As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

The book of Joshua is a popular source for Bible studies and programs about manhood and being a leader in the home. The culmination of one such Bible study I’m involved in makes reference to an oft-quoted (and shortened) verse at the end of the book:

Choose this day whom you will serve… As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (cf. Jos. 24:15)

I think that Joshua has plenty of positive applications for men. But I think there’s something very misguided about quoting this partial verse. This (edited) verse serves as an announcement that our purpose and our intention is to put God first. It’s a resolution of sorts, an act of defiance against a world system that elevates pride, material gain, power, fame; namely, self, over and above God.

Having said that, why would I think that using this verse as a proverbial line in the sand is misguided? Because the context in which the verse is found is anything but promising to the aspiring man and father. The book records the people’s response to Joshua followed by Joshua’s response to the people, and it isn’t very optimistic:

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods… Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.” (Jos. 24:16-19)

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. (Judges 2:11-13)

But take a look at the reason why Joshua said they were not able to serve the Lord: “for he is a holy God.” Why would God’s holiness prevent them from being able to serve him? Because they, like us, were sinners. God, as the Bible describes him, does not appeal to our sinful human nature. We want to serve a God who serves us, or at least allows us to live as we please. We would certainly not want to serve a God whose standard of holiness surpasses what we can muster.

The problem with quoting that abbreviated verse is that it fails to take into account the truth communicated in the rest of Scripture: human beings are incapable of serving God. Our own sin gets in the way again and again. That’s why we have to always look to Christ. It is in Christ that God’s holy requirement was met and his wrath was satisfied. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness of sins and the grace we need to live for him. Therefore our hope as men and as fathers does not depend on our ability, since that would mean total failure as the Isrealites discovered. Instead it depends on the redeeming work of Christ in and through our lives.

This is actually freeing, because instead of arrogantly stating that we will serve the Lord, we can make a humble confession that we are inadequate and we are looking to Christ as our source of manhood and strength in our families:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Joshua was right.The very next book in the Bible records what happened after Joshua died:

Deity-Neutral?

“You can express appreciation for your good fortune and suggest that others contemplate their own good fortune in a deity-neutral fashion.”

A coworker wrote this. It is a generic you, I think, but I’m sure she’d have no problem saying the same to me personally.She wrote it in response to a Thanksgiving message that was sent out to our employees in which the writer said “blessings” three times and “give thanks” twice.

Here is my response:

“Deity-neutral is a new term for me. I'm not sure it is all that helpful. I don't find much of a difference between "express appreciation" and "give thanks", and even "good fortune" suggests either an unknown power or chance. The first could be offensive to some, such as atheists, and the second could be offensive to others, particularly those who believe in a sovereign God who controls everything that happens.

“Ultimately I think that a desire or expectation of "deity-neutral" language ultimately favors a non-theistic worldview over a theistic-worldview and would result in the censorship of "pro-deity" language.

“I find it similar to the gay marriage debate. Although the terms "partner" and "union" could be deemed "relationally neutral," in reality they clearly favor one side and oppose the other. There are already many people who consider "husband," "wife," and "marriage" as exclusive and offensive.”

Pray that I would be a faithful witness to her and others I come into contact with at work.

Book Review: The Christian Lover by Michael A.G. Haykin

Michael A.G. Haykin with his daughter, Victoria J. Haykin, approach Christian history from a unique angle in The Christian Lover. Starting with Martin and Katharina Luther during the foundation years of the Protestant Reformation and moving through the centuries to Helmuth and Freya von Moltke near the end of World War II, Haykin has pulled together an anthology of love letters that spans time, relationships, and life events. Each chapter of the book follows a different theme, yet all overflow with the love of God and the love of one another. It is the combination of these two that makes the book so powerful.

