I don't think any rational person would argue with the fact of cause and effect in the physical realm around us. A month ago Norma and I flew over to Denver. We were up around 30,000 feet in the air on American Airlines. What if I opened the door of the airplane, decided to fly to Denver, you know, myself, on my own? What would happen? I could have jumped out the exit door, flapped my wings, or my arms. In other words, I could have tried to fly like a bird to Colorado. How many of you think I would have made it? Nobody seems to think I would have made it.

I could have jumped out the exit door, floated in the air like a feather in the breeze. How many of you think I could have sort of floated, and the jet stream would have caught me, and away I would go? Or I could have jumped out of the door and waited suspended in the air and hitchhiked the next airplane that came along, and, you know, I'm out there saying, "You know, pick me up." Actually, I could have jumped out of the airplane, plummeted to the earth and been pulverized, which is more likely.

So which one do you think is the right answer? Well, I think I would have fallen to the earth and been pulverized. Why? Well, it's called gravity, isn't it? You may think, well, I can jump out of an airplane, and I can defy the law of gravity. Forget it. Gravity will get you, and it will slam you back down to the earth. Gravity's a law. You don't break the law. It breaks you. And gravity pulls you down. We do not doubt that there are laws in the universe that govern the physical realm that have been set in motion. We respect and comply with them because we know if you don't, you could be dead.

An example: electricity. Just take a good 220 wire, 440, or whatever, and peel all of the  you know, the rubber off of it and plug it in, hold it, and see what happens. We know what happens. We recognize that there are many physical things that we do that are governed by laws: Flight of an airplane; principles of good health. Medical professionals know that there are principles of health. What about if you smoke? You may have health problems. What about exercising, that exercise is good for your health? It's a greater understanding of these laws as time has gone on that have led to many of the modern inventions during the modern age. Electricity is an example. We didn't invent it, but, you know, it's there. And we just had to know how to go about harnessing it. What about computers, spacecraft, airplanes, you know, whatever it might be.

Now, we all understand that. That's not a  something that we would argue with. So, as I said, a rational person. You realize also that all human relationships are built on spiritual laws or spiritual principles. But here's where a problem comes in. Man is able to equate cause and effect in the physical realm, dealing with laws that govern the physical. But when it comes to spiritual laws that govern human conduct, man is not as readily connected between cause and effect.

Man and woman are having marriage difficulties, can't get along. There's a relationship problem. The man says, "The only reason we're having marriage problems is I married a lemon. I got a lemon. If I get rid of the lemon, go out and get a new one, I'll be happy." Now, does he stop and think, is there anything that I'm doing that is causing our marriage to go haywire? What is she doing to cause the marriage to go haywire? No. Man fails to see in society many times a connection between broken marriage and laws that God established to govern marriage. And there are laws that govern marriage.

Today we don't even know what marriage is in society. I mean, we do. You do. Is it between a man and a woman? Is it between a man and a man? Is it between a woman and a woman? Is it between somebody and an animal? I mean, what is marriage? I mean, this is the preposterous position that we have come to in society.

Mankind fails to see that there are spiritual principles that govern relationship in all areas. Not just between man and woman, but between what about between parents and children? What about between labor and management? What about one nation and another nation? You know, when you look at it, all peoples have difficulties seeing why they have difficulties and problems. Well, today we want to take a look at relationship between parents and children, and children and parents, and what the Bible has to say about it. In John 1  let's go over to John 1, verse 1 we read.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

V.2 He was in the beginning with God.

So here we have a being described as the Word. And in the very beginning He was with God, a separate being. Two beings here. He was with God. He was in the beginning with God. As we know the two are coeternal. They've always existed.

V.3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

So all things have been created through the Word, and He did it through the Holy Spirit. So He made and created all things. He created all things, as the Bible says, visible and invisible. Visible things are things you can see. You know, anything through your five senses that you are aware of that you can discern, you know, the physical realm.

But, you know, He also created the invisible. And among the invisible realm there's a different dimension out there. It's the dimension that spirit lives in, exists in, and it can coexist with our dimension, and we don't know it. I mean, there could be angels here in this room I'm sure there are  who are here to look after and protect.

And there are laws that have been created that are invisible to us. Not to God. I mean, He upholds them. He knows what they are. Let's go back to the book of Hebrews 1 where we read what God has done through Christ. Notice, verse 1, Hebrews 1:1.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

V.2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things Expression "heir of all things" means the whole universe. He created and appointed Christ to be heir over the universe through whom also He made the worlds; 

V.3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He Himself had purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...

So Jesus Christ upholds all the worlds. That word means to keep from failing or falling.

Let me read the New Revised Standard version of verse 3.

V.3 He is a reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being - or as others say, He is staffed with God's very character. He has the very character of God - and He sustains all things by His powerful word.

So Jesus Christ sustains. He upholds everything by His word. Now, in James 4:12 - you know, with that in mind, let's notice James 4:12. We read this.

James 4:11 But if you judge the law - that's the last part of verse 11  if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law but a judge.

V.12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

God is the great lawgiver. He gives and has given laws. There are laws that God has set in motion that govern all that He created, everything. God is not a God of confusion. God is a God of order. Everything runs according to order. We sometimes refer to physical laws and spiritual laws. Are all laws - all laws, I think in one sense, are spiritual in nature, in that you don't see them. I don't see gravity, but gravity effects something physical, matter. It affects us. All laws are spiritual in the sense that they're invisible. They're upheld by the Spirit of God, the power of God. They're a force. They also regulate the physical realm. But one day the physical will cease. There will be no more physical. The laws that govern them will no longer be necessary. The power to sustain them will still be there. The principles will cease to function.

When the kingdom of God is set up, you will no longer be subject to gravity. You know, gravity will not have any force on you. The laws that govern spiritual relationships are based upon something permanent. Do you know what that is? It's based upon something that is permanent. The evidence of scripture, if you'll remember, is that the angels were created before the physical creation. Each angel was an individual creation by God.

When the physical creation was made, we find back in Job 38, that all of the Sons of God shouted for joy. So that would indicate that the angels had not yet rebelled against God when the physical creation was brought into being. That all of the Sons of God shouted for joy, excitement that God brought the physical realm into being. God in the logos, or the Word, had always lived a certain way of life and still lived that way of life. Why? Because it's their very nature. It is what they are. 1 John 4, turn over here just a few chapters, verse 8.

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is love. Now, it doesn't say God loves. You can look at different people around the congregation. You can say, well, so and so is a very loving person. Doesn't say God's just a loving person. God is love. That's what He is. That's His nature. That's what motivates Him, everything that He does. It is all motivated by love. It all flows out of His love, His very nature. Only God's standard of living was practiced to begin with.

The angels were created as spirit beings. They were created, not complete. Well, the Bible says they were perfect. God didn't create them imperfect. But there was something not yet complete in their creation. Their character was not yet set, was not yet hardened, was not yet totally in place. They had to choose. So God shared His way of life with them. He explained His plan, His purpose. He explained to them what He was up to, what He was going to do, and how to live happily, how things would work in harmony. And we know that some of the angels then sinned. In 2 Peter 2:4, notice.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved to judgment...

So the angels sinned, and Lucifer apparently took onethird of the angels in rebellion against God, was cast down to this earth. Okay. If they sin, what did they do wrong? What is sin? 1 John 3:4 says sin is the transgression of the law. So they broke the law. They broke certain spiritual principles, and they broke the way of life that God had always lived. There was a way set in motion. That is the only way to live. Satan and his demons introduced into the universe a competing way of life that could be summarized by one word called lawlessness. Lawlessness, rebellion. The "get way" of life, selfishness, selfcenteredness, and fundamentally totally opposite from God's way.

God's way of love is outgoing concern for the other individual. So the righteous angels continued to live the way of God. They had faith that God was right, and so they chose well. Satan, or Lucifer, and the angels chose poorly. And so, therefore, you know, they chose the wrong way.

There were two ways of life extended that time: The way of God, the way He'd always lived, the way He always existed, and the way of sin that Lucifer introduced into the universe. The way of lawlessness. When God created man, remember He placed him in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 we read that God put two trees in the garden. I guess that's two. Two trees. Trees in the garden. And man was told to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man had a choice. Which way of life did he want to go? The way of God, or the way of satan the devil?

Think of the two trees from this perspective. The two trees show how man was going to relate to God and to one another. The tree of life pictures how to relate to God and mankind in the right way. And how's that way summarized? You're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your might, all your mind, your whole being to love God; and your neighbor as yourself. That is the basis of God's law. That's the fundamental principle that God operates by.

Now, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil pictured how to relate to God and mankind in a wrong manner, in a wrong way, a hurtful way, a selfish way, a getting way, your way. And so it is a mixture of good and evil. People are not totally depraved. They do some good, but it's good and evil.

So the basic question then comes down to who establishes what is right and what is wrong? Who is it who has the final say so to say: No, that's evil. That's wrong. That's sin. This is right. This is good. Who is the source of correct knowledge? And obviously, we believe God is. And we believe that this book, the Holy Bible, the scriptures reveal to us what is the right way.

Now, there are fundamental principles that God ordained to cover how parents should relate to their children and how children should relate to their parents and how we should relate to each other. These principles are based upon spiritual principles that derive their authority from God's nature, that picture what God is like. God could no more go against His law because it is His very being. It is the way He is, the way of love. He's not going to go against that. God's relationship with man is based upon love. It's demonstrated by His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy. God tells us to love Him with all of our being.

These are the principles that you and I, if we're in the kingdom of God, will live by for all eternity. We will not live by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for all eternity. We will live by the tree of life for all eternity. And these are principles that must be applied and function in our families. So I'd like to cover some of the basic principles that govern our relationship.

Now, I'm not saying if you have children that you're 100 percent guaranteed if you do this, your children will remain faithful to God. But I will guarantee you that you will increase your odds immensely by doing what is right. What is eternal is the way that God has made for us to deal with each other forever. So let's take a look at some of the fundamental principles that God has created in parent and child relationships.

And if I could summarize it, it's sort of like this: Children must know that they're loved. They must know they're loved, cherished, that they're important to their parents and special. Now, when I say special, I'm not talking about the wacky ideas that you see in society today where parents run around all the time telling their children, "Oh, you're beautiful. You're intelligent. You know, you're the greatest. You're this, you're that," and, you know, when their children really are not. You know, they're giving them quote, unquote, you know, false hope in many cases. But they're special to each one of us; are they not?

My children are special to me. You may know them. But they don't carry the same specialness to you as they do to me. And your children vice versa. So how does a young child learn this? How does a young child know that they're cherished and loved and the most important, you know, individual? How is it conveyed to teenagers? How is it conveyed to a child who's 30? To a child who's 60, if their parents are still living? The process is called bonding.

We see children today hurting one another, killing one another. Adults growing up seemingly with no conscious, no compunction. We see children today who go out and - you know, how many times over the last few years we seen a young fellow carry a rifle or gun into a school and just start randomly shooting people, killing people, going into a movie theater and start shooting other individuals.
In the book "High Risk: Children Without a Conscience," they describe a generation of young people who are growing up without a conscious and the fact that we're raising a society of psychopaths. And whether you realize it or not, some of our politicians are psychopathic in their approach. They have no remorse. Kids who kill. And in the book they address what's gone wrong, and we will take a look at some of that here today.

Today we see young people who commit crimes or violence, drug users, mixed up. You know, all kinds of problems. Mass murderers and shootings. Let's notice in 2 Timothy 3:1. It describes our age today. it says,

2 Timothy 3:1 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come.

V.2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of monies, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

V.3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good.

