be an encourager of the nation to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so that the entire population will drawer nearer to God.

So, yeah, that's simple!  (tongue squarely in cheek)

But hold on, it's not that difficult!  We just have to make a few adjustments in our life.  First, what is it that keeps us from picking up the Bible?  No, now, don't tell me you don't have time.  We all have the exact same amount of time.  There are 24 hours in a day.  It comes down to priorities -we all know that.  How many of those hours do you spend watching TV, commuting to and from work, sleeping / resting / napping (whatever you want to call it), or Facebooking / Tweeting / Snapchatting (whatever social media tool you use)?  Wait a minute...I can't read and commute!! That's true you can't, but the Bible is available in audio format.  The Listener's Bible is a great tool for those of you that commute to work.  Max McLean has a great voice for reading the Bible to you.  (I'll put a link out on the Additional Bible Study Tools page so you can find it)  

Once you start your journey into the Bible you will thirst for more and more on a daily basis.  I guarantee it!!  Please, let's get started - we can walk together.  Ask me any questions you want. I'll guide you.


The Shepherd


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Proverbs 10 - Day 10

"The blessings of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it."
                                                                       "Proverbs 10:22"


What does it mean to be rich?  What do you think of when someone says "That person is rich!" Is it simply a measurement of their financial abilities?  Or is it something else?  Something deeper?  We tend to compare ourselves to everyone else we know and say things like "Well, at least I'm better off than that person" or "If I had a better job then maybe we could go do those things like the Jones."   Solomon tells us that the blessings of the Lord will make us rich but what are the blessings of the Lord?  Think about the many ways that we have been blessed.

If you sit down and list out the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon you then you'll begin to see the riches that matter.  Your family, your health, your job, your mental capacity, if you're married - your spouse is a blessing - and so are your kids.  Your financial abilities are also a blessing but by far not the most important one.  What parent wouldn't give up every thing they have to keep their family safe and free from harm?  Once we realize how much God has blessed us, we start to see that we really have more than we possibly need.  This becomes greatly apparent when a person travels to different countries, especially struggling "3rd World" countries.  The stark differences constantly pound on your emotions because you realize that the money I spent on dinner at that fine restaurant the other night would feed this village for a YEAR!!

If we would simply live within our means, cook our own meals, buy smaller houses, conserve as much as possible, we would still be living in luxury but we would have enough money to end world hunger in one decade - 10 years - maybe even sooner!  Wealth is a blessing but only if we use it in the way God intended.  When wealth is not used as God intended then there are "additional sorrows" that come with it.  Some riches lead to more problems.  Additional problems come up that many other folks aren't experiencing.  We can probably think of someone that's experienced considerably more problems than what we typically face.  Maybe it's because of some of these extra blessings that have additional sorrows.  That's what the second half of this statement means from Solomon. The blessings of the Lord come with no strings attached.  

Throughout the chapter, there are numerous comparisons between the godly and the wicked. What is meant by the godly?  Does it mean that I have to be perfect?  It's not possible for humans to be perfect, not even close.  Humans are riddled wiith sin.  It's in our hearts, mind and thoughts.  I know I can't go a minute without sinful thoughts entering my mind.  OK - so I can't be like God so therefore... what... I'm wicked?  If I look around and compare myself to others, I'm not that bad.  Sure there are many that are better at following God's rules than I am but there's also many that aren't.  So the question becomes "am I good enough to be considered godly?"  

The answer is "No" and here's why.  I want you to take a 3"x 5" note card and turn it lengthwise so the long side is vertical.  Now, at the top of the note card I want you to write the name of the most godly person you can think of that has ever lived (not Jesus).  Then at the bottom of the note card right the name of the most wicked person that you can think of that has ever lived. Somewhere in between them I want you to write your name.  Next, picture yourself placing the note card vertically at the base of the newly completed Freedom Tower in New York City.  Now picture yourself at the top of the antennae - 1776 feet above the note card.  How much difference do you see between those names when you look down?  This would be similar to God's view of us.  We're not that much different from Mother Theresa or Adolph Hitler - at least not from God's vantage point.

But here's the good news.  When we believe in Jesus Christ, when we start making an attempt to follow His ways, when we start walking in faith, Jesus steps in between us and God so all God sees is Jesus who is perfect in every way.  Jesus removes our sin and presents us to God as perfect beings even though we're far from it.  And yes we may make plenty of mistakes along our walk of faith but when we're walking with Jesus it doesn't matter.  We get back up and get back on the path and keep right on walking.  So godly simply means that you believe in God and you're walking with Jesus Christ.

