If the chief end of man is to be a Christian Hedonist, there must be a moment where he becomes such - a moment where a Christian Hedonist is created. Having explained that God's quest to be glorified and our quest to receive satisfaction are one and the same, the author now turns to a discussion of conversion, which he says is the creation of a Christian Hedonist. God's desire to be glorified reaches its culmination in the echo of His excellence in the praise of His people. His people are the ones who are called according to His purpose. "The aim of this chapter is to show the necessity of conversion and to argue that it is nothing less than the creation of a Christian Hedonist."

The bulk of this chapter contains an exposition of Reformed theology concerning man's condition and God's sovereignty.

1. God created us for His glory. We were created in His image so that we could glorify Him in perfection. We existed for the sole purpose of bringing Him glory.
2. It is the duty of every person to live for the glory of God. Because God is our designer, He has the right to tell us what our duty is. He has told us that our duty is to glorify Him in all we do - to acknowledge his glory, to value it above all and to make it known to the entire world.
3. We have failed to glorify God as we ought. Every human being has failed to live up to his duty. We have all "fallen short of the glory of God" by preferring other things over His glory. We have failed in the duty our Creator has assigned us. Through our sinful deeds we have shown contempt for God, preferring our own wisdom over His.
4. We are all subject to eternal condemnation. Because we have violated the duty God has assigned us, we have been sentenced to be separated from His glory forever. Furthermore, we are sentenced to spend eternity in hell, a place of everlasting torment and punishment. This sentence is just, for we have knowingly violated God's law and are thus deserving of the due punishment.
5. In His mercy God sent Jesus into the world to save sinners by dying in their place and rising from the dead. In contrast to the terrifying news that we justly deserve God's condemnation is this news, that God has provided a substitute. There are now two ways to satisfy God's justice. The first is through eternal condemnation in hell and the second is through the substitutionary death of Christ. Through Christ's sacrifice God's justice is satisfied and His glory remains intact.
6. Those are saved who repent and trust in Jesus. Christ's death did not save everyone. One condition remains and that is to be converted.

Conversion involves repentance and faith. This two must co-exist, for repenting requires turning from the old ways and faith is required to follow Christ. Conversion involves new birth, or theologically, regeneration. Regeneration is a gift of God, bestowed on those He has called. With this act God changes our natures, allowing us to be able to respond positively to Him.

Faith is our act, but one that is only possible because of God's prior act of regeneration. We are responsible before God to repent of our sin and follow and trust in Him. This act is called conversion. Behind the repentance and the faith that turns someone to Christ is a longing for the pleasure of God's presence. This is the very creation of a Christian Hedonist.

Having summarized the content of the chapter, I will attempt to analyze it next time.

A reader posed the question this morning of what it means to be a Reformed Christian. His (or her) question made me realize that though I am Reformed in theology and have been for many years, I do not have a definition of Reformed to answer the question. So I thought today I would post a definition of what it means to be Reformed.

First, it is important to note that because the Reformed tradition arose from the Protestant Reformation, the term “Reformed” is usually defined in comparison to something else. By affirming Reformed theology you are implicitly denying other theologies, such as Catholic theology (which Reformed theology rose in opposition to) and Arminian theology (which later rose in opposition to Reformed theology). I doubt any sentence in the history of the English language has used the word “theology” as much as my previous sentence. My English professors must be shedding a tear on my behalf.

I recently read an article (which alas I can no longer find) that described a search the BBC made for the Loch Ness Monster. They swept Loch Ness from end to end, back and forth for several days using some of the world's most sophisticated sonar equipment. After a complete, thorough search they concluded that there is simply not a monster living in the Loch. To provide an idea of how the myth of the Loch Ness Monster continues to grow despite the evidence that it does not exist they performed a little experiment. They rigged up a system so that they could raise an object from under the water far out into the Loch. They would then speak to the tourists standing by the shore to ask them what they had seen. They elected to use a section of fencing as the decoy object, purposely choosing something that looks absolutely nothing like Nessie. They waited for bus full of tourists to pull up and once the bus was unloaded they raised the fence a few feet out of the water. There was great excitement on the shore and sure enough, when they interviewed people after the fact, the majority of them described seeing something that looked just like the Loch Ness Monster.

