U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments - Masterpiece Cakeshop

Are you interested in listening to the U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments - Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission?

The case will determine whether the application of Colorado’s public accommodations law to compel a cake maker to design and make a cake that violates his sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage violates the Free Speech or Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.

If so, then follow this link and click on the speaker where it says oral arguments:
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-111

If you want to use a podcast app then search for Oyez and get the episode for December 5, 2017.

I'm praying for God's blessing on Jack, his family, the business and victory from the court.

The Power of Sexual Delusion

We have people in all sectors of society being accused of improper sexual actions. Probably most of them are true. I say that because there are probably some that are not true. Anyway, we should not be surprised as sex has been cheapened and stolen from the place where God intended it to be.

I was thinking about Samson this morning. You know, the Bible character. You can read his story in Judges starting in chapter 13. If you don't know the story then take a few minutes to read it. I think you will find it interesting, amusing and sad.

I think Samson had some sexual dysfunction because he hung out with women he shouldn't have. He should have known better.

In chapter 16 of Judges we see how the power of sexual delusion works. Samson meets Delilah whose mission was to destroy him. The Philistines wanted to know the secret of Samson's strength. So Samson tells Delilah a lie and after they fail to capture him, she convinces him to tell her another lie. Again they try to seize him but fail. Once more this scenario is repeated. Finally Samson breaks down and tells her the truth. This time he is captured, his eyes are gouged out and he is taken prisoner.

Can you read that story without shaking your head? How could he be so stupid? So there we see the power of sexual delusion. If Samson had been in his right mind he would have never been with Delilah in the first place. But even more sure, he would have fled after she betrayed him the first time.

In his sexual delusion, Samson was blind long before his eyes were gouged out. Passion and emotion ruled his life as he acted as an animal in heat. Common sense was long gone. What ruled his life was the lust that had consumed him.

A side note here: when people are involved in a dating relationship and move into a physical relationship they start to lose their objectivity so emotion and passion can become the guiding force. I can't number the times I have seen this happen. They might be involved with someone who is either not good for them or plain bad. It doesn't matter how many friends or family object, they can't see it.

So back to sexual delusion. With this in mind we can understand why so many people have done crazy sexual things. The sexual obsession, out of control, takes over and is followed by stupid and stupider things.

Here is something I read the other night:

While we may think of an idol as a statue of wood, stone, or metal worshiped by pagans, in reality an idol is anything apart from God that we depend on to be happy, fulfilled, or secure. It is anything other than God that motivates and masters us, anything we love and pursue in place of God. Idols begin with desires—often good and healthy desires. But when our desire becomes a demand, when we start believing that the object of desire is essential to our fulfillment and well-being, when it begins to control our thoughts and behavior, whatever it is we want has become an idol ( I Corinthians 6:12). What we want is not the problem; the problem is that we want it too much.

So if we want to go deeper with God, we must search our hearts for idols. This isn't easy because we tend to justify ourselves and disguise our real desires so we won't have to let go of what we love. Do you need to examine your life for idols, for desires that have become demands? Going deeper with God is a process of identifying and confessing our idols one by one and cooperating with God as he removes them, bit by bit, from our hearts.
~From The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie

So where am I and where are we? It may not be sexual but is there something in your life that makes you do dumb things? It could be food, alcohol, hobbies, work, comfort, pride, or some other thing that has become more than it should be. If you don't see something then you may have already lost your eyes. Remember, the essence of blind spots is that we are blind to them.

Philip

Self-Ministry vs Self-Medication

"Now I understand why people take drugs," I said to David the Sunday afternoon following Hope's burial and memorial service on Saturday. Honestly, I had never understood it before, because I had never felt that much pain before. And now the pain I felt was consuming, and I just wanted it to go away. So that Sunday afternoon I went to bed hoping to sleep it away. But that day, and in the days that followed, I discovered I couldn't sleep it away, eat it away, drink it away, shop it away, travel it away, or busy it away. I just had to feel it. And it hurt. Physically.

I had to do my best to confront my pain with the truth of God's Word, to comfort myself with the promises of God. But the pull toward self-medication rather than self-ministry is strong when we are tempted, discouraged, angry, guilty, or sad, and most of us have never learned how to minister to ourselves. In our pain we turn too quickly to the telephone or the bottle or some other quick but ineffective fix. Even though we may say we believe Jesus is the answer, we often turn to earthly idols to meet our needs. So we must learn how to minister to ourselves. When we sense our spirits beginning to sink, when the pulse of pain awakens a desire that demands to be placated, we need to reject any and all lesser comforts than Christ alone. We must choose to cover ourselves with his kindness. We have to remind ourselves of his promises. Jesus, you understand what pain feels like. You are here with me to comfort me and empower me. I can enjoy you right now and welcome your peace and your presence. You are doing good things in my life even with the hurt I am feeling. This is self-ministry in place of self-medication. And it is the only always-available remedy for the ache in our souls.

Do you feel the pull of the bottle or the refrigerator or the mall or the television or the computer screen, offering you numbness to the pain? Will you reject the invitation of idols and accept the invitation God holds out for you? Will you bring him your pain and hide yourself in him, nestling close to his heart, finding your solace in him alone?

~From The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie, page 310

Here is is on Amazon

Wisdom From my Friends

A few years ago I presented this to a group of friends who knew me fairly well and who also loved me. Over time I sat down with each of them and heard what they had to say. What I learned was very enlightening. Each said different things but there were also the recurring subjects. Their honesty was hard, more so for them. It can be tough to point out a person's flaws when you are not mad at them but what a gift it is. I now have a list of what I learned from them, a inventory I never could have come up with on my own.


I know I have problems that are more visible to others than to me and blind spots that I can't see at all. Could we get together so you could help me see better. Following are some questions I would like you to answer about me. I will listen, take notes, and promise to ponder your words. I will not contradict or argue or defend.

Where am I stuck?

What bad pattern do I return to?

What problem am I avoiding?

Where am I blind?

What is my most annoying habit?

What have I done really well?

What big thing have I overcome?

And of course, anything else you would like to point out.

Thanks,

Philip