Men in America have not suddenly become feminine and been drawn sexually to their own gender. The feminization of men is a Satanic work from the early days of humanity, certainly as far back as Sodom. Paul writes in the books of 1 Corinthians and Romans about being effeminate and acting against nature.

As active Christians, we all get concerned about younger believers. We watch and notice when a youth or newer believer is influenced by less than spiritual people, and we should notice. The book of Proverbs warns constantly about the wrong crowd misleading the simple one and promises to bless the one who walks with the wise. (Proverbs 13:20)

The fact that God’s people are different is well known, but the extent of their difference is rarely seen so clearly as in the life of Mordecai.

As a child, my brother and I stayed at the home of a babysitter who had National Geographic magazines. Some of the primitive pictures of natives were certainly of interest to little boys: lack of clothing, feeding a baby in public, and lack of discretion — these are typical of primitive or Third-World nations.

Deuteronomy 20:19 “When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege.”

On the cross, Jesus prayed, “…Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” and Stephen prayed, “Lord, Lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:60) Later, we read of Paul speaking of those who abandoned him in his troubles, and he said, “I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.” (2 Timothy 4:16)

On occasion, I find myself in a conversation with someone who has accepted the “Calvinistic” view of the Christian life.  It is more often found among those with college and even seminary training than among “normal” believers, but that is not always the case. At least one church in our area is strong in the folly of Calvinistic philosophy. 

Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”

When someone close to us falls, there is a certain grief that hits us.  If it be a child, a spouse, or someone who works for us, it is a heavy weight to bear when those near us make a mess of their lives. 

I would like to take a few minutes to address the tongue and the evil done with it.

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Ezekiel 23:35 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.”

Almost every day, we live among people. At work, school or church, or even in our neighborhood, people are a constant factor in our lives.  Perhaps it would be wise to learn from the Lord about types of people in order to better guide our relationships.  Here are simple words used by God to identify men and women. A casual reading of these passages will be a great assistance in hiring co-workers, making friends, and making social or business choices.

I was noticing how people react when they are in the presence of God. One’s reaction is an indication of how close one is to Him. Let us look at the Scripture:

Too many marriages are selfish, self-centered, or perhaps focused on an agenda. In business, a bus route, a church, or in training our own children, I think the weak link is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:7: “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:”

Psalm 62:5 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

I would like to think that all people consider the future (the long-term, forever future), but we know most do not. James warns about having the right spirit toward one another; he uses the powerful phrase, "the judge standeth before the door."

Many people have the idea that every Christian can see, understand, and anticipate the same circumstances as others.

Genesis 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”

One of the tragic changes in American culture is the lack of discretion.