Happy Birthday, America

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“For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 CSB – Read the chapter)

Tomorrow the United States of America celebrates its 250th birthday. Personally, I’m going to be up early claiming a spot on Main Street where I will watch our town’s annual Fourth of July parade. It’s the largest such parade in the area. I’ll be joined by 30-35,000 of my closest friends who will park…everywhere there is to park in our town of about 2,500 people. After that, I’m going to be hunkering down in the AC (for my European friends, that is a miraculous invention that allows you to make it dramatically cooler on the inside than it is on the outside) because it will be nearly 100 degrees already by the time the parade ends. Then I’ll go to a cookout with some friends and close the day out by watching the largest fireworks display our town has ever had on the last day of our weeklong carnival. The next morning, I’ll get up early and head to church. In other words, it’ll be about the most American weekend you could imagine. Let’s talk a bit today about what makes America so great.

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Man tied to tree with rope in dense forest looking distressed

Getting Caught in Your Own Trap

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“Why, my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a wayward woman? For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths. A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin. He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity.” (Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Have you ever done something that seemed like a good idea at the time only to run into a wall later? Had you really stopped to think about it, you probably wouldn’t have done it, but you wanted it. And so, instead of listening to the friend or two who warned you against it, you convinced yourself that you were right or even wise—at least justified—in doing whatever it was. Sin is a trap, but it’s one we often fall into ourselves because of a pattern of bad decision making. This applies to all sorts of situations, but especially times of sexual sin. Let’s talk about it.

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Couple walking hand in hand on a coastal trail at sunset with ocean and hills in background

Delighting in the Goodness of Marriage

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“Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers. Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. A loving deer, a graceful doe—let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.” (Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

After God made the first woman, He brought her to the first man to be his partner, his wife. And the first man, seeing her for the first time, was so excited that he broke into song. God designed marriage to be a good thing. He created it to be good for us and glorifying for Him. Today, though, it is often treated as something less than that. Yet when we get it right, it is a still a blessing. Let’s talk about some of Solomon’s wisdom for doing that.

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A cloaked figure stands at a signpost pointing to paths labeled Light and Dark Temptation under contrasting skies

Choosing the Right Path

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“So now, sons, listen to me, and don’t turn away from the words from my mouth. Keep your way far from her. Don’t go near the door of her house. Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others and your years to someone cruel; strangers will drain your resources, and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house. At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed, and you will say, ‘How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction. I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely to my instructors. I am on the verge of complete ruin before the entire community.’” (Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

When I was in college I read a book that profoundly shaped my understanding of sin. It’s called The Smell of Sin and the Fresh Air of Grace, by Don Everts. In the book he talked about several of the false ways that sin presents itself in order to capture our attention and devotion. One of those is that sin is enjoyable. Sin is often seductive. It is alluring. It draws us in with promises to satisfy all of our wants and desires. And as much as that is a lie of the highest order, we fall for it over and over and over again. If we buy those lines we will soon discover the trap we have fallen into. Let’s reflect on this with Solomon as he continues his warning against buying into sin’s seductions here.

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Children and adults participating in a Sunday school activity with crafts, books, and a guitar in a bright room

Pick Your Ministries Well

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“Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Sometimes a thing isn’t obvious even when it feels like it should be. Or maybe I should put that like this: Sometimes a thing that should be obvious is, but we don’t do it anyway. For the last month we have been talking about how to grow a church. Well, that’s not entirely true. We have talking about things that have all contributed in some way to the growth gay my church is currently experiencing. Yes, there are things like preaching that have hopefully played some small role, but the list we have been working through have all played a bigger one. Today, let’s talk about item number four on the list: ministry focus.

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