The people who led this study concluded that this was a type of Pareidolia. Pareidolia is "a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct." (Skeptics Dictionary) Other examples of this are seeing Mother Teresa in a cinnamon bun or seeing the face of a man on the moon. In the case of the people gathered at Loch Ness, they saw something vague and yet were able to describe it in detail. The detail was fabricated by their minds based on what they already imagined the Loch Ness Monster to look like.

Certainly the people who saw a section of fence being raised from the water did not expect to see a fence - they expected to see a monster. Many of them had traveled from other countries for the express purpose of visiting Loch Ness to see if this monster existed. So when the object came up from the water their minds allowed them to see what they wanted to see. Had they been expecting to see a Volkswagen Bug emerging from the water I have little doubt that their minds would have allowed them to believe that is what rose from the depths.

What we see in this rather extreme example is the value of objectivity. Had the people visiting Loch Ness been objective they would have seen nothing but a section of wet fencing material. They would have seen the reality in all its simplicity.

How often do we approach the Bible with the wrong attitude? How often do we approach it with our own agendas in mind? Homosexuals approach the Bible determined to find proof that their lifestyle is not only acceptable but condoned by Scripture. So when they read that John was the apostle that Jesus loved, they see support for their lifestyle. When they read about the love between Jonathan and David they see them as homosexual and allow it give license to their own immorality. Often people on both sides of various debates misuse Scripture in this way. Take, for example, the issue of women in positions of leadership in the church. Proponents of both sides will eschew objectivity, approaching the Scriptures determined to prove their point. When we approach the Bible determined to prove what we already believe we will more often than not find our proof, even if we are wrong in doctrine.

We need to approach the Bible objectively, asking God to reveal His truth to us through His Word. We need to lay aside our presuppositions and biases so, if necessary, we can allow God to change and mold us. We need to allow the Bible to show us what a given passage really means, not necessarily what it means about the debate we want it to prove.

John Calvin once warned against treating the Bible like a ball that we bounce around at will. It is the Word of God and its teachings can be rightly learned only by the most impartial and objective study of the text. And that means being impartial and objective even about the parts we may not like, for often God's ways are at odds with our human preferences.

This is the second article in my series examining John Piper's book Desiring God. The first article was co-written by myself and Doug from Coffeeswirls and can be found here. Today I am examining the first chapter of this book which is entitled The Happiness of God: Foundation for Christian Hedonism. You will recall that Christian Hedonism is the term Piper has given to his teaching that Christians are to desire pleasure above all else. The pleasure they are to seek is the pleasure that can be found in God. So today we will see that the happiness of God is the foundation upon which Christian Hedonism is built.

God is uppermost in His own affections. This is the truth that Christian Hedonism is founded upon. It would not be a stretch to adapt the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism to read "the chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever." God's ultimate purpose is the same as ours' - to glorify God! If God were to do anything else, He would commit idolatry for it would mean that He values something else more highly than Himself.

The first chapter of Desiring God provides the foundation for Christian Hedonism and this foundation is the happiness of God. If God is sovereign, He is able to do anything He pleases and His plans are impossible to frustrate. Even the evil that occurs in this world is part of God's plan and happens only with God's permission. If all of His plans succeed exactly the way He intended them to, He must be the happiest of all beings. Because God is always completely happy, we are able to drink from this fountain of God's contentment.

