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A Tribute to Our Wives
May 16, 2024
A Tribute to Our WivesWorth RepeatingRon Clark “Blind Per...
Ron Clark “Blind Peril” author
May 16, 2024
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August 23, 2022, by R H Clark
Hey guys, let’s talk about our most important earthly relationship; our wives.
I know most guys like to quote this scripture, Eph. 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife…” and “…wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” That sounds good, but don’t get carried away thinking this gives you power over your wife. It gives you authority, but with authority comes a ton of responsibility. Every time you decide what is right for you and your wife, you must decide what protects your wife from any harm.
Being selfish with this authority is a sin of the worst type. First, you must remember they stayed with us for longer than anyone would expect, and if we’re honest, each one of us married up. If they bailed on us it’s because there was just too much pain and danger for them to tolerate. Most, however, are still standing by us, no matter what, even if their family and friends are calling them crazy. They won’t give up on us. They see something in us that is worth saving and they are determined to save us from the trash heap.
Proverbs 31:10 says, “A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” That’s what God knows and wants us to learn. It’s time to open our eyes and see our women, our wives, as God sees them “…woman is the glory of man,” 1 Cor. 11:7.
God says that they are our glory. Can you imagine? Our wives are seen as our glory by God and, “she brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life,” Proverbs 31:12. We need to treat them with respect and protect them.
God leaves us no wiggle room when he says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Eph. 5:23. Stop loving yourself first and start loving your wife before yourself. That’s a tall order, but we should all strive for that goal. We can show this by considering what is best for our wives in every decision we make and obeying the word of God.
Our wives want to be proud of us, but we make it very hard when we act like the whole world revolves around us and everything needs to please us. We may be guys, but we don’t have to act like it.
If we honor God through Jesus Christ we will honor our wives and their for us.
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April 23, 2024
THE NEW NAZIS
In World War II, the Allies fought against a nation of gangsters called Nazis to thwart their vision of world domination. One of their core beliefs was the destruction of the Jews by any means possible. “Never again” was adopted by the “Bravest Generation” to show that genocide would not be tolerated in the future.
Today, American authorities are passively watching while student groups shout slogans of “From the mountains to the sea,” “Palestine forever,” and “We are all Hamas.” The Hamas manifesto calls for the destruction of Israel, therefore, if you are Hamas, you want the destruction of Israel. THIS IS HATE SPEECH!
Hate speech is not free speech, it promotes violence or even death. It is time to fight back. Vote for candidates who denounce this behavior, don’t support institutions that allow this, and speak out against these groups.
Amazingly, the lies of Hamas and other Arab states are so quickly accepted as truth when there is video evidence to the contrary. Most of these are young people who go to college for a worthless degree and now want the tax-paying public to pay back their college loans. NO!
It is time to elect leaders that stand against this abomination. Wake up and smell the corruption of our society and judicial system.
April 10, 2024
open.substack.com/pub/ronclark/p/have......
open.substack.com/pub/ronclark/p/have-you-had-enough-072
Throughout our lives, resentment, anger, worry, fear, and stress led us to react in ways that caused chaos in our emotions and relationships.
March 25, 2024
Abuse
Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
Healing Power: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13
In past weeks our lessons seem to apply to making bad decisions in our lives which led us away from a relationship with God. It’s easy to see that trying to control our lives and being in denial is an issue. But what about those broken lives where physical or emotional abuse has occurred? What about someone who has suffered abuse by inattentive neglect for their needs. I know abuse comes in many forms, but we must start some where.
First let me say, if you are in an abusive relationship, you are a victim. There are three very important issues that you need to know and we call them the three C’s.
C number one; you didn’t cause it.
Maybe you made a bad choice because you had reasons to be concerned about the character of your boyfriend or future spouse. It may not be the first time you have been in an abusive relationship. So what? No matter our age we are still naive about “love” because we expect love to change people and their behaviors. Besides, promises for change were made and perhaps even kept until after the relationship was formed. Then it wasn’t long until the abuse began and one common feature in abusive relationships is the abuser’s accusation, “See what you made me do!” Then comes the remorse and more promises while trying to load you down with guilt because “you don’t love them.”
Just remember the old joke, “The only way you’ll every change that person is if they are wearing diapers!”
Perhaps you suffered abuse as a child and it was at the hands of the very ones who should have protected and cared for you. Again, you didn’t cause the abuse; the cause is inside the abuser. Right now I’m not concerned about what makes an abuser what they are, that’s a lesson for another time. Right now I’m only interested in the victim and if that’s you, I am so sorry for what you’ve suffered!
By now you probably believe you are unworthy of anything else, but that’s not true. Remember John 10:10 where Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” If that’s the purpose of Jesus, who are you to argue? I repeat, you didn’t cause the abuse and you don’t deserve it.
C number two; you can’t cure it. We’re back at being powerless to control or correct the situation. You do not have the power to reach into the abuser and heal all of their fear, anger and pain. Only God has that power and He will only do that when that person is ready to accept healing power. Write it down. Only when that person is ready to be healed will they change.
