Treasure In Clay Jars

My wife and I were having a conversation this morning over the subject of sinful strongholds in the lives of men and women. We discussed how though there are similarities in these strongholds among the sexes, but more often than not, those strongholds will tend to differ based on gender. One such stronghold that we discussed was that of men's lusting, such as the desire even compulsion of men to stare at women's body parts, in person, on TV, on the Internet or in Magazines. To be sure, this is indeed a sinful stronghold among many men and some women, but one thing to understand is that it likely does not occur by itself. I have often thought about this topic, as I like many men have dealt with this stronghold myself over the years. I think about what I consider to be one of the major themes of the Bible's Old Testament...that being the Holiness of our God and the holiness to which He calls us as Christians. The beauty of the Bible is that God never leaves us having to w...

The intensely sad and extremely disappointing specter of another Christian leader failing in the public spotlight is on display currently with the recent revelation that the Rev. Ted Haggard (President of the National Association of Evangelicals) has admitted to buying drugs and receiving inappropriate touching from a gay acquaintance. This admission by Mr. Haggard came amid charges by the acquaintance that Mr. Haggard has been involved in a three-year sexual relationship with the man - charges that Mr. Haggard denies. Whenever Christian leaders fall victim to such sin the damage to fellow Christians (especially those over whom they lead) is devastating. Though these leaders are fallible human beings like all men, the Bible clearly calls them to a higher standard of conduct befitting the symbolic position of headship afforded by their position: Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, ...

So I’m on an airplane looking through one of those in-flight magazines, and I happen to come across an article on a well-known actress. As I’m reading the article I happen to glance over more closely at the picture of the actress, and it is at that point came the epiphany that became this post. With her dress comes a relatively revealing v-neck, and like a human lapdog, my eyes are drawn to her cleavage, which was (for the times we live in) customarily visible in the middle of her dress. It is there that I notice just above her cleavage, a cross dangling from a chain. Immediately, my first thought was…this scene just doesn’t add up. What is the religious significance of a cross being displayed prominently a mere inch or so away from the very revealing private area of a woman. My righteous indignation immediately kicked in. It was then that the Holy Spirit invaded my sense of defending His honor with this rejoinder in my ear: “why were you looking at her cleavage in the first place?”. A...