Ecclesiastes 12:10

  For years I heard some passionate debates about whether or not Jesus made intoxicating wine.  I think the real issue isn’t really a curiosity on the alcoholic content but rather if this situation would create a loophole for his followers to imbibe. Some want to find an excuse to indulge their physical desire.  It isn’t just this passage however that gets twisted.   The effects of alcohol, and other such drugs, have a biblical purpose to be used to provide relief of physical suffering and for medicinal purposes (Proverbs 31:6, 1 st Timothy 5:23).  Folks however want to have the effect without the purpose. The use is a justification rather than a legitimate reason.  But God’s people are not to be controlled by a substance but rather by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:8).   It’s sad because in the debate we often lose that principle.  I’ve seen some of the most adamant teetotalers that take pain medicine like it’s going out of style. ...

   All boys at some point in their life try to be just like their dad. They comb their  hair like dad. They put on a tie like dad. The talk like him, walk like him, emulate him in what he does.  Then at some point they do just the opposite, they distance themselves trying to be their own man.  However,  most grown men will tell you that even after that they still have a lot of their father in them, for better or for worse .    In John 8:44 Jesus condemns a group of people for acting like their Father; You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies .    Here Jesus is warning these men that in rejecting the truth about him and creating lies about him, they are showing who their true father is. Not the God of Heav...

   Pascal's Wager is argument for faith by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist, Blaise Pascal. It’s basic premise is belief in God is the best bet for a person because if I believe in God and there is no God then I have lost nothing those because those believe or don’t’ share the same fate, however if I don't believe in God and there is a God then I have lost everything, while those that do believe gain eternity.     One aspect of this premise that is absolutely true is that for unbelievers death offers them no rewards. Proverbs 11:7 instructs us:  “ When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. ”      If all we live for is in this life, the when we face death, there is nothing to hope for . If we trust God, than death is just door to a new life. Living to please God is vital because of the future we long for. A selfish wicked life always ends in mise...

Would you rather go to a party or to a funeral?  Pretty easy choice you might think.  Now before you answer let us consider the scriptures. Ecclesiastes 7:2-5 says  “It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.  The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.  It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools” .     Here we are told that we might be better served at the funeral.   The house of mourning reminds us that our days are few; while the house of feasting just entertains .  Those that surround themselves only with pleasure, never consider that the party might end sooner than they think.      This passage remind...

Crazy hypothetical: Pick Your Poison* You are trapped in a room with no means of escape. The only way you will be released is by drinking from a flask on one of three tables. You must pick a table then drink from one of the choices. Table #1. It has three poisons, One will kill you in 50 years, the other will kill you in 50 months, the other in 50 days. There are all identical and it is impossible to tell which one is which, even after you have drunk the poison. If you chose this table you will escape but be poisoned unsure of how much time you have left. Table #2. It has three drinks. One is harmless, one will kill you instantly, and the other will kill when you turn 50. They are all identical, so if you survive the drink, you will either live till 50 or not be effected but you won’t know which. Table #3. It also has three drinks. One is harmless, one will kill you instantly and the other will cut your life span in half. The bottles are not identical and there is a...

The Final Countdown Crazy hypothetical: * There is the possibility that a counter can be place in your visual range that will tell you exactly when you are going to die. It will be a date displayed in the corner of your eyes so that all time you will see the date of you death. This counter will adjust as you do things that will put you in danger thus shrinking your life span and as you do things that might help you to live longer. Would you want to have that counter if it was perfectly accurate? How much do you think it would affect your behavior? What if it was not perfectly accurate but rather a probability based on an average person? *Crazy Hypothetical is a mental game that gives you a conditional choice that gets you thinking about a subject. I used these for several years as discussion starters in Bible class. This one is good for discussion about choices that change our life and how we view our own morality.

Crazy hypothetical:   Ghosts World* You have the choice to live in this world as a ghost. You will never experience pain, hunger, or any physical need. You will be able to see everything that goes on in the world but never able to interact with any person. You can travel anywhere visit anyplace, do anything (ride roller coasters,  be on the field at the Super Bowl,…) but not interact and change anything that goes on. You will be able to taste and smell food and drink but it will have no other effect on you. You can touch and feel anything but it won’t respond to your touch.  You will have no limits on what you can experience but with no contact. Your life will end just when it would if you don’t take the option (so if you would have died at 6o with a regular life you will have 60 years as a ghost.) Would you take the deal? Would you do it for a short time if it meant several years off your life? What if you take the deal in would never end, would you do it?...

Have you ever heard the expression “Get a real life”? It doesn’t mean to find something that is truly alive, but rather to increase your existence beyond the boring. To get out of the fantasy world, to go do something different, something that stirs the mind, body and soul, something better than just existing, a “real” life. I think this is an interesting concept, one that Paul touches on in Acts 17:28.                 In that passage, he tells the people i n the midst of the Areopagus that in the One True God “ we live and move and have our being ”. He’s not just the one that make us alive, not just the one keep the world spinning, but the one that makes us who we are. Our lives are just more than breathing air going about our daily tasks, but the completeness of ourselves as his creation. Only with God can a life be complete. That is why Jesus could promise an “ abundant life ” in John 10:10. Worldly living may b...