The Modern Christian
One of the catalysts of the creation of this nation was the fact that two very divergent belief systems were rising on the European continent. One of them was the Reformation. Led by men with famous names like Martin Luther, John Huss, John Calvin, Tyndale, and the rest, these men wanted to get the Bible into the hands of the normal people, to let them read the Word of God in their own tongue and to remove from the readings the traditions and false teachings that had spread up in the years since Jesus had left the Earth.
The other was the Enlightenment. This was a strand of people that had taken to science and human understanding to explain those things around them. It was from here that many sought to rationalize the church’s teachings, and it culminated with Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of the Species” where a man had finally found a way to define his existence without the need for God.
While Christians have been battling over whether Evolution, as it is taught today, is in the Bible or not, what they have somewhat missed is that they have not seen the way that the secularists have shaped the way that we think about our world, and have thereby challenged the Bible and its teachings in such a way that we now attempt to understand our Bible and its commands through a modern and secular lens. This is contrary to what the Word of God teaches us about truth, history, and reality.
Husband's Owners Manual for Their Wife
Guys, let’s face it. There are some times that you wish she came with an owner’s manual. Something that would tell you all kinds of things about her:
Proper care and maintenance.
How to read her emotional meters.
Ways to make her run at optimal efficiency.
What to do when something goes wrong.
The truth is, she does come with a manual, it just needs to be extracted and written down:
The reason that you’ve never seen it is because it’s tucked away in her heart. Deep down in her heart is all the personal information you need to understand and nurture your wife according to the Bible.
But obviously, this means that you and I have to get it out of her. You see, foundational to being able to minister to your wife means understanding her:
You husbands likewise, live with [your wives] in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Pet. 3:7)
According to this verse, we are responsible to draw out the “owners manual” to our wives– it is our responsibility. In order to get to know our wives, we must reveal ourselves to one another. That means that we have to put aside the 5 things that will hinder revelation:
Fear– Fear of embarrassment or rejection. We should not have this fear because we are to be helping one another.
Selfishness– Selfishness and fear go hand in hand. When you’re afraid of what your wife might think about your revelation, you’re failing to love your wife, because perfect love casts out fear.
Pride– Pride blinds you to every other sin tucked away in the recesses of your heart and life. It causes you to hate correction and reproof.
Laziness– You must invest considerable amounts of time, effort and thought.
Ignorance– We are commanded to understand our wives, God promises to give us the wisdom, the ability to change and the desire to change.