Duty Calls

Why You Should Go Home Early Today

Perhaps you can identify with this story, perhaps not. In any case, it is worth considering. Think about it, and then GO HOME!

My client called me the night before he committed suicide.

Several days prior his business offices had been raided by investigators, and while he shared few details, he was desperately concerned about what would happen to him, his employees, and his company.  The next morning, alone in a home he rarely visited, he shot himself.

Read the rest at BNET here.

March through Proverbs - 12

As you likely know, the original compositions of the works in the Bible were not divided into chapters and verses. As we enter the discussion for the twelfth step of our March through Proverbs, let's ignore the arbitrary divide between our previous discussion, which focused on the wisdom of being open counsel and where Proverbs 12 begins.

I closed the last post with a thought I hope you'll keep in mind as we take the next step -- be willing to openly receive counsel.

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1)

With an openness to counsel and the love of instruction in mind, I have a brief activity I recommend to those who are married.

• First, husband, take some time to honestly assess the ways you show that you value your wife. Don't just make this a passing thought thing, but actually invest the time and effort to really reflect on what you do to show your wife that you value her. Think about the things you say to her and about her when you're speaking to others. Examine the attitudes you demonstrate toward and about her -- don't kid yourself; if you're thinking or feeling it, she and others will sense it. Consider whether your attitudes show honor or spite toward her. Write notes to keep track of where your thoughts have taken you. You will need these notes later.  

• Next, wife, invest some time to honestly assess the image you present to your husband and those with whom you come into contact. Reflect on whether the things you say and do demonstrate honor and respect or dishonor and shame for your husband. Keep track of your thoughts in some written form.

Now comes the harder part.

• Husband, write down your impressions as to how your wife's words and deeds demonstrate honor or dishonor, respect or shame toward you.

• Wife, record your observations as to how your husband shows that he values you with his words, deeds, and attitudes.

Finally, here comes what will be the most rewarding part. I admit that, depending on the condition of your relationship, this may be difficult or even painful. However, if you approach this as an opportunity to build a more stable relationship that will pass the test of time, you will be rewarded with a closer, stronger, and more loving relationship.

• Come together in prayer and ask God to bless each of you with love, humility, kindness, compassion, openness, and tact.

• Compare your notes and discuss the things each of you do well, along with areas in which you may have room for improvement. Honesty is important here, but brutal honesty is verboten.

Husband, how are you valuing your crown?

Wife, how are you honoring your husband?

Remember, "love is not a feeling, it's an act of your will." (Don Francisco)

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is the rottenness in his bones." (Proverbs 12:4)

March through Proverbs - 5

Don't kill the messenger here, but as we march through the fifth chapter of The Book of Proverbs, we see that Solomon encourages husbands to always be intoxicated.

After issuing a blunt warning about the dangers of adultery and offering a common sense approach to avoiding an immoral woman -- "Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house" -- Solomon launches into a rather racy encouragement for his son to "drink water from [his] own cistern." Given the torturous devastation of adultery and importance of marital fidelity, this relatively brief portion of God's word provides some of the most important advice for husbands in all the scriptures.

Solomon's advice is poetic, powerful, poignant, and profound.

"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love." (Proverbs 5:18-19, ESV)

Let's tear into this a little bit.

What does it mean to rejoice? Quite simply, it means to feel joy or great delight. In its most basic form, those of us who are husbands are to feel* joy or great delight in our wives. This rejoicing goes well beyond what you might expect, though. 

To help us understand the depth of the word rejoice, let's cheat and look at a thesaurus. Amazingly, Merriam-Webster offers the following synonyms for rejoice: crow, delight, exuberate, glory, jubilate, triumph. Related words include boast and brag. As an example of the word in action, Merriam-Webster offers this -- "...rejoiced over our unexpected victory on the soccer field."

What does that tell us about how we are to be toward and around our wives?

I rejoice with the wife of my youth. I exuberate in her decision to marry me. I jubilate that I married up!

Oh, and let's not forget the provocative thought I offered at the beginning of this section. Husbands are encouraged to be intoxicated always in their wives' love. Other English renderings of this Hebrew phrase include:

• "be thou ravished always with her love" (KJV, ASV)
• "be captivated by her love" (NIV)
• "let your passion at all times be moved by her love" (Bible in Basic English)
• "be infatuated with her love" (Complete Jewish Bible)
• "be lost in her love forever" (Hollman Christian Standard)
• "Be exhilarated always with her love" (NASB)
• "let her love always hold you captive" (New Century Version)
• "be enraptured with her love" (NKJV)
• "be infatuated always with her love" (RSV)

I am no linguist, but if I were to sum up the various English interpretations of this passage, I would say that husbands are to allow their passions to be overcome by their wives' love. This voluntary, conscious, and love-powered captivation (e.g., fascination, interest, immersion, engagement, etc.) will keep husbands far from the door of the adulteress.

Now aren't you glad you didn't kill the messenger?

(*NOTE: I emphasized the word feel above just to make the guys who are reading this uncomfortable; just to mess with you.)

When You Cast Your Vote, Consider the King

As you head out to the polls tomorrow (November 2), I urge you to keep the King in mind and cast your vote only for those who most closely abide by His principles. While I recognize that there are legitimate, opinion-based differences for many of the issues that divide us, there are also certain topics that we must not ignore when we vote.

When you cast your vote, consider how the God of creation views the following issues:

- Abortion...God hates "hands that shed innocent blood" (Proverbs 6:17). Do not, under any circumstances, cast your vote for anybody who supports the killing of babies, regardless of the euphemism with which they hide their intent. If they support "a woman's right to choose," "reproductive rights," or "limited abortion rights only for cases of incest, rape, or to protect the mother," then scratch them off your list. Refuse to join your hands with the hands of those who support the shedding of innocent blood.

- Homosexuality...God clearly demonstrated His view of homosexuality when He destroyed the notoriously wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorra (see Genesis 19), and His views have not changed. God's word describes homosexuality as an abomination (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13), unnatural (Romans 1:26), and shameful (Romans 1:27). The scriptures state plainly that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Of course, the good news is that homosexuals, like all other sinners, can be washed, sanctified [i.e., set apart], and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11). However, on the other hand, we don't know at what point God will remove His protection from our land if we continue our national support of what He sees as an unnatural and shameful abomination. With that in mind, vote only for those who do not support the homosexual agenda (e.g., attacks on marriage, desire to openly infiltrate the military, etc.).

- Marriage...God created marriage and describes it in His word as the union between a man and a woman. Search the Bible from front to back and you will see that He offers no other description for marriage other than that union. Trying to redefine marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman is as ridiculous as trying to pass a chicken off as a tree. Marriage is what it is. When you go to the polls, do not cast your vote for anybody who would attempt to redefine one of God's most beautiful and powerful creations.

Of course, there are other issues to consider, but these are worth noting here because you can clearly identify those who are willing to submit to the Creator and those who have chosen to ignore Him.

If you don't already know where the people you intend to vote for stand, do your research. Check the candidates' websites and promotional materials. For current members of Congress who are running for re-election, you can check their records in the League of American Voters' 2010 Voter Guides for Every Member of Congress.

Now, go out tomorrow and vote with the King in mind!

NOTE: This post originally appeared at WitStop