Russell Mckinney's Blog

Straight Talk About God and Life

A Three-Point Checklist For The New Year

Proverbs 4:25-27 says: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.”

These verses make for one of the Bible’s best texts on the subject of a new year. In them Solomon offers a three-point checklist that will help us make this new year a godly, blessed, spiritually productive year. Let’s take a look at that checklist.

Item #1 is: Rivet your attention upon this new year. Solomon says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids right before you.” Think of yourself as standing on the precipice of this new year. What should you do as you stand here? You should focus your attention straight ahead and fix your gaze on what lies ahead.

In order to do that, you’ll have to step out of your past. You might as well step out of it, because you can’t change one second of it anyway. Rearview mirrors make poor windshields!

You say, “But Russell, you don’t know my past. You don’t know the things I’ve done. You don’t know the things I’ve gone through.” Well, you’re right, I don’t know your past. But I do know two things. One, I know that Jesus wants to meet you right where you are and do wonderful things for you, in you, and through you. Two, I know that in order for Him to do that you’re going to have to join Him in the here and now. The fact is, this new year can be your fresh start with Christ.

One day a man stormed into the office of his local newspaper and said to the secretary, “I want to see the guy who is in charge of the obituaries.” When the secretary pointed him to a rookie reporter, the man marched over to that reporter and said, “Young man, I want you to know that my name appeared in your obituary column today. And, as you can see, I am very much alive. I want you to print a retraction in tomorrow’s paper.” To that, the young man said, “Sir, I’m afraid that we don’t print retractions in our obituary column, but I’ll put you in tomorrow’s birth announcements and give you a fresh start!”

This new year can be your fresh start with Jesus. You can have a fresh start in the areas of prayer, Bible study, church attendance, personal holiness, giving, and evangelism. Whatever sins you’ve committed in the past, whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever you’ve gone through, rivet your attention on this new year.

Item #2 on the checklist is: Reassess the path you are traveling. Solomon says, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” The Hebrew word translated as “ponder” means to mentally weigh. The point is, think about the path you are currently traveling. Is it a path that will take you into more intimate fellowship with Jesus? Is it a path that will take you into a deeper level of service to Him? Is it a path that will make you a better Christian and a better person?

It’s sad that most people never take the time to stop and really think about where their path is taking them. Oftentimes this is why they repeat the same mistakes over and over again, year after year. I read about a man who went to the doctor to get some help for his two burned ears. The doctor said, “Before I treat you, I’ve just got to know how you burned your ears.” The fellow said, “Well, doc, here’s what happened. The phone rang while I was ironing my shirt, and I picked up the iron instead of the phone.” The doctor said, “That’s terrible! But what happened to your other ear?” The man said, “The guy called back.”

We laugh at that story, but this world is filled with people who never learn from their mistakes. I’m saying that the beginning of a new year is a great time to get by yourself, turn off the television, lay the phone off the hook, and take a good, hard look at your life.

And don’t be afraid to hurt your own feelings. Be honest about where you are. If the path you are on is a bad one, admit it. You will never get where Jesus wants to take you in life until you get on the right path.

So, here at the start of this new year, I encourage you to reassess the path you are traveling. If you don’t like the harvest you are getting, change your seed! It is a form of insanity to keep doing what you are doing and expect different results. If you want to change your life, change your path.

And then item #3 on the checklist is: Resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. Let’s say that you get on the path the Lord wants you to be walking. Is that the end of the story? No, it isn’t. Solomon gives the warning: “Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.”

As you walk your God-approved path, certain things will appear to your right, things that will look appealing to you. Don’t leave your path and go after them. Certain things will appear to your left, things that will look appealing to you. Don’t leave your path and go after them.

I’ve noticed that some people are very good at making fresh starts with the Lord. Such a person goes his or her own way for a while and then says, “I’ve got to get right with the Lord.” Then they make a renewed effort at living a Christ-honoring life. They walk that God-approved path for a while but then stray from it. Some sinful pleasure to the right looks good, and they leave the path. Some worldly amusement to the left looks good, and they leave the path. As Solomon describes it, they step off the path and out into some form of evil.

Then, after the person has filled up on the evil, he or she again says, “I’ve got to get right with the Lord.” At that point the cycle starts all over again. Such a roller coaster walk with Christ isn’t what He has in mind for you. You just can’t get anywhere like that. How much better it is to get on God’s path for your life and then resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. I’m all for fresh starts with Christ. Ideally, though, you only need one of those. And that’s all you will need if you resist the temptation to stray off your God-approved path.

In closing, let me tell you about two boys who once tried to outwit a wise old man. These boys had grown tired of hearing other people talk about the great wisdom the man possessed. So, they decided to show him up. First, they caught a very small bird, which one of the boys concealed in his hand. Next, they went to the old man, where the boy with the bird asked the man, “What do you think I have in my hand?” The old man answered, “You have a bird in your hand. I can see some of its feathers.” The boy said, “Yes, but is the bird dead or alive?”

It was here that the boys planned to trick the old man. If he said “dead,” the boy would open his hand and let the bird fly away. But if the man said “alive,” the boy would crush the bird before opening his hand. And so how did the wise old man answer? He looked at the boy with the bird and said, “As you will it, son. As you will it.”

Will this new year be one in which you serve Christ better than you ever have? The answer is, as you will it. Herschel Hobbs, that notable Southern Baptist preacher of days gone by, said, “Years become new only if we make them so.” You can make this new year “new” by following Solomon’s spiritual checklist. Rivet your attention on this new year. Reassess the path you are traveling. Resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. By doing these things, you’ll be able to make this year the best one you’ve ever had in serving Jesus.