One last point about comparing ourselves with others.  I get extremely frustrated with the world's focus on celebrities and all the so called glitz and glamour that surrounds them.  These celebrities are typically elevated to a pedestal simply because they have vast amounts of money.  What's the most frustrating to me is when a celebrity makes a commercial to raise money for a charity and the celebrity could simply write a check and fund the cause for the next 30 years or more.  Or if a celebrity does give what society considers to be a "vast" amount they are labeled as a philanthropist or an extraordinary giver.  Let me give you an example.

In 2010, Oprah Winfrey made $315 million dollars - Yes in one year!  That was her salary.  She also gave $41 million dollars to charity.  That's an incredible amount of money!  That's also how she earned the label as the most philanthropic celebrity.  But society gets all enamored by the amount given because they are comparing it to what the average Joe on the street would be able to give but here's the simply math.  Let's start by dropping the "million" part.  If I made $315 and gave $41 dollars that would mean that I gave 13% of my money to charity.  (41/315)  That means Oprah gave 13 cents for every 100 cents she made.   Whoopdee doo dah.  My daughter made $50 dollars last year and gave $10 dollars to charity.  That's a 20% giving ratio!  A great deal more than Oprah gave and there wasn't anyone knocking on our door to get the story.  Now I don't mean to undermine what she's done but we need to keep it in perspective.

We need to educate ourselves to look for the bigger picture.  We need to get wisdom so that we can identify what is really going on.  Thankfully, Solomon wrote down these wonderful pearls of wisdom so that we can educate ourselves by reading Proverbs.  The more we read the Bible the more God's word is revealed to us and the more we begin to walk with Jesus.  The world has a way that seems right to it but in the end it leads to death (more on this in a few days).  The worlds ways are not correct.  They are upside down and the Bible exposes it for what it truly is. 

Please keep reading along with me through Proverbs.  There's so much more to learn.


The Shepherd


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Proverbs 9 - Day 9

"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement."                                                 Proverbs 9:10


Sometimes it's difficult to understand what is meant by "Fear of the Lord".  Should we be terrified of the one who supposedly loves us with a love beyond all comprehension?  Do we picture ourselves as the cowardly lion standing in front of the great and powerful wizard from "The Wizard of Oz?"  Many times words have different meanings.  In order to fully understand what is being said we must consult the dictionary to see if there are other meanings for the word.  Fear, of course, means dread or alarm in facing danger but another definition is to have profound reverence and awe.  The latter meaning seems to be more appropriate for this saying.  We should have profound reverence and awe for our Lord and it makes sense that this would be the foundation of wisdom.

Once we put our Lord in the proper position, and I mean ahead of everything and everyone else in our lives, we gain a proper perspective for the rest of our problems in our life.  God is bigger than ALL of our problems.  God is capable of providing ALL of our needs.  When you begin walking with God you will see things differently.  Let me give you an example.  A few years ago I was at a conference in Detroit.  I was supposed to meet a friend of mine at this restaurant but I really didn't know where it was.  It was dark, and I was not familiar with the city and not really sure how many blocks away this restaurant was.  I began walking but got a little nervous as people showed up on the sidewalk around me.  I began walking faster with my head down - acting as if I knew where I was going but I really didn't.  I was getting nervous - OK - I was getting scared.  I found the restaurant just fine and after the meal we started walking back.  Now my friend is 6' 6" and weighs in around 260.  I was not nearly as nervous heading back as I was when I was by myself.  

That's how it is with God.  God is bigger than anything.  He's stronger than anything.  He is the all-powerful and all-knowing God!!  When you walk with God you have nothing to fear.  As you walk with God you begin to trust Him more and more with each step.  You begin to walk more by faith and less by what you see.  If God says it's going to be fine - you know it's going to be fine.  After all, He's the creator of the universe!!  As you continue your faith walk with God, you start seeing things for what they really are.  You start to wonder why you were ever afraid of these things in the past.  You start feeling encouraged to start taking a few more risks - after all God's got your back!  As you start being God's hands and feet in this world you'll start to see God in more and more things.  You'll start to see his hand at work in many things.  You'll become very wise because you'll be able to see through the "scary" stuff and see it for what it really is.  You'll make better decisions which will result in good judgement and a better life.

