Quietly, almost imperceptibly, my heart begins to soften. Rather than offending me, all the verbal filth made me pity the guys who were trapped like rats in a sewer pipe. Their inability to gain control over their lust, in spite of the epidemic level of venereal disease, caused me to feel compassion rather than criticize and alienate myself from my outfit. Instead of remaining aloof and monkish, I risked getting up close, being a friend, rubbing shoulders with men whose lifestyle was, to me, nauseating and empty. But God honored that approach. Before I said sayonara, seven had come to Christ. Now seven out of Thirty six plus, may not seem like much to shout about, but in the ' Australian army.
But it took that experience to convince me of one of the most basic of theological facts: Man is totally depraved. Within the span of my first six months in that ungodly environment, believe me, I became convinced. God used that inescapable, oppressive atmosphere to draw me to Himself, to find refuge and refreshment in His Book, and to break my stubborn will. It was there I decided to change careers, go back to school, and pursue the gospel ministry.
Sunday 28 September 2014
Saturday 27 September 2014
Joseph And Potiphar's Wife
Genesis (39)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
lust is persistent. If it's knocked on your door once, it'll knock again. And again. You are safe just so long as you draw upon your Savior's strength. Try to handle it yourself and you'll lose - every time. This is why we are warned again and again in the New Testament to flee sexual temptations. Remember, lust is committed to wage war against your soul - in a life-and-death struggle -in hand-to-hand combat. Don't stand before this mortal enemy and argue or fight in your own strength - run for cover. Cry out for reinforcement. Call in an air strike. If you get yourself into a situation that leaves you defenseless and weak, if your door is left even slightly ajar, you may be sure that this ancient enemy will kick it open with six-guns blazing. So don't leave it open. Don't give lust a foothold, or even a toehold.
Joseph was a dedicated, well-disciplined believer, but he was smart enough to realize he couldn't tease lust without being whipped. When it came time for a hasty exit, the son of Jacob preferred to leave his jacket behind rather than hesitate and leave his hide. But not Samson. Fool that he was, he thought he could cuddle lust, inhale its heady perfume, and enjoy its warm embrace without the slightest chance of getting caught. What appeared to be a harmless, soft, attractive dove of secret love turned into a reeking nightmarish vulture.
Lust is one flame you dare not fan. You'll get burned if you do. Samson would sign this warning in my place if he could, for he, being dead, yet speaks.
Genesis (39)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
lust is persistent. If it's knocked on your door once, it'll knock again. And again. You are safe just so long as you draw upon your Savior's strength. Try to handle it yourself and you'll lose - every time. This is why we are warned again and again in the New Testament to flee sexual temptations. Remember, lust is committed to wage war against your soul - in a life-and-death struggle -in hand-to-hand combat. Don't stand before this mortal enemy and argue or fight in your own strength - run for cover. Cry out for reinforcement. Call in an air strike. If you get yourself into a situation that leaves you defenseless and weak, if your door is left even slightly ajar, you may be sure that this ancient enemy will kick it open with six-guns blazing. So don't leave it open. Don't give lust a foothold, or even a toehold.
Joseph was a dedicated, well-disciplined believer, but he was smart enough to realize he couldn't tease lust without being whipped. When it came time for a hasty exit, the son of Jacob preferred to leave his jacket behind rather than hesitate and leave his hide. But not Samson. Fool that he was, he thought he could cuddle lust, inhale its heady perfume, and enjoy its warm embrace without the slightest chance of getting caught. What appeared to be a harmless, soft, attractive dove of secret love turned into a reeking nightmarish vulture.
Lust is one flame you dare not fan. You'll get burned if you do. Samson would sign this warning in my place if he could, for he, being dead, yet speaks.
Tuesday 16 September 2014
Renewed Strength
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.1 Timothy (1:12)
Are you feeling crushed and confused, misunderstood and beaten down? Resist the temptation to roll up your sleeves and muster a self-imposed recovery plan. This is your opportunity! Rather than fighting back, surrender. Embrace your weakness. Tell your heavenly 'Father that you are trusting in the strength of His power. If Paul could do it, so can you. So can I.
At this moment I am facing a few impossible situations. No doubt, so are you. To be honest, I'm too weak to handle any of them. So are you. I'm often near tears. I'm frequently discouraged. There's hardly a week that passes that I don't slump into a mild feeling of discouragement depression'. Sound familiar?
Admit it! Some nights I don't sleep well. There are times that I absolutely weep out of disappointment in some individual's failure, or my own. You too? You and I need to face the fact that we will never be able to handle any of these pressures alone. When we acknowledge this, and not until, God's strength will be released in us.
No man, with Paul's example before him, can question the love and power of Christ to save him, if he really desires to trust in him as the Son of God, who once died on the cross, and now reigns upon the throne of glory, to save all that come to God through him. Let us then admire and praise the grace of God our Saviour; and ascribe to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons in the unity of the Godhead, the glory of all done in, by, and for us.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.1 Timothy (1:12)
Are you feeling crushed and confused, misunderstood and beaten down? Resist the temptation to roll up your sleeves and muster a self-imposed recovery plan. This is your opportunity! Rather than fighting back, surrender. Embrace your weakness. Tell your heavenly 'Father that you are trusting in the strength of His power. If Paul could do it, so can you. So can I.
At this moment I am facing a few impossible situations. No doubt, so are you. To be honest, I'm too weak to handle any of them. So are you. I'm often near tears. I'm frequently discouraged. There's hardly a week that passes that I don't slump into a mild feeling of discouragement depression'. Sound familiar?
Admit it! Some nights I don't sleep well. There are times that I absolutely weep out of disappointment in some individual's failure, or my own. You too? You and I need to face the fact that we will never be able to handle any of these pressures alone. When we acknowledge this, and not until, God's strength will be released in us.
No man, with Paul's example before him, can question the love and power of Christ to save him, if he really desires to trust in him as the Son of God, who once died on the cross, and now reigns upon the throne of glory, to save all that come to God through him. Let us then admire and praise the grace of God our Saviour; and ascribe to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons in the unity of the Godhead, the glory of all done in, by, and for us.
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