I heard on the radio the other day that 41% of all children are now born out of wedlock, where just 20 years ago only 8% were born outside of marriage.

Also, 80% of those children will be on some state assistance of some kind, and that many of these children will be abused, neglected and many of them will become involved with criminal activity, and repeat the lifestyle of their mother and be dependant upon taxpayers for their care.

The breakdown and rejection of marriage has spiritual, social, and economic repercussions that brings devastation upon a country.

In just 20 years, this country has developed an entire generation of a dependant underclass people all because they sought after pleasure instead of what is good.

Sooner or later, the me first, give me pleasure mentality has serious consequences and thats why the Bible warns us not to engage in physical activity until your married and responsible to care for each other, physically, economically and spiritually.

God doesn’t warn us about things just because he likes to keep us from having any fun, he warns us so that we don’t get hurt.

Thats what sin does, it hurts us, physically, emotionally and spiritually, and so if you want maximum pleasure, spiritual blessings, and emotional stability, remain obedient and faithful to the Lord Jesus

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The Book of Song of Solomon is a wonderful guide about marriage.

I know, I know, I’m an old fuddy duddy, who isn’t hip, and I don’t understand that theres nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure and worry about getting married later.

No,  I do understand that sin brings pain, and marriage brings true joy, and Gods blessings.

I understand what a joy it is after 34 years of marriage, I can look into my wifes eyes and know that our fidelity, and faithfully taking care of each other has brought us into a much deeper love.

Believe it or not God had originally designed this world so that everyone would have a mate that wanted one. But once again, man in his stupidity has undermined Gods plan through abortion.

I listened to a fellow who does statistics on birth rates and there are always more males born than females, but men have a tendency to die at a younger age through war, or accidents but by the time both men and women are at the marrying age its back to about one man for one woman. It shows that God designed man and woman to be married to each other.

But now because of abortion, theres an imbalance of more males than females, this is especially seen in China and other Asian countries where they practice sex selection. Now these countries are in trouble and looking in other countries to get women.

But it is Gods design for every man to have his own wife, but the  reason why so many are single is because many of them are looking in all the wrong places.

If you go to a bar, what ya gonna get?  Some loud mouthed drunk who’s there to get laid, but thats the most popular place but thats a road for disappointment.

You can go to the internet and hope the liar you get isn’t as bad as the liar the other person got.

Or you can go on a TV show and be one of a dozen contestants (whores and pimps on display) and you can compete in a bedroom to see if your good enough to win the pleasure of marrying the immoral dufus.

Why not just go and stand on a corner and try out each person and get paid to be laid? same thing!

Or you could do it Gods way, first be in a right relationship with him, pray and ask him for the right mate, then allow him to bring that person to you.

Thats what happened in the book of Ruth, and thats how God means for it to take place and when it does, watch out!

My wife walked into our church one Sunday, as soon as I saw her for some reason, I said Thats my wife, I was only 15 but I knew it and we’ve been together ever since.

God has a plan and the right person for you, but you have to seek Gods will.

The Other day I wrote about how our daughter and her boyfriend went to Mars Hill, and she wrote and told me that he wasn’t her boyfriend, he is her FIANCÉE’

SORRY!    I didn’t know you couldn’t be BOTH!!!!  Can’t my wife also be my girlfriend??? My Best Friend??   Why Not??

I’m so old school,  I don’t know what the correct etiquette is now days

Anyhow,  they are getting married next May and then the little rat is oving to New York with her Fiancée’

Oh No HER HUSBAND!!!,  Or Boyfriend,  or best friend,  or whatever!!

On to more important things, tonight my youngest son and I went for a bike ride, he has a 10 or 18 speed and my wife and I have Old Folks single speeds.

As we began we passed a Ice Cream guy, you know one of those little trucks that torment little kids who are broke.

He began to follow us!

I was peddling as hard as I could trying to outrun temptation, but I was losing.

He knew the best way to sell ice cream is to follow a fat guy on a single speed bike!!!

But reprieve came when a kid got his attention and took him off our trail, we peddled around the corner and lost him.

Until

We came back

There he was, waiting

like a blood hound on a scent of a skunk,  an ice cream guy eyeballing a fat guy on a single speed after a two mile ride, huffing and puffing, next to death

Now was his chance to tempt me into submission

But I mustered up my strength and gave it everything I had and I passed that Ice Cream Tempter and sailed into my garage!!!

Temptation is something we all have to deal with from the time we’re born until the time we die, it is true, the longer we’re a Christian and the older we get, the easier it is to recognise it and run faster.

And it is also true, there are some things that were very tempting when your younger that just don’t appeal to you any longer.

But don’t think that Satan gives up, he just finds other things that might appeal.

I have a hard time passing up Musketeer Bars!!!  I’ve spent up to $1. in a vending machine just to have it!!

But all of us have things that we can be tempted with, and we have to know what those things are and then diligently stay away from it.

Its not always easy, but the more you pray about those things and practice moving away from it when it confronts you, the easier it becomes to no longer be tempted by it.

God can give you the strength we need to move away from temptation by the Spirit of God that he gives us when we get saved.

The other day a car passed me and on the trunk it had one of those Christian fish symbols, but in the center of it, was the name Darwin and there was a foot on the bottom.

I know what they were expressing, that God the creator used evolution to create the universe.  I was TEMPTED to run the car over and take that unrighteous symbol off.

There’s been an upsurge of Satan attacking God as creator with trying to get people to believe that you can reconcile the bible and evolution.

Either you believe in the power of God as creator who didn’t need any help from darwin or you don’t.