V.4 treacherous, and it goes on and on. Will lack natural affection, the Bible talks about. Or be inhuman. Or brutal. The word brutal means not tame. It means to be savage, to be fierce, you know, an outlaw.

Why do we see today many times young people without a conscience, antisocial behavior, no remorse? Many adults today are desensitized without feelings, narcissistic in their approach, selfcentered in their approach. Many factors that can be considered that impact this. I want to focus on a few of them here today. One factor, though, is a lack of bonding and attachment of children at an early age. Trust, love, sexual identity, bonding, all of these occur in an early period of time in a child's life. I say early. Basically within the first two years, and especially within the first year of a child's life. Psychological damage can occur unless there is the proper bonding.

Back in Titus 2, verses 35, God teaches us that the elderly women are to teach the young women to love their children, love their husbands, that we are to love our children. We're to give attention to them when they're young, because that's a very critical time period in their life. We've got to spend time with them during this period when much of their identity and emotional state is being developed. It's developed during these younger periods of time. In fact,

Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by a neglected child, a neglected child or a child left to himself.

Bonding is where a child becomes attached in a proper way to a caregiver, such as a mother or a father. Generally, this would be best if both parents are the caregiver and help to take care of the child.

Give you an example of what I'm talking about. If a mother's nursing a child, sits there rocking in a chair, cuddling that child, kissing the child, loving on the child, playing with the child, dad comes in and picks the child up and hugs it and throws it in the air and, you know, and does all kinds of things that, you know  there's an attachment. There's a bond that begins to develop.
So it's imperative that at least one child  or excuse me  one parent be the caregiver, but both need to be there, as we will see why it's vitally important. However, in our western society today we find society is structured in such a way that we tend to go in the opposite direction.

What about working mothers? How often do you find that a woman has a baby, within a month or two, she's back to work, and she's got to pursue her career. She's got to prove she's just as good as a man out there. She can do what he wants to do. Where do the children go? Well, many times children are reared by strangers, day care centers. We no longer have the enlarged family around us, like we used to, both sets of grandparents living down the street, uncles, aunts, maybe other siblings, cousins, people who can help you with your children. Always a man around. Always, you know, someone there to help. Is it that necessary for a woman to work during the first year or two that the child is going to suffer? I would say please avoid that at all costs, unless, you know, you've got others who are there that can help, like grandparents.

What about the feminist movement today where, you know, they're down on marriage? Men are, you know, anathema. And so, you know, they don't believe in this having men and women. What about the lack of a supporting father, fathers who are absent or too busy to be there with their family, too busy to look after their children, don't help with the care of their children?

We look at the  especially in this country, at the black community. I think I'd mentioned to you up through 40s and 50s, there were more black marriages that had a husband and wife than there were with whites, with the Caucasians. But all of that's changed around in the last 40 to 50 years. Look how many families were  where you find that there's not a husband present. So many children being born out of wedlock in our society today, and fathers are absent. What affect does this have on the family?

What about divorce? So many divorces taking place today. Children are taken away, separated from their father or mother and many times put in a foster home or an orphanage.

What about abuse of children? Children are abused many times sexually, physically, psychologically, emotionally, and this is what I would call the ultimate betrayal. Parents who are the ones that they should trust, depend upon, rely upon, turn against them and abuse them and betray them. And that's - you know, is another thing that we see in society. I know that abuse occurs in one out of four homes in this country, and it's probably even greater than that. Any type of disruption, such as severe illnesses, war, famine, you know, all of this creates a problem.

The proper bonding helps a child to be well adjusted, responsive, loving, trusting when they grow up to be a teenager or when they grow up to be adults. Bonding is of ultimate importance to the complete health of a child that would determine when that child grows up if they can really express love and affection when they grow up as adults and they're able to express it to someone of the opposite sex.

Attachment goes along with bonding. The sexual identity of a child is shaped in the first years of a child. This is why so many today who claim to be homosexuals actually are - you know, say, "Well, I was born this way," because they can't remember back to those early days. A child's sexual identity is generally determined by at least 3 years of age. And so it is extremely important to make sure that there is a proper attachment.

Now, what do I mean proper attachment? Two years ago, Joseph Nicolosi spoke to the Council of Elders on the subject of homosexuality. He talked about some of the myths surrounding this topic. He said homosexuality's not generally genetically determined, not born that way. Generally we're all born heterosexually. And some do have homosexual feelings, but that doesn't mean that they're homosexuals. They have to be taught, directed and guided in the right way.

He made this statement, which I will explain, that gender conformity in childhood may be the single most common observable factor associated with homosexuality. And what does that mean? Well, it simply means that it's important for a child to have a warm and loving relationship with his same sex parent. For boys, there must be a father figure. For girls, a mother figure, or someone who can step in to those roles.

How is a boy going to learn to be a boy, to fish, to hunt, to, you know, get out and wrestle, to climb, to, you know  to do the things that a boy might do unless he has an example to follow? A child must grow up having a proper relationship with his own gender. A girl with her mother. A boy with his father, or grandparents or an uncle, you know, somebody who can be there to teach and model for that child.

So that does not negate the fact that both should be involved. How's a boy going to learn how to treat his mother, how a woman should react, except by looking at his mom? And see how dad treats, you know, mom, how she responds, a loving relationship there, and grows up. Well, I want to marry somebody like mom. You know, how often do, you know, little children say something like that? And that's because they've seen generally a right example. Again, a proper family relationship is key to proper attachment, shaping the sexual identity of a child.

And I don't care what any modern feminist or anyone might tell you. It is absolutely imperative you have both parents in the family and that they are both actively involved in that family. It is critical. Men need to lead the family, show love to their children, hug their children, be involved with their children. Moms need to be totally supportive of that family relationship. It is absolutely critical.

So what are some of the fundamental principles that the youth need to learn as they mature? Let's take a look at some of these. One of them is something that's part of the ten commandments. Honor is a foundation of almost all healthy relationships. To honor, to respect. Mutual respect is essential in any family relationship, whether it's a physical family or a spiritual family. We all have the power to choose to honor others. But this requires humility, doesn't it? You know, you can walk around and say, "Well, I'm somebody. Look who I am," and strut and do all of that kind of thing, instead of choosing to honor others.

The power to choose has always been available since the Garden of Eden for human beings, when God set the two trees. He said, "Choose." Now, He told them which one to choose. You know, stay away from this one. Take this tree of life here. But, of course, sadly, Adam and Eve chose poorly. Adam and Eve actually broke  were the first to break the commandment to honor your parents, because God was their parent. They didn't listen to Him. They didn't heed Him. They didn't do what He told them. And they dishonored God and listened to satan. And the result has been the last 6,000 years of suffering, misery, violence and pain that we see extent on this earth.

Unless you are a little infant or mentally incompetent you have the power to choose your response to any given situation. Somebody comes up to you and accidentally bumps you, and, you know, well, how are you going to respond? Well, you can bump them back. That's one response. You can choose to do that. You can shove them. You can pop them in the nose. You can walk away. I mean, you have all kinds of choices that you can choose. And our children are not predetermined. Yes, we all have genetic background, and, you know, it passes on a lot of traits and all of that. But what I'm talking about, we're not predetermined that we have to react in a certain way. We're not programmed like a robot. We are free moral agents.

How you choose today often determines future choices that you'll have. If you'll choose poorly now, you're often faced with bad choices in the future. If a person chooses badly, you know, gets in, well, I - chooses bad friends who are going to influence him in the wrong way, or chooses not to go to school, or chooses, you know, whatever, 20 years from now, when they want to get married, have a family, you know, have a career all at once, they can't do anything. They don't have any training, any background. Their choices have determined basically what they're going to be able to do. Now, you can rise above that, but it takes a lot of effort, a lot of hard work.

Here's an important principle. Good decisions made today often permit good choices to be available in the future. You make the right decisions, especially as a young person, today, then tomorrow you'll be able to make good choices. If you don't, then basically you're left to choose among the lessers of the evils. And that's not where you want to go.

Now, little babies, little infants do not have the power to choose. We say that they're more reactive rather than proactive. They react to the immediate stimuli, what's going on. They don't proactively stop and think.

Now, just picture this: 3:00 in the morning. Baby wakes up. Diaper's wet. He's hungry. "Where's Mama? I'm hungry. I need to get her." And he starts crying. Now, do most babies wake up at 3:00 in the morning and say, "Well, I remember Mom had a hard day yesterday, and I know I'm wet, and I know I'm hungry, but I can wait three hours. I can wait until 6:00. I think I'll wait until 6:00, and then I will let out a scream, and mom can come and look after me." Is that the way a baby thinks? Is that how they make a choice? No. "Waaaahh," and, you know, they scream out and either dad or mom has to go get them.

Now, women, if they're nursing, are uniquely qualified to go and take care of the situation because they have the tools to be able to nurse the child. You know, Norm and I used to say, "Well, whose time is it?" And, you know, if it was my time, I'd go get the baby. I'd bring the baby to her, where she didn't have to get out of bed, and she would nurse the baby in bed.

So, you know, we realize that children are not real great at making choices at that early age. However, within a very short time, children begin to develop the capacity to choose, and they can choose. This happens before many parents fully realize it. I've seen so many parents say, "Well, I'm not going to try to correct my children until they're old enough to talk and know what's going on, and, you know, I can reason with them. And then, you know, we'll start training and discipline." You've lost it. You've already lost the battle at that point.

On the other hand, some parents go too far with their children. They give them too many choices. Be a real small toddler. "Well, what do you want to wear today?  What do you want to eat today? Where do you want go today?" And, you know, you're letting them make all the choices. You know, "Put this on. Eat your beans or whatever. You know, let's go."

How do you know when a child has reached the point where they can choose? If you have a little baby, how do you know when they've come to the point where they can choose? When a child begins to tell you "no," he has the power to choose, doesn't he? What just happened when a child  you say, "Pick up your toys." "No." What just happened? He made a choice not to obey you. He knows what you said because he said no. So now, he's not going to obey you. He has chosen to disobey. What are you going to do? Well, you get down and pick all his toys up, you play right into his hands.

So the next time he's going to say "no" again, and you'll do the same thing and the same thing. First thing you know, he has you jumping through hoops, instead of the other way around. So there comes a point that I don't ever remember that - I'm sure they did, but our children saying "no." That was anathema, you know, in our home. You didn't say no. You just  you know, they didn't always obey, and they  but they didn't, you know, try to argue back that way.

You know, at that point, a parent has a responsibility to begin teaching the way of humility, respect and honor. We must teach our children the way of honor. You ever stop to think, here's a commandment. Do we teach our children how to honor others? How to honor you? Because it will affect their relationship for the rest of their lives. When they start dating, do they honor and respect the women they're dating, or vice versa? Do they respect them? You know, so we have to teach our children the way of honor and how to honor others.

What about taking children to a rest home and letting them see the elderly and maybe bring them gifts, bring them candy, or come over and sit with them, read to them, sing to them, do things of this nature, where they begin to realize that they need to reach out and think beyond themselves.

When a child talks back, shows defiance, refuses to follow clear specific instructions from the parent, they are dishonoring their parents. They are breaking that law, and you need to instruct them. Doesn't Exodus 20:12 tell us:

Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord; this is right. This is good. Honor your father and mother. And this is the first commandment with promise.

The ability or power to choose a response that considers more than the self is an important mark of maturity, where you're not just considering yourself. I want it. You know, too often children say, "I want to," you know, they want something. Well, what about sharing your toy with Joe over here? "Mine. Mine." You know, they don't want to share that toy. So they've got to learn how to share, how to give. And how do you teach that? Well, you've got to work with them.