How is it possible that God can see all of the sin and evil in this world and remain happy? Piper explains this using a metaphor he learned from Jonathan Edwards. He explains that God has the ability to see the world through two different lenses. Through a narrow lens He sees the acts of men and is angered and saddened by sin and pain. However, he can also see events through the wide lens which shows the events in relation to their eternal purposes. Through this view he is able to delight in his own sovereignty. A mosaic may appear ugly when one can see only a few of the pieces, but when seen through the wide angle it comes into perspective and displays its beauty. So it is with God's plans. Seen in isolation they may be confusing and even appear ugly, but when seen from the proper perspective they show His wisdom and sovereignty.

Perhaps the greatest example of this is in the crucifixion of Jesus. The Bible tells us several times that it was God's plan that Jesus be murdered and suffer God's wrath on the cross. Acts 4:27-28 describes the prayer of the earliest Christians: "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done." The characters involved in that act of terrible injustice were simply playing a part in the drama that God had foreordained must take place. While God committed no sin, He did decree that sin take place in order to further His plans.

God, then, delights in Himself and in His own glory. In all He does He seeks to further display His magnificence. Since His plans never fail, everything He does succeeds in bringing glory to Himself which in turn brings Him pleasure. God created humans so they could bring Him glory. "All of God's works culminate in the praise of His redeemed people. The climax of God's happiness is the delight He takes in the echoes of His excellence in the praise of His saints." (page 50) So God's greatest joy is in hearing His chosen people praise Him. At the same time, praise is our expression of the fullness of joy we find in Him. So when God pursues praise from us and we pursue pleasure in Him, we are, in reality, pursuing the same thing.

I hesitate to draw too much application from what I have learned so far, for I am sure that in the next 10 chapters Piper will explain more fully and help me to draw application from Scripture. I am intrigued by the logic he uses to reach the conclusion that God's pursuit of praise from me and my pursuit of pleasure from Him are one in the same. It is awesome to think that God's greatest delight is in my praise. How I wish I could say with all honesty that my greatest pleasure is in doing just that. Though I do love to praise God, I cannot say that it is always my greatest pleasure. I strive to love praising God and look forward to the time when I will stand before God's throne and find my joy and purpose in praising Him perfectly for all of eternity!

In the past several days I have come across a particular passage of Scripture several times. Each time I see it, it grabs my heart. The passage is Hosea verses 1b - 6 which reads:

There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
Therefore the land will mourn;
And everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

The words that most grab my attention are in the final verse. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea, as a prophet of God, was called to expose the sin and waywardness of Israel and one of the predominant themes of his ministry was the knowledge of God and what it means to know Him. In speaking of God’s mercy he speaks these words on behalf of God: “I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.” (2:20) When he explains why God is going to judge the people he says “They do not direct their deeds towards turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst and they do not know the Lord. (5:4) He calls them to repentance, saying “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.” (6:3) Speaking for God again just a few verses later he says “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (6:6)

Clearly, God demands that we strive to have knowledge of Him. What, then, does knowledge of God involve? I believe knowledge has at least three aspects -intellect, will and practice.

Intellect. We cannot know God without knowing Him with our minds. Psalm 100:3 reads “Know that the Lord, He is God.” This passage echoes Deuteronomy 7:9 which says “Know that the Lord your God, He is God.” We are to know the truth of who God is. In the Old Testament the Israelites knew God to be the God of the covenant who loved His chosen nation. Today we know Him as the God of the new covenant who proved His love for us in sending His Son to ransom us. We must know not only that God is, but also know who He is and what He has done.

Will. We need to trust God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) We need to obey Him and there are so many passages of Scripture that speak to obeying God that I hesitate to choose just one. We need also to worship God as He has commanded, for our worship flows from a trusting and obedient heart. These are all acts of the will - I need to choose to trust Him, to obey Him and to express my love for Him in worship.

Practice. Knowledge of God will express itself in action. If I truly know who God is and what He expects of me, I will necessarily want to obey Him with my actions. Jeremiah 22:16 reads “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. ‘Was this not knowing Me?’ Says the Lord?” And in the New Testament, 1 John 4:8 tells us that “He who does not love does not know God.” Showing love for others is an absolute requirement of those who know God.