January 1, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Backsliding, Change, Choices, Discipleship, Doing Good, God's Will, Holiness, New Year, Personal Holiness, Temptation, contentment, obedience | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Oral Roberts & “Seed Faith” Giving

Oral Roberts died this past Tuesday. The famous faith-healer and evangelist was 91. He died in Newport Beach, California from complications of pneumonia. He had been hospitalized after a recent fall.

As we look back over the totality of Roberts’ life, it isn’t hard to spot both good and bad. On the good side of the ledger, he preached Jesus, reminded people of what the Bible teaches about Christ’s miracle working power, and played a major role in bringing the church into the age of television.

On the bad side, he gave many prophecies that turned out to be false, claimed to have performed literal resurrections and other miraculous healings, founded a religious empire that has been frequently associated with accusations of financial malfeasance, and was the originator of the “seed faith” philosophy of giving. It is that “seed faith” philosophy that I want to focus upon in this post.    

The basic idea with “seed faith” giving goes like this:

1. The Christian generously gives his money to support a ministry (for example, the Oral Roberts ministry).

2. The Christian has faith that God will return to him a greater harvest than the original amount. (This greater harvest can come by way of job promotion, sudden windfall, etc.)

3. God rewards the faith and sends the greater harvest.

4. With the increased wealth, the Christian can begin the process all over again by giving an increased amount to the ministry.

5. With more “seed” with which to work, God can reward the Christian with a harvest that is even bigger than the first one. 

6. Out of that greater harvest, the Christian can send another increased amount of money to the ministry and, subsequently, see an even bigger harvest.

7. From there it’s etc., etc., etc. as the cumalitive process keeps rolling along and the Christian, as well as the ministry, keeps geting wealthier and wealthier.

Oral Roberts claimed that Jesus Himself revealed the “seed faith” principle to him. Among other things, Roberts said that Jesus told him how to rightly interpret Acts 20:35, the verse that quotes Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” According to Roberts, Jesus said those words don’t properly convey what He meant. Jesus supposedly said, “I meant it is more PRODUCTIVE to give than to receive.”

Roberts taught “seed faith” giving for many decades. He wrote over 130 books, most of which were variations on this foundational teaching. When he resigned as the head of Oral Roberts University (a university that has turned out “seed faith” preachers for over 40 years), his son Richard took over the reins.

Several years ago, I read Ashes To Gold, a book that was written by Patti Roberts, Richard’s former wife. In that book, Patti looks back on her days as Oral’s daughter-in-law. She talks about how guilty she felt about the excessive wealth the Roberts family enjoyed, and she seriously questions the “seed-faith” idea of giving. She says the “seed faith” teaching:

“bothered me a great deal because I saw that, when taken to extremes, it reduced God to a sugar daddy. If you wanted His blessings and His love, you paid Him off. Over and over again we heard Oral say, ‘Give out of your need.’ I began to question the motivation that kind of giving implied. Were we giving to God out of our love and gratitude to Him or were we bartering with Him?”

In the book, Patti Roberts also points out that the teaching of “seed faith” was given on every Roberts’ television broadcast, whereas the Gospel itself was rarely given. Here’s a typical quote from Richard Roberts: “Sow a seed (to the Roberts ministry) on your MasterCard, your Visa or your American Express, and then when you do, expect God to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.”

Please understand, though, that Oral Roberts and his ministry were merely the fountainhead of “seed faith” preaching. Over the years, the water quickly flowed out to wherever Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and ministries were found. Paul and Jan Crouch’s TBN broadcasting empire has sent the Roberts’ doctrine around the world, and thousands of “prosperity preachers” now preach “seed faith” giving every bit as fervently as Oral Roberts ever did.

But, of course, the central question in all this is, Is the “seed faith” philosophy Biblical? In one corner, we’ve heard from Oral Roberts. In another corner, we’ve heard from his former daughter-in-law, Patti. But what does God say? Well, His ruling is, the “seed faith” way of giving, a way that should lead to great wealth, is a lie. Let me prove that to you.

First, I’ll describe the earthly life of Jesus. Luke 9:57-58 says:

“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’”

These verses certainly don’t describe an earthly life of wealth, do they? Jesus didn’t own a house. He didn’t have a lot of money. He didn’t live lavishly.

As you read the gospels, you will see that He ate with anyone who would invite Him to eat, spent many a night outside, and probably had just one set of clothes. He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey. He and His disciples observed the Lord’s Supper in a borrowed room. After His death, His body was laid in a borrowed tomb.

As a matter of fact, rather than promoting the importance of worldly wealth, Jesus warned of the dangers of it. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). He said, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24).

These quotes certainly don’t sound like the words of one who was preaching earthly prosperity as a byproduct of salvation, do they? The fact is, you won’t find a verse where Jesus says, “Follow me, and I’ll put money in your pockets.” You won’t find a verse where He says, “Believe in me as Savior, and your financial woes will be over.”

Instead, what you will find is Christ’s constant downplaying of money. In His story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man, it is the rich man whose soul ends up in Hell (Luke 16:19-31). In His story of the rich man who planned to tear down his overflowing barns and build bigger barns, God comes to that rich man and says, “You fool, this night your soul will be required of you: then whose shall these things be?” (Luke 12:13-21). 

This was the earthly life of Christ, and it certainly doesn’t line up with the idea that God wants to make every Christian rich. If anything, Jesus taught that the love of money is one of the primary hindrances to people being all that God wants them to be.