As children grow older, they become more selfaware and they should become more and more accountable for their decisions and their actions. And so we need to work with them to help them develop humility, to think of others, not to always be selfish, thinking only of the self. The emotional quotient of a child is often something that parents overlook entirely. The emotional quotient of children will often be far lower than their IQ, their intelligence quotient.

Developing consideration for others, honoring others, is a very important part of emotional development in children. Too often parents only focus on academics at 2. My child is reading at 3. You let him quote Shakespeare at 4. You know, they're entering into college. Whatever it might be, you know, they're always pressing those children to excel. Nothing, you know, wrong with them learning. But too many children grew up without a childhood and, you know, they never learned to go out under a tree with a can or something and pretend it's a car and make highways and, you know, just learn to be a child.

Consideration for others is a fundamental part of Godly character that our children need to develop. We need to recognize that achieving emotional maturity is part of the foundation of Godly character. A lot of people can intellectually agree with God's way but, you know, it's got to become something that, you know, becomes a part of us. That as we grow up our children learn to instill some selfcontrol in themselves, respect others.

God's commandment to honor your parents isn't just a good idea. It is critical to the Godly development in ultimate eternal life of young people. It gives them a head start. It puts them on the right path to go in the right way. We help our children to mature, and we don't want them to develop a victim mindset. Today we see so many people who have what I'd call a victim mindset. A victim mindset thinks the problem is out there. The problem isn't with me. Ha, who even thinks such a thing? The problem's out there. A victim mindset justifies irresponsible behavior. The more irresponsible a child behaves, the more they should be held accountable. And so this is something that parents should look out for. The basic principles in child rearing as a parent, you need to be consistent with your children, correct a child's mindset and teach him selfcontrol. See, we've got to get at the attitude in dealing with young people and not allow excuses to be made.

Have you ever noticed how often a parent will make excuses for their child? Now, I know children, young children especially, do get tired. Do get upset. They have hard days and all of that. But too often, you know, a child can be a little older, "Well, he just had a rough day." And so we're always making excuses for them, why they act the way they do. "Well, he's restless, you know. He's been up early. He can't sit still; therefore, you know, this is why he's doing what he does." And many times we're teaching the child to have a victim mindset.

How will they act when they grow up and they're thwarted in certain ways? They don't get their ways. You know, we have a whole younger generation who are going to work now applying for jobs, and they're absolutely dumbfounded that, you know, they're not the greatest thing on earth when they go in for an employee interview and they find out that, you know, they're not going to be accepted just as you are. You know, you've got to come in, dress up. You've got to present yourself well. Got to be able to talk the English language. Got to be able to write. Got to know something. And so, you know, children have been taught that they're the greatest thing since sliced butter, and so, therefore, you know, they think that everybody, when they grow up, are going to treat them the same way. It doesn't work that way.

Are we principlecentered in dealing with our children, or are we selfcentered? We need to be principlecentered. The decisions we make now determine our actions. The actions we take are based on decisions we make, and they form our example before others. We bear fruit.

Let's look at some of the victim mindset that people can have. You know, they blame everything on somebody else. Blame everything on their past, on their emotions, on psychological wounds, past failures. They blame genetics. They blame their parents. They blame the school system. They blame their teacher. They blame their mate. They blame the government. They blame the economy. They blame the church. They blame the minister. And, ultimately, they blame God. You know, why did God make us this way? And, you know, they begin to blame God for all of these.

Honor is the foundation on which all relationships should be based.  Now, all human relationships are based on spiritual values and principles. I've only scratched the surface on what we're covering here today. And, you know, we've barely gotten into it. And, you know, I'd like to continue to talk about some of these principles here for the future.

We've covered three things that are essential to the proper development of a child. Bonding. That builds trust and love in a child. And if that's developed early on, cemented in there as they grow up, they will become a loving, outgoing child, and they will trust their parents.

Their gender identification or attachment is vital, and it's important. You know, there's one thing that many may think is odd when it comes to gender identification. One of the things that you find that organizations like Exodus, that help homosexuals who come out of homosexuality, one of the things that they teach, which may be the opposite of what you think, is that a male homosexual must develop relationships with other males. See, he's got to learn to bond with males in a right way. So here's a family, and so he goes out, this family, over a weekend maybe. They go fishing. They go boating. They go hunting. You know, they do things together. He sees this man, how he's dealing with his children, and he has a right relationship with a man, and there's nothing sexual going on. And so they begin to realize that you can have a relationship other than, you know, a wrong relationship with another man. Same thing with a woman. You know, works both ways.

Then honor and respect. We need to realize that these principles will continue on forever. You and I are to be bonded to God, brethren. We're to grow up in what we learn. We learn to love God. How? With all of our heart, with all of our soul, all of our mind, our might. We love our neighbors, ourselves. So we bond to God. We learn to trust God. This is where faith comes in. Faith is transmitted into trust relying upon God.

So a child grows up loving his parents, trusting them, relying upon them. And we grow up relying upon God, bonding with Him, trusting Him, looking to Him, and we look to Him for guidance and help. There is to be an attachment to God. We follow His example. We know what His example's like, because the four books in the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - show how God on the earth would live. Christ came to the earth. He was God in the flesh. And so we see His example. And there should be nothing that would separate us from Him.

And we honor God and respect all members of the family of God forever. Because there's going to come a time after the Last Great Day, the eighth day, when all human beings have had an opportunity for salvation, given their chance, and you're either no more or you're a member in the family of God.

What principles are going to govern that relationship in the kingdom of God? How are you going to treat other family members in the family of God? How will you respond to God? Well, there will be this love and respect and honor for God. We will see His example. We will follow, you know, what He tells us. We will see how He deals with others.

And this is where all of us in a congregation  it doesn't matter if there's only one child in the congregation, we all have a responsibility to set a right example so that they see the right example. They see people who are turned on, motivated, love God, love His way and want to go His way. And, you know, they see that, and they see people who honor one another. We're not talking down, you know, and putting down other people.

So the principles apply on how we treat one another today, how we treat our families today, how we rear our children today, but they're also principles that will be applied forever in the family of God.

[Steve Myers] Well, you don't have to look at the church for too long to realize that Christians aren't perfect at all, at all. Unchristian Christians. In fact, it's not so secret secret of Christians that actually, at times, we're not very good followers of Jesus Christ.

Have you ever been hurt that someone acted in a way that just seemed wrong? That's just isn't right? That's unfair? Or maybe you watched a situation from a distance and you saw them act that way. And that wasn't right. What were they doing? What were they thinking in acting that way? Or maybe you just heard of an issue. You heard of a situation that just was wrong. After all, they're fellow church members. What's their deal? Shouldn't they know better?

I mean, obviously, they're not living up to the standard. Does that happen? Absolutely, it happens. You're not perfect. I'm not perfect. And we know when we don't measure up to the standard, it can be pretty obvious, especially when we fall short and when we're challenged with those types of situations. Because the truth is, there is always going to be difficult people. It's always going to be that way.

What do you do about that? What do you with a fellow member of the body of Christ who just rubs you the wrong way? They're just irritating. And maybe you work together, maybe you live together, perhaps you study together, serve together, maybe you play volleyball together. Well, that's the way the circumstances are, you're stuck together.

So how do you react to those kinds of situations when you experience unchristian Christian behavior, especially when you don't particularly like them? They shouldn't be acting that way, right? So what's the appropriate response? What do we do? How do we handle that?

I think, to begin with, we have to recognize that I can't make it my excuse. This is not an excuse for me. And oftentimes, it seems that's the way I have a tendency to take that. What do I mean by that? "Well, I saw that. I know how they are. I know why they did that. I saw them do something like that a couple of weeks ago, that's obviously who they are. And, you know, I might forgive them, but let me tell you, I'm not going to forget what they did. I'm not going to forget what they said. And after all, that justifies my attitude towards them, because just look at that. I can obviously criticize them because they deserve it. They deserve it, after all, right?"

Well, does that wrong behavior, if it even is, does that justify my unchristian attitude? You see, the challenge is I'm accountable before God for what I'm supposed to be doing regardless of what anyone else is doing. And I can't let my feelings, I can't let my emotions, I can't let my decisions be ruled by somebody else's actions.

I ran across a meme that maybe you saw on the internet as well. They're all over the place. But when we think about it, don't make their behavior my excuse, when we think about that, I think this meme comes into play. This one's been shared hundreds and hundreds of thousands of times. And it goes like this, "Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness right out of you."

Have you seen that one? Maybe you gave it a thumbs up? "Yeah, that's right. Don't let them do that to you." Well, wait a second. What is that really saying? I mean, that's saying, "I deserve better. I deserve better than that. I deserve to feel good all of the time. That's my right that I should always feel good. And so I can gauge somebody else's behavior. And if I don't like it, they're out. I mean, I'm the umpire, right? I get to choose, I get to decide, I can label them. And I don't like that. And I want to feel good. So forget them. Forget them. I don't like that. And I'm not going to hang out with them."

So what do you do? What do you do when it's a difficult friend? Maybe it's your annoying neighbor. Maybe it's that needy person right here in this room. They just kind of get under your skin. Yeah, they're a fellow church member, but, boy, it's a trial. So what do I do with that?

And the Bible is pretty specific. And it gives us instruction after instruction that it's not really hard to follow. It's not difficult to understand. It's not overwhelming. Pretty crystal clear when you get right down to it. And it doesn't just tell us once, it tells us the same thing over and over and over and over again.

One place, Romans 14, let's take a look there for a moment. You see, all too often, I make it my excuse for putting the finger on somebody else and absolutely understanding their motivation and why they did what they did so that I can blame them. And I can treat, at least in my mind, I can come to some conclusion about what a lousy Christian they are.

But instead, God inspired Paul to remind us that's not the way to be. That's not the way to be. Romans 14, right at the beginning of the chapter, we're reminded, "Receive one who is weak in the faith." Now, that's assuming they're the weak one. Maybe I need to turn that mirror around and think, "Well, maybe I'm the weak. Maybe I'm the one that's weak." And it can mean a little one, no doubt.

But it doesn't say kick them out, label them, destroy their character, talk about them behind their back, assume that you understand everything about why they did what they did. No, it doesn't say any of those things. It actually says welcome them.

When you look up this word to receive, some of the other translations say, accept them, don't put them off, don't refuse them. You see because so many things go along with that. When we make an excuse for our behavior, what is that really doing?

If we skip down to verse 10, this is exactly what we're doing, "Why do you judge your brother?" "Oh, I'm not judging. I'm just discerning their wrong behavior." Well, we like to get away with that, don't we? No, this word here is krino in the Greek, that's not discernment, that's condemnation. That's pointing to the put-down. That's pointing to the label we place.

"Why do we judge our brother? Why do we show contempt?" Because do we really know the whole story? He says, "For we all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. As it's written: 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, every tongue shall confess to God.’" Don't make it an excuse for wrong behavior. He says, "Each of us shall give account of himself to God."

And so, when I see unchristian Christian behavior, what's my first reaction to that? Is it to step back and own up to my own life? Or do I tend to get sidetracked because somebody else's may be sidetracked a little bit? Or do I really understand that everyone, every one of us is fighting our own battles? Everybody's going through something, every one of us.

Can we say that "I've never had a bad day?" Everybody had a bad day. And over and over and over again, God's Word tells us to receive one who's weak in the faith. And maybe uses different words at different times, but the message is clear.

Just a page back in my Bible, Romans 12:10 is another one of those passages that says much the same thing. Romans 12:10, "Be kindly affectionate to one another,” receive one, same concept, isn't it? "Be kindly affectionate… with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another."

So instead of making an excuse for my wrong behavior, I'm supposed to receive them, I'm supposed to be nice to them. I'm supposed to honor them, I'm supposed to, well, sometimes, it says esteem them better than myself. Isn't Philippians say that? That's what I'm supposed to do, and it tells us that over and over and over again, instead of making an excuse for why I do what I do.