To support this statement I remind you of the woman who had bled for 12 years. She wanted healing and in faith she reached out and touched Jesus for healing. What did Jesus say? “Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace’” (Luke 8:48). She was ready to be healed. So don’t think that you can cure an abuser, you don’t have the power to overcome their will.
Do you believe that if you forgive them and make-up that the problem can be healed? We are called upon to forgive others, but please do not expect your forgiveness to make a difference in another’s life or behavior. Sometimes it happens but most often they continue doing what they have always done. At His crucifixion, Jesus forgave the Sadducees and the Pharisees and they kept doing the same old things, telling lies and abusing the followers of Jesus.
C number three; you need to be and will be cared for. As a group we cannot fix the problem for you. We are here to support you, pray with you, and lend the strength we muster through Jesus Christ. In Luke 12:6-7 Jesus tells us, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” That is a promise of care from God in Heaven. To receive care, you must make the choice to receive it. That means stop the denial and stop trying to fix it on you own.
Then start praying for guidance and strength through Jesus Christ. Then make the choice to follow His guidance. It is a choice, a choice that you must make to be healed. If you don’t exercise faith in God by following His guidance you are turning off the connection with His power that can give you a new life.
Can we agree that it’s OK to seek safety even if it means leaving the relationship? It may be scary but listen to Psalm 4:8, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety.” God wants you to be safe and when you are safe it is easier to make good, Godly decisions for your life. You can’t cure it, but you can find safety so that you can heal from all of the hurts you have suffered. The Good Samaritan left the injured man at an inn where he would be safe and could heal from his wounds. If you are afraid, there are safe havens in this very city. Don’t reject this opportunity.
You didn’t cause it, you can’t cure it, and you need to be cared for.
I could stay on this topic all night but let’s move on to abuse by neglect. Sometimes, in spite of the best intentions you can be a victim of neglect. Your family can make many sacrifices to serve others and yet not look within the family to see that you are hurting and need help. Sometimes, like Solomon, we can’t apply our wisdom to caring for our own families.
God gave us families to love, support, and comfort us and for us to comfort them. Paul tells Timothy “….learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family…” How foolish we are for not honoring our responsibilities to our own families. Again, we are not discussing what causes this kind of neglect, we are addressing the victims.
You did not cause this. A loved-one’s lack of wisdom caused the problem. If you tried to communicate your problem you may have been miss-understood, ignored, or perhaps told that other’s needs or feelings were more important. I call this being sacrificed on the alter-of-the-greater-good. When your needs are seemingly ignored you act out to get attention. Now you’re the problem in everyone’s eyes, and your problems are now covered up by your misdeeds.
You are and were powerless to cure the problem so you just denied your feelings and kept acting out. I know it hurts, but it’s time to concentrate on forgiveness. Jesus has no reservations about forgiving you for anything you did during this time and He wants you to work on forgiving those who harmed you. Forgiveness does heal all resentments.
Right now let’s concentrate on caring for you. Pour out your pain to someone you trust then pour out your heart to “…God, who comforts the downcast…” (2 Cor. 7:6). Let the pain from your past be healed by faith then accept the new life that is promised to you. It’s time to take action in caring for yourself or finding a place where you can be cared for.
Please don’t leave here tonight believing that the abuse is your fault or blaming God. There are three wills working in this world. The first is God’s permissive will where He grants us free will. As God granted us free will, man’s will is the second will in this world. The third will is Satan’s will. You don’t have to think too hard to decide which one causes abuse. It’s also Satan’s will for you to take the blame for the problem. Don’t do it!
Remember the three C’s. You didn’t cause it, you can’t cure it and you need to be cared for. In closing I’m taking the liberty of adding a fourth C. The fourth C is choice. The choice is yours to continue doing the same thing or to accept the healing power and guidance of Jesus.
February 25, 2024
December 9, 2023
The First Christmas
Bethlehem (house of lamb; Arabic, house of bread; Hebrew)
All of my life the story of Christmas has been presented as an account of a pleasant trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a nice neat stable, on a “Silent Night, Holy Night.” This year, however, I am reminded of the reality of the times and that has increased my love for the Savior and God.
Luke 2:1-5
Today, a census means a census taker comes to our door or we fill out a form we receive in the mail and then return it in a postage-paid envelope. I remember in 2000 we moved to three separate addresses due to buying a house. We were favored with being the tenth household at each address and were asked to respond to the long form. It was a nuisance, but we didn’t have to travel 80 miles to another city while expecting a baby.
Mary and Joseph were obedient to the will of God by obeying Caesar Augustus, the head of government (Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your Leaders and submit to their authority”). This was a huge sacrifice since Mary was in her ninth month and it was an 80-mile trip for her on a donkey over rough, rocky, dirt roads. I can remember when my wife was pregnant I and I tried my very best to memorize every bump in the road because of her discomfort.
Luke 2:6
The time came. Such a simple statement, yet it was so full of meaning. It tells us that the birth of Jesus occurred on God’s timetable, it was right on time.
