Tell a man to climb Mt. Everest and he’ll ask, “When can I start?” Order him to build a bridge from Hawaii to the mainland and he’ll respond, “How many lanes do you want?” But tell that same man to ask for help and he will walk away offended.
Challenges often bring out the best in men. It’s a chance to show their competence, ability, hard work and all the other traits men admire. But when it comes to admitting the need for someone else to lend a hand, men give the impression they would rather die than be helped.
The great irony is that the same man who will be the first to help others will refuse to allow people to return the favor, even when it is obvious his need is real. Is it that same independent pride which keeps so many men from ever getting close to God?
The opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans are offensive to anyone. He makes a very strong case that no one, no man or woman, is able to approach God on his/her own terms. The only way to God is through the door of destitution – by admitting, “Lord, I need you to make me into what I can’t be by myself.”
There is a saying, “The truth hurts.” From God’s point of view it would be more accurate to say, “The truth heals.” This Saturday evening (6:00 pm) and Sunday morning (10:00 am) we have the opportunity to study one of the tremendous chapters of the Bible (Romans 3). For the last two weeks as we’ve studied the opening chapters of Romans we have been forced to look at our lives honestly. It has been at times uncomfortable, at times depressing. But it all leads to just one thing – healing. And that healing is available to us all!
Hawaii Lutheran Church (WELS)
- Community Lutheran Church
- Honolulu, HI
- Community Lutheran Church holds protestant chapel services in Honolulu, Hawaii near Pearl Harbor, HI. We are next to the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hickam Air Force Base, and Fort Shafter Hawaii. Look for us directly behind the Salt Lake, Hawaii, Target.