You'll be on the road to righteousness!!

Yes, you may lose a lot of friends.  You may encounter some very trying times as well.  For me, my friends were not at all interested in hearing me talk about the amazing things God was doing in my life.  God showed me that my "friends" were not very friendly at all.  In fact, He showed me that my definition of friendship was not the same definition that my "friends" had.  In order to continue walking with the Lord, I had stop walking with my "friends" because my "friends" were part of my problems.  Being constantly surrounded by negativity and complaining is not a very encouraging environment to be in.  Some people are just completely unable to see the good in anything.  In order for you to continue on the right path you may need to disconnect yourself from your current environment in order to grow stronger.  Do not forget about your friends all together, though.  We'll come back for them when we are stronger, wiser and further down the path.  For now just realize that we need to make a change.  

Along the path, God introduced me to many new people with whom I've formed strong bonds.  We are able to work together to serve the Lord and we have many great experiences that we share with others in order to provide encouragement.  It's important to show people just what is possible when we put our trust and faith in the Lord.  We are able to accomplish amazing things but it all starts with profound reverence and awe for the Lord.


The Shepherd


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Proverbs 8 - Bonus Video

Here is a bonus video on Proverbs 8.

Enjoy!

Lady Wisdom Calls Out

Proverbs 8 - Day 8

"Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.  For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.  Nothing you desire can compare with it."
                                                                      Proverbs 8:10-11


It's interesting to me how many people play the lottery even though the odds of winning are not even fathomable.  Yet people continue to play because, well, someone's going to win.  If you look at the people that play the lottery, you'll see that most of the people could be using this money to dig themselves out of debt or save it to get enough to take a class on a subject that would help them get a better job or get a promotion in the job they have. They would rather throw their money at an astronomically small chance of winning a ridiculous amount of money than use it to systematically improve their station in life.  That's why the lottery is considered to be a tax on the mathematically challenged.

But, as they say, someone is going to win... and someone does win... and they're set for life!! 

Except for one thing.  Have you ever watched the shows where they find out what happened to the people 5 or 10 years after they won the lottery.  Many times they're lives are worse off than before they bought the winning ticket.  How can this be?  They have all that money!!  How can they have ANY problems?  

The problem isn't the money - it's them!  They don't have any wisdom.  They didn't know how to handle the little bit of money they had before, now that they have piles of it and they still don't know how to manage it.  So it slips through their fingers faster than sand at the beach.  What they need is wisdom!

How does a person get wisdom?  My grandfather would joke about getting his degree from the University of Hard Knocks.  Basically, he was saying that he banged his head so many times on so many things trying to find the one pathway that would lead him to what he was looking for that he eventually had enough wisdom to equal a college degree.  As he tried everything he could think of he would learn a little more, and a little more, and along the way he accumulated a wealth of wisdom.  He tried to share it with anyone who would listen but you know how it is - people share their advice but we don't really accept other peoples wisdom.  We don't really accept it until we learn it the hard way - until we get OUR degree from the University of Hard Knocks.

In Chapter 8, a new woman is introduced.  The woman is named "Wisdom".  She is trying to direct us to the path of righteousness.  She is shouting from the hilltops for anyone who will listen to her to follow her advice.  She pleads for us to listen to her because her words are truthful and wholesome.  She says to seek knowledge and wisdom above all else, even silver, gold or rubies.  With wisdom comes an enduring wealth and justice.  With wisdom comes good judgement and a joyful life.  With wisdom you'll be able to discern the truth and identify dangerous situations that could cost you greatly.  You'll know the truth and the truth will set you free!

Was there something that you liked about Proverbs 8 that you'd like to share with the group?  Feel free to post your comments or questions.  I look forward to discussing them with you.


The Shepherd


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Proverbs 7 - Day 7

"Obey my commands and live!  Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.  Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.  Write them deep within your heart."
                                                                        Proverbs 7:2-3


In an earlier post, we discussed how important it is to be able to identify a situation and what the outcome of the situation will be.  In Proverbs 7, Solomon lays out a detailed example of how easily naive people are led astray by sexual immorality.  He is attempting to educate us on the signals that indicate that you are being seduced and being led into this trap.  As you read through the rest of Proverbs 7, notice how the immoral woman is dressed in a seductive way in order to lure men into her house.  Her smooth responses to his questions attempt to calm his nervousness while she continues to bring him in closer to the sexual trap.