I mean, do we really get it though? And that's the challenge. Do we really get it? Okay, I've heard that. I understand that. But have I really learned how to apply that to my own life?

I was taken back a little bit. A while ago, when I read an article online, it was at GQ.com, and a little notification caught my attention because of the title, you know, the clickbait that's out there sometimes that gets your attention. Well, you know, the line that got my attention? It said, "21 Books You Don't Have to Read." It's, like, cool. I'm in the saving time. That's great. I don't want to have to, I don't like reading that much anyway. So what do I have not to worry about? So it got me.

So go to GQ.com, 21 books I don't have to read. I start going down the list. One, yeah, I don't care about that. I don't care about that. I get to number 12. Guess what number 12 of the 21 books that you don't have to read was? The Bible. The Bible. I said, “Whoa, wait a second.” I mean, it even took it a step farther in the little description of why you don't have to read it. It said, "It's probably the most overrated book of all time."

When we go, "Oh, wow." Why would they say that? And should that really take us back? See, that doesn't sound right, because I'm supposed to be a Christian. But the article went on and it said, the Holy Bible is rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it, but in actuality, have not read it.

Now, you might say, "Yeah, that's their opinion. You can't believe everything you read." It's a fact. It's a fact. They've done studies after studies after studies. American Bible Society, they did a survey, how many American households own a Bible. What percentage? 87% of American households own a Bible. Okay, the Bible is revered in America, right?

Now, wait, not so fast. LifeWay Research did a survey not very long ago. And that survey found a number of interesting things that I just want to bring to your attention. Well, we think we know what the Bible says. And the disconnect there is between what we think it says and actually knowing it, reading it, and then applying it to our lives becomes a whole different thing. LifeWay Research found this, they said “Americans have a positive view of the Bible and many say Christian scriptures are filled with moral lessons for today.”

But we'd agree with that, right? Of course, the Bible's valuable. There's so many lessons we can learn and apply its moral teachings, no doubt about that. But you know what else they found? When it came to actually how many people have read it, more than half of Americans have read little or any of the Bible. None of it. None of it. Except it also found in the survey that 4 in 10 Americans say it's a book worth reading. In fact, not just reading once, it's a book worth reading over and over and over.

But do we? But do we really? And here's the kicker. Talking about religious people, the survey said, almost one in five churchgoers… How much do you think they read the Bible? One in five churchgoers say they've never read the Bible. It's kind of a scary thought.

Now the challenge is, if it's out there, is it in here? I mean, could this be us? You see, when it comes to feelings about the Bible and actually reading it, then putting it to use, and applying its teachings, I think it's fair to say that there is a major disconnect. We have a cognitive dissonance in the church when it comes to the Bible, especially if we say, "Well, society, they're so terrible. The culture today is so awful, they should recognize that the Bible is a relevant book."

I mean, isn't it our responsibility to actually act like the Bible is a relevant book? And yet, when it comes to dealing with each other, when it comes to dealing with unchristian Christian behavior, do we really put the principles of the Bible into effect? Honor one another, esteem one another, give preference to another. How many times do we have to be told to do that and actually get it and understand it?

I mean, 1 Peter 2:17 is one of those that really should cause us to pause and maybe step back just a little bit to see the significance of what God is reminding us of in this particular passage. I mean, it's another one that reminds us, "Okay, we got to treat each other kindly."

Yes, we have to do that. Peter puts it in terms of honoring one another. Notice what he says, 1 Peter 2:17, he begins, "Honor all people." Okay, not just the ones I like, not just the ones I get along with, not just the… no, even the ones that irritate me, even the ones that may not act properly all the time.

"Honor all people." He says, "Love the brotherhood." Take honor to the next level, take it to love. Love your brothers and sisters in Christ. He said that demonstrates the fear of God, fear God. And then he says, "Honor the king." That's kind of, "Huh? Really?" kind of a statement, isn't it?

I mean, put yourself back in the first century, what king are we talking about here? We're talking about the Roman Caesars. We're talking about the emperors. I'm supposed to honor them? Talk about unchristian behavior. They're slaughtering us. They're killing Christians. And yet here is God directing the early church to honor the leader of the known world who's persecuting and murdering Christians. And I'm supposed to honor that? I'm supposed to find anything to honor in that? I'm supposed to honor a wicked leader.

That's what it says. We're supposed to honor everyone we come in contact with. Can we find a way to do that? Because, after all, it's a lot easier to put people down. Maybe we don't do it directly. Maybe we don't say it out loud. Maybe it just goes around in our minds. But if we've been doing that, we've got to stop. We have to stop that and we have to truly repent. We have to stop making excuses, "Well, because they did that it gives me the right to do this."

And God is telling us it is possible to honor people. Even if you've been mistreated, even if they haven't acted like a Christian, even if I disagree with them, I can find a way, even if they've misbehaved. God says, "Yes, it's possible." And if we don't show honor, if we don't respect one another, if we don't give preference to each other, we are not representing our great and honorable God.

And that's the challenge that lies before us. How do we react? How do we act when we experience unchristian Christian behavior? Can't use it as an excuse. So what's the right response?

We've got to keep in mind, I don't see everything. I don't see the whole picture. Could there be a side that maybe isn't obvious to me that I don't really see it? I mean, how many times does the Bible tell us about another behavior that should be on our mind constantly? I mean, it tells us don't judge by appearances, right? We got this saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Don't judge by appearances.

Well, hard not to. I mean, do I really believe the best in people? Do I do have a tendency to believe, "Well, I saw it with my own eyes. That must be the case, it's got to be that attitude, it must be." Or do I believe everything that I hear? Is that my perspective? Should it be?

I got to remember, I don't see everything. Colossians 3:13 is certainly a reminder of this principle. Colossians 3:13. Here's another one of those passages. Wow, it's straightforward. It tells it straightaway. It's not anything surprising, you know or would send earthquake waves through my thinking. It's just a practical everyday Christian point of view that has to be how I should think and how I should behave.

Colossians 3:13. You see because God knew we're people, and we have issues and we have problems. No wonder He says this. Colossi, the church had that, and so Paul reminds them bear with one another, we should be “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another." And that bearing, we've talked about this before, it means putting up with each other, putting up with people. And then taking it to the next level, and forgiving them.

It says if anyone has a complaint against another… Oh, of course, that never happens. I never have any complaints about anybody. I love all people. Well, sometimes we kid ourselves and like, "Yeah, I'm a whiner. I'm a complainer. I'm going to be honest with myself." Well, if I do, “even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Not, "It would be a nice if you tried to do…" No, if I claim to be a Christian, I must do.

You mean I have to make allowances for other people and their problems and their issues and their behavior, their faults? That's what He's saying. But that's a hard thing to do because it doesn't come naturally, does it?

You see, we have a tendency. Do we do this? We have this tendency to put people in a box. We put people in a box. And I've got to admit to myself, that's what I do. Because I have my perspective. I have my opinion. I have my prejudices. And if I'm going to deal with those things, I got to recognize the fact I do that. That's what I do. I want to frame people and put them right there because I want to boil down exactly who you are and bring it down to that characteristic, that trait, that attitude and categorize you, and put you in this box because then I have defined you. This is who you are. This is who you are.

And we tend to do that because it makes it simple. It makes it simple that way. And, you know, I kind of like to do that. I have to admit that. But that's wrong. And it might not be that box, but maybe it's this box.

People love boxes. People build boxes. And boxes are simple and they're convenient because I don't have to look at the whole thing. I can look at that little action, that thought, that assumption that I made. That's them. That's who they are. That's what they're all about. Nice, neat, little box.

Let me give you an example. Okay. I got aggravated, I got upset. It was a difficult situation. Someone was watching and, all right, maybe it wasn't very Christian, but, boy, I found out that's who I am. And that one issue became my identity in their eyes. That problem defined me in their eyes.

I mean, was that fair? Was that fair to judge me? Was I accused unfairly? I mean, I'd like to think so. I mean, obviously, that individual didn't know the full picture. They didn't know everything about me. I was judged by one circumstance, okay, one piece of evidence, but suddenly, that's who I was. That was the definition of my character being defined by that one issue.

And they didn't know the full picture. They didn't really know much about who I am. But I was reduced to that one flaw, that one issue. That's who I was. And that's where they were going to keep me. And that opinion was just imposed right upon me. But what about the rest of my character? What about these other things that I'm made of? Ignored, put aside, really taken away from me.

And you see, these kinds of circumstances come up fairly often, don't they? And how do we handle those things? I mean, that kind of hurt. It kind of hurt. Okay, maybe I wasn't that perfect. But to frame my life as that, that's not who I am. That's not who I want to be.

Another example. It wasn't told to me by the person, but it came from another person who was told this very thing. You know, what they were told? Steve Myers couldn't give a serious sermon if his life depended on it. It's true. It was said. It was said.

Now, the interesting thing is the person that they said this to said, "Oh, have you listened to some of his sermons?" And you know what the answer was? “No. No.” All right, I like to joke around, I tell jokes here and there. You know, I like to have fun. But am I that person? No, I just was taken, put into the nice little box. That's who I am.

And you see, that happens to all of us. And sometimes we're the ones putting the people in the boxes. We're the ones recognizing this misbehavior that we assume is misbehavior, maybe we don't even really know or we saw this and assume that or label this. And we say that's who they are. And these boxes, they push us aside and they divide us. They divide us.

And we've got to come to the conclusion that this is what we do. This is what we do because it's our natural tendency, isn't it? Or maybe you can think of it a different way. This is human nature. This is human nature to do this very thing. Our brains, in a sense, are hard-wired to categorize people and minimize them. And our human nature gets the best of us at times. And we want to reduce those people to that one quality or those two things that they did, and put them in that box. It gets smaller and tighter and more of a ring around who they are.

And when we reduce someone to that level, we've defined who they are, at least in our minds. Is that their best moment? No, do we do this? What about those offhanded kind of things we say? I mean, I never reduce people into a box, do I?

I mean, I couldn't help it, but that jerk on the highway cut me off. I just reduced them, didn't I? Oh, I never do that. I've never cut anybody off. Have I? I wouldn't do that. They're just a basket case they couldn't handle it. You know, they could…

Well, wait a second. Do we say those things? Do we think those things? Nah, they couldn't organize their way out of a paper basket, right, a paper bag?

Yeah, we do those things. And we take the low points of a person's life and then we assume that's who they are. Well, have we done that? Do we continue to do that? I mean, if we're honest with ourselves, I think we have to say, "Yes. Yes."

I was reminded of this a while back by doing something I really don't like to do because I put these things in a nice box myself. You know what that was? Watching a chick flick. Okay, guys, you got to admit it, you probably done it. You probably done it. I had to watch this chick, at least the first time anyway. And you know what that flick was? Legally Blonde. Legally Blonde. Talk about categorizing people.

This was kind of an interesting movie in that regard because, of course, the star of the show is Reese Witherspoon, blonde. It was definitely a chick flick. And she is the ditziest girl at the beginning of the show, and you just put her in that box. Yup. Of course, all blondes are like that. You know she's just wacky, don't have it together.

And her boyfriend dumps her because, "You know, if I'm going to be a senator and a big shot, I can't be married to some ditzy blonde." So he dumps her and he goes to Harvard. Well, she decides she wants to go to Harvard. He's like, "Oh, yeah, what a joke. No way, that's not possible."

