Some have the idea that this is how God has left us: groping around in this world without knowledge of what He wants. This is not the case! God has given us His Light to shine in the darkness, to illumine our path, to guide us home, and to lead others to Him (Ps. 119:110; Jn. 1:4-5; 8:12; II Tim. 3:16-17).
In essence: do you want a summary verse that teaches how we should treat our neighbors, our friends, our enemies, our spouses, our children, our acquaintances in every situation imaginable? Practice the Golden Rule and you’ll seldom go wrong.
Tobacco, alcohol, and drug addictions need serious attention. These addictions can create tremendous problems in the family such as crushing debt, poverty, loss of work, and even death. These are dangerous addictive substances that need to be eliminated from use altogether because of the great risk associated with them. When one is addicted to such things, professional counseling is needed. Get the help that is necessary to stop using the substance and resolve to never go back to it again.
Identify problems early. Addicts may not see what is happening to them as addiction creates blindness to one’s state. It is easy for others, however, to see the behavior for what it is. It is important that families have a relationship where members can talk about these issues. Discussing the behavior is the first step to remedying it.
There are other things, however, to which a person may be addicted. One may be addicted to his job. We call these people workaholics. A person may be addicted to talking or anger. Pornography is a great addiction for many. In his book, Removing Emotional Pain, Ron Wilkins lists the top ten addictions of his time. They are in order: 1) anger, 2) talking, 3) sex, 4) food, 5) tobacco, 6) alcohol, 7) drugs, 8) stealing, 9) gambling, and 10) work. We could probably add “electronics” to this list today.
One could also say that while God allows misfortune and is present when it occurs, that He never abandons His child, that misfortune brings people back to Him, and that ultimately God works to redeem them from the idols in their life (Romans 8:28).
He’s inconsistent and petulant, but he’s likable because he’s identifiable, and like all of us, there are some things that Tevya loves more than God, and he should not (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37).
One must wear the king’s garments. We must put on Christ in baptism. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). His righteousness must be our righteousness or we will not enter (Matthew 5:20). Paul said that he wanted to “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:9).
Regardless of how many new technologies we obtain, the focus of the gospel is still the same: people. Jesus was about people; the church is about people; we need to be about people. What does that mean? It means continuing to worship and take care of the saints in the local body, reaching out to others in the community with the gospel and growing the body of Christ. Taking the message of the gospel to the rest of the world as we have opportunity (Matthew 28:18-20).