Please give some thought to the actual conditions in Bethlehem at this time. The current population of Bethlehem is about 30,000. For the sake of description let’s reduce that number to 10,000 to 15,000 at this time. Now imagine the influx of people reporting for the census. When Joshua had a census taken, there were 74,000 men over 20 years of age in the tribe of Judah. When David had Joab perform a census, he counted 500,000 fighting men in the tribe of Judah (2 Sam. 24-9). Perhaps there was an extra 150,000 to 200,000 people in Bethlehem which had a population roughly the size of Rockport. This was not a silent night. People would be pushing and shoving for advantage in the streets and for rooms in the inn. There would be shouting perhaps even fights which would have been broken up by hated Roman soldiers. Sort of reminds you of Christmas shopping.
Consider the manger for a moment. Have you ever been in a working barn? Animals make offensive sounds, smells, and products. The floor was dirty and hay can’t be called “clean” at its very best. Mary gave birth on the dirty floor with only a used blanket put down for a little comfort. Perhaps the innkeeper’s wife took pity upon Mary and Joseph and helped with the delivery. We do know that Mary and Joseph did not have any family with them for support. Joseph may have taken Mary with him because he didn’t trust to leave her alone in Nazareth. Of course, we know now that it was to fulfill prophecy.
This was truly a labor of love and courage and most of all Faith in the Father.
Luke 2:28-14
Can you imagine the angels’ surprise when the curtain went up for the angelic choir and they were looking at these rag-tag shepherds? One of them may have asked, “Hey Michael, why did God book us at this venue?”
Why did God choose to reveal the birth of the Messiah to lowly shepherds? Certainly, it shows that Jesus came for even the lowest of the low; that He came for every person. But there is another message for us to learn. Each shepherd was quiet and alone with God and they were able to listen to the message.
Would people in the city have listened to the angels? They may have been impressed by the special entertainment and the light show, but their hearts were not open to the message God wanted to communicate. They would have been too self-absorbed. This is a lesson for each of us; we need time alone with our Creator and our God. We need to be open to the voice of God.
Luke 2:15-20
The shepherds didn’t waste any time considering how the Messiah could be born in a dirty barn and be lying in a manger. They recognized God’s glory and the fact that the Messiah would recognize them because of His lowly birth. They went straight to the Savior. Once they saw Jesus and worshiped Him, they went and spread the word in the town of the Messiah’s birth about God’s mercy. They were the first “Home Missionaries.”
The shepherds set an example for each of us, don’t hesitate to go to Jesus then go and share our knowledge of Jesus and salvation through His blood, sacrifice, and resurrection.
Let us remember, that this is not a nice, neat story of travel and birth. Mary and Joseph were obedient through faith and suffered extreme discomfort for that obedience. The First Christmas was not a “Silent Night, Holy Night” experience. It was noisy, hectic, and crowded; perhaps even dangerous if for no other reason than abuse by the hated Roman soldiers. Jesus, consenting to be born in human flesh and being born in a dirty, smelly barn was a sacrifice of unimaginable proportions. From the King of Kings to a carpenter’s son born in a barn. Who but our Savior could make such a sacrifice, knowing full well that the shadow of the Cross covered that simple barn on the night of His birth?
We may not be able to make the celebration of Christ’s birth a silent night, but we should make sure that it is and will ever be a “Holy Night.”
The Meaning of Christmas
Just what is the real meaning of Christmas? All of our lives we have seen Christmas trees, Santa Clauses in the malls, and advertising that tells us that we will never be happy unless we buy the latest expensive toy. With all of this going on it’s very difficult to stay focused on the real importance of Christmas.
It’s easy to say that Christmas is the day Jesus was born, but that’s not the whole story and that’s what I would like to talk about today. This is a story about hope, the joy of birth, growth, compassion, suffering, and death, but most of all it’s about love.
For to us, a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Does this sound like part of the Christmas story? It’s not. It was written 700 years before the birth of Jesus by Isaiah (9:6). This was God’s promise spoken by Isaiah sometime around 745 BC. This was the hope of the Jewish nation and it is our hope today, fulfilled by the birth of Jesus Christ. God did not leave His plan a complete mystery, He spoke through the prophets to reassure one and all that the King was coming.
God knew that for us to depend upon an earthly king would be disastrous. Look at the behavior of King Saul and King David. Look at the behavior of all the kings that followed. Not one of these kings was sinless and not one of them could save the soul of a single subject in their kingdom. They could do nothing more than be political and religious leaders.
Each person was responsible for keeping a righteous heart and the letter of the Law to achieve salvation. Animal sacrifice was required for the temporary atonement of sin. The promise was known, but the Jews did not understand. They expected a divine but earthly king who would sit on the earthly throne of David.
Time passed and hope dwindled, but the promise was alive and well because it was the Word of God. Then during the reign of Caesar Augustus, a young woman’s faith in God led her to surrender to God’s will, to be the mother of Jesus Christ.