We must learn to recognize these strategies in order to avoid the sexual and adulterous traps.  There is only one escape plan that works and it doesn't involve talking... RUN!!  Get out of the situation - IMMEDIATELY!  You will be swallowed up like a handful of chocolate M&M's.  

When we wander aimlessly through life without a purpose or without direction, are lives are empty and unstable.  We are looking for something to fill the void in our life.  We think this person may be just the thing I'm looking for and we are extremely vulnerable to these temptations.  In order to avoid these temptations we must be prepared for them.  We must be alert for temptation because it's literally everywhere.  It's on TV, it's in the movies, in the books we read, it's in the way we dress - it's everywhere - and it's becoming so common place that we don't even notice it for what it is.  

In our small groups, we spend time explaining to our young women the affects of a low cut blouse or a short skirt on teenage boys.  We encourage them to dress appropriately and not like the seductress in Proverbs 7.  It's a difficult conversation but it is very effective.  It's important that we raise awareness with teenagers as to how society is playing them.  We encourage them to remove themselves from situations that tempt them to sin.  We teach them phrases and actions that remove them from the situation without subjecting them to more peer pressure or ridicule.  We prepare them for situations that they may encounter before they actually encounter them so they can be ready to take action before the trap is sprung.  It's very important that everyone understands the importance of focusing on the future and not on the heat of the moment.  The thrill of the moment may lead to a lifetime of regret.  

Read through Proverbs 7 and learn to identify temptation.  Recognize situations when you are feeling tempted and be ready to flee.  Remember, Satan wanders the earth looking for whom he can devour.  Don't be his meal.  Study the Bible. Study Proverbs.  Learn the word for it is like an armory of weapons for defending you soul.  Live to fight another day.


The Shepherd


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A Bonus Video - Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus

Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus

Proverbs 6 - Day 6

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.  Learn from their ways and become wiser! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.  But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?  When will you wake up?  A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."
                                                                           Proverbs 6:6-11


This set of verses has always struck a chord with me because of it's simple but powerful message.  In nature, animals are constantly working.  The ants are working hard all summer to store enough food for the winter.  Yet the ants have no one forcing them to work.  They know that if they don't work to store food for the winter, they will not have any food for the winter and will most likely die.  

These verses tell us to look around and take a lesson from the ants.  Why are we constantly resting or sleeping?  Why are we wasting our time watching TV or playing video games when we should be looking for a job or taking classes to improve our situation?  We can accomplish so much more than what we are actually achieving today.  I am constantly amazed at how many people suffer from a victim mentality.  They actually believe in their bones that there isn't any possible way to get out of their current problems.  They believe that it's always been this way and will always be this way because "fill in the blank".  There's no way to get ahead so why try.

The Bible gives us some great advice here.  Get out of bed and get to work.  If there isn't a job available then start your own business.  Find something that you can do and go do it.  If you don't, then you are choosing to live in poverty and to have nothing.  But even "nothing" in the USA is better than what 70% of the earth's population have.  Do you have a shelter to live in? Do you have fresh, clean, running water to your shelter?  Do you have electricity?  Do you have enough food for at least one meal a day?  If so, then you're living better than the majority of people on this planet.  Let that sink in for a bit...

Your problems aren't nearly as bad as you thought they were.  When we compare our situation with our neighbors or with the advertisement that we see on TV we are made to think that we are missing out on something or that we need to purchase some new gadget in order to complete our lives.  It's a lie!!  Nothing can fill that void of emptiness... not that new car... not that new TV... not a promotion at work... nothing...  nothing, except Jesus, that is.  That void is there because Jesus isn't there.  We've chased after things that are spiritually worthless.  We've spent lot's of money for items that are spiritually worthless.  Money we could have used to get ourselves out of this mess we are in.  What we need is a class on spiritual finances.  A class that will teach us what items are worth purchasing and what items are not.  

Please allow me to explain this for a minute.  You see, I have had the opportunity to go on 7 short-term mission trips to Ecuador.  I've worked with the Quichua Indians that live at the high elevations of Andes mountains and I've worked with the Ecuadorians of the lowlands.  These groups of people work very hard to provide for their people.  They pool their funds to be able to buy things for their village.   One of the villages I worked at completed a project to bring water to their village by hand-digging a trench and hand-laying pipe for 30 kilometers across the mountainous rocky terrain.  That's right - it was dug by hand with shovels and picks at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet.  They work VERY hard for what little they have.  BUT they have something that we do not have.  They have happiness.  It overflows from the people.  They give of themselves like no one else I know.  They will do anything they can to help out their fellow man.