Second, I’ll describe the lives of the apostles. In 1 Corinthians 4:9-13, we find some verses in which Paul vividly describes the life of an apostle. He writes:

“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”

Tell me, does this description sound like the apostles lived lives of wealth, ease, and luxury? Of course, it doesn’t! Well, was that because they just didn’t understand about “seed faith” giving? No, it was because it is not God’s will for all Christians to be monetarily rich.

Third, I’ll describe the lives of the Smyrna Christians. In Revelation 2:8-9, the risen, glorified Jesus gives a message for the apostle John to relay to the Christians who were living in Smyrna. That message was: 

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: ‘I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.’”

Notice that Jesus said to those Christians, “I know your poverty, but, actually, you are rich.” The interpretation isn’t difficult. Those Christians were poor in an earthly sense but rich in an eternal sense through the treasures laid up for them in heaven.

Jesus didn’t say to those people, “If you will give in faith, you will get that gift back with an increase.” He didn’t even say to them, “I know your poverty, and I’m going to do something about it.” What He said was, “I know your poverty, but don’t forget that you are actually rich.” For many Christians today, this same “Smyrna truth” applies: poor on earth but rich in heaven.

Fourth, I’ll describe the life of Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6: 3-10, Paul has some very telling things to say about money and worldly riches. He writes:

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Whatever else we might bring out of these verses, let’s at least get it settled that Paul did not say, “Timothy, God wants you to be rich in the wealth of the world. Why aren’t you?” What he said was, “Timothy, work on being content with having food and clothing.”

On the subject of “prosperity preachers,” let me say that I especially like the way the New Living Translation describes those false teachers to whom Paul was referring. In verse 5, it reads:

“These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they don’t tell the truth. To them religion is just a way to get rich.”

Now, as I begin to close, I’d like to point out that the Bible gives us many examples of believers who were rich by the standards of the world. Abraham was rich. Joseph was rich. Job was rich. Solomon was rich. Joseph of Arimathea was rich. So, I’m not saying that it isn’t God’s will for any Christian to be monetarily rich. I’m saying that no Christian has a right to expect God to make him rich or demand that God make him rich. Worldly wealth isn’t a matter of the Christian getting under the teaching of the right preacher, and it certainly isn’t a matter of lining up with the ”seed faith” plan of giving.

When it comes to attaining worldly wealth, the Bible talks about things like: hard work, saving, giving a right portion back to God, paying your bills, giving to the poor, and avoiding sin. There’s even a bit here and there about wise investing. These things are the building blocks to getting rich in this world. It’s not about sending $100 to the Oral Roberts ministry.

Think about it, Roberts’ philosophy didn’t even work for him. In 1989, his City of Faith Medical Center was forced to close due to a lack of funds. The Center, which cost $250 million to build, reportedly drained the Roberts organization of $30 to $40 million per year. This was the cause of Oral’s now infamous 1989 fundraising drive in which he announced to a television audience that God would “call him home” if $8 million weren’t raised by March. Even though $9.1 million was raised, the City of Faith still closed not long afterwards.        

Later on, in 2007, Richard was forced to resign as president of Oral Roberts University amid allegations of financial indiscretions. The scandal reportedly left the school with more than $50 million of debt. In light of such financial shortcomings, one is left to presume that either the Roberts family didn’t practice what they preached in regards to “seed faith” giving or the whole philosophy simply doesn’t work. As for me, my money is on both.

December 18, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, Business, Money, Reward, Seed Faith Giving, Sowing and Reaping, contentment, giving, stewardship | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Lessons Learned From The Tiger Woods Story

Things are getting kind of bizarre in the story of Tiger Woods, the world’s top-ranked golfer. News broke early Tuesday that an ambulance had been dispatched to his Florida mansion sometime around 2:30 a.m. in response to a 911 call. The ambulance picked up Barbro Holmberg, Woods’ mother-in-law. She was rushed to a local hospital and listed as an “advanced life support” patient. Such a listing simply means that paramedics went beyond basic CPR methods in helping her. She was admitted for “stomach pain,” evidently responded well to treatment, and was released Tuesday afternoon to return to Woods’ home. 

This was just the latest chapter in a sad series of events that have played out over the past couple of weeks. The timeline runs like this:

-At 2:25 a.m. of November 27th, Woods crashes his vehicle into a fire hydrant and his neighbor’s tree. He is taken to a local hospital and treated for minor facial lacerations. He is quickly released and returns home. (Woods refuses to talk to Florida State Troopers for the next three days, and is finally cited for careless driving and fined $164.) 

-Shortly after the accident, the tabloids and internet become abuzz with rumors of Woods’ marital infidelity. (As of now, it’s impossible to sort out fact from lies, but the current number of alleged mistresses stands anywhere from seven to ten.) 

-On November 29th, Woods releases a statement on his website in which he says the accident was his fault and asks for privacy while his family works through a difficult time.

-On November 30th, it is announced that Woods will not be participating in his next scheduled golf tournament. The given reason for his withdrawal is injuries from the accident.

-On December 2nd, Woods releases a new statement in which he says, “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.”

-A few days later, several media outlets begin reporting that Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, has moved out of the house. (I haven’t heard whether or not she took the couple’s two-year old daughter and infant son with her.) 

-Then comes Tuesday’s story about the mother-in-law being rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night.

