When given one last chance, they affirmed their commitment to stand firm in their faith. They would not bow to the pressure to conform. They would not follow the crowd in worshiping a false god. Faithfulness to their God was worth their very lives. They trusted that the Creator of the universe was more powerful than a man-made god of gold.

Not knowing the outcome, they stood firm in the face of death. They literally walked through the fire. This strength of character and perseverance is only possible when one is grounded in the faith. That is our task as youth workers: first to BE, then to EQUIP others to be grounded in the faith so as to stand true.

Regardless of the pessimism, doom, and gloom that many are reporting we have this assurance: The LORD reigns! (1 Chronicles 16:31). We are not dependent on the government, the economy, or even our own abilities. We are the children of the Most High God. He has promised to care for us and meet our needs.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

We will disagree with Thoreau’s application of this truth, but it remains that, in fact, there is variation in what people hear. It is evident in our natural hearing by the following demonstration:

The high-pitched frequencies, generally audible only to younger ears, have been used by shop owners to keep teens from loitering in front of their stores. That same technology is now being used by teens to avoid parents and teachers being able to detect when students’ phones ring. (Tip to parents: the dog will hear it, learn how he behaves when the teen’s phone rings.) (The younger Randall House staff have been greatly annoyed with these high-pitched tones during my preparation for this post.)

All this brings to mind that spiritual hearing will also vary.

Just as we may be a bit skeptical that there actually is any sound being made by the higher frequencies, the world cannot comprehend spiritual truth. Their ears are “dead” to the sound. No amount of persuasion can cause them to perceive. No amount of effort is able to force them to hear.

We can argue principles, morals, and truth all day, but we may as well try to convince a statue to come in out of the rain. They just don’t get it. They can’t get it because of the spritual darkness and deafness. Only the power of God’s Spirit can bring light to blind eyes and the voice of truth to deaf ears.

Solomon demonstrated that all the money in the world isn’t enough to bring satisfaction.
David proved to us that you can’t cover up sin–no matter how powerful or popular you may be.
Jonah is an example of the futility of trying to run away from God.
Ahab illustrates the calamity of a life of wickedness.

These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:6-12)

It is ironic that the wise sage who spoke 3,000 proverbs would become the despairing preacher of emptiness. How did Solomon get from Proverbs to Ecclesiastes? How does someone go from “Happy is the man who finds wisdom” to “In much wisdom is much grief“?

Solomon made a series of tragic mistakes that robbed him of his joy and satisfaction in life. He ignored the teaching of God’s Word. He allowed relationships to turn his heart away from God. He focused on his own glory. He pursued pleasure.

There is a lot to learn from a bad example. Solomon is one of whom we can say, “Do as he says, not as he does.” His life would have been better if he had listened to his own wise counsel. We can learn from the wisdom and the foolishness of Solomon.

Stay true to the teaching of God’s Word. Make sure your relationship with God takes priority. Deflect all praise and glory toward God. Live to please God.

The first time she tied him up in an effort to make him as weak as an ordinary man should have been sufficient evidence. Samson seems to typify the clueless, gullible meathead. But I doubt that was the case.

Samson was flirting with disaster and he liked it. He enjoyed taking risks. He arrogantly believed he could conquer every challenge he faced. He was blind to his weakness, which led to even more darkness.

How often do we make the same mistake? We flirt with temptation. We toy with that which would destroy us. It doesn’t have to be something as treacherous as Delilah. But it is a risk. It’s something that wisdom cautions us to avoid or abandon, but we ignore the warning with the smug confidence that we are strong enough to handle it. Lesser men should beware, but this is no danger to me.

Tragically those who play such games one day are awakened to discover they have been lulled into a false security and fleeced of their power, bound by their temptations, and blinded by their captors.

Learn from Samson. Don’t get tangled up in the valley of vines.

The frugality of my upbringing is in conflict with my couch-potato instincts. I don’t want to battle the mosquitoes and heat, but my grandmother would be appalled if I just let all that fruit go to waste. So, I feel compelled to gather in the harvest from each tree as it ripens.

Understand, I enjoy eating fresh fruit and we have shared some with our friends (and neighbors). But I didn’t plant these trees. I have even contemplated cutting some of them down, just to avoid the feelings of guilt for not attending to them properly. (How’s that for convoluted reasoning!)

But all this brings me to this one principle–to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). These fruit trees are a blessing. They were supplied to us by the previous owners. Cutting them down would be just as wasteful as not picking the fruit (but it would be easier to mow). The point is, I have the responsibility to be a good steward of the blessings that are in my control.

I can’t squander the fruit. I can’t waste the bounty of God’s blessings whether it be my ability, time, resources, gifts, influence, or apples. I have to use what God has put in my hands to the best of my ability. So, guess what I’ll be doing this afternoon?

Sadly, some today misunderstand the effects of our fallen nature. They excuse their sinful nature as the way God made them. The most recent example of this is the statement made by Ray Boltz in his announcement that he was homosexual: “If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be ….”

We cannot excuse sinful behavior as being our nature. Of course it is, but that is no excuse. We know in fact this was not God’s design, but the fallen nature we inherited from our father, Adam. As believers, we are admonished to put to death this sinful nature and its immoral behaviors (Col. 3:5-10). The church of Colossi is another example of believers who abandoned immoral practices and put on a new life in the image of Christ.

We do not excuse the murderer who confesses he could not control his rage. Even though that is his nature, he is still accountable for his behavior and its consequences. Neither should we dismiss our natural tendencies for lust, gossip, cursing, laziness, drunkenness and greed. These things are natural, but as believers, we are called to be supernatural–through Christ.

County officials intentionally took out the phrase “rehabilitation services” to block Teen Challenge from buying property for their ministry. For a moment, let’s set aside the fact that TC has an impressive 67% success rate according to a University of Tennessee study, which is contrasted with, at best, a 15% cure rate by secular programs, according to a National Institute on Drug Abuse Report. (The numbers get even better if you read the entire studies.) Nevermind that TC receives no funding from the government (except the nearly $1 million dollars the jury awarded them for the illegal actions of the Metro Council).

The real problem is the open defiance and disregard of the law by public officials (and the calloused attitude displayed by the councilman that made the statement above).

Look at it this way. You have a social problem. You have an agency that has a proven track record to fix the social problem and it won’t cost you a dime. What do you do? The wise person helps this agency find property or at least removes as many hindrances as possible. You don’t break the law to stop them.

You shall not pervert justice, according to the Law of Moses. That happens to be the law of our land as well. It applies to drug addicts as well as councilmen. It applies to church leaders as well.

There are times we are tempted to think that the end justifies the means. Sometimes we may be encouraged to do something wrong for a good cause. Don’t fall into that trap. If we can’t win a battle by doing right, that just may be a battle God doesn’t want us to win. Let’s do right and wait on Him. Or in the words of Moses, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” You never know what might happen.

Consider the case with Teen Challenge. Those who wrongly opposed TC are actually contributing the first million dollars toward their relocation. (Interesting way to get government money for a faith-based ministry.) 

The most significant observation is that many people are unable to make a decision on their own and are dependent upon the government to tell them what to do. It is evident that they were expecting the government to take care of them previously when Katrina struck. The government learned this lesson and responded accordingly. It is unfortunate that many people seem to forfeit personal responsibility for their own well-being.

We see this also in the tendency to blame others when things go wrong. This practice goes all the way back to Adam. When God confronted Adam, he blamed everyone else but himself. He literally blamed both Eve and God. It didn’t relieve him of accountability.

Take responsibility. Live as though your success and achievement is up to you. It is. Also, live as though you are accountable to God for your decisions and actions. You are.