This is preeminent in Moses’ thinking when he devises and prays the prayer which is the 90th Psalm. Moses did not find his dwelling place, his identity, in the vagaries of a life stretched over 120 incredible years of everything imaginable. Who has seen a life like his? We read of an identity linked to being a prince of Egypt, a life miraculously preserved, plucked from the bulrushes; a fugitive and alien, a husband, father and shepherd in the deserts of Midian; a savior, leader, and prophet to a nation wandering 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai. Moses considers it all mere dust; a span of time saturated with trouble and sorrow; and, in the end, finished with a moan (read Psalm 90); all except for this unshakeable truth: God was, at every step, his touchstone to reality, purpose, and meaning. Apart from God it made no sense. Moses found in Him his path to finding satisfaction; He was the measuring stick and preserver of the value of his work; He was the light to see in the dark what it all meant. In God he found himself; he found his dwelling place.  This is the underlying hunger in us all, whether we acknowledge it or not.

How do you feed such hunger? Where will you find Him in your life? The promise of God in James is simply this: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” He will not be your touchstone to reality when kept at a distance.  God reveals Himself in the personal closeness you choose to build with Him. “Abide in me,” is the way Jesus said it in John 15. Abiding is not happenstance, here and there, it is a continual pursuit of the God who is there, and is not silent, as Francis Schaeffer entitled his book. It is one thing to talk about it, to say I “know” it, and quite another to pursue it with all that is in you, as you pursue the physical necessities of life.  One doesn’t replace the other in this life, but if you do not feed the spiritual, the physical pursuit of food, water, air, and whatever else you consider a “necessity” of life, will result in mere dust, trouble and sorrow, and a finish with a moan; not a shout of victory.

When I consider the fleetingness of my life, the people who have come into it and gone, the desire to measure its worth, there is only one Touchstone that has been there at every turn, one Guide who has placed me in humanly inexplicable paths with blessing, only One who knows who I truly am, and in whom I find my identity: the Living God, who calls me by name. So we say with Moses and James, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. . . .I will come near to you so that you will come near to me!”

Mike Mason, who has written in my opinion one of the best books on marriage (The Mystery of Marriage), recounts his conversation with a friend when he told him he intended to write a book on marriage based on a phrase from a verse in Proverbs, “as iron sharpens iron.” The friend wanted to know what he planned to say about the verses which immediately precede this phrase: “A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.” (Proverbs 27:15-16). Before men or husbands blurt out, “how true, how true!” remember the Bible requires of its readers knowledge of its complete context, which includes, a few chapters later, the strikingly beautiful passage of Proverbs 31:10-31 beginning with, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.”

Mason points out the tactlessness of the Bible in its confronting of reality; telling it like it is. He writes, “Marriage is also a tactless affair, full of awkwardness and indelicacy, as unromantic at times as a sinkful of dirty dishes.” This is an intriguing part of the profound mystery in marriage; God declaring His truth through two sinful, self-centered individuals actually becoming one flesh. In the practice of marriage we almost always fail to grasp what this means, much less live out marriage as one flesh. In so doing we also fail to reap the reward of this union as God has made it possible.

There is no doubt God sees and declares the marriage union of two as one flesh, yet their individuality remains. Therein lays the mystery. But we emphasize our distinctness and maintain our “rights” as individuals above celebrating or “fleshing-out” the nature of being one. The sexual physical union is an expression of this one flesh mystery, but God’s purpose extends far beyond the physical, for we are more complex beings than merely physical. Do you see and treat marriage differently than God’s declaration and design?

Two individuals are capable of being in two separate locations, and in this mobile society frequently are. Do you live as though your spouse is with you when they are not?  You may often be with one of the spouses of a one flesh union when the other is not present. Do you speak to that husband or wife as though the other is there? Do you treat them as though their spouse is present with you? How many marriages would be more protected if this were the case? Do you teach your children about this one flesh relationship by living it before them? If you did there would be little possibility of a child manipulating one parent against the other to get a different answer. They would come to know that speaking to Mom is consistent with speaking to Dad. It is how marriages ought to be, because this is the way God intends it. Marriage would be seen in an entirely different perspective were you to truly believe two become one flesh in marriage and that your union with Christ your Savior is comprehended in living out your union with your spouse. The implications are numerous; the application of God’s truth in marriage is yours by faith.

