DiG Recommended Reading for January & February 2012

Earlier this month at the Men's Breakfast at my church, they gave all the men in attendance a book. It is called "Hazards of Being a Man" by Jeffrey E. Miller, Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, TX. This has got to be one of the best supplemental reads that I've ever gotten my hands on. Pastor Miller tackles 12 challenges that all men face head-on. Issues like Lust, Unteachability, Partial Obedience, and Misplaced Priorities are all covered in these pages. All 12 of these issues or challenges are paralleled to an Old Testament man and his story. I've never quite seen the Old Testament come so alive in regards to lessons and applications for modern day man. There are so many great examples contained here. From Adam's deflecting responsibility in the Garden to Saul's partial obedience in regards to the Amalekites, to Abraham's manipulation of God's will, all the way down to Samson's infamous lust issues, every one of the 12 hazards in this book shows us just how easy it is to fall into these sins. Pastor Miller in all practicality shows us men ways to build up our defenses towards these dangerous pitfalls. On top of all this, at the end of each chapter, there are Reflection Questions as well as a Memory Verse and a Chapter to read in the Bible. This was great reading on my own but it would really shine in a group setting such as a Men's small study. Either way, I can't recommend this book enough. It is fantastic!


You can pick up your copy by clicking here. Or if you have a Kindle, get your copy here.

Proverbs 13:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

3 Questions

Two Fridays ago, our Kindred outreach went to the Gardenwalk out here in Anaheim California. This is a great place to witness because it has a sidewalk near the street that is public property. This means that we are able to freely hand out tracts, have great one to one conversations, and even do some open air preaching without getting chased out by security. I got to speak to a man named James who had been, as he called it, "out of the game" for a while. The conversation went really well. I also got to talk with David, who believed but wasn't quite living for the Lord. That also went pretty good. There were a few others that I talked to but one person still stands out to me. A big teddy bear looking guy named Sean. As I saw him walking towards me, I handed him a million dollar bill tract. He looked at it and knew what it was. He informed me that he had rejected the message on the back of the bill some time ago and that he was in a hurry to meet a friend for dinner at a nearby restaurant. So I asked him if I could as him three questions before he ran off. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Would you consider yourself to be a good person?
Sean: Yes
Me: Have you ever told a lie?
Sean: Yes

Timeout. So at this point I realized I only had one question left. I then told him that it might be more like 6-8 questions, to which he said, "hey now you're lying!" We both started laughing and I reiterated that I would stick to my original three questions, as promised.

Me: What do you call someone who tells lies?
Sean: A liar

Me: Ok Sean, the Bible says that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. It also tells us that if you try to keep the Law but stumble at one point you are guilty of breaking all of it.

I proceeded to tell him what God did so that did not have to happen. That Jesus Christ lived a perfect life but took our sins on Himself and died on a cross. Three days later He rose again, defeating death so that if we repent and trust in Him we won't perish but will have everlasting life.

Sean did not start weeping over his sins but he did shake my hand, thank me, and even folded the tract and put it in his front pocket. I wanted to share this with you guys so that you will have a way to get the good news to a person who is in a hurry and even use the Law to show them their need. The conversation lasted literally no more than two minutes and Sean was able to meet his friend at the restaurant right after we talked.

Final Thought: Why does lying make me a murderer, adulterer, blasphemer, idolator, and covetous person? How is it fair that if I break one commandment, it's like breaking all of them? Well Greg Crouse, fellow team leader, said it best during his open air preaching. Imagine hanging over a pit of fire from a chain made of ten links. Your handle is hooked to the bottom link. Does it really matter which one you cut? No! Any of the ten links of the chain, if broken, will make you fall. And that is the point. We are all sinners in God's eye and apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, God's wrath abides on us. Some of you are hanging over the Lake of Fire today. Which link(s) are gonna cause you to fall into it? You don't have to fall. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself because God doesn't want anyone to perish. He will catch you. All you have to do is ask. Repent and trust in Jesus. Get down from that chain today and fall into the hands of the loving savior.

James 2:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

21 Days Later

For those that don't know, experts tell us that it takes 21 days straight of doing something to make it a habit. Conversely, it takes 21 days of not doing something to break a habit. Most times I've heard this principle used for running or lifting weights or quitting things like smoking. This isn't a blog about exercise and tobacco so what does that have to do with us? The Gospel of John. The 21 chapters in this book could easily help you or someone you know form a habit of reading the Word of God on a daily basis. All you have to do is make a commitment to one chapter a day. That should lead to making it a habit and also to reading the other books in the Bible and increasing the number of chapters per day. Remember its hard to know God's will if we never look at his Word. This isn't just for new believers. If you have been walking with the Lord for a number of years and don't read like you should, this is a great chance to get back to your first love. We should treasure His Word like it says in the book of Job. Chapter 23 verse 12 in Job reads,"I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food,". A good thing to remember is "no read, no feed-no Bible, no breakfast." The 21 chapters in the Gospel of John will help you treasure God's word and help to form the great habit of reading your Bible daily. On the flipside, if there is some kind of sin in your life give it up for 21 days and see what happens. If for whatever reason you are having trouble letting go of a certain sin, a mere three weeks could help change your walk and your life completely. God wants us to repent, to completely forsake our sins. This could be used as a way to do that for you. Don't try this under your own power. Pray for God to be with you and help you. Remember you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Psalm 119:11 (New International Version)

¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.