As for Woods, he still hasn’t been seen publicly since his accident. Whatever the exact details of everything are, it now seems fairly obvious that it’s a sad situation. The entire family needs our prayers. I have been praying for them, and I hope you will as well.

With that said, I’d like to offer some Biblical lessons here. I don’t do this to kick Tiger Woods while he is down. As I said, I’m praying sincere prayers for him and his family. I offer these merely as a way to view the story through the lens of God’s written word.

Lesson #1: A son needs his daddy. Tiger’s father, Earl, died on May 3rd, 2006. He was a military man who stood for honesty, integrity, and responsibility. Up until his death, he was the driving influence in Tiger’s life. He was the one who molded young Tiger into a golf prodigy. Later on he wrote two books about his no-nonsense parenting style. Tiger has often mentioned how much he misses his dad. In 1st Thessalonians 2:11, the Bible teaches that a father should exhort, comfort, and charge his children. Proverbs 1:8 speaks of a father instructing his son. Would Tiger be in the mess he’s in now if his dad was still alive? No one can say for sure, but many would answer, “No.”

Lesson #2: Every husband must work at remaining sexually satisfied with his wife. Affairs typically occur when husbands aren’t sexually satisfied with their wives alone. The lust for more sex or “different” sex is a powerful, primal thing. That’s why Proverbs 5:18-19 warns: “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.”

Lesson #3: The sin of adultery is a fire that burns the one who commits it. Proverbs 6:27-28 says: “Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be seared?” 1st Corinthians 6:18 says: “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”

Lesson #4: No matter how much success, fame, and wealth a man has, his world can still come tumbling down if he doesn’t practice self-control. Proverbs 25:28 says: “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” A city without walls is wide open to be attacked and destroyed. So is a life lived without self-control.

Lesson #5: If you want to fall, be full of pride. Tiger Woods is well known for being supremely confident in his abilities, even to the point of being egotistical. Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Surely one of Woods’ motivations for committing adultery was that his ego told him he could get away with it.

Lesson #6: All the self-will one can muster will eventually lose out to the power of the flesh (that inborn sinful nature of individuals). Woods’ strong will on the golf course is a major part of what makes him so good. But no man is so strong-willed that he can keep his inner nature of sin at bay for long. In Romans 7:18-19, the apostle Paul writes: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”

Lesson #7: Your sins WILL eventually be discovered. Numbers 32:23 says: “…be sure your sin will find you out.” Isaiah 29:15 says: “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark. They say, ‘Who sees us?” and ’Who knows us?’”    

Lesson #8: Wealth doesn’t equate to contentment. Even though Woods has earned multiplied millions through his golfing and endorsements, there was obviously still something that prevented him from being content with his family life. 1st Timothy 6:6-8 says: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”

Lesson #9: When you raise a child to worship the idol of sports, you shouldn’t be surprised when that child grows up to be lacking in morality and character. As I mentioned earlier, Earl Woods was an uncommonly influential father. No one can deny that he raised a champion golfer. But all those championships came at a high price. As far back as Tiger can remember, Earl led him to obsess over the sport of golf and devote himself fanactically to mastering it. Earl never taught Tiger how to keep golf in proper perspective and allow his spiritual side to develop. That inevitably caused some chinks in Tiger’s character and morality. In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asks the profound question, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  

Lesson #10: Buddhism simply cannot offer the help people need. By Woods’ own admission, he is something of a nominal Buddhist through his mother, who is from Thailand. He especially values the Buddhist practice of meditation. In a March, 2008 interview with Reuters, Woods said of Buddhism, “In the Buddhist religion, you have to work for it yourself internally in order to achieve anything in life…and in Buddhism to set up the next life. But in Buddhism it’s all about what you do and internal work.” Sadly, this religion and philosophy fly right in the face of Christ’s words from John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” They also go against Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God., not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

So, let me close by saying that Tiger Woods is just like anybody else on planet Earth in that he needs to place his faith (belief) in Jesus as his personal Savior. That will bring him forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:14), spiritual life (John 5:40), salvation (Acts 16:30-31), and the empowerment to resist temptation and sin (Philippians 4:13). Certainly Tiger’s life has taken a tragic turn for the worse, but if that turn leads him to the open arms of Jesus, the best will be yet to come for him. That’s my prayer, for not only Tiger but his entire family.

December 9, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Adversity, Belief, Character, Choices, Desires, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Husbands, Marriage, Money, Parenting, Priorities, Seeking Forgiveness, Sex, Sin, Sports, Temptation, adultery, contentment, faith | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

To Doorbust Or Not To Doorbust?

Well, this past Friday I got closer than I’ve ever gotten to doing some “door busting” on Black Friday. Wal-Mart was advertising a sweet laptop at an unheard of price. I had plans to hit in there about 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning and take my place in line. I dreaded it, but since I’d never actually had one of those ”door busting” experiences, and since I really wanted that laptop, I thought, “This is the year.”

The store was open on Thanksgiving day, and so Tonya and I made a trial run over there that afternoon. Fortunately for us, the lady who was going to be selling those laptops the next morning was also working that afternoon and took the time to answer some questions for me. The question-and-answer session went something like this:    

“What time do I need to be here to get one of those laptops?”  “By 1:30 or 2:00 a.m.”

“Really? That early?”  “Yes, definitely. I wouldn’t advise coming any later.”

“How many of those laptops do you have?”  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that. I know, but I can’t tell you.”

“If I do get here at 2:00 a.m., what will I need to do?”  “Go back to the appropriate part of the store and get in line.”

