Recently I read a very sad letter. It was not a letter addressed directly to me. It was not a letter addressed to anyone specific, rather it was a letter addressed to whoever would read it. It was a very tragic letter. This letter was written by Tara Condell, who on the surface appeared to have achieved everything she hoped for. She held degrees, a good career in what she loved, friends, family and a start on what could have been a successful and joy filled life. Tara tragically ended her life.
Like so many other souls, eventually there comes a time in life when the struggles appear to be insurmountable. It does not matter what we have monetarily, materially, nor physically. We can get to a point where hope seems hopeless. This young lady got there as she said, “I have accepted hope is nothing more than delayed disappointment, and I am just plain old-fashioned tired of feeling tired.” What a tragic place to arrive at. There were times in my life where my response to “how’s it going” would be, “well I recently found out that the light at the end of the tunnel is nothing more than a locomotive about to run me down!” Then one day this all changed for me. I found hope. More than that I found out that hope was not just delayed disappointment. I preface this by humbly acknowledging I did not know this young lady nor her heart. That is not what I intend to address here, but rather the feeling of hopelessness. We are a people created in God’s image and made for relationships of love, unity, trust, and hope, both in Him and in others. Our soul can only be filled to the fullest capacity in hope by Him who created us. Sin distorted our ability to have these proper relationships the way God intended them to be. As a result we drew away from God and sought our own way. We started looking for everything we could that would bring us hope but it only left us more hollow than before. We thought that maybe, just maybe we have not yet understood the correct equation to acquiring this elusive hope. So we tried everything we could to fill our tank of hope. Unfortunately, we were wrong again. Nothing we did seemed to matter and we only felt more alone, more isolated, more sadness, pain, anger, frustration, and eventually despair. Despair became the light at the end of the tunnel. Because the One who created us to find our all in all in Him was no longer who we sought for hope. Rather we openly admit it or not, despair is one day where all of us will end up apart from God. For true lasting hope can only come from the One who created us to have hope, from the One who created us to Hope in Him for everything we could ever need or want. Revelation 21:4 is the perfect unblemished epitome of hope! “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Hope is to know Jesus Christ, to be in Jesus Christ, to follow Jesus Christ, for He promises that one day our hope will be fulfilled in Him forever more. That my friends is the very bright light at the end of your dark, insurmountable tunnel. I humbly ask if you are reading this, pray that God gives you the opportunity to share hope with someone who is struggling to see anything other than the light of the locomotive in their dark tunnel. If you are reading this and are struggling, please know that there is hope even in the darkness of circumstances. If you are contemplating taking your precious life, please call the hotline and talk to someone. Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255
0 Comments
Genesis 2:18"Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
It is not good that the man should be alone! Before we get into that we need to make mention of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7. To sum, Paul says, in his opinion, that it is better if one is single to remain that way so that their concern will be of serving the LORD. However, if one is without self-control and burns with passion, Paul says to get married. Although, to the one that is married Paul says that his interests are divided between the world and the LORD. One who is married seeks to please their spouse (in the LORD) and has children (Gen. 1:28). Paul makes this very clear that it is not to be taken as God’s word and commandment, rather his opinion. But as we look at Genesis 2:18, God makes it clear that “it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” This is paramount to our existence; because,God commands the man and woman to multiply and fill the earth. Without this act there would be no one to write this post nor anyone to read it. Before the rabbits take our attention from the task at hand, let us again focus on Genesis 2:18. It is not good that the man should be alone. This speaks to God’s characteristics and we will address a few. First God is relational. In the God head trinity God has deep meaningful relationship within Himself. Confusing? Sure, but know that God did not need us to have relationship, He created us to enjoy the value of relationship both with Him and other humans. The man could not have a relationship with animals. Yes, I understand the warm fuzzies dogs and other pets bring, but it is in no way comparable to the relational feelings another human can return. While animals can play with you, show unconditional love, and help benefit mental faculties, they are unable to console with words, wisdom, and hugs. You cannot carry on a deep meaningful conversation with your pet. Rather you can but you may trade that conversation for a loss of freedom for fear that you have gone wacky. Joking aside the point is this, God created man to have a deep meaningful relationship with Him and with other humans. In the case of Genesis 2:18 it was “a helper suitable for him.” The woman! I hear the screams now from both genders “I don’t need a man to be happy” and “I don’t need no woman.” I would agree here as we have pointed out in Paul’s words found in 1 Corinthians 7; however, what we are addressing here is God’s perspective. Secondly, God is intimate. Again, within the God head trinity, God has intimacy. However, He created mankind to experience and enjoy that deep intimacy that we feel when we grow close to someone (i.e., our spouse). Better than that, God wanted us to experience the sheer joy that comes from having a deep intimacy with Him. Not because He needed it, rather He knew we would. Intimacy grows when two people experience a level of “togetherness” that is no possible with animals. That intimacy grows to joyous depths when those two people spend an exuberant amount of time with God. Third God is loving. If you wish to examine “true love” in action look no further than the cross of Christ. God came down to be born in human flesh so that He could relate to us, identify with us, live like us, experience all the pain, loss, and temptation like us. Then God went to the cross to die for us as the sinless sacrifice, because your sins and my sins require payment. “The wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God“(Romans 3:23). Before He went to the cross He was beaten, whipped, mocked, and treated horribly. Why don’t we let Isaiah tell us in his own words in chapter 53 of his book. Isaiah 53 1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. When we love our spouse, we love sacrificially. It is difficult and it will bear scars but it is only because God loved us that we are capable of such an act toward another human. We are finally at the purpose of this post, and that is to address Genesis 2:18 in a 1 Corinthians 13:11 world. This world is full of men who act like little boys, sitting around all day playing games and seeking their own interest. My friends, this ought not to be so. It is not good for the man to be alone. What did God create to rectify this foreseeable problem?
Again, you 1 Corinthians 7 men are to devote your time to the LORD. Married or not know that, “when you were a child, you used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when you became a man, you did away with childish things.” Do away with childish things to the Glory of God. Lose the Toxic, Not the Masculinity
Above I linked to a Family Life article about the recent ad from Gillette. It is an insightful article in view of loosing the “toxic” and not the masculinity. As a father to 4 boys, I want them to see a biblical man serving God for the advancement of His kingdom, not mine, and not theirs. A man that loves their mother and will protect her, serve her, and build her up (Ephesians 5:25-28). I want them to see a man who brings them up in the fear and adoration of the LORD (Ephesians 6:4), learning how to love as Christ did, and serve their Heavenly King without reserve or doubt. Because in the end, when you face judgement (and we all will) God will cause each of us to give an account of everything we did in each and every second of time He allowed us to be on this Earth. Maybe, just maybe, the humanistic religion that so permeates our society feeds the “toxic” in masculinity. Humanistic religion says you are an animal (so why be surprised when people act like it?) Pornography says, women are a usable tool to satisfy a sadistic desire born out of a wicked and corrupt heart (so why treat them with dignity and respect?). The abortion industry (the willful murder of millions of children) feeds this standard. Feminism says, women are god and men are useless (so why do are men even around?) Meanwhile, “26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Did you catch that, God saw all that He, (not you, not me, not any person on this earth, but God) made and behold it was very good. God, through the sacrificial slaughter of His Son Jesus Christ is the only hope for a world dying a death of willful disobedience, and headed for God’s eternal prison (Hell)! |
Archives
February 2023
Categories
All
|