The chapter on Martin Luther and his wife serves as a wonderful introduction to The Christian Lover. It contains the most humorous letters of the collection and gives a different perspective on the great Reformer who not only championed the five solas, but also reintroduced the beauty and majesty of Christian marriage to the church. It is well worth reading and, fortunately, is available to view and download online. Yet the book hardly spends too much time on one couple, and before you know it, you are at the end of the chapter and ready to plunge into the next. One chapter shares the correspondence between Benjamin Beddone and Anne Steele we encounter the sad story of love rejected. Another chapter contains the bold and heart-rending letter from a man asking a woman's father for permission to marry and explains the kind of life he could expect for her on the mission field: short, plagued with hardship, yet glorifying to God. Some letters discuss mourning, and other times of joy. In all we see a devotion to God and the advancement of His purposes.

My wife and I used the book as a kind of devotional in the evening, reading a chapter each night. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the lives and letters of Christians who've been in our shoes before. After having read it in this fashion, I recommend taking each chapter on its own and spending time in reflection on it before advancing to the next, though the draw of the book and the stories written between the lines of each page urge the reader to continue.


If I could offer one regret it is that some chapters were not longer. There is a story between the dates of the letters. There is a story interwoven and unspoken between the lines of each letter written, and those stories are now attractive and enticing. I want to know. But telling the stories of each couple in detail would be too great a project for this book. Perhaps sensing this new desire to spring forth from the reader, Haykin includes many books for further reading. I will certainly be checking into them very soon.

To buy the book, visit Ligonier.org (direct link).

If you're interested, but not sure, download a copy of the first chapter here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Reformation Trust Publishers as part of their book review program.

Book Review: What Did You Expect??

As a part of the ChristianAudio Reviewer's Program, I get to download some audiobooks, listen to them, and write a short review. Here are my thoughts on Paul Tripp's new book, What Did You Expect??: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage.

I am far too young to give marriage advice, but if I could recommend only one marriage book to you and your spouse (or fiance), it would be this one. Both my wife and I have been challenged by it, and everything the author states is rooted squarely on biblical principles. How you view yourself, your spouse, God, and your marriage is going to affect your vertical and horizontal relationships. But Tripp doesn't just give you a firm Scriptural understanding of those things, he addresses heart issues and really makes you think and challenges you to act. I have to say, it would have been a great addition to premarital counseling.

The only thing that bothered me was the narrator would take unnecessary pauses... when he spoke. After a while I didn't pay attention to it, so it might just have been me adjusting to a new narrator. Regardless, I loved the book and still say that if you are married or thinking about getting married, this is the book that needs to be on your shelf. Strike that. This is the book that needs to be open in your hands or playing in your headphones!

To buy the audiobook, visit ChristianAudio.com (direct link to book information).

To buy the hardcover book, visit Amazon.com.

Strategic Pause

This post is a little old. I started writing it a while ago in March and just realized that I never posted it.

The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough. Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the lowlands, the Negev and the sea coast--to the land of the Caananites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River." -- Deuteronomy 1:6-7

At the end of his life, Moses recounted the Israelites' story. These two verses are the start of that discourse. The moment he mentioned Horeb, the Israelites knew where this was going. As Moses continues this story, we find that God was calling his people to take the promised land, but they disobeyed. As punishment, God told them they would wander in the wilderness, so they disobey him again! "No, no, we'll go now!" but God wouldn't let them. They had already failled their test.

Many of my friends, and even myself, are wondering where God is leading them. When he will tell them to go. I know someone in Spain looking for a secular job so as to better identify with the people there (She recently found a job). I also know a seminary student in Michigan who has been looking for a pastorate, yet he still waits (Just found out he's moving--he has a pastorate). I wonder why God has led Hannah and I to live over 300 miles apart while she finishes school and I work to support us both (She's been with me since May). Why? When? Where? How? For all of us, we are at Horeb. We are waiting for God to tell us to go. Go into the land that I promised you. Waiting. Waiting. Like the Israelites.

Yet, when God finally said, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough," the Israelites were unprepared for what they were about to encounter. Why? I don't know. What I do know is that I need to be looking for God's direction and trust in Him. I need to be prepared for when God says to me, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough."