Well, she goes there. And she comes to the conclusion, "Boy, people have put me in a box." At one point in the show, she says, "All people see when they look at me is blonde hair." And yes, she was into fashion. And she carried around a little doggy and different kinds of things that…

But you know what? She gets into Harvard. And she doesn't quit. And she proves herself and she's perceptive and her teachers are shocked because they had her in a box too. And then, this boyfriend who she used to have is a real loser and he ends up being on the other end of the spectrum. But she answers the hard questions in class and she's pretty amazing with her intuition.

And she gets into the courtroom because she becomes a lawyer. And she ends up winning the court case. And everybody's impressed with her. And yeah, she's blonde and her voice is kind of squeaky and kind of high and definitely girly, girly. No doubt about that. But she was smart. You couldn't really put her in a box. In fact, she breaks out of that mold and becomes the valedictorian of the class.

I think it's just such a good reminder of just our human tendencies. And we do that to each other. We have this superficial judgment that we've concluded things and this must be right because I pass judgment on them. And what is it based on? "Well, that time, they did that, and did you hear what? I heard about that."

When we pass judgment on appearances, what does the Bible say about that when we don't see the whole picture? John 7:24, here's an example of Christ. We're familiar with this. We know what He says here. Just to remind ourselves, in this scenario, of breaking out of the box, and not placing people and forcing them into this label that we've created, Christ says very clearly, same thing that He told Samuel way back when he was going to anoint a new king. We see this over and over again through Scripture.

Verse 24, Christ's own words, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." So when we do this, and we come to our conclusions, it's sinful. Don't say it's just my opinion. It's not that big of… No, it's sin. It is sin. It's not fair. It's not right. That's unchristian. That's unchristian. And especially when we see these situations, and we assume this or we've made this defining issue the overriding character trait of this individual.

Well, that's not the case. And if that's not the case, what is it? It's a lie. It's a lie. Your interpretation is wrong. And it becomes a lie. When we accuse someone, whether it's even only in our own mind, "of that's who they are, that's what they do, I saw that one time they did this," that is an outright lie. And you've made an accusation against a fellow brother or sister.

Who is the accuser of the brethren? We know that. We know that's Satan and that is sinful to do that because we put them in this box. And that gives them no opportunity to change, no opportunity to grow, no opportunity to really even be themselves, to be who they really are.

Aren't you glad God isn't like that? God's not like that. What a blessing that is. And I've got to catch myself when I start categorizing people in that way. I've got to recognize the fact that they're on a journey too. They're on this grand journey to the Kingdom. And I've got to recognize that fact that the story's not done yet. The trip isn't over yet. And I can't label them in that way because I don't see the full picture.

And that's a reminder, who does? Who does see it all? Who sees it all? Well, God, the Father, and Jesus Christ see it all. So I've got to step back and recognize, "Yeah, they're under construction. So am I. So am I." You've probably seen that sign, “Christian under construction” and the subheading is, “God's not done with me yet.”

You see, we've got to keep that picture in mind because that's how I hope people would view me. I hope people see me that way because it really comes down to treating others the way that I want to be treated. It's being merciful, showing graciousness, especially when we need it because we do need it. We do need it.

Even though we're all on this journey. We're heading to the same destination. We're heading to the Kingdom. And yes, we fall short. Yes, we're sinners. And that's part of the reason we're here. Probably, the reason we're sitting here at church today so that we can stay on task, we can have the right perspective, so that we don't give up on each other because we know God's not giving up on us. He's not giving up on me. And so I need to continue to love and continue to serve even if there's unchristian behavior.

It is interesting when you consider how we deal with that, how I react to unchristian Christian behavior. I mean, when we consider the fact that it's not my excuse, I can't use that as an excuse. I don't see the whole picture.

But a third thing that comes to mind is also working against the inclination to distance ourselves from them. Don't we have that tendency? Don't decide to distance yourself from people in those kinds of situations. "Yeah, but I wouldn't want to deal with them. They're obviously in a bad attitude." Or, "How could they do that thing?" Or, "Why did they say that?" Or, "It seems like they acted that way?"

Well, think about it for a moment. Our ultimate example is Christ. What did Christ do? How did Christ react to unchristian Christian behavior? Well, who did He hang out with after all? Okay. He had the 12 disciples. Yeah, the guys that became apostles. Yeah, those guys He hangs out with them.

But other than that, who did He hang with? Sinners, prostitutes, maybe the worst of all, tax collectors. That's who Christ hung out with. And when we consider His behavior, it wasn't just that He thought that was a good idea or He was making up for their deficiencies. He wasn't just talking the talk, He was living it and showing it. In fact, He went the full distance that He girded up His loins and He gave His life and died because of that kind of behavior. And it's such a reminder.

I mean, people would look on and criticize Christ for doing that very thing. And they see, "Oh, that's terrible. How could a righteous man be with these kinds of people?" And we find ourselves in that same frame of mind at times, don't we? That we find the faults, and we see the problems, and we see the bad attitudes. "Well, I saw that action." And we look for it. I mean, what are we looking for? What are we looking for?

I was reminded of that when I was reading an article about racing. We just had the beginning of the race season, just about a week or so ago. And I was reading this little article about Mario Andretti. And for those of you who are not into racing, he won all kinds of races: Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Formula One World Championship. The guy was amazing, you know, many, many years ago. In fact, he was only one of two drivers to win Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR as well. So the guy knows how to race, right?

So they asked Mario Andretti, "What would be your one tip for success in race car driving?" Now, if you think about that, I can think of all kinds of things. Keep your hands on the wheel, you know, and finish the race faster than everyone else. That would be good. Right? Yeah, that'd be a no brainer.

But he didn't say any of those kinds of things. You know what he said? He's number one tip for success in racecar driving. Mario Andretti said, "Don't look at the wall." Don't look at the wall. He said, "Your car goes where your eyes go." Your car goes where your eyes go.

And so he went on to say when young drivers are starting to race, this is one of the most critical lessons that they learn, when you're driving 200 miles an hour, you better focus on the road in front of you because if you look at the wall, you're going to end up hitting it. It makes sense. That makes sense, doesn't it? You start looking at the wall, you're going to see it and you're going to hit it.

Doesn't that apply to us in the spiritual sense? You want to look for faults? Why you think you'll find them? Yeah, easy to find that wall. I mean, we all have those kinds of walls in our actions and our attitudes and our behaviors. And we sure don't need a magnifying glass to find those faults right here in the Body of Christ. Get that magnifying glass out too much?

Maybe we can flip it around a little bit. Take that magnifying glass. But instead when we're examining others, is it possible to look for the evidence of God at work? God at work in their life? Can we look for that instead of seeing, well, the obvious thing that's just not Christian? Do we find evidence that God is at work? I mean, no matter how messed up my actions might be, is it possible to detect God's doing something in their life?

"Yeah, okay. Maybe He is working there." If I really look for it, can I find it? Would I see it especially if I get out that magnifying glass? Absolutely. I mean, after all, how many of us have entirely put on the character of Christ? I mean, the Bible says that a lot put on Christ. Is that like getting this gigantic spiritual jumpsuit, "[Vocalization] I've got it."?

No, you put on clothing. You put it on a piece at a time, don't you? Pull-on your socks, you know get on your shirt, put on your… And that takes time. It takes time to put it on and yet we want to catch someone that went, "Oh, look at that. Look at that." Well, do we see the spiritual socks and the spiritual shirt that are there?

I mean, even using that, magnifying glass to find even a glimmer of hope rather than seeing the negative, rather than seeing the problem, maybe it's just a flicker. Maybe it's just a hint of the fruit. But can we highlight the hint? Can we focus on that and appreciate that and even thank God for that?

You see, I think that's exactly what Christ did. He did that very thing. He focused on those strengths that people had. And that takes away then our ability to criticize and condemn others. And we can't let what someone else even did to me linger. If that's been a hurt, I can't let that hurt stay because then I'm going to become bitter. And it's going to take root. And I've got to find a way to let that pass thing be in the past.

No matter how tempting it might be to say, "You know, what they did? You know what they said? You know, how they acted? You know, what they did on the basketball court? You know, what he said? I overheard him do that." You know, it's easy to say, "Well, I could just tell other people, I could smear their name around the congregation. I mean, people do it online all the time, don't they?"

We've got to resist that temptation and we can't act the same way that they may have acted. And yet, we have kind of this little desire to want somebody else to hear about it, somebody else to agree with me, and then join me in commiserating about how unreasonable or how immature so and so is? You see, we have that tendency to want to spread the pain.

But that's not the answer. I mean, even if it might make us feel better for a little bit, that is definitely not the answer because gossip damages our relationships. God says love is forgiving. And if we repeat that offense through gossip, through sin, yeah, we got them in that box, and we're not going to let them grow right out of that. And so, we've entrenched this person in our mind, in this negative image. And ultimately, we deny the gospel through our actions.

And we're told very clearly, Proverbs 17:9, just a short, little insightful comment that really gives us the direction when we have that temptation to label, to categorize, to put people in a box, to forget that I don't have the big picture, to try to distance myself rather than to build bridges, Proverbs 17:9 comes into play. I mean, just the beginning of this passage, it reminds us, it says, "He who covers a transgression seeks love," seeks love. So what's our view? What's our view?

Have you ever had a caricature done? Anybody ever have a caricature done? We used to live in New Orleans, and they used to make money, artists would be out on the square and they would do caricatures. Yeah, it can be kind of fun, kind of interesting.

So one day, Kathe and I went to get our caricature done. What could be more fun than that? Now, I know, I don't have the smallest schnoz in the world. But why did that guy have to make it like three feet long? It's like, "Come on. That's not who I am." And then to add insult to injury, down at my foot, he drew a little doggie. And it was lifting his leg on me.

It's like, really? Is that who I am? Well, we do that to people, don't we? We see that glaring thing, that issue, that problem, that thing that I can't avoid looking at because look at how big that is. But we got to get rid of the… We were not godly artists when we do that kind of thing. I mean, we've got to make a conscious choice not to see the caricature, don't we? We can't look at others in that way.

God reminds us that He doesn't look at us that way. A beautiful passage over in Isaiah 43. Let's take a quick look there. Isaiah 43:16. Here we have God's perspective. Well, you talk about the opposite of caricature and putting in boxes and labeling people, here God says that is not the way that He is. It's not the way that we should be. And He uses His own perception as our ultimate example.

Look at verse 16 in Isaiah 43, "Thus says the Lord," so here's God Himself talking. It says, "He makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters.” He says He “brings forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the power (they’ll lie down together, and they won't rise."

Okay, that takes us right back to ancient Israel, escaping out of Egypt, God took care of the Israelites and caused the sea to come back together and wipe them out. Right? They weren't going to get out of that. It says “They're extinguished, they're quenched like a wick.”

But then He says, "You know, you guys were in a box. You guys are slaves. Your identity was an enslaved people. But you know what? I don't see you that way. That is not who you are. That is not the entire picture."

He says, verse 18, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old." “I don't see you that way because that's not who you are. That bad experience, that awful categorization of who you thought you might have been, who Pharaoh wanted to put you in that box.” He says, “That's not the real way it is."

He says, verse 19, "Behold, I will do a new thing." Let's talk about our potential. Let's talk about what's on the horizon. Let's talk about what should be and what can be, and you rely on me, what will be, what will be. So we've got to forget, the things of old. That's what God wants us to do.

And ultimately, then, we are His people. Because He says, verse 21, "I've formed this people for Myself." So we can be godly in our perception, godly in our opinions, godly in our character. And so we could put those things behind and quit distancing ourselves from others.

And certainly, as we consider how we react to unchristian behavior…  Boy, Israelites are a great example. How many times could God have said, "Wow, you guys are awful. Really? You got to have manna? Really? You got to have some quails? Come on, can you rely on Me? Am I going to take care of you or not?"