Solving mysteries demands a detective-like curiosity. That is why so many people love mystery novels. But by the last page they “know who dun it.” The once mystery is mystery no longer. I think this is the same way in which many consciously or unconsciously interpret the “mystery” of the gospel. Once you have heard the gospel preached, and you are acquainted, or so you think, with what the Bible says of the gospel and of God, the mystery is gone. You get it! It becomes “old hat.” The “mystery” is mystery no longer. In YOUR mind it is solved.

Well, this is NOT the meaning of “mystery” as in the “mystery of God” or the “mystery of the gospel!” It is not even the meaning of “mystery” in the mystery of husband and wife oneness. That is a lifetime study if there ever was one. We might see more clearly the mystery of being “ONE” in marriage and the male and female psyche and God’s creative rationale for making man male and female as He did, once we get to heaven, but anyone who says he or she gets it now? You can be sure they are blowing smoke! On the other hand, the mystery of God can never be fully comprehended by us in all its manifold depths even in heaven, when we see not dimly, but face to face.” Still every unfolding of the mystery in our mind and experience is a delight that can be matched nowhere else. It is the gift that never stops giving.  Augustine rightly said centuries ago, “If you can comprehend it, it’s not God.” We are finite creatures, and though we will live forever, we will never become God, nor plumb the depths of His immensity. But when you develop a mindset that you know everything there is to know, or as much as you think it is essential for you to know, curiosity to know Him dies, and so do you.  

Passionate curiosity to know God is your lifeline to all that lies in your future; it is your purpose for being. As the Westminster Catechism begins, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever;” this is exactly what you are doing when you exercise an indefatigable curiosity to never cease exploring the frontier of the wonder and glory of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to know Him, and yet never come to the end of Him. Curiosity propels us to relentlessly pursue finding out many things in life, some of which we are better off not knowing; the sense in which “curiosity killed the cat” is prophetically true for us. Our curiosity pursues such trivial things of this world, in light of eternity; like what did Charlie Sheen say or do this week. Or what is the latest gossip? Or how many hours can I spend on Facebook? Unlike such time consuming trivia that leads eventually to deep regrets about time ill-spent, curiosity about the mystery of God, compelling your heart and mind to search out every facet of His being, leads to one enjoyment after another with no end and no regret.

My wife and I once drove along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Every numerous curve of this literal ribbon of highway clinging to the side of the cliff above the spectacular blue Mediterranean opened another vista which we repeatedly thought could not be surpassed; and yet it was, at the very next curve. As you purposefully stir and engage the curiosity of your heart and mind in pursuit of the mystery of God, it will reward you with one discovery after another, delving into the depths of who He is. In that unfolding process you will also discover yourself, a glorious being upon whom He has chosen to bestow glory. And, you will then realize you have finally come home!

How shall we express a passion for worship?

A number of the older military chapels I have been in are decorated with beautiful stained glass windows some of which were designed to honor soldiers who died in battle for their country. During a worship service in such a chapel a young boy whispered to his father, sitting next to him in the pew, asking who the figures were in the stained glass windows. The father whispered back that they were soldiers who died in the service; to which the boy asked, “Was it the morning or the evening service?”  I think many would agree that such feelings are not limited to children. The Prime Minister of England at the close of the First World War, David Lloyd George, once wrote: “When I was a boy, the thought of Heaven used to frighten me more than the thought of Hell. I pictured Heaven as a place where time would be perpetual Sundays, with perpetual services from which there would be no escape.” Whatever your pictures of Heaven may be, the fact remains that the Scriptures declare the supreme activity of your life to be worship of the living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If it is your supreme activity in life should it not be something about which you are keenly passionate?

The first occurrence of the word “worship” in the Bible is in Genesis 22, the account of Abraham and his son Isaac climbing to the top of Mt. Moriah that they might worship. What astounds me as I read this story is the earnest, incredible faith which Abraham displays in responding to the God he sees and who he knows as his God. It is here in Genesis 22 that I begin to understand why Abraham is given so much space in the “Hall of Fame” chapter of faith of Hebrews 11. There will be little passion for worshipping God if our faith does not see Him as Abraham did, nor if what was foretold by Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah is not right at the heart of your worship.