“What then?”  “I will start handing out tickets. Then, when the sale actually begins at 5:00 a.m., I’ll go right down the line and give the person with the ticket a chance to buy a laptop. I’ll go right down the line until all the laptops have been sold.”

“So, if I get in line at 2:00 a.m. and get my ticket, can I spend the next three hours walking around the store?”  “No, the best I can do is give you a five-minute bathroom pass.”

“In other words, I’m going to have to stand in line for a full three hours just to get a chance at buying one of those laptops?”  “Yes, that’s right.” 

It was somewhere along about then that my “door busting” turned into bronco busting and I was thrown off the horse. NOTHING that woman said sounded good to me. She finished me off when I asked her how much the computer usually cost. She quoted something along the lines of $389. I say “something along the lines” because she was talking pretty fast at that point. The truth is, I could be wrong about the price she quoted. That’s the figure my brain heard, though. And since the sale price was $299, I did some quick math and came to the conclusion that all that just wasn’t worth it to save $90. 

Now, I’ll grant you that three hours in line for $90 breaks down to $30 per hour. That’s good money. But it wasn’t enough to get me to bow down before that altar of American consumerism. So, I slept in Friday morning and enjoyed it. I did get out along about 10:30 a.m. with Tonya, the boys, and my mom. We hit the mall and had a good experience checking a few items off our “to buy” list. We didn’t get any 75% off deals, though.

I came away from my whole Black Friday experience with the following observations:

#1. Since that sales lady at Wal-Mart was so adament that I should be there no later than 2:00 a.m., I figure that meant they only had about ten of those laptops to sell.

#2. I’ve got enough willpower and sheer stubbornness to have gotten in line at 1:00 a.m., stood there all night, and staked my claim to one of those laptops, but I couldn’t do it and keep my self respect. That would have been me letting Wal-Mart play me, and I just couldn’t give them that satisfaction.

#3. If I was someone else, or if the situation had been something else, maybe God would have given me a peace about doing what was necessary to get that computer. As things were, though, the only peace I found was in forgetting the whole deal and sleeping in late.   

You know something? Even when I’m half in the mood to play this world’s silly little games, it’s just not something that I can do with ease or pleasure. God has had me too long for that. But I’m glad I’m that way because, after all, 1 John 2:15-17 is still in the Bible: 

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

November 29, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Business, Choices, God's Will, Money, Personal, Priorities, Temptation, contentment, stewardship | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

What Is The Wife’s Role In A Marriage?

The wife’s role in a marriage simply cannot be understood Biblically without the use of that politically incorrect word “submission.” As I noted in my previous post, both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach that the husband should be the head of the home. Naturally, this means that the wife should voluntarily submit to his headship. The proof texts are Genesis 3:16, Ephesians 5:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:3, Titus 2:3-5, and 1 Peter 3:1.

Of course, the wife’s submission should go to a lover not an ogre. Surely if more husbands obeyed the Bible’s command to “love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25) more wives would think kindly toward the idea of submission. The same holds true for 1 Peter 3:7, which says: “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

At no point, however, does the Bible say, “Wives, if your husbands aren’t all they should be, you don’t have to submit to them.” To the contrary, 1 Peter 3:1 specifically speaks of husbands who “do not obey the word.” Interestingly, the verse teaches that a wife’s best chance of creating a desired change in her husband is to do it through her conduct, not her rebellion against his headship.  

There is, however, another aspect to the wife’s role in a marriage. And, again, it is one that seems very out of step with our times. According to the Bible, the wife is also to play the role of homemaker. Proverbs 31:10-31, a passage that offers a description of the ideal wife, clearly describes a homemaker. In 1 Timothy 5:14, Paul says, “Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” In Titus 2:4-5, he encourages older women to teach younger women “to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” These passages certainly aren’t hard to interpret or understand.

I do want to point out, though, that the Proverbs 31 passage does allow some room for a wife to bring in an income. The passage speaks of the woman seeking wool and flax and working with a distaff and a spindle (v.13, v.19). She makes linen garments and sashes and sells them to merchants (v.24). From the money she earns as a seamstress, she purchases a field and plants a vineyard (v.16). You see, she does all of this in addition to being a great homemaker. So, it can be done. It isn’t easy, but it can be done.

Finally, Proverbs 31:23 offers us one other aspect of a wife’s role. It says: “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.” In Bible times, a city’s business was conducted at its gates. Therefore, to be “known in the gates” or to sit “among the elders” was to be a very prominent man in the city. The teaching is that a wife should build up her husband socially, not tear him down. She should better his reputation, not hurt it. She should be willing to take a back seat career wise if it means helping him get ahead in his career.

Even as I write these words, I realize how foreign they seem to the “modern woman.” But just remember this: You can “come a long way, baby” but be traveling in the wrong direction. God understands how differently men and women are wired, and His word can be trusted to lead a wife into the kind of life that will make her the most contented and joyous.

August 26, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Husbands, Marriage, Wives, contentment, submission | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Maybe So, Maybe Not

Last week I wrote a blog entitled “Let’s Get Real.” In that blog I questioned why God allows Satan to win so many battles, even though I have no doubts that God has already won the eternal war. The post was about being honest with God. If we don’t understand what He is doing, or agree with it, we shouldn’t shy away from expressing that to Him in prayer. After all, how can prayer be real if it isn’t honest?

A few days later I was digging around in my files looking for something on a completely unrelated subject. In my digging I came across a story that I had saved from about a year and half ago. James Merritt, the pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth Georgia, used the story on one of his t.v. broadcasts and I jotted it down after hearing it. Since it applies to questioning the way God handles things, I thought I’d share it with you as a companion piece to “Let’s Get Real.”