Do we truly know God? Are our minds filled with knowledge of God? Do we desire to know more about God as a parched land cries out for rain? Do we see our will and our lives displaying the knowledge of God?

Hosea taught the people that they were destroyed for lack of knowledge. They had turned away from God and had lost their love and respect for Scripture. His call to repentance involved telling the people that they needed to return to the basics - to simply know God. The knowledge of God has to begin in His Word, for the Bible is God’s primary revelation of Himself to us. Those who desire knowledge of Him and those who truly want to live out His purposes must be people of the Word. We must continually submit ourselves to the teaching and authority of God’s Holy Word. It is only then that we can have knowledge of God that will express itself in our will and in our practice.

So many professed Christians today display an alarming lack of knowledge when it comes to God. So many can recite the previous day’s box scores or recite their portfolio from memory, but how many truly commit themselves to acquiring a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God?

God calls us, even today, to repent and to turn our attention to His Word, where the knowledge our Lord must begin.

For several months, I have been conversing with my new friend Doug who runs the site CoffeeSwirls. Since the time we first began writing back and forth I have seen tremendous and exciting growth in Doug as he devotes himself to studying Scripture and seeking wisdom. He recently mentioned that he was going to dive into John Piper’s book Desiring God. That book has been on my shelf for a year or two now and I have never read more than the first couple of chapters. I suggested that the two of us read the book simultaneously and converse about it as we go. He agreed to that idea, so what you are reading now is the first installment of that series. We wrote this first entry together (though admittedly Doug did the bulk of the work) and henceforth will post our seperate responses to each chapter. For each of us, our desire is to seek the source of the message that Piper wishes to convey in his book. We wish to seek what he once sought.

If you are interested in following along in this study, I would love to have you do so. Just find a copy of the book (available online or through any Christian bookstore) and follow along with us. You can add your comments on either site and join what should be an exciting and edifying journey.

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. Many people separate those two fundamental ends of God in their own understanding, when their separation was not the intention of the scholars who wrote the catechism. How can we say this so boldly? The scholars who assembled these foundations made it their life’s joy in the subtleties of language. An entire sermon (and more) can depend on the tense of a verb or the choice of one word over another, when both words mean almost the same thing. These scholars did not say that “the chief ends of man are to glorify God and then to enjoy Him forever” as if they were two separate things. They used singular terminology in this catechism. Glorifying God and enjoying Him are one end, not two!

With that knowledge, rest assured that John Piper hasn’t changed anything by changing the wording to “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” All he has done is clarified the semantics for a generation of believers who grew up watching their parents attend church out of the obligations to them as their children or to avoid disappointing the generation before them. I have never visited any church that didn’t have somebody there who looked grumpy. They may not truly desire to be there, for whatever reason, or perhaps they feel that a somber stonewalled look is the most appropriate expression for worshiping God. Maybe it is just the way they were raised! This is a cycle of gloom that could be detrimental to a curious unbeliever, so I say that it is paramount that these church families lock arms and have a revival of praise!

As the book progresses, Piper will show that it is both unbiblical and dangerously arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in Him.

Christian Hedonism is a philosophy of life built on the following five convictions:

1. The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good, not sinful.

   While in college, Piper had a philosophical notion that so many people are burdened with. He thought that if he did something good because it would make him happy, the goodness of the act would be lost. That thought is reworded to say that the goodness of any moral action is lessened to the degree that pleasure is a motivator. The higher the activity, the less self-interest should be involved, and worship became a duty to be performed. The very heart of worship is removed when this is the case.

2. We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction.

   From the sermon, “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis: If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not to be too strong, but too weak. Humanity is busy wading through the muck of our own design and looking for contentment in the acts of man.

