Initiate meaningful conversation with your family no matter how long the commute with Joe White's age appropriate short talks on scripture, parenting, culture, and community.
Episodes
Friday Nov 15, 2019
Friday Nov 15, 2019
"This Labrador Retriever seldom leaves my side. His pure black shiny coat glistens in the sunlight as he gallantly retrieves the doves and ducks and pheasants and anything else that we're hunting together. But you know, try to take a chicken bone away from this dog and you might as well lose your hand. But if you lay a freshly cooked juicy sirloin steak on the sidewalk beside him, he'll drop that little nod chicken bone in a split second."
Family Discussions:
- How does Jesus' love actually replace your desire for sin?
- Describe the deceitfulness of sin.
- How can Jesus truly become your friend in your sense of fulfillment?
Transcription:
00:13 Well, today is going to be fun. We're gonna be with Chief. My best buddy here. And we're in Romans chapter 13, verses 12 through 14, and it says this, "The night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust. Put on Jesus today. This Labrador Retriever seldom leaves my side. His pure black shiny coat glistens in the sunlight as he gallantly retrieves the doves and ducks and pheasants and anything else that we're hunting together. But you know, try to take a chicken bone away from this dog and you might as well lose your hand. But if you lay a freshly cooked juicy sirloin steak on the sidewalk beside him, he'll drop that little nod chicken bone in a split second.
01:22 You know, sin is a lot like a chewed up chicken bone. It may satisfy your craving for a season, but in the end it will choke you like a hangman's noose. Listen to these quotes from letters I've received from some high school friends of mine. One said, you know what? I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Another one said, I never knew anything could hurt so bad as the one late night and the things we did there. Another letter said, I felt like I had 600 knives go through me. I was crushed. Another letter said, my friend told me his girlfriend had been raped and now she thinks she's pregnant. Another one says, I feel so used and ashamed.
02:07 Wow. It seems so meaningless, doesn't it? Why do we keep sinning like that? And you know what? The only difference between adults and students that write me so much is our sins are so much bigger and sometimes so much more disguised. But you know, drinking looks fun and sex looks fun. Satan looks cool. You know what? God knows that. So he doesn't only say he knows. He says, I'm going to give you something about a zillion times better than all of that. I'm going to give you my son, Jesus. If you'll take his companionship that I give you, if you'll take his friendship that I give you, if you'll take his unconditional love that I'll give you.
02:50 Now I want you to listen to some other quotes from some of my other friends. Check this out. I have fallen in love with Jesus this year. God has blessed me with the strength to stay free from drugs, alcohol, and sex. God has given me peace in my life. Another one said this, I have acquired the sense of peace that only he could bring. Do you get it today y'all? Another one says, while doing my Bible study this year, my relationship with the Lord has grown greatly. I've made new friends. My focus in life is not as much on me, but on the Lord and I become great friends with him. I used to lead a life that had no purpose. But now I've realized that my goal in life should be to love him and to spread his word. I used to rely on drugs and sex and fun, but now God has forgiven me and loves me like I've never been loved before. One man came up to me at a recent conference, he said, I've been addicted to alcohol for 20 years, but today at the cross, I've fallen in love with Jesus. And now I am free.
03:54 Here's the questions for today. How does Jesus' love actually replace your desire for sin? And then second question is this, describe the deceitfulness of sin. And then the big one is this. How can Jesus truly become your friend in your sense of fulfillment? And here's the lifeline for today. When something that you love is removed from your life and you feel a void, you can successfully replace it with something you love even more.