There was an old man who was known as the wisest man in a certain village. Whenever someone wanted council they would go see this man. One day a farmer went to him and said, “A horrible thing has happened to me: My ox died. I’m a farmer and I depended upon that ox to get my fields plowed and my crops planted. Now I can’t plant my crops and I’m going to starve. Do you agree that this is the worst possible thing that could have happened to me? The wise man said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The very next day the farmer looked out his window and saw a strong, sturdy horse come galloping up to his farm. The farmer wouldn’t have tried to catch the horse if he had still had the ox, but the ox’s death led him to go out and catch the horse. It turned out that the horse was much younger and stronger than the ox and could plow ground much faster. Because of this, over the next couple of weeks, the man was able to plant twice as much as he would have been able to plant with the ox.

The man went back to the wise man and said, “I owe you an apology.” Then he told him the story about the horse. He finished the story by saying, “You were right. My ox dying wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. It was a blessing in disguise. The best thing that could have happened to me was getting this horse.” The wise man said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

Three days later the farmer’s son took the horse out for a ride. But the horse threw him and the fall broke both of the son’s legs. Since the young man was the only worker the farmer had to help him get in his crops, the farmer was devastated. He went back to the wise man and said, “How did you know that me catching that horse was not going to be a good thing? My son getting both his legs broken has to be the worst thing that ever happened to me.” The wise man said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The very next day troops came to the village to take every young man away to fight a war that had just broken out. The only young man who wasn’t taken was the farmer’s son who was laid up with those two broken legs. Tragically, a few days later the village got word that every one of those young men had been killed in that war. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

My search through my files also uncovered two quotes from the late, great evangelist Vance Havner. First, Havner said, “God marks across some of our days, ‘Will explain later.’” Second, he said, “…all question marks will be straightened into exclamation points.”

So, how does this “Maybe So, Maybe Not” piece walk hand in hand with the ”Let’s Get Real” piece? The answer is, let us be honest enough with God to question Him or disagree with Him, but at the same time let us be humble enough to admit that His wisdom is infinitely superior to our’s. Another quote I like is, “Even when I can’t track Him, I can trust Him.”

We all need to be reminded of that, don’t we? Our knowledge and understanding are so limited. We don’t know what the next second holds, to say nothing of the next day, week, month, or year. But God does, and He can be trusted to always do right. Remember this the next time you’ve got a problem with the way He is handling things. I’m going to take my own advice and try to do it too.

July 12, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Adversity, God's Will, Patience, Problems, contentment, faith, perseverance, trials | Leave a Comment

My Runaway Child

Last night Tonya had to chaperon a school-dance for a couple of hours. That left me at home with the boys. Everything was going fine until Royce, my eight year old, decided that he wanted to go outside and practice his baseball swing. There he stood, holding his plastic ball and bat, while I told him that it was getting too dark to go outside. He didn’t like my verdict, but he seemed to take it in stride.

Not long afterwards, I heard some kind of crash down in our basement. I didn’t think too much about it because I knew that Royce had gone down there after I had told him he couldn’t go outside. I also knew that he has an average of three or four “crashes” every day. If they are serious enough, he comes and reports. Since he didn’t report, I figured that everything was okay.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes had passed, Royce came to me in tears. As it turned out, he had taken his ball and bat downstairs to practice his swing. He had thrown the ball up and hit it straight into one of our fluorescent lights. The light was now lying in a milion pieces all over the basement floor.

Here’s where I need to give a little background to the story. A few weeks ago, Ryan and Royce busted another light by throwing balls in the basement. At that time I laid down one of those eternal, never-to-be challenged rules concerning balls, the basement, and fluorescent lights. Fathers love doing that kind of thing. Naturally, when Royce busted another light with another ball, he knew he was in for a spanking.

Oh, yes, we practice the art of spanking around our house. We don’t cross the line into child abuse, but we do spank. If you disagree with this time-honored parenting method, please read the following Bible passages: Hebrews 12:5-11; Psalm 119:67; Proverbs 3:11-12; 13:24; 19:18; 26:15; 23:13-14; and 29:15,17. The board of education applied to the seat of knowledge can do wonders for the thought process of the mind. God gave us extra padding back there for a reason! 

And so, Royce knew that he was in for some disciplining. But he had a better idea. While I went downstairs to survey the damage, he headed out the door toward the garage. By the time I came back upstairs, he already had his little scooter out. When I said, “Get in here,” he said, “I’m going to run away because I don’t want another spanking.” I said, ”What are you going to do, just walk the roads?” He said, “That’s why I got my scooter.” I said, “And how do you plan to eat?” At that point he showed me that he had gone to his room and gotten his little billfold. He said, “I’ve got $30.” (That was the truth. He’d been saving his “Grandpaw” and “Grandmaw” money.)

Well, even though he had obviously thought things out pretty clearly, I still made him come in the house. And, yes, I gave him a one-swat spanking. (Two-swat spankings are reserved for really bad disobedience.) When Tonya came home and got the whole report, she said, “I can’t leave you alone with them for two hours.” I said, “I thought I was doing good by not letting him go outside at dark.” I’m telling you, I just can’t win for losing. As for how Royce was going to live on $30, he said he would just keep on buying bags of Cheetos.