There is so much work that needs to be done for God's kingdom!   By getting up and getting to work, doing what God wants us to do, we may even find that God provides for us.  He will meet all of our needs - not our wants - but our needs.  The people of Ecuador have relied on God to provide for them for years.  They know that he will meet our needs.  By relying on God to provide, they have a very close relationship with Him.  It shows in everything they do.  This is what gives them the happiness that we hope to find  -  the happiness that we are longing for. 

It's so simple... we find it through Jesus Christ... but we have to get out of bed first.


The Shepherd


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Proverbs 5 - Day 5

"For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes."

                                                                        Proverbs 5:21

Sexual immorality has been around for thousands of years.  It was a problem long before David was king and he lived nearly a thousand years BEFORE Jesus walked the earth.  I guess that's why they call prostitution "the world's oldest profession."  You would think that man would've learned how to overcome the seductive nature of sexual immorality in that amount of time... but we haven't.  Proverbs 5 warns of the destruction that can come from giving in to temptation and the guilt and public disgrace that ruins a persons life.

It always starts out innocently enough.  A co-worker or an acquaintance starts a conversation with you.  Then it moves from a casual conversation to a more involved conversation letting you know that you can trust this person.  A friendship is formed.  Maybe you start walking to the cafeteria together as you talk about the day you're having.  Next thing you know it has become a habit or something that you look forward to during the day.  Maybe you both show up at an event for a colleague whose leaving and have a conversation over drinks or maybe your kids play soccer together and you talk to each other during the games.  Eventually, there will come a point where you will have to choose whether or not to allow this relationship to move to the next level.  By then it's usually too late.  If you don't take the next step, then you'll ruin the friendship and lose everything.  If you do move to the next step, then you'll ruin your marriage and your family.  Again, by this point it's too late.  It's truly a "Lose-Lose" situation.

The warning of Proverbs 5 is that this will occur in everyone's life.  Evil works it's way into our lives to test us.  We need to be able to identify the situation before it becomes a problem.  If you are married, you should never have a more detailed conversation with anyone other than your spouse.  If you are, then you are potentially opening yourself up for problems.  We may not see the slow progression as clearly as we should, but the Lord sees clearly the path that is being taken.  The  choices that are made by the desires of the heart.  If there are desires that are not being met, you need to have that conversation immediately with your spouse and no one else.

The family is the nucleus of ALL civilization.  When the family is destroyed it is much easier for evil to make it's way into the children, into the community, and into the world.  Our children grow up without a proper model of the family unit.  Therefore, when they make decisions in the future their decision tree is not structured properly.  They will always have the default answer of "well my dad did it" or "my mom did it so it can't be that bad."  The Bible gives us God's definitive answer to our problems by showing us how God intended life to be.  God designed marriage and sanctified it.  Only within this covenant relationship can we find REAL love and fulfillment. 

When we decide that we know better than God, that our situation is different, that love is love no matter who you're with, we are telling God that "You're not the boss of me..." and "I can do whatever I want."  God agrees.  He wants to have a loving relationship with you not a "Boss-Employee" relationship or a "Dictator-Oppressed" relationship.  He allows you to do what ever you want.  One GIANT footnote though...  God has a plan for you and it was developed to maximize your happiness.  It is the BEST possible plan for you that can ever be.  If you decide to turn your back on God, He may decide that you need to work through some greater challenges before you get back on track to the life He has for you.

Your spouse is a gift from God and your children are a gift from God.  Rejoice in them and work through any issues with them - for God sees clearly your thoughts, your motives, your decisions and the desires of your heart.  God designed sex and the pleasure it brings.  The pleasure of sex is magnified when it occurs within God's definition of marriage.  Give yourself fully to your spouse and only to your spouse and bask in the glorious life that God has designed for you.

The Shepherd


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A Bonus Video - Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley has many great video messages available on YouTube.  This message seemed to align with our previous messages so I thought I would share it with the group.  Let me know what you think.

Do For One What You Wish You Could Do For Everyone

The Shepherd