Only heathens believe in evolution.

The point is, we’re all tempted to sin,  be it a Musketeer Bar or running someone off the road to remove an anti God symbol.

Keep yourself from temptation,  because when it is invited in, it will take root, and it will destroy you and your relationship with Christ and with others.

This past Easter,  my daughter and her boyfriend went along with a couple of their college friends to Mars Hill social gathering, some call it a church or the church of Rob Bell, whatever you want to call it, but I have a hard time calling it a church.

The true Church of Jesus Christ, is one that preaches Christ as the only Savior, it preaches the need of a Savior through faith, by repenting of your sin and asking forgiveness.  It preaches those who reject Christ will spend eternity in hell.

But not in Rob Bells house of New Age, I read his Web page of theology,  no need of a Savior, since God is going to redeem the earth and all of creation, apparently there is no hell.

He stated that Jesus is reconciling us to him, to ourselves and to creation.

But the Bible says that those who accept Christ as Savior that God has reconciled us to himself,  period.  Not to ourselves or to creation, thats new age theology.

This world will be destroyed according to the Book of Revelation, and then God will recreate it again and those who have been redeemed will reign with him for eternity.

Its sad that there are so many from Calvin and other colleges that are being lulled slowly into New Age Theology, through the Mars Hill movement.

Thankfully my Daughter and her boyfriend are discerning enough about the truth of Gods Word that the Spirit of God showed them that they were in a place where Gods Spirit does not reside.

When someone accepts Christ, his spirit takes up residence in our hearts, and when we are walking daily with Christ his spirit shows us when things are not in line with his truth, thats called discernment.

Its every believers responsibility to study Gods Word and walk with Christ daily so that our discernment is sharpened so when we walk into a church that is not of the Lords, we recognise it.

Or if we’re watching something on t.v, a religious program or some other talk show and things are being said that are not of God, we see it quickly and know that we need to move away from it.

Discernment is something that is of the Lord and we need it more today than ever before.

Yesterday I met a pastor friend of mine for breakfast and we talked about starting a church in an area where there are no bible preaching churches.

He had found a building that was a charter school that went bankrupt and will go on the market in 3 months.

My wife, son and I, went and looked at it and it is perfect for a church, it has huge classrooms, a gym and enough room for a big fellowship hall and outdoor play equipment.

But how do we get a building when we have no money?

Well thats where faith comes in, and thats where Gods will comes in. Its up to him if he wants us to start one there, and its up to him if he wants us to have that building.

If the keys are never handed to us, then we know it wasn’t Gods will, and we move on to see what the Lord does have for us.

We do live in a country where true preaching of the truth of Gods Word is becoming rare.  Churches that stand on the inerrant (without error) bible,  teaching it as it is meant to be taught without apology showing people how to be saved from hell are few.

Many churches today are so liberal,  that they are actually leading people to hell, because instead of preaching against sin that they need to repent of, they celebrate their sin.

I know its not popular to tell people that they were born in sin, and if they don’t repent of that sin and accept Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation and the way to heaven, that they will die and go to a burning hell for eternity.

Saying those things is not acceptable to todays modern thinking person, who want to be told that they’re a good person and that theres many ways to heaven and you can get there, without accepting the Christians Jesus.

Jesus came to this world as a lamb, gentle and submissive to his Father God and went to the cross for the payment of sin, no one else did that, not Budda or Mohammad or anyone else.

Jesus died on the cross for you and me and all we have to do is believe that he did that for me and paid for my sins, accept him as my sacrifice ask for forgiveness and Jesus said that he will accept us and we will be with him in heaven for eternity.

Although Jesus was a meek and gentle person before his death, he rose out of the grave 3 days later as King, ruler and judge.

When he returns to his church to take us to heaven his power and fiery judgment is going to be unleashed against sin and sinners.

Time is drawing to and end, and the Judge of this world is about to stand up from his throne in heaven and we need to be telling people of how they can avoid his judgment and thats why we feel there needs to be a bible preaching church.

Pray that God will give us that building so we can reach out to lost and confused people and extend to them the way of salvation.

The other day I was telling my wife that I love where we are in our relationship, after 34 years we are comfortable with each other.

That’s a good thing, when your young, your always trying to impress each other, how good looking you think you are, or muscular, smart or daring and all of those other dumb things.

And as the years go by, you change from trying to impress each other to trying to change each other. You should act or look a certain way and it almost comes to the point of nagging each other and its tiresome.

But then years later, you realize something, your not trying to impress or to change each other, your at the point where you are who you are and you accept each other for who they are.  Your happy just being with them, loving each other and enjoying each others company.

That’s the way its suppose to be with our relationship with Christ, when your first saved you try so hard to get Gods approval by trying to be some sort of super saint or spiritual giant.

Then when you fail at impressing him you try bargaining and getting things the way you want them and so you nag Jesus.

But no matter how much you try to impress or nag your still you and Jesus is still himself, the bible says he never changes.

And then one day hopefully you realize, that you don’t have to impress Jesus, he loves you just the way you are, you don’t have to nag him, he knows what you need and whats best for you.

You become comfortable with the Savior,  and you become friends and his child.

And when you reach that point, is when the real love relationship begins, because as his friend and child, you do things that please him.

Instead of working against him and doing things that are selfish and for my own pleasure, you begin to work with him, and do things that brings him pleasure.

Marriage is the same way, its suppose to be two people working together for maximum pleasure to the other person, you become comfortable.

Are you comfortable with Christ?  Are you comfortable with the one you’ve married?

Its a good place to be.