But I want to legislate morality!

After His arrest, it was the court of public opinion which lead to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pilate gave the howling mob a choice between releasing Barabbas, a known criminal, and Jesus Christ. When given the opportunity to release Jesus, the crowd shouted, “not this man, but Barabbas” (John 18:40). The tide of public opinion had become so corrupt that they desired a robber be released over and innocent man.

Though Pilate found no fault in Him (John 19:6), and tried to reason with the mob, he could not save the Son of God. The religious leaders of the day stirred the crowd, and the crowd responded by yelling out, “crucify Him, crucify Him!" (John 19:15).

Looking back on the events of Jesus’ life it is easy to see the dangers presented when “the court of public opinion” is allowed to rule. Whether this is the “public opinion” of the world, or the church, Christians must follow God. We must be careful to not allow the commandments of the Father to become subject to a popularity contest. In recent years, months, and even days, we have seen just that happen. The public, and her courts have ruled time and time again against God.

Does a court ruling or the tide of public opinion have any bearing on the commandments of God? Certainly not! We must always remember that God is not subject to us, but we are to be in subjection to Him. We do not have the right to simply throw out His Word because of what we perceive as “fairness” or our “rights.” When approaching Scripture we are to always remember “His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.”

So what are we to do when “popular opinion” seems to turn away from God? One word, love. Love the people who reject Him. Love the people who choose the world and its riches over becoming a child of the King. Love the people who make fun of you for trying to follow God’s law above that of man’s law. Love.

We cannot legislate morality, it is a choice. We cannot force people to love and obey God, it is a choice. We CAN choose to love those made in His image. Love.

Exposing The Deceiver - Porn...It's No Big Deal

You know, pornography really isn’t that big of a deal when you compare it to other problems in the world. I mean, it’s something that consenting adults agree to be a part of for the purpose of making a living by entertaining others. As for the folks who consume pornography, it’s their own private decision, it doesn’t bother anyone else. Isn’t it better for someone to watch porn than to go and cheat on their wife? Isn’t watching porn just as valid as any other form of entertainment? Isn’t watching porn better than living a promiscuous lifestyle? It simply cannot be that big of a deal.

Pornography isn’t really that big of a deal, unless you consider…

• It Leads To Spiritual Death – Make no mistake about it, sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and lust is sinful. Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” We must be honest with ourselves, one cannot watch pornography without being found guilty of the sin of lust, it is just not possible. We will not get to be in heaven with God if we use pornography (Romans 1:29-32).

• 68% of Adult Men and 18% of Adult Women Use It – According to one study, this staggering percentage of our population are involved in viewing pornography. With numbers like this, the pornography business affects all walks of life, teachers, counselors, moms and dads, preachers etc. These numbers serve as a snapshot of just how powerful this tool of Satan’s is.

• It Destroys Trust Between Spouses – When a man or woman is caught (or admits freely to) using pornography by his or her spouse, it severely damages the bond of trust. The spouse who finds their loved one using porn is left feeling inadequate, insecure, and insufficient. When they made their vows before God and witnesses they promised to keep themselves only for each other, pornography shatters that promise.

• Porn Cheapens The True Beauty of Women – Women, like men, were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Their beauty as God would have it comes from within (1 Peter 3:4). Pornography sells women (and men) the lie that their total worth comes from their sexuality which is directly opposed to what God says.

Friends, pornography is the elephant in the room. It is the subject that nobody likes to talk about, but we need to be talking about it because its effects are disastrous. Satan has done a masterful job selling us the lie that porn is no big deal. Make no mistake, it is an eternally big deal. If you are struggling with pornography, you are not alone., There are many other people who struggle as well. Get help. Pornography will ruin our relationships with others and more importantly, our relationship with God.

Head of household, period.

God created man first, and he is to be head of the household, period (Ephesians 5:22-24). To the ladies, that may sound harsh and maybe even unfair, but we must understand what God expects of man as the head of the household before we get too upset. And to the guys, it might sound like we get to be the “boss,” but before we allow ourselves to be carried away to a place God never intended, we too must understand what it means to be head of the household.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her…”

That changes everything. If we are to be a husband who is pleasing to God, we must love our wives in the same way Jesus loved the church. This immediately changes the perception many people have about headship, it’s not a control thing or a power grab, at least it shouldn’t be, if done Jesus’ way. Jesus loved His church and because of His love, He…

Made Sure His Bride Was Spiritually Fed – Jesus spent his entire ministry teaching His bride. As the head of our household, we have a responsibility to spiritually nourish our wives and children. In order to do this, we must first spiritually nourish ourselves by studying the word of God on a daily basis (Acts17:11). If we do not feed ourselves spiritually, we cannot keep our family from suffering spiritual malnourishment. Jesus understood His sheep needed protection, and he was the protection (John 10:7-11). In the same way, we must feed our family from His word, and protect them from the ravenous wolves of this world.

Encouraged His Bride – Our wives are not perfect, and we should not expect them to be. As Christian husbands we should be experts at seeing the positives instead of focusing on the negatives. Wives worry about a good many things; often times these worries can be eased with a little encouragement. One of the many things which I can improve on is the amount of encouragement I offer to my wife. Take the time to notice when she dresses nicely, and tell her that you like how she looks! When she goes out of the way to do something nice for us, be thankful instead of having an attitude of expectation. When she is having an emotionally tough day, pick her back up, Jesus encouraged his disciples, so too we should encourage our wives (John 14:1-4).

Gave Himself Up For Her – Jesus Christ gave His life for His bride and so should we. If we love our wives as Jesus loved the Church we are to put her needs and best interests above our own. This is an all encompassing lifestyle. Yes, this includes being a partner to her in housework, in raising your children, and in all other aspects of life, you two are now one (Mark 10:7-8). There were times in Jesus ministry where He just wanted to be left alone (Matthew 14:13-14), but He was needed, and He met those needs. In all honesty, there are times when we would rather be left alone, but we are needed by our spouse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are to put ourselves second and meet her needs as often as we can.

Being a Christian husband is not easy; God never promised it would be. Being a Christian husband is a great responsibility illustrated by the comparison of Christ and the church. Husbands, let us each strive to love our wives in the way Christ loved his bride and encourage one another in doing so.