At the place where I work we have a phrase for anything that has suddenly been put on hold while we wait for direction from the new administration: strategic pause. God is truly sovereign, so when we find a pause in our lives, waiting for God to move, it really is a strategic pause. It is strategic because God wants to use that time to prepare us for the movement he's planned in our future.When it seems like our life is paused, we should be anything BUT paused. It is time to trust. Time to prepare ourselves by diving into his word. The Israelites were given time to prepare, but instead their faith wavered. They began trusting in other things, building idols for themselves and bowing down to golden objects. Like the student who skips class all semester, the final exam was a disaster, and they had to live for 40 years, learning a lesson they should have gotten in 40 days. When God places a strategic pause in your life, take heart. Wait on the Lord. Let the time be used to strengthen your trust in him. Be ready to go when he changes your circumstances and you find that job, or that person, or that thing. Be ready when God says, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough."

Why We've Already Lost the Fight For Marriage

I've always wondered why we as Christians tend to fight against gay marriage and yet we are silent on premarital sex and adultery. Surely these other two sins are much more prevalent and take as great, if not greater, a toll on the sanctity of marriage and the strength and union of family.

According to an article in the New York Times, the lifetime rate of infidelity for men over 60 increased to 28%, up from 20% in 1991, and for women, it was 15%, up from 5% in 1991. The rate of increase for women is a surprising 200%. What else is surprising, the changes in infidelity rates among older people is due more to the advent of sexual enhancing drugs like Viagra and estrogen supplements as well as better hip replacements. This means that higher rates of infidelity has more to do with the ability to cheat, not necessarily the will to cheat. In addition, historically, men have been cheating more often than women, but researchers are not sure if that is true or if women were just less open about their affairs when speaking with researchers. The "Leave it to Beaver" view of what American morals were once like is probably flawed.

Truth be told, supposedly only 1% of the American population is openly homosexual, but that number, long purported by the religious right to be proof that homosexuality isn't as widespread as gay activists claim, omits certain other truths as well. The percentage of men and women who engage in homosexual acts is higher than 1% because not all people who participate in those types of relationships are open about it. Also, some people who practice homosexual sex are married and/or prefer sex with member of the opposite sex, so they don't claim to be bisexual or homosexual either. Like infidelity, actual percentages may be higher than people will admit to.

Americans, and Christians specifically, seem to have their heads in the sand if they think that homosexuals are the biggest threat to the sanctity of marriage and family. The Bible is clear, homosexuality is a grave sin, but we forget the other things like premarital sex, adultery, and high divorce rates that threaten the sanctity of marriage just as much--and I believe--more than homosexuals. I think part of the reason we ignore these other sins is because it is so widespread. How many people in your church are on their 2nd or 3rd marriages? How many engaged (or are engaging) in premarital sex? How many had (or had) a live-in boyfriend/girlfriend? The numbers are high, and we prefer to ignore it instead of identify it at the sin it is. After talking with some of my married friends, we've all come to the conclusion that, although we didn't have sex before marriage, we all regret some aspect of our physical relationships before we got married.

I haven't been using a lot of scripture in my recent posts, partly because I believe that my audience generally understands what the Bible teaches on these topics, but to highlight the severity of the issue, read what Hebrews 13:4 has to say, "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." I find it interesting that the author mentions "adulterer" specifically. Is it perhaps because adultery was the biggest threat to marriage? I don't know, but it was certainly a major threat to the sanctity/holiness/purity of marriage back then, and I believe it is still a major threat now. It it a wonder the lost call us hypocrites?

And let's not stop there. Aside from homosexuality, premarital sex, and divorce, we are threatened by pornography, machismo, feminism, and all other manners of sin and unrighteous attitudes and behaviors. If homosexual marriage is legalized in this nation, and my thoughts on the legalization of abortion through the Freedom of Choice Act are the same, it will not be because of a few liberal activists or recent changes in American morality. It will occur as a spillover from a battle that was already lost. Why we took the battle from the pulpit and Christian witness and brought it to the political ring, I will never know. Christians will now have to fight just to save the sanctity of marriage within the Church, much less within secular America.

What do you think?

(I reserve the right to edit and/or delete inappropriate comments)