3. The deepest and most enduring satisfaction (happiness) is found only in God. Not from God, but in God.

   I just mentioned the muck we wade through on our never-ending quest for satisfaction. This fool’s errand has us so busy that we often overlook the infinite satisfaction that is found in the Lord. Our undeniable yearning for happiness should not be suppressed, but needs to be consumed in God. We need to feast on Him to the point of gluttony!

4. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared with others in the manifold ways of love.

   Praise is not foreign to our lives. I [Doug] remember witnessing a sunset on the western beach of Key West, Florida twelve years ago. I stood there in awe at the beauty and majesty of the sun as it seemed to sizzle into the unreachable depths of the waters. My heart was moved and I spoke about it for many days after that. When the Green Bay Packers won their Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, I jumped and shouted for joy. This morning, I told my wife how beautiful she is. We delight to praise what we enjoy! Stifled praise is conflicting, while expressed praise completes our enjoyment. So how could God be worshiped where He is not treasured and enjoyed? How can we just sit there with our arms crossed in church and say that we are praising Him? If we are not enjoying God, we are dishonoring Him. To allow something else to satisfy our desires more than Him is a sacrilege. It truly is as simple as that! Joy and awe are not options during worship. They are essential components of our worship. And to try to give praise without pleasure is hypocrisy.

5. To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people. To word this statement positively: The pursuit of pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue.

   The Psalms are filled with hedonistic scripture! Do note that in all of these passages are a few important consistencies:

   1. God is not the means to an end, but He is the end of our search for pleasure. He doesn’t reveal treasures to us, He is the treasure!
   
   
   2. This Christian Hedonism does not make a god out of pleasure. The Christian Hedonist worships that which gives the most pleasure, and there is nothing that can give a fraction of the pleasure that we gain from God.
   
   
   3. The Christian Hedonist does not put oneself above God by seeking Him out of self-interest.
   
   
   4. Christian Hedonism is not a theory of moral justification. An act is not right because it provides pleasure. Joy is not a moral criteria. The goal is to proclaim that joy is a moral duty in all true worship and virtuous acts.
   
   
   5. The distinguishing feature of Christian Hedonism is not that pleasure seeking demands virtue, but that virtue consists essentially, but not only, in pleasure seeking.
   
   We are commanded to act out of joy in situations that the world does not often recognize. As followers of Christ, we are to:
   
   • Love mercy, not just do it
   
   
   • do acts of mercy with cheerfulness
   
   
   • joyfully suffer loss in the service of others
   
   
   • be a cheerful giver
   
   
   • make our joy the joy of others
   
   
   • tend the flock of God willingly and eagerly
   
   
   • keep watch over souls with joy
   
   
6. Christian Hedonism is not a distortion of the earlier-mentioned Catechisms of faith. The underlying questions of those statements is truly, “What is the source of my comfort and happiness?”

Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. When we deny ourselves, we are denying the carnal joys of the world in favor of the limitless pleasures of following our Lord and Savior in the gratification that only He can provide.

You can view Doug’s initial entry here.

I recently completed an in-depth study of the book of Proverbs. Reading one chapter for each day of March, I completed this study in 31 days. As I sought to learn wisdom and discernment from God, I found this to be one of the most rewarding Bible studies I have ever completed. Every day I was challenged by the Divine wisdom so prominently displayed in each chapter and verse of Proverbs. Reflecting on that study, I found five main teachings that have already impacted my life. It is my hope and prayer that they will continue to play a significant role in my life.

Wisdom is a Decision

The book of Proverbs continually personifies wisdom, presenting her as a woman who stands on the streets and cries out for those who pass by to heed her call. Those who hear her cry out are given the choice to listen and respond or to turn their backs on her. She will call for only a certain amount of time before she gives up and forsakes those who forsake her. From this I see that wisdom is a choice. It is a choice that I face. I am responsible to respond to wisdom when I hear her call for me. Ultimately, the decision to choose wisdom over folly is mine.