You see, God didn't put them in that box. And God blessed them in spite of who they were. And when we are faced with those types of things, I think it should always remind us the right response is to pray. We've got to pray about these things. I mean, sometimes, "Whoa, look what they did. That's the kind of last thing I want to do. I want to get even instead of pray for them. Are you kidding me?"

But you know, once you turn to God, you put it into His hands. We talk to God. We don't talk to other people. We layout the situation before Him. I think it should cause us to step back and not just point the finger and pray about them, but pray about me, pray about my words, pray about my actions. God help me to continually show kindness to reach out for others, to be a generous person, to try to put on the kind of forgiveness that You have for me. Help me. This is hard, to show love, it's hard to do that, it's easy to see the issues and the problems and hold grudges, but help me to do that.

And as we turn to God, and we explain it to Him. I mean, do you think Christ understands what we're going through? I mean, at least we know, He was never mistreated. He never… Oh, man, He was the ultimate example. "Father, forgive them. Forgive them. They don't know what they're doing." I mean, no wonder He could set that perfect example for us and then give us the strength so that we could do the same.

There's that interesting section of Luke 6, I'd like to turn over there. That's familiar? A good reminder, when we have to deal with one another. And I've acted unchristian and, yeah, you have to, you have to. What's my response? Well, as I pray about this, and I put it into God's hands, it makes this possible because otherwise, it doesn't just seem to make any sense. I don't. How could this be? How could this be? Because He says “love your enemies.” Are you kidding? I hate my enemies. I'm supposed to love them?

Well, yeah, remember I said, honor the king? It's possible to do that. It's possible to honor Nero? Really? Well, yeah, because we've got a Roman Empire, it makes it possible that the gospel could even be spread to the entire world, it makes the Word of God go forth so that individuals could be called and come into the Church. Yeah, it's possible to see the good. It's possible even in this way.

I mean, if we look down to verse 32, Luke 6:32, it says, "If you love those who love you," yeah, hang with my buds, we all agree, I don't like them. They rub me the wrong way. They're no fun. He says, "What credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them." He says, "If you do good to those who are good to you, whoopie, big deal, so what? No credit for that since sinners do the same. You lend those who you're going to hope to receive back, well, what credit is that? Even sinners lend the sinners to receive as much back."

He says, "Love your enemies, do good, hoping for nothing in return." Maybe they won't change, maybe they won't get it, maybe they won't understand, but when I focus on me and ask I God and petition Him to help me to see me, the way I really am. He says, "Your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High." There's an identity. There's a distinction. I mean, talk about a defining point of view, “you will be sons of the Most High.” I mean, what an awesome identity that is. And these are the kinds of things we can do.

And so, when these situations arise, that's when I step back, I look at myself, and I've got to remind myself to pray all the harder for God's guidance for me. And yes, praying for others, praying for those who, "Well, I have a hard time getting along with them. Yeah, I could pray for them." But maybe I'm the problem. Help me to see it right, God.

And I shouldn't pray just that they'll quit doing the thing that they're doing and quit acting that way. That's not the only thing I have to be concerned about. That's God's job. But how about praying that I'll be more fully committed to following You? How about helping all of us God to be that much more convicted so that our commitment shows on how we treat each other, how we act towards one another, how we build bridges between each other, how we solve problems, how even we can get along with each other, even though they rubbed me the wrong way.

Asking God to help me to have my heart and my mind filled with His love, which is probably going to lead me to, "God, you're right. I need to repent, I need to change. Give me the help to do what's right."

You see, after all, when we consider the other side of the coin, what would please Satan more than for me to hold the grudge, than for me to condemn somebody else, to put them in that box, to characterize them, to gossip about them? You see, we know who the accuser of the brethren is. It doesn't have to be that way. And that's the good news. It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it won't be that way. When we really humble ourselves, when we see ourselves, who we are, and seek to do His will.

Hebrews 12 is kind of a summary of this whole aspect of how we deal with unchristian behavior. Hebrews 12:1, some pretty powerful words that we find when it comes to our everyday behavior, to our mindset, when it comes to those who, well, they don't seem to measure up. Hebrews 12 is such a good reminder for us. You know, as it begins in this chapter, it reminds us that we look to ourselves, "lay aside every weight,” and when I characterize and when I put people in a box, that's sin, that's sin. "Lay aside the sin which so easily ensnares us," and it says, "run with endurance the race that's set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

And it's such a good reminder because the bottom line is when these things happen, and people don't act in a way that that they should, and we expect them to, we've got to understand, I have a choice. I have a choice to respond in the right way. I have a responsibility to remember this isn't the whole story. This isn't the big picture of things. And I have to resist the urge to put them into that box.

And I want to decide I can't distance myself from them. I want to be a peacemaker. And I'm going to pray about this and lay this out before our God because, ultimately, we can do this. God has given us this beautiful gift of His Church, the Body of Christ. He's given us the blessings of a relationship with Him and with each other. And ultimately, with His help, we have the power to be Christian even when we experience on unchristian Christianity.

[Steve Myers] Figures of speech are those things we use all the time to describe things in a better way so they're more understandable. Whether you talk about analogies or metaphors, you hear them all the time, don't you? And you probably use them without even thinking about them. I heard one of the other day that said, "If you've got troubles in life, just plow right through them." Well, we don't literally do that. The sea captain doesn't literally plow through the sea. He navigates through it, doesn't he? Or the person that gets irritated when you're trying to give them advice, you know, it's like, "You ought to do this or you ought to do that." They might just say, "Plow your own field. Don't bother me." Now, literally, they're not talking about that. That's a metaphor. Another one for all of you Star Wars fans out there, here's a metaphor. What do Jedi Knights say, to encourage one another to use analogies? "Metaphors be with you." Did you catch that? Yeah. Okay.

Obviously, those are figures of speech that describes something. They describe an action. They describe even an object in a way that's not literally true but it helps explain the idea. You can get a concept. You can get a little bit deeper understanding because of that comparison. And it's something that God inspired over and over and over again in His Word, and sometimes where you might least expect it. When it comes to prophecy, there are many metaphors that are used. In fact, I'd like to focus on one that was used by two different prophets to drive home a point. Those two prophets are Jeremiah and Hosea, Old Testament prophets, that prophesied to Israel and to Judah. I mean, Judah became lazy. They were apathetic. They weren't caring that much for God and His way, so they fell into disobedience. Now, the funny thing is, there were people that were still sacrificing. There were those that were still keeping the Sabbath and some observing the Holy Days.

And then they go home and they'd worship idols. They'd practice ungodly things. They'd do things that were an affront to God. And so, Jeremiah and Hosea come on the scene sent by God to warn them that they have to change their ways. They must repent. And so, in the book of Hosea, we read one of these metaphors, where God makes that very point. Hosea 10, let's notice verse 12. Hosea 10:12 is a figure of speech that God inspired Hosea to write down to really impress on the people that change is absolutely necessary. So, when you turn to Hosea, just past the book of Daniel, we find Hosea, one of the minor Prophets, and notice what he was inspired to record for us. Hosea 10:12, it says, "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy." So there's a figure of speech. Then he continues with this idea by saying, "Break up your fallow ground, for it's time to seek the Lord, until He comes and reigns righteousness in you."

Now, that's all a big metaphor. And in fact, a similar one that Jeremiah also prophesies. Turn over to Jeremiah 4:3, and we'll notice this connection between these two prophecies. Jeremiah 4:3 tells much the same story. Now, these are two different peoples at different times, whether here it's Israel, or later Judah with Hosea, we see this powerful word that Jeremiah speaks to the people. And it's a reminder because they've fallen into the same issues, the same problems, the same attitudes. And so, here in 4 verse 3, Jeremiah tells the people much the same as Hosea did. Verse 3, "Thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts." You see, they both use this farming analogy. They use this metaphor of breaking up the ground. What is that? I mean, they're basically telling the people, "You better start plowing. Start plowing."

But they didn't do it. They didn't want to break up that ground. They continued to disobey God. They refused to seek Him. And of course, as we read these messages, we recognize this is not just to Israel. This is not just to Judah. These are prophetic things that apply to us today. They mean something to us today. This metaphor is about us, as well as them, a metaphor that our life, our spiritual condition, is like that field. It's like this fallow field. And the bottom line is, like Israel and Judah, we need to start plowing. I mean, do we even recognize what this is talking about? What is fallow ground anyway? I mean, if you're not a farmer, we may not be familiar with exactly what's going on here. But it's interesting that this kind of ground, this is a field that could be productive. I mean, it could produce, but at the moment, it's not being used. It's just lying there. It's just being wasted. So it's land that right now, it's unproductive. Right now, it's not producing any fruit. But it needs to be tilled. It needs to be worked up. It needs to be prepared for planting. It needs to be plowed because up until now, it's been lying there useless. It hasn't been productive. It's been neglected. It's just been lying there and hasn't been put to good use.

Maybe another way to think of it, it's just sitting there and it's always the same. It was like that last year, and it's like that this year, and it continues just to be the same. It's undisturbed and crops just don't grow there because it's never seen the plow. It's never been planted with seeds that could spring to life and could have growth. And so it just remains the same. Now, fields around it, well, they're being tilled. They're being worked. They're being planted. So, they're changing from season to season, changing from that beautiful brown earth that suddenly is planted with seeds that sprout to life, and it turns green and beautiful, and it's living. And then there's a harvest that's taken from that field. And those fields change, and they grow, and they're prosperous.

But that fallow plot, that ground over there, that doesn't change. The plow hasn't worked the land. In fact, maybe they put a fence around it, maybe they put up a sign, and that sign says "No trespassing." We've seen fields like that. they're just overgrown. The plow can't even get in there, can't even begin to work the land because it's desolate. It's left barren, and it doesn't produce what's needed for life. It's become hardened. It doesn't yield anything except weeds, and thorns, and thistles because that hard ground prevents any seed from getting in there, and penetrating, and germinating, and then growing to maturity. It just can't. And so what the prophets are telling us, as well as Israel and Judah, could it be that a Christian could be fallow? Is it possible that we better think about plowing, not literally but metaphorically? Are there areas of our property, our spiritual property, and our life, is there a field that's laying over there fallow? It's barren. Area that could be productive. This could be put to good use But at the moment, it's just empty. Nothing's happening there.

Many of the prophets spoke to this issue, and prophetically call out to us today. God's calling out to us to say, "Listen, you've got areas of your life that you need to change." Prophet Amos, Amos, 6, I won't turn. Just write it down. You can check it out later. Amos 6:1 says much the same. It says "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion,” because they were taking it easy. It wasn't that critical that everything be productive, is it? You see, they were very prosperous back in the day. They had everything they could want. But they were missing what they needed. Their whole society was marked by corruption, immorality, complacency. Kind of sounds familiar to our time, doesn't it? It sounds like our time. But when I personalize that, and I think about me, are there parts of me that are fallow, that I've become complacent, that I feel, well, I'm pretty satisfied? You know, that's pretty good. It's okay. And okay is pretty good. It's good enough, isn't it? I mean, it's good enough. I mean, we've got 99 acres out of 100 are producing something. So that's all right, isn't it? Do I really have to make it better? Do I really have to address that issue? I mean, there's really not any need to have to go on to perfection, is there?

And so, yeah, there are fallow areas in our life when we're at ease with a false sense of security. Because let's face it, we have everything we need. And then on top of that, we have all the luxuries. We have all these amazing material possessions. And they cause us to be unaware of the danger. Do we really see the danger? Israel and Judah, they didn't get it. They didn't see the danger of God's judgment that was going to be on them. That was coming. And it's no different for us today. God's judgment is pending. And the fact of the matter is, many of us are at ease in Zion, in the Church. Yeah, we can become lukewarm. We can be lulled to sleep. We can be lethargic as well. We can be one-sided. "Boy, if I only had this. If I could just get that. And I absolutely need that 85-inch UHD TV. That would be everything." And we get sucked into the idea of these material things, the entertainment, all the things that are corruptible, all the things that are temporary, all those things that just don't last. And we get caught up in it, and we overlook God's coming judgment.

