Outback Steakhouse is a pretty good choice if you want a good steak and baked potato. By now you’ve probably heard their advertisements on the radio and television. After making the pitch for their product, the announcer, in his Australian brogue, says “Outback Steakhouse. No rules. Just right.” That sounds great, doesn’t it? There is some appeal to a place where there aren’t any rules or restrictions and no matter what, everything turns out all right. One day, it dawned on me that many people have “Outback Religion.” When it comes to their relationship with God, they want it to be “No rules. Just Right.” They want to be able to come to God on their own terms and yet have Him welcome them just the same. More and more, it seems we find people who find comforting the thought of having a meaningful relationship with God but who are unwilling to follow the rules. I suppose it has always been so that many wanted God on their terms, but it has always been true that Jehovah has never allowed man to call the shots or make the rules. Either we come to Him as He wills, or we don’t come at all. When I claim a relationship with God, but I want to keep my bad habits, ungodly practices and sinful relationships, then, I’m looking for Outback Religion. However, God does have “rules,” and here are three things to remember about them. When we submit ourselves wholly to living

Located in the middle of a beautiful lake, in a valley deep in the Scottish highlands, is the Island of Understanding. The island is so named because local custom mandated that two parties in disagreement about a matter are to be taken to the island, given food and drink, and stranded until they can come to an understanding. The locals boast that, because of this custom, there has been only one murder in 1,500 years! What a great idea! How we sometimes need an “Island of Understanding”! Husbands and wives need an island of understanding. When the inevitable disagreements and arguments come, they must be worked out. Avoiding difficult discussions and hoping that the problem will simply go away is rarely healthy for the relationship. Husbands are told to live with their wives “according to knowledge” (KJV) or “with understanding” (NKJV) (1 Peter 3:7), but how can either spouse have knowledge or understanding without communication and trying to come to an accord? Husbands and wives should always remember the three C’s. Parents and children need an island of understanding. At its best, parenting is a difficult proposition. If we can recall with an accurate memory, all will agree that childhood and adolescence is no bed of roses either. Further, due to often tenuous relationships, many parents and children stop communicating (i.e., real communicating). Mom and Dad, if there is a problem, don’t let it fester. Instead, go to an island of understanding. Part of “bring them up in the… admonition of the

The news carried the story of the unthinkable. It seems that U.S. soldiers were under attack. Several grenades had been rolled into the tent that housed many soldiers, and when they ran out of the tent for their lives, the perpetrator routinely shot them. The unthinkable; this was not an enemy soldier but one of our own who did this. Fratricide is defined as the killing of a brother (or sister). It describes “one who kills his brother.” We understand why one kills an enemy, but to kill a brother, comrade and partner is difficult to understand. Yet, many do it routinely—no, not in the military, but in the Lord’s church. Whether unknowingly or otherwise, we can be guilty killing—spiritually maiming or even killing a brother. We must be careful because these kinds of “grenades” can kill spiritually. The grenade of false accusation kills. Whether it comes in the form of gossip, slander, half-truths or some other form, the improper use of the tongue can be deadly (James 3:2-12). Instead of lobbing grenades, let’s follow the instruction of God: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another” (Ephesians 4:31-32a). The grenade of suspicion kills. Love is eager to believe the best, but suspicion is produced by something far less noble. The brother, who, with raised eyebrow and jaundiced vision, views another with suspicion based on his associates or mannerisms, will kill or wound, perhaps for no reason