I have heard this call and it was the impetus for this study. Though only a novice, I believe Proverbs has given me a solid foundation on which to build a life of wisdom.

Wisdom Finds Its Source in God

God possesses perfect wisdom and is thus the source of all wisdom. To know and understand wisdom, I must first know God. A constant theme in Proverbs is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If I wish to have wisdom, I must first stand in awe of God's wisdom, holiness and majesty. Just as I can best learn about an invention by speaking to its inventor, so I must learn wisdom from the Source.

God has chosen to display His wisdom in many ways. The foremost of these is in His Word and it is to this Book that I must turn to know God and to know about God. Another prominent way God has revealed His wisdom is in creation.

Wisdom Is Displayed In Creation

A wise God made this world, so naturally His wisdom is displayed in what He made. I can learn much about wisdom by observing this wise God's handiwork. Even the smallest, most humble animal can provide me lessons about wisdom. Those who are wise will acknowledge this and look to creation for examples of wisdom.

Several times the authors of Proverb pause to reflect on the tiniest of creatures. They show, for example, that the ant, though such a humble creature, displays an admirable work ethic and shows that God loves order. As a man seeking wisdom I need to learn to appreciate even God's humblest creature and see in it a training ground for wisdom.

Wisdom Affects All of Life

Wisdom is key to living a better life - a life that pleases God. If I am filled with wisdom I will be able to make good decisions in life while avoiding people and situations that would harm me. I will be able to discern what I should allow into my heart and mind and what I should avoid. I will realize that my words and actions will be a clear display of what is in my heart. This will teach me the necessity of guarding my heart against all kinds of evil.

God's plan for my life is that I would love and respect wisdom, knowing that wisdom is from Him. Wisdom provides the guidelines I need to live a life that allows me to fulfill the purposes He has for me.

Wisdom Is A Responsibility

As a parent I have the responsibility to train my children in the ways of wisdom. If I set their feet on the path the leads to wisdom, I can have confidence that as they grow older and begin to live life on their own, they will continue to adhere to wisdom. I have a responsibility not just to hoard wisdom for myself, but to dispense it to my children and to others who are willing to listen.

Any gift God gives, whether money, time or wisdom, is to be used for His glory. This means I need to use wisdom to help others escape their folly and see the beauty of living a life of godly wisdom.

Wrap-Up

This was my first careful study of Proverbs, but it certainly will not be my last. As I continue to learn God's wisdom, I know I will continually return to Proverbs as the textbook for godly wisdom.

Dr. Mark Miravalle has written a fascinating article for the Catholic Information Network that speaks about Mary’s portrayal in The Passion of the Christ. Miravalle is Professor of Theology and Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, so obviously something of an expert on the subject. Here are some interesting quotes:

In a recent interview with Mel Gibson, Christianity Today referred to Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic who “likes the Tridentine Latin Mass and calls Mary Co-redemptrix.” There's another well-known Catholic who also calls the Mother of Jesus the Co-redemptrix: His name is Pope John Paul II. He has done so on six occasions during his post Vatican II pontificate.

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In The Passion of the Christ, Gibson has accomplished a Marian feat no pastor or theologian could achieve in the same way. He has given the world through its most popular visual medium a portrayal of a real human mother, whose heart is inseparably united to her son's heart. This mother's heart is pierced to its very depths as she spiritually shares in the brutal immolation of her innocent son. Hers is an immaculate heart which silently endures and offers this suffering with her son for the same heavenly purpose: to buy back the human race from sin.

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Mary Co-redemptrix has been given her first international film debut in a supporting role, and it's a hit.

You can read the article in full here.

This is the thirty first and final part in this study through the book of Proverbs. The purpose of this study has been to learn wisdom and discernment from God's Word. Yesterday I learned that limited human wisdom can never compare with God's unlimited perfect wisdom. I also saw that though nature proclaims that God exists, it is only through His Word that I can really come to know Him. Finally I saw through several examples from nature, that God is able to overcome any weakness through His strength.