In a way, we put up a sign. Maybe it's "No trespassing," maybe it's "Do not disturb," and we become comfortable. We become familiar. Yeah, that's okay but like that overgrown field, that area is fruitless. Because after all, that plow, that's sharp. That hurts. That could sting a little bit. I don't want that. And we fence in a part of our life. And by doing that, who do we fence out? We say, "God, yeah, don't enter here. Don't go there." And we fail to cultivate His way, thoroughly, completely. And we're shown very clearly that then that ground is not broken up. That heart is really hardened. And like Hosea said, "Break up that fallow ground." Like Jeremiah said, "Don't sow among the thorns, break up the ground." And so, start plowing. And so, we as God's people have to look at our property. We have to look at our spiritual life, and see, have we really broken up our entire property, our entire ground?

And it doesn't start with the plow either. I mean, it says, yeah, "Start plowing. You got to get going," but you don't just drag out the tractor, hook up the plow, and have added in the field, do you? I mean, that's not the way the farmers do it. We lived in a farming country for a long, long time. That's not the way they do it. They don't begin by dragging out the tractor. I mean, if we're spiritually going to plow up the ground, really examine our life, and look at every single field, first thing we better do is identify that field and clear out the brush. That brush has got to go.

I know one time we were going to have a garden, and this garden had become overgrown with sumac. Anybody familiar with sumac? Oh, it is a horrible bush that turns into a tree that if it lets… I mean, it seems like they're all interconnected, and these roots are running anywhere, and you yank out this one, and then there's another one over there. And it grows like lightning. It is unbelievable how fast it can overtake a plot of land. And you got to do everything you can to get rid of that. You got to yank it out. You got to pull it out. Get out the hatchet and the ax or get serious. Sometimes it's going to take that chainsaw to get all of that stuff together. And if there's any little trees that have grown, you've got to cut them down and pull out that root and get rid of them. You've got to, otherwise, that field, that area, that garden can't be productive.

And so we've got to look at our life. What have I been growing in that field, that field of my heart, that field within my thinking, my mind? Do I have some roots that have taken hold? And maybe it's a root of bitterness. Maybe it's greed. Maybe I'm envious. Maybe I have gotten into a judgmental attitude. But only over here, but only in this one little thing, not in my entire past year. But do I have to root that out? I better get rid of that. If that crop is going to be planted, that fruitful crop, that has to be rooted out. And so, we have to ask ourselves, how many weeds…? How many sumac plants, spiritually speaking, have to be rooted out in our lives? I mean, think about it on the other side of the coin. How many things have I poured my time into, other than cleaning up that field?

What am I giving my attention to? What have I paid attention to that really isn't bearing spiritual fruit? I mean, are there things we give our time to that end up not being productive spiritually, but then ultimately choke the spiritual fruit out of our lives? Yeah, they're there. But we come to church. We're here. I'm religious. But does that mean, I'm really producing any? “Okay. I show up, but I'm kind of detached. This sermon is really boring so why should I pay attention? I'm not getting anything out of it. And I can't wait until this is over, I can get out of here because I really don't want to talk to any of these people. Why should I develop any relationships with any of these people? This isn't valuable. This isn't important to me. I got it. I'm out of here. That's all… In fact, this is so…  Well, I got this game on my phone. This is kind of interesting and more fun than listening to him.” Okay, you can show up and be religious but you can do plenty of things that cause that field to lie fallow.

You see, God's calling us and saying, "That hard ground has to be broken up. You got to get out that spiritual rototiller, that plow, and do that hard work of getting that ground open. Because all too often, there's that unbelief, and that's really what it is. I don't believe I have to change that. I don't believe I have to address that. I think I'm pretty good the way I am and I don't have to deal with that. And that's right there under the surface. And so, I have to ask myself, "Where is that hardness of heart in me?" Because you can dig it one shovel at a time but we need more power. We need more power in doing that. And it can happen in so many different ways, so many different things we may not even think about. Because you don't know. “I've been hurt. I've been in relationships, and they hurt. And I was mistreated. And that wasn't fair. Do you know what they did to me? Do you understand how my family treated me? You don't understand how I grew up. This relationship between my mother and my father, it wasn't right. It was dysfunctional.” It was awful. Do I have a right then to seal off that part of my life?

Because that's painful, and that hurts, and I can protect that. But those old resentments, they got to go. Those old hurts, they have to be healed. We've got to allow God to break up those hurts, and those resentments, and those bitter feelings that we have. We've got to allow God to pull that plow. Yeah, He'll do the work. He's the force behind us. But, you know, we still have to direct it. We have to direct Him where that plows got to go, those hard places that we know, that we understand, and we know how they need to be dealt with. Because sometimes it may be other challenges. And you prayed about that. “I prayed about this issue. I didn't get an answer. I didn't hear anything back. Seems like God did not answer my prayer. He knows I need this job. He knows that I'm getting desperate. He understands my health is not where it should be. I've got this chronic illness and I've taken it to Him over and over and He hasn't heard me. Doesn't seem like He has.”

And that takes a toll on us, takes a toll on your faith. And we conclude, God didn't answer that prayer or He didn't answer it for me. But wait a second, that hardness, that's got to be addressed. We've got to face that square on and recognize, that's my human perspective. That's not reality. That is not reality. And if we don't face that, and if we don't call on God, it won't change. That field will just lie that way and stay that way. Because if God's going to plant something new, if something fruitful is going to be born, what's it going to take? It's going to take heartfelt, serious repentance, repentance that plows deep, and even ask ourselves, "When's the last time I was truly broken before God? When's the last time?" Well, I don't have to worry about that because I've been around for all these years, right? It's not that big of a requirement.

When we look at what Paul wrote to God's Church in Colossae. Take a look at what he says in chapter 3 verse 5 of Colossians. Chapter 3 verse 5 in Colossians, here, the apostle Paul writes to God's Church at that day, but he writes to us by extension as well. Notice what he says and how he addresses that very issue about these fields that might be hiding in the back acreage, back pasture in our spiritual life. Colossians 3:5, it says, "Therefore put to death your members which are on earth." And he goes down a list of those pastures, “fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire…” Well, I don't do those things. But I've got those fields pretty well wrapped up in my life. I don't have to worry about that. Oh yeah, but then he throws in covetousness. Well, it's not that big of a field. He says, "Well, wait a second. That's idolatry." And what does he say about those things? He doesn't say it's okay to let that one go because it's not that bad. It's not as bad as killing somebody. It's not as bad as evil desires. It's not as bad as… At least I don't do that. No. He says, "Put that to death." You got to plow that under. You've got to get rid of that. That is unacceptable before a perfect God. And so that has to change.

And so, we better get that field ready. If it's been lying there fallow, now's the time. And not only do you got to get rid of the sumac, you got to get rid of those roots and those trees that may be growing up, you know what else you got to do? You got to clear the rocks. Clear the rocks that are stumbling. They're there as stumbling blocks before us. And there are plenty in those fields. I mean, I grew up in farming country. You know what they got to do when they get the field ready? You drag out the old John Deere, you put the flatbed trailer on the back, throw the kids on the trailer, and you go down that field. And guess what? When you see a rock, everybody yells out, "Rock." And then whoever's turn it is, they go out and pick it up, and throw it on the back of the trailer. That's what they… And if you're lucky, maybe the neighbor hires you for minimum wage, and you get to go do that. And it's kind of fun as everybody's yelling. But sometimes there's these rocks, you go to grab it, and it's like, oh, oh, it's little farther under the dirt. And I got to go back and I got to grab the shovel. I got to work at this one. Takes more than that. Maybe everybody's got to come out and start working on that rock.

And sometimes, all the leverage, all the digging, and all the efforts still doesn't get… We got to bring in some heavy equipment later and get that thing out of there. That's no different for our spiritual life. Because if that field been there for a while, we've worked our whole life putting up a wall around that thing because I don't want to get hurt again. I don't want to bring those feelings out again. You know, in this area, I'm pretty locked down. I'm pretty stoic about that. I don't want that. But God says, "Get out that flatbed." You got to recognize those rocks. You got to be like those kids in the back looking for them, yelling out, "There it is. Don't miss it. Don't overlook it. Don't ignore it." You ignore that rock, that planter is going to come along later and get damaged. Can't do that. So God wants that rock removed. Well, all of those rocks got to go because He wants to plant those seeds, the seeds that are healing, those seeds that are hopeful, but that hard ground has to be broken up. We got to get the rock so we don't stumble over them, so those fields can be planted.

And those rocks come in so many different forms. You know, for some, it's their phones. It's the computer. It's the social media, which is great. It's fun. It can be beautiful. It can be wonderful. I mean, Instabook, and Facegram, and all those Tweeters and… Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Yeah. But isn't it amazing how suddenly I was going to take 10 minutes and look at my newsfeed and suddenly, it's an hour, and then, oh, there's something else I got to look at? And then it can totally engross us and steal our time and our energy. I mean, we didn't intend to do that but wow, did I get carried away. And maybe we don't even see it as a rock that's got to be loosened up. And of course, it could be a lot of other things, that hurt, that aching, that resentment. And maybe it's a bigger rock that we've got to get rid of. And if we can't budge it ourself, get the help that you need. And the amazing thing is, I never saw a field that didn't have rocks in it. Even if the rock picker went through one year, next year, guess what? There's more rocks that weren't there.

Where did they come from? How did that work its way up through the soil? That seemed to come out of nowhere, but there it is. And you got to get rid of them. You've got to get rid of them and clean up that field because we all have… Every field has them. And God certainly wants us to go on to perfection. He wants us to utilize His Spirit to do that. And so we got to get out the roots. We've got to get out those rocks. But, you know, we've also got to get out the thorns. Those thorns and weeds have to be gathered. We've got to get rid of those because once a field goes, you know, unplanted for years, I mean, and it's fallow, it's not like it's just hard dirt, is it? I, mean, isn't it amazing how those weeds can grow anywhere. They grow everywhere. You don't have to do anything, and where did that come from? They just start growing. I mean, amazing. They even grow between the cracks in my sidewalk. How's that possible? I mean, they just sprout up. And you don't pull them out… I mean, sometimes you got to do it by hand. I mean, when they infiltrate a productive field, sometimes you've got to get all the hands together and go pull them out, literally by hand. Sometimes I've got to gather that…

You know what works really good? A controlled burn. Sometimes you can't get rid of them any other way unless you burn them up. Because those thorns, and thistles, and weeds, they're going to choke anything that's going to grow, that's profitable. They're going to prevent a full crop. And so you got to throw them in the fire. You gather those things up and get rid of them. So imagine those weeds, those spiritual things that get in our way, they entangle our mind, they entangle our heart, and they take our attention. And in order to grow spiritually, we've got to wrap those things up and we've got to burn them. And it could be a habit. It could be something that's become an obsession. It could be a distraction. We got to get that out of the field of our mind and burn it up. Because we've struggled. That field has been an angry field. We've struggled with anger. And when we do that and we don't address it… I'm known for the short temper I have.