Two things struck me about Royce wanting to run away. First, I was actually glad that he had enough healthy fear of me to know that disobedience would bring punishment. Did you know that a child gets his first concept of God from his father? How the father acts pushes the child towards that idea of God. Abusive fathers turn God into a bully. Absentee fathers turn Him into someone who cares more about everyone else than the child. Milquetoast fathers turn Him into a timid, unassertive weakling. I don’t mind influencing Royce to view God as an authority figure who will punish disobedience. After all, that’s what He is.

The same book of Proverbs that has so much to say about spanking also has lots to say about the fear of the Lord. This is far from a coincidence. God understands full well what I just said about a child getting his first impression of God from his father. According to Proverbs, the fear of the Lord:

-is the beginning of knowledge (1:7)

-leads to a departing from evil (3:7, 16:6)

-will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones (3:8)      

-leads to a hatred of evil (8:13)

-is the beginning of wisdom (9:10)

-prolongs days (10:27)

-brings strong confidence (14:26)

-is a fountain of life (14:27)

-turns one away from the snares of death (14:27)

-is the instruction of wisdom (15:33)

-leads to life, an abiding in satisfaction, and a protection from evil (19:23)

-leads to riches, honor, and life (22:4)

Now you see why it is so important for Royce to have a healthy fear of me. As he grows up, he will be able to naturally transfer that fear from his earthly father to his heavenly father. Last night showed that we are on schedule in that department.

The second thing that struck me about Royce wanting to run away was how much it reminded me of Adam and Eve. When they heard God walking in the garden of Eden after their sin, their first impulse was to hide, get away, and keep from reporting (Genesis 3:8). The fact that this was Royce’s same response after he had disobeyed me proved that the inherited sin-nature is alive and well in the little fellow. He was born with mommy’s eyes, daddy’s nose, and Adam’s nature.

Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I can see even more similarities between Royce’s situation and Adam and Eve’s:

#1: I didn’t want Royce to run away and hide any more than God wanted Adam and Eve to run away and hide. It would have crushed me to lose my son forever just as it would have crushed God to lose His two kids forever.

#2: Like Adam and Eve, Royce was all ready to accept an inferior way of living rather than confess his sin. Adam and Eve had their fig leaves; he had his Cheetos.

#3: Just as God couldn’t wink at Adam and Eve’s disobedience and say, “We’ll let it go this time,” I couldn’t let Royce off the hook. The disobedience had to be addressed.

#4: After the disobedience was addressed, the fellowship was restored. The souls of Adam and Eve are in heaven right now, still enjoying fellowship with God. Royce and I are getting along just fine today too.

#5: Even though the disobedience was dealt with and the fellowship restored, the fallout from the sin remains. We lost our basement light and Adam and Eve lost their sinless perfection, innocence, and immortality. Sin does damage, and there’s no getting around that.

I love Royce, and we’ll buy a new light. God loves Adam and Eve (and their race), and He sent His Son to die so that His blood could cleanse all sin (John 3:16). Adam and Eve placed their belief in the Lord and learned the lesson that forgiveness of sin only comes via the shed blood of a sacrifice (Genesis 3:21). Now the question is, Have you placed your belief in Jesus and allowed the blood He shed in dying to cleanse you from all sin (Hebrews 10:4-14)? Or are you still going down life’s highway on your scooter, living on Cheetos?

May 23, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Christ's Death, Disobedience, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Parenting, Rebellion, Sin, contentment | , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Why God Hates Gambling

Last week it was announced in our local newspaper that a citizen of the county had won the lottery. The woman will receive $50,000 a year for the rest of her life. She bought the winning ticket at our WalMart Super Center. She said that she usually buys one ticket per week but decided to splurge for two the day of the purchase. It was that second ticket that hit the jackpot. Stories such as this one keep people buying lottery tickets. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that playing the lottery is gambling and the Bible teaches that gambling is not of God.

Perhaps your response is, “Oh, come on, Russell. What’s wrong with having a little fun? I can buy a lottery ticket every now and then, go to a casino a couple of weekends a year, or put some money on the ballgame, and it not be a big deal.” Well, my friend, it is a big deal with God. Let me take the Bible and give you four solid reasons why He hates gambling.      

Reason #1: God hates gambling because it shows a lack of contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-10, Philippians 4:11-12, Hebrews 13:5, and Exodus 20:17). When you gamble, you are, in essence, saying to God, “I am not content with the financial situation in which you have me. I want more money.” The subject of discontentment can be traced back beyond the tenth commandment, all the way back to the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve coveted the fruit from the one tree that God had deemed off limits to them.

Reason #2: God hates gambling because it involves get-rich-quick schemes (Proverbs 28:20,22; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 13:11). The Bible never promotes such schemes. Instead, it consistently promotes hard work, good stewardship, and even wise investing.

Reason #3: God hates gambling because it exploits the poor (Proverbs 14:31; Proverbs 28:27; Proverbs 29:7; Psalm 41:1). Did you know there are many more lottery outlets in poor neighborhoods than in higher income areas? Did you know that on those days when welfare checks arrive around this country, long lines form around the stores that sell lottery tickets? Did you know that in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, the Illinois state lottery rented billboards that showed a lottery ticket and the caption, “This could be your ticket out of poverty”? In gambling, for one person to win, other people must lose. And what category of people can least afford to hand over money and get nothing in return? That would be poor people.

