It is continually astounding to me how men who claim to be Christian can have such a low regard for their wives. My own father is like that, and I recently met a man who visited our church who is definitely like that. No wonder women don't want to submit!!
Yes, the Bible expressly teaches that the man is the head of the house and that the wife must be subject unto him (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Peter 3:1-6). But any man who will be the head of anything, wife or church or job, who calls himself a Christian, must abide under the rules that Christ Himself put into place for leadership. In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus said to His disciples, "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister [Gr. = slave]; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Those two men have it wrong. They think that because they are the heads, then everything must go their way. Jesus is God, and He did not come to make everyone subservient to Him. He came to woo us to Himself, by showing His great love for us, and then to help us walk into the blessings that He has prepared for us. He did not come to stomp us when we stray, but to bring us back to Himself, just like He did the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 50:1).
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Emotions
Someone made me very angry on Sunday. He said that Women are 78% emotional and only 22% logical, while men are 78% logical and 22% emotional, even though women use both sides of their brains.
Now, since I am not a woman, some of you, my readers, may wonder why I am opposed to this statement. Well, it's simple, really: it's a lie!
My pastor had just made the point that our emotions get us into trouble, and this man was trying to say that only women are susceptible to that sort of stumblingblock. Hardly.
It was Adam's emotions that caused him to follow his wife in disobedience to God that fateful day in the Garden of Eden. It is the emotion of anger that causes many men to beat their wives. It is the emotion of happiness that men seek when they get drunk or high. It is all emotional.
Many men think only of crying when they think of emotions, but crying can be used to express all emotions, happiness, anger, and sadness. It is but a vehicle, a sort of body language, but it is itself not an emotion. Yes, women may cry more than men do, but that does not make them more emotional than men.
Emotions are what we feel about a situation. God tells us not to rely on these feelings to make our decisions in life: "Trust in the Lord with all thin heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes [that is to say, humble yourself to say, 'Lord, I know not what to do']: fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)
Most people--men and women--operate on how they feel about a situation, rather than how God would tell them to handle that situation. That is how we get into trouble. We think we know exactly what to do and so act, instead of asking God to help us make the right decision. That was Adam's problem in the garden. And that is our problem today. May we stop making excuses and start asking for wisdom from God--which He promised that He would give us upon request (James 1:5).
Now, since I am not a woman, some of you, my readers, may wonder why I am opposed to this statement. Well, it's simple, really: it's a lie!
My pastor had just made the point that our emotions get us into trouble, and this man was trying to say that only women are susceptible to that sort of stumblingblock. Hardly.
It was Adam's emotions that caused him to follow his wife in disobedience to God that fateful day in the Garden of Eden. It is the emotion of anger that causes many men to beat their wives. It is the emotion of happiness that men seek when they get drunk or high. It is all emotional.
Many men think only of crying when they think of emotions, but crying can be used to express all emotions, happiness, anger, and sadness. It is but a vehicle, a sort of body language, but it is itself not an emotion. Yes, women may cry more than men do, but that does not make them more emotional than men.
Emotions are what we feel about a situation. God tells us not to rely on these feelings to make our decisions in life: "Trust in the Lord with all thin heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes [that is to say, humble yourself to say, 'Lord, I know not what to do']: fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)
Most people--men and women--operate on how they feel about a situation, rather than how God would tell them to handle that situation. That is how we get into trouble. We think we know exactly what to do and so act, instead of asking God to help us make the right decision. That was Adam's problem in the garden. And that is our problem today. May we stop making excuses and start asking for wisdom from God--which He promised that He would give us upon request (James 1:5).
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