That's a part of me that comes out every once in a while. And then I become known as a harsh person, an angry person. I got to deal with that. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm really concerned about money. It's a big… I got to work. I got to take care of my family. But how much do I really need? Yeah, I can move from financial security to all I'm worried about is money, the big bucks, the American way. It's our dream. That's about our way of life, right? But boy, that can bind me to bad things. That soil can get so hard that now I'm not generous the way I need to be. In a way, that love for others gets covered up and it's hardened. But that's a responsibility I have as God's called out. I have to be generous. I'm supposed to be generous. Yeah, maybe it's not that. Maybe it's just like, I like to be the man. I like to get recognized. Because that's what it's about, right? Recognition. People got to notice me. I mean, if I don't get the 100 likes on Facebook, I'm a real loser so I got to have it. I like to be noticed. I like to be… And if nobody else compliments me, I think I'll compliment myself. Look how great I am. Look how good my family is. Look at what we've done.

We've accomplished all these wonderful things. And we've got to have that recognition but that moves beyond the normal. And it can become one of those things that becomes even addictive. It can be addictive. And, of course, there's a lot of other addictive things as well. And sometimes that keeps the other things at bay. I mean, a drink or two, is that very bad? That's not really that bad but it can become that. It can become more than a habit. Now it can becomes an addiction. I mean, okay, looking at porn is not that big a deal, right? I mean, I'm not an addict or anything. It's a little okay misusing a prescription, you see, that's where we've got to fire up the flames through the power of God's Spirit to devour any of those weeds, and thorns, and thistles that may show their ugly head. It is bad. And at any degree, it will prevent the power of God working in our lives. So even though the rest of our life may look pretty good and we can cover up these other things, they're unacceptable. They're unacceptable.

And Paul addressed this very thing to the Philippians. Take a look at chapter 3 verse 12, Philippians 3:12. What's interesting is, here, the apostle addresses God's Church, but he does it in the first person. I mean, after all, who could look better than the apostle Paul? I mean, here's the man. He traveled throughout the Mediterranean world, through the Roman Empire, preaching the truth. God called so many people through him, lives were transformed, churches were built. The apostle Paul, look at all the books in the New Testament that he wrote, an amazing example of God's way, a shining example. Did he have any fallow areas in his life that he was concerned about? I mean, man, he looked fantastic. Who could look better as a Christian than the apostle Paul?

And yet, look at his perspective. Philippians 3:12. He says, "Not that I've already attained, or that I'm already… I haven't made it yet. The journey is still on." He says, "I press on. I got to get out that plow. I've got to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. I can't leave any row unturned." He says, "Brethren, I don't count myself as to have apprehended." But one thing I do, I forget the things that are behind. I can't look back when I'm plowing. If I look back, I'm going to be in trouble. I got to keep my focus at the end of that row, the goal, the ultimate. I got to follow that row right to the Kingdom. That's where my mind is focused. So I forget what's behind it, I reach forward to what lies ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind. And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”

And so, the apostle Paul recognized the need for his spiritual fields, those fields. He recognized the fact that that ground has to be overturned. You have to break up that hard ground and it has to be exposed to that beautiful sunlight of God's way. We have to turn that soil so it's open to the fresh air of God's way of thinking and those spiritual influences of light and warmth. Otherwise, the rains that would come, those beautiful rains that cause those seeds to grow, will never get where they need to be. And so God will send those showers once that dirt is turned and ready to grow a beautiful crop.

And so Paul recognized that. He recognized we've got to purify the fields of our heart. And we have to truly recognize ourselves for who we are, and how we think, and those fields. We've got to eradicate lust. We've got to eradicate those imperfections, the things that are habitual in our lives because unless we root them out, they're going to choke anything that's good. They'll choke the good seed. And so we have to prepare and be ready. And when we do that, we have amazing promises. When we take that to heart and we allow that plow to come into our spiritual field… I mean, look at this amazing promise in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 36:26, here's another prophet of God, using a metaphor to bring home the same point that Jeremiah spoke about, the same point that Amos talked about, same one that Hosea wrote about as well. What will God do when we allow that plow to break up the hard ground, to tear up? I mean, isn't that what a farmer does. He tears up the surface of the earth. He rips up that field, and it begins to make it soft and pliable, ready to receive the seed. And when we do that, and we go to God, and we have a pliable heart, when our mind is tenderized, and be ready to be worked with, then God can apply His Word to every field in our life. And when we do that, when we go to God in true repentance, Ezekiel 36:26 is what God promises us. He says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I'll take the heart of stone out of your flesh." Because that heart won't pump blood if it's a rock. So He says He's going to replace that heart and give us a heart of flesh. So things will change. It's a promise from God.

And it's such a great reminder that we can't sow, we can't plant among those fallow grounds. Did anybody else talk about that? Don't throw the seed on those thorns. Yeah, Christ said the same thing, didn't He? In Mark 4, Christ said that very thing. Seed falls around the thorns and what happens to that seed? It's choked by the thorns. And it cannot come to yield any fruit. It can't. And so, if we allow those thorns of pride, those thorns of anger, those thorns of lust and temptations that can grow into problems of others things, like self-centeredness or selfishness, all of those things can choke out the Word. They choke the Word of God and has a devastating effect on the crop that God wants us to produce, what He wants to grow in us.

And so we have to face the facts. What does the farmer get when he plants seed? Well, whatever he planted. That's what he's going to get. And it's the same for me. My life reflects what I've planted. So, whatever my focus has been, whatever my perspective has been, whatever I turn my attention to, that's what grows. That's what grows.  And so, I better pay close attention to the seeds that I would really truly want growing in my life. Because those weeds are going to pop up. They're going to sprout unintentionally, they're going to be there. And we know this life is full of weeds and full of distractions. And even the fact of just being busy. We can get so busy with things because our life is full of activities. They're full of things to do, places to go, people to see, all of those things. But what's most important? I mean, even thinking about what we fill our life with. I mean, think about one of the things we know we're supposed to do. We're supposed to read this book. We're supposed to be close to God and understand His Word and meditate on that Word. Yeah, but I'm really busy. I got so much to do. I don't know if I have time to… Really? Is that the way it is or does God's Word dominate my thinking?

Is that what's foremost on my mind throughout the day, no matter what I'm doing? Because if it's not, what kind of field is going to be produced? What's going to come of it? If God's Word doesn't dominate our thinking, how can I produce a field that bears good fruit? How can I do that? And unfortunately, when we don't do that, other things develop, other things just grow. We talked about gratitude today. In gratitude, sprouts its ugly head, and we don't appreciate the things that God has blessed us with. Even the very next breath we take is a blessing from God. Have I thanked Him, thanked Him for His protection, His guidance, His mercy, His calling, His long-suffering? Have I really verbalized those things to our great God? Because really, that's a lack of love. That's a lack of respect. Because what else is it that's on my mind? What's taking my thoughts a whole different direction?

I mean, Scripture says, our God is a jealous God. He says, "I don't like that when you're so focused on other things, you ignore Me." I mean, what is it that absorbs my time? What is it that takes my attention? How long do I really delight in His Word or have I neglected that Word? And did we read it today? Did we study that Word or has it been a couple of days since we got that Bible out and actually studied it or maybe a couple of weeks? Maybe it's been months since I really personally looked at this. What kind of field is that? You know, neglect is going to be those weeds that grow up. The same holds true with how we talk to God. Have we prayed the way that we should? Well, I pray. I prayed over my meal, I prayed in church. I guess that's good enough. Well, then you got an acquaintance with God. He's not really your Father. Christ isn't really your older Brother if that's it. If our time gets in the way, and it's used in other ways, then we're saying, "I'm more important. What I want is more important." And that's pride. That's vanity. I mean, I have to think, "Well, what did I do this morning?"

I mean, just think about how you got ready for church. How long did it take to get ready for church? Well, I take a shower, and comb my hair, and do all these things, get my clothes on. Did you take more time getting dressed for church than getting prepared for worship? “Well, I'm here.” But if we haven't prepared that field, if our mind isn't really focused on worship, we've got a fallow field we've got to take care of. And so it applies in so many areas of our life, that we've got to tear up that ground and we've got to look at our own lives. Is that pride and that vanity there or if I see others doing well, I don't like that, and I'm jealous of them. I mean, they're more talented than I am. They seem to be more useful than me. And so, I better look better. So I better put them down, and I better look at their faults, and look how they fail, and look how they've messed up. And we focus on that, but I don't gossip. I don't gossip or tell things behind people's backs. Okay, I focus on the truth. I'm a truth-teller. And so I tell the truth, but it sure hurts them when I tell the truth about them. Well, that's slander. That's gossip. That's not right.

God hates that kind of an attitude. But sometimes those kinds of fields can left lying in our lives. And God says, that's not acceptable. In fact, He says, there isn't an in-between. You know, there's no middle ground, right? There's no difference between… There's no happy medium. There's no compromising with those things because Christ made it very clear when that seed falls on hard ground, it's not going to grow. So when we're apathetic, when we're just fine, contented with the way we are and self-satisfied, or when we shake our fist at God, that's unacceptable. I mean, think about that. Week after week after week, we come and we're here, and I'm religious, and I'm here, making a good showing for myself. And week after week, we open this book, and we read this Word. And week after week, my marriage doesn't change. It's just as bad as it has been.

My lifestyle is the same, hasn't changed. My goal hasn’t… week after week. What's the reason it doesn't change? Why doesn't it change? You see the ground's hard. We've hardened ourselves, our hearts, and our minds. They've become inflexible because, you know, the problem is not my mate. That's not the problem. The problem is not my friends. That's not the problem. It's not all those jerks on my job. That's the problem. No, it's not. That is not the problem. The problem is not the church. That is not the problem. Where's the problem? It's me. I'm the problem. It's my heart. It's my mind. And the truth is the ground is hardened on my mind and I'm dead to what's best, what God would have me do. I need to break up that ground, and I need to turn to God and allow Him to plant that good Word in good ground.

And the promise is, when we do that when we kill that old man and we bury him, then the ground can start to produce. And what's the promise? What's that ground going to produce? Well, Christ, Himself said, well, it's going to produce abundantly, some 30, some 60, some a hundredfold when we allow the plow to grow and cut up that dirt. But if not, we know we'll have a harvest of weeds, right? The weeds are going to grow and they're going to take away from God's Word. And so we can ask God to help us to plow up that ground. Ask Him for that attitude of humility, to have a humble heart that we can ask Him to help us to repent, ask Him to help us to change, help us to focus in our activities and our life on what's best, and what will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God because we don't want to be hardened to God's will. He reminds us over and over again, it's time to start plowing. It's time to start plowing because this cultivated field will yield good fruit. And by the convicting power of God's word, we can change. By the power of God's Spirit, He's given us authority over sin in our life. We can grow and we can change.

Yeah, that plow, it's going to be tough. It's sharp, and it's going to tear, and it's going to rearrange the dirt. It's going to disturb the ground. And sometimes that is going to hurt but it's the only way a crop can grow. Without enduring that plow, the fruit can't grow. But, you know, God says there are blessings that await because the rains will come and that seed will begin to grow. And new things, new attitudes, new perspectives, will grow and ultimately mature, as that field becomes green and full of spiritual life.

And so let's start plowing. Let's allow those fields to be cultivated and do everything we possibly can to draw closer to God so that plow can break up those fields, and seek God intentionally, make it a point in our life to courageously obey the will of God, follow His Word. Because we absolutely have to take that seriously. We have to take up the plow, don't we? Isn't that what Christ said? He said that very clearly in Matthew 11:29. He said, "Take My yoke and learn from Me." And He said, "That's the easy way to go. That's the light way to go." In fact, spiritually speaking, it's the only way to go. So as we claim to be God's people, we're left with a choice. We're left with this choice to let this metaphor truly live in the fields of our life and ask ourselves, "What kind of spiritual farmer am I? Will I allow that fallow ground to lie or am I ready to start plowing?"