The final chapter of Proverbs was written by King Lemuel. We do not know what nation he was king over, though we do know it was not Israel. Lemuel's writing is unique in that in that it was given by a mother to her son rather than a father as with the rest of this book. This shows that though the father bore primary responsibility for training children in wisdom, the mother also played a crucial role.

After a short introduction, the author provides wisdom about refraining from drunkenness. "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted." Drunkenness is not befitting for one in a position of authority, for they need to be in full control of their senses at all times. Intoxication might prevent a ruler from properly fulfilling his duties and making wise decisions. As we see in verse 6, he must especially not use it as an avenue for escape from the hardships of life. "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart."

The bulk of this chapter is the well-known description of "the virtuous wife." The 22 verses are in the form of an acrostic poem, though we do not see this in the English translation. A virtuous woman is one who seeks to live a life of godly wisdom, for we read "she opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." She exhibits qualities of wisdom both with her words and her actions. "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." Though difficult to find, a wife of great virtue is not an impossible dream.

The passage goes on to describe a woman who works hard to support herself and her family. She rises before dawn to provide food for the family and spends her day running various enterprises. She helps the needy and shows shrewdness in all her dealings.

Several verses caught my attention. Verses 11 and 23 show that a wife's virtue extends beyond her to her family. "The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain." Because of the wife's hard work, the husband does not need to worry about poverty overcoming the family. And not only that, but "her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." Her virtue is known to the community and people admire her husband because of her.

We see that despite all this, her great reward is the praise and admiration of her family. "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."" Though she may be proud of the work she has done, the money she has earned or the way she has cared for her family, her greatest pride should be in the admiration of her family.

The application for me, as a man, is not to compare my wife with this woman and grumble about the areas she falls short. Rather, I need to rejoice in the qualities she exhibits and ensure that I do call her blessed and praise her for the love and concern she shows for myself and my family. I need to thank God for providing me a woman of virtue.

And this ends this study of Proverbs. Tomorrow I will post some final thoughts.

I am going to approach this matter with caution and brevity, for I certainly do not want to cause anyone to stumble. Several people have inquired whether or not I can verify the claims some people are making that many of the actresses cast in The Passion of the Christ have been involved in pornography. Since the movie's launch rumors have abounded that this is true but few have had it proven to their satisfaction. People ask this question because it seems hypocritical for a woman to play in a "Christian" film about the life of Christ when in her previous role she did pornographic work.

I did some delicate research (keeping in mind my own responsibilities for purity) into this matter and can say with absolute certainty that the following actresses have been involved in activities that constitute pornography. Monica Bellucci (Mary Magdalene), Rosalinda Celentano (Satan), Claudia Gerini (The wife of Pontius Pilate), Sabrina Impacciatore (Seraphia, the woman who offers Jesus a towel), Gabriella Barbuti (one of Herod's Court Women). I am unable to say if they can be considered "porn stars" but can at least verify that they have all appeared in what would constitute "soft" pornography (ie nude photographs and the like). Beyond those women I do not know if any others have appeared in pornography, and frankly it does not much matter. The fact that at least five of the women on the cast of The Passion of the Christ have pornographic backgrounds should satisfy those who are concerned about this.

Further to this, it would be safe to say that the bulk of the cast members, both male and female, have appeared in movies that could not be considered appropriate viewing for Christians. This includes movies based around bisexuality, homosexuality, sexual assaults and occultism. Monica Bellucci, for example, appeared in a movie called "Irreversible" which was vile beyond description, featuring a 10-minute long graphic scene in which she was brutally raped.

I hesitate to provide further information because I do not want to have my site associated with any sort of pornographic content. Unfortunately this just means you will have to take my word for it. Admittedly that may go no further towards satisfying you that the rumors are true, but at the moment I am not willing to go any further on this matter.