Centuries later in the same spot where Abraham once laid Isaac on an altar, King David builds another  altar for worship, and makes a statement of faith which is an essential ingredient of passion for worship: “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24) Is worship so vital to our life that we will sacrifice whatever it takes for it? As the people of God in Malachi 1, do we bring our leftovers of mind and heart to the worship of the living God? They worshipped God Malachi said, but clearly their heart wasn’t in it. Just look at the offerings they brought (Malachi 1:7-9). In a spiritual sense is this what we bring?

In the last book of the Bible, the Living Lord and King of the Church directs the Apostle John to write to professing believers who were in the Church at Laodicea. He essentially says to them, “Here I am! I am at your heart’s door and I am knocking. If you will open the door I will come in and eat with you and you with me.” This is not written to unbelievers, but to those who claimed Christ as their Lord, yet did not have a passion for worshipping Him (look at Rev. 3:14-22), which is akin to “eating” with Him as in Psalm 23:5 or Luke 24:30-31. Eating with Him is to recognize Him, converse with Him, be fed by Him, and be satisfied (as you would at a fine meal) with His real presence. Too often we get hung up on the form of worship while completely ignoring the Person of our worship.

Passion for worship doesn’t just happen. It is fueled by an earnest faith to whom the words “I am the resurrection and the life” mean just what they say. He can resurrect a dead passion. It recognizes that passion costs and will sacrifice what it takes to obtain it. And it will open the door and break bread with Him, no matter what distraction attempts to keep the door closed.

We receive news of our world in a number of ways: newspapers, other print media, TV, radio, internet, speeches and conversation.  Is that really true?  Do you believe what you read, hear, and see? And if your response is “sometimes,” then how do you discern what you believe and what you discount as a lie? C. S. Lewis, one of the most brilliant Christian writers and scholars of the twentieth century, once wrote what he thought of newspapers, “I never read the papers. Why does anyone? They’re nearly all lies, and one has to wade through such reams of verbiage to find out even what they are saying.” That was 1955. I can only imagine what he would think today.  He also wrote, “To abstain from reading—and… from buying—a paper which you have once caught telling lies seems a very moderate form of asceticism. Yet how few practice it.” The most prominent newspaper in America today is constantly caught telling lies, yet people still buy and read it…and most unfortunately, in too many cases, believe what they read.

Every day in our technologically advanced world we receive (it might be more accurate to say we are flooded with) information which we will accept, filter, or reject. There doesn’t even have to be an immediate decision what you do with it; information purposefully sifted and tucked away or not even dealt with when heard can still influence your thinking somewhere down the road, framing your perceptions rightly or wrongly. This is especially true of the person who is not constantly sharpening and maturing his or her world-view, empowering a capacity to discern good from evil. Being a professing Christian is obviously in itself not enough to guard you from wrongly discerning the truth or lie of information, since the author of Hebrews in writing to an audience of Christians bluntly said some of them had become dull of hearing, needed to learn the basics all over again, and in regards to the knowledge and discernment of truth were still “babes in the woods” who could not handle a diet of “meat.” This evaluation had nothing to do with how long they had been Christians. It had to do with how skilled they were in the Word of righteousness.  This skill will not be gained or improved by spending more time in the newspaper or before the TV than you do in the Word.  It’s fairly simple logic. Lewis wasn’t dumb.

Living as we do in an information world, more so than all our predecessors, a trained and practiced world view is absolutely essential to every Christian who desires, in Christ’s words, to overcome the world, and not be overcome by it. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Hear what? “What the Spirit says to the churches.” And where does the Spirit speak to the churches, to individual Christians, and to the world that has an ear to hear?  God’s Word. The message of the Word is not PC (politically correct), nor inoffensive or tolerant. In fact, it is an offensive stumbling block to those who are dying. It declares a world-view (a God-view) concerning matters of controversy contrary to the now-accepted norm of the culture no longer condemned. Rather, those who hold to the teaching of God’s Word are themselves condemned in the public square, becoming the prey of those who call evil good (Isaiah 59:15 above). Numerous attempts to acculturize the Scriptures to allegedly “bring them into the modern age” fulfill the prophetic warnings of Paul, Peter, Jude, John, and the Lord Himself.

