Bible Thoughts

February 1, 2004

The "God is Dead" movement is dead. Buried in the ashes of time, many have forgotten the stir created by such a proclamation. One thing can be credited to the upheaval it produced: many people started to look into their own faith to see if there was any spiritual life present.

When Elijah challenged the prophets of Bail, he taunted them with the knowledge that the god they served was not alive. Isaiah shamed his readers for cutting a tree, carving an idol from it, and bowing down before the piece of wood. Jehovah is a living God!

Down to the present day, men have sought to worship various objects. Even those who would worship the God of the Bible have re-created Him in their own image. For all practical purposes, Jehovah is dead to such people.

John teaches that possession of the Son grants life(I John 5:12). When one has the Son, he also has the Father(I John 4:12). In the absence of life, death reigns. Hence, God is dead to the person who is not following the commandments of Christ. Is your God dead?

A bumper sticker observed one time by this writer made a deep impression. It read, "My God is alive. I talked with him this morning." Are you on speaking terms with Jehovah?

Many television programs relegate the father to a bumbling, stumbling, halting kind of milquetoast hero(?). This very subtle undermining of the leadership of the father has contributed to many viewing the man as something nice to have around occasionally, but not too essential.

The media picture is not the Bible picture. In the word of God, fathers were strong moral characters that provided for their families the leadership qualities to carry the home forward in a world that seemed to threaten all that was good and right(think of Abraham, Moses, David, and the apostles).

The Bible presents the husband as the head of the wife in Ephesians 5:23. Colossians 3:18 tells the wives to "submit yourselves unto your own husbands." The husband is to "love" his wife and be "not bitter" in his attitude toward her(Colossians 3:18). In fact, this affection is to be as strong as one would have for his own body(Ephesians 5:28).

The responsibility for teaching children is assigned primarily to the father(surprising?). "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"(Ephesians 6:4). While the mother also has been told to instruct offspring, father is to be the religious and moral leader of the home.

The world needs men who are man enough to assume the obligations of the husband and the father. It is in the power of godly men to assert the place God has given them. How about it, my male friend, are you a man?

Amid the changing social conditions, many are bewildered as to the role of the wife in the home. Should she be viewed as chattel property? a domestic? co-equal(or even the superior) of the husband? What does the Bible teach about this God-ordained relationship?

The woman was created by God as a help-meet(Genesis 2:18). Taken from the side of man, to be cherished and loved by the husband, she is a proper compliment to the man God made. Given her proper place in the modern home, she still serves as a fitting companion for the man.

In the marriage relationship, the woman is subject to the man. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body"(Ephesians 5:22-23). This order, from God, has been true from the beginning. Those who seek to change seek to go against God himself.

While most realize the husband is to love the wife, such affection is not a one-way street. The apostle Paul said that wives are to "love their husbands"(Titus 2:4). When a wife does love her husband, she will fulfill God's commands concerning her behavior and attitude toward the mate. Her willing submission becomes an example to inspire others in their marriages.

The wife will live a life provoked by her being "sober- minded, chaste...kind"(Titus 2:5). Glad to be a "worker at home"(Titus 2:5), she will rule her household(I Timothy 5:14) in a manner that glorifies God as she influences her family in righteousness.

The world has lost sight of the proper role and function of the wife. Many problems could be solved if we returned to Biblical principles. Why not start in your home--today?

"Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord"(Psalm 127:3). Every godly parent will agree with the Psalmist's statement. They are the medicine that warms the heart on a cold winter's night...the refreshing breeze on a summer's day...joy in the midst of overwhelming sorrow and...hope when all else seem hopeless.

Parents are entrusted with the care of children. Mindful of the awesome responsibility, they should seek God's help and guidance in every situation. Father, be aware that some day you will answer to God for how you treat your child. Mother, be aware that some day you will answer to God for how you rear that child. It is indeed foolish for any parent to seek to rear children without the truth of God's word for the standard of conduct and behavior.

Children are commanded to "obey your parents...honour thy father and mother..."(Ephesians 6:1-2). Children who follow this exhortation find their days are more pleasant, their lives more worthwhile, and the rewards to be great indeed. Such a pattern of conduct, established in one's youth, will sustain throughout life.

Young people, you can be a blessing to your parents, to your community, to your nation, and yes, to your God. It will be well with you now and later if you learn to respect and obey your parents.

When one prays unto God, it must be a prayer of faith. We must believe that God will grant our requests, if they be according to His will. That is the standard: "according to his will." Many approach God and ask for favors who have not, and often will not, submit to His will. John has made it very plain that one must have a willingness to follow what the Lord commands in order for a prayer to be heard(answered).