Reason #4: God hates gambling because it frequently destroys peoples’ lives (Proverbs 24:1-2). Evil people work to tear down, not build up, society. But how does the gambling industry tear down society? First, gambling leads to an increased crime rate. Studies have shown that while casinos initially bring short-term economic benefits, property crimes take a sharp rise by the fourth year. Second, gambling leads to addiction. A survey done by two Duke University professors found that 10% of those who buy lottery tickets are compulsive gamblers who account for a whopping 50% of all money bet on lotteries. It’s also been proven that people are twice as likely to become problem gamblers if a casino is located within fifty miles of their home. Third, gambling leads to what we might call “a culture of destruction.” One survey of compulsive gamblers found that 22% had divorced because of gambling, 49% had stolen from an employer to pay gambling debts, and 79% said they wanted to die. Fourth, gambling leads to a demise in local business. Show me $50 that was spent on lottery tickets, and I’ll show you $50 that wasn’t spent in local stores on groceries, gasoline, clothes, or dinner.

The fact is, the gambling industry is a dirty business that thrives off peoples’ pain. Evidence of this is seen in the pawnshops that are frequently located near casinos. One pawnshop owner in Reno, Nevada has actually displayed a jar of gold-filled human teeth that his customers have pulled and pawned. Why would we want to have anything to do with an industry that causes people to do such a thing?   

Matthew 27:35 is an interesting verse on this whole subject. It says of Jesus and the Roman soldiers: “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’” Even while God in the flesh was giving His all in dying for the sins of mankind, sinful men were engaging in the equivalent of “shooting dice” to see who would get His clothes. Instead of recognizing what Christ was doing for them, their attention was focused upon gambling. Sadly, there is something about that scene that makes me say, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”   

Ah, but here comes the cry, “But so many people are doing it.” Well, a lot of people are cheating on their spouses too, but that doesn’t make it right. A lot of people are abusing their kids, but that doesn’t make it right. A lot of people are watching pornography, but that doesn’t make it right. Therefore, let’s have none of this argument that says that gambling must be okay because so many people are doing it. That argument is nothing but a lie. The hard, cold truth of the matter is that God hates gambling, and it’s about time that message started being heard.

May 12, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Gambling, Holiness, contentment | , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ups & Downs of Life

I am currently helping out a friend by serving as an assistant coach on our local 7th-8th grade baseball team. The friend is the head coach. Actually, it was my eleven-year-old son, Ryan, who got me involved. Being a 6th grader, he volunteered to help out as one of the team’s managers until he can play next year. From there it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to me becoming an assistant coach.

Our last two games have been kind of fascinating to me. We lost the first one 11-2 and set baseball back at least a century with our poor play. But then the very next day we won the second game 10-0. In that game, we hit well, fielded well, and pitched well. It’s hard to believe that the same team could play such vastly different games. What should I expect from here on out? My guess is, more ups and downs. 

Forrest Gump’s mother is famous for saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” With all due respect to Sally Field, I might say that it is like a 7th-8th grade baseball team. Some days everything goes your way. You hit what you swing at, catch what comes at you, and throw strike after strike. Other days you look completely overmatched and inept. You strike out, make errors, and fall way behind in the score. I don’t know what the secret is to having all good days. If I did, I’d go around hawking it and become a trillionaire.

In Philippians 4:11, the apostle Paul instructs the Christian on how to handle life’s ups and downs. He says, “For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Those words “whatever state” cover anything and everything that life can throw at you. Winning 10-0, be content. Losing 11-2, be content. (You don’t have to be happy about losing, but you should be content with what a sovereign God has allowed to come your way.)

I’ve always thought the key word in Philippians 4:11 is that word “learned.” Paul says, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” The point is, living with such contentment doesn’t come naturally to us. Even the great apostle had to learn how to do it. And if he had to learn it, it goes without saying that we have to as well.

But what are we trying to learn? The lesson is two-fold. First, when we are riding one of life’s ups, we mustn’t get greedy and demand more. A “state” of 10-0 is plenty of score cushion. There’s no need to become obsessed with running up the score to 15-0 or 20-0. That’s not the way of a contented person. Second, when we are riding one of life’s downs, we mustn’t get mad at God and start railing against Him. A “state” of 11-2 isn’t fun, but at least we are still able to head out onto the field and play the game. We’re not on the disabled list. Blessings are all around us if we will just acknowledge them. Griping about the bad things isn’t the way of a contented person either.       

Do you know what my friend, the head coach, said to me after today’s landslide victory? He said, “When you win, don’t get too high. And when you lose, don’t get too low.” That’s not only sound advice for a baseball season; it’s sound advice for life. I don’t know what kind of a “state” you are in right now, but strive to be content in it. If you are abased (the word Paul uses in Philippians 4:12), don’t let yourself get too low. God is still on the throne, and He isn’t finished with you yet. On the other hand, if you are abounding (the other word he uses in that verse), don’t let yourself get too high. Nothing will bring you down quicker than pride (Proverbs 16:18). When you start throwing out your chest and saying, “Look at all the great things that are going on in my life,” you are headed for disaster at breakneck speed.

In the end, what you are after is a proper balance, and that balance, as we have seen, involves being content in whatever state you find yourself. You say, “Oh, Russell, I could never learn such contentment. It’s beyond my ability.” Okay, fine, I believe you. But now let me leave you with one more thought that is found in the overall context of the Philippians 4:11 passage. In Philippians 4:13, Paul says confidently, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Does that mean, Christian, that you can learn to be content during life’s highs? Yes, it does. Does it mean that you can learn to be content during life’s lows? Yes, it does. You see, the contented balance that you need is found in Jesus. He is the One who taught it to Paul, and He will teach it to you as well.

March 20, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Personal, balance, contentment | Leave a Comment