Will your Christian world-view meet the test? Because the waters are rising fast, the winds are blowing into a gale, and your foundation is being exposed (Matthew 7:24-27).

Frankly, I cannot relate to this deadening of the mind inscribed with the words “I’m bored!” My mother might beg to differ with me, but as far back as I can stir my memory, I cannot remember ever being bored; and I was reared for a time without, God forbid, TV, video games, or movies.  I spent a great deal of time as a PK (pastor’s kid) in church which for most of the bored is the epitome of “Boresville.” Still, when I consider the world in which God has placed us to live, while not the paradise of Eden prior to the curse, I/we can still in this sin filled world exclaim with the Psalmist, “How manifold (numerous, abundant, complex, exciting, fascinating, et cetera) are your works, O God.” Or the entire 8^th Psalm! I always had a curiosity about life and the world and even alone was well occupied. Bored was just not a part of my vocabulary in describing me or my life. I never cease to thank God for a heritage of godly parents and a home infused with spiritual purpose and service. I have to say that I now understand that having the presence of the Creator within one’s inner being is the compelling inspiration of the soul to be curious with awe and wonder about a world so intelligently made. The bored are not so blessed as to have this environmental incubator from which to be hatched into adulthood.

Janie B. Cheaney in a recent article in World Magazine wrote, “Boredom is less a matter of what’s going on around us than what’s happening, or not happening, inside.” It is a difficult task, as we at the Paul Anderson Youth Home are well aware, to expel the boredom from young people’s minds, by exciting their souls to the wonder of the world and its majestic Creator. Boredom is actually an integral element of sorrow and depression which can lead to loss of desire to even continue living. Consequently, teen suicide is on the rise. Again we catch the drift of Postman’s premise “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” Typical amusements become boring with time when they do not nurture an eternal purpose or feed what God has put in us: a hope for eternity. When in our work or play we cease to be engaged in eternally purposeful activity, or do not understand how and why what we do and think is eternally meaningful, hope is drowned in the boredom which is the result. Boredom is the absence of any confidence that what we do and think is significant for eternity.

Are you bored? There is not the least bit of spiritual logic for the Christian to live in boredom other than being blinded by his own sin. I well remember when in the 7^th grade I was fitted for my first pair of contact lenses. In my vanity I had refused to wear glasses before and did not understand that I was missing a whole lot. A new world opened to me. It was astounding. I could see details that before were not there. This is not unlike what we who are Christians are to be about. Our own genuine wonder and delight in God’s amazing world ought to be “eye-opening” and intriguing to the bored people we engage daily. They need to meet and you need to lead them to your Optometrist.

Is marriage passé?  In a January 14, 2011 article Natalie Portman, unusually successful as both a child and adult actress, revealed her latest view on marriage. Apparently, many young women are taking her advice. Portman told a reporter that the reason she was drawn to her latest movie, “No Strings Attached,” was because the main character whom she plays “was simply seeking a no-romance bed buddy as opposed to the whole nine yards.” Portman said, “Emma (the main character) wants a relationship without the relationship. She just wants the sex. It’s unusual but funny. I love romantic comedies, but I’m tired of seeing girls who want to get married all the time and that’s all they’re interested in. I think there is a wider vision of how women can conduct their lives and what they want.” Normally, I wouldn’t give a plug nickel for views on the institution of marriage from “experts” like Natalie Portman. The problem is she is a “role model” for many young girls and women who think emulating her will lead to happiness. The rapidly rising rate of suicide among teenage girls, the increasing failure of married and unmarried relationships, and an epidemic of emotionally scarred and broken people seems to point to a paucity of happiness in spite of piles of propaganda to the contrary.

It is worth noting that Portman displayed some values in her earlier acting career refusing to play parts where nudity or sex was expected, and turned down acting in films like Lolita, denouncing sex between young girls and adult men. Apparently, her life in acting has had an eroding influence on her once-held values. The Scripture verses above seem very passé, even glaringly offensive in present culture; a culture that has invaded even the church. Most turn a blind eye in this day and age to young people living together in the days, months, and years before marriage, and many more who never bother to “get to the altar.”

Is marriage passé today? Does it have any value in a “modern” world? Or is God just the Grinch who stole Christmas in commanding that a man and a woman reserve sexual relations for marriage, and ought to honor the marriage bed by being faithful to one another? The prevalent spin of the world and its puffed-up “wisdom” says God is hopelessly wrong. The blatant evidence of the wounded society in which we live and the scattered carcasses of individual lives, shattered relationships, and damaged children says He is right. It is not that God is throwing cold water on “fun,” His purpose is to save what is lost; to heal and restore what is being destroyed; to inculcate what alone will result in happiness that lasts.  Portman will live to rue the day she said, “I think you can find both men and women that are into non-emotional relationships, because you get hurt, and you don’t want to invest emotions in that way again”; especially the day she is in love herself (emotionally, passionately; Is there any other kind?) and someone stomps on her heart because they now want an un-emotional relationship with her. Natalie, your philosophy simply doesn’t hold water and is not worth a cup of warm spit.

Marriage will never be passé for those who not only believe God, but discover the joy of walking in His commands. The individual glory of a man or a woman whom God calls into the covenant of marriage is discovered in the intimate happiness of that union and in bringing forth godly children. This is exactly what God declares in Malachi 2 and in many other passages of the Bible. Say what you will till the cows come home, His way produces gold and silver; Natalie Portman’s, filthy rags.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal symptoms for marijuana are protracted over weeks and are similar to those experienced by people who quit cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs. Recent research found that nearly two-thirds of marijuana users experience a pronounced withdrawal syndrome. Symptoms include anxiety, irritability, depression, mood swings and sleep problems, and for some, bizarre and colorful dreams.

As a result, the acute symptoms of marijuana withdrawal cause significant distress and can last up to two weeks. Long-term symptoms, which include anxiety, anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure), fatigue, memory problems and boredom can last for several months. As a result early recovery is like roller-coaster ride and marred by frequent relapse.

When I first quit smoking weed I felt depressed and agitated for about a week. Then I was just bored and restless most of the         time. I made myself do some positive things, but life just seemed “blah”, like watching black and white television. So I smoked         some weed, and for a few hours, the color came back on and life became interesting again.

Restlessness, boredom and just feeling “blah” are normal in the early stages of recovery. It takes a little time for the brain to recover and for the color to come back on—but it does come back.  However, restlessness and boredom are significant relapse triggers.

What to Do

• Commit to a recovery program. In early recovery you wont always “feel” like gong to a 12-step meeting or support group —go anyway. In early recovery, good feelings follow right actions.

• Be accountable. Talk with trusted others about your recovery on a regular basis. This can be 1 or two supportive friends, clergy or 12-step sponsor. Make plans to meet regularly or have regular telephone contact.

• Establish daily discipline and routines. Decide what time you will rise and go to bed each day. Schedule your daytime activities, family times, sleep times, recreation and quiet times, as well as your daily 12 step meetings.
• If you still can’t quit, get into a treatment program. Your family doctor can direct you.

Recovery from marijuana dependence is a difficult process. It takes time to feel better. Establishing daily discipline and accountability will help you stay on track. Remember the good feelings derived from recovery are not instant. But unlike the temporary highs of addiction, the rewards can last a lifetime.

Written by Dr. Drew Edwards. All rights reserved

• Frequent use of the Internet to visit sexually oriented sites
• Binging—hours spent surfing the net or engaged in online sexual activity
• Preoccupied with thoughts of “getting online”, or of sexual behavior
• Sexual behavior interferes with work, school, family, hobbies, etc…
• Anxiety and irritability when unable to get online.
• Telling your self that you should cut down, or stop altogether
• Experiencing guilt, remorse and shame
• Become defensive when others suggest that you spend too much time on the Internet
• Spending money on internet porn
• Continued consumption of porn despite negative consequences

Pornography is not real. The more one uses porn to gratify themselves, the greater the chance that they will never find true intimacy and real love.

If you need help talk with a trusted friend, parent, or clergy. You cannot do it alone.