A three-year-old boy who attends the church where I preach was talking with his family about the people who attend our congregation. They asked him to name some of the people, so he listed several. However, he did not name me. So they asked him if he would see Tom there. He said that he would. Then they asked him which one Tom was. He answered, “He’s the one with the blank head”.
I hope he meant bald.
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action…”—1 Peter 1:13.
University of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware just suffered a gruesome leg injury in a regional final game of the NCAA Tournament. Players on both teams were obviously deeply impacted by the severity of the injury. Ware’s teammates were very emotional as they reacted to the unfortunate incident. It was quite evident that they were hurting along with their friend.
This is the type of fellowship that we need to have in the church. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 says that church members “…should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it…”
This world dishes out a lot of suffering: divorce, sickness, economic woes, strife at work, rebellious children, death of a loved one, moral failures, etc. However, we don’t have to bear the pain alone. We have each other to share the hurt.
Sometimes that makes all the difference in the world.
Imagine a condemned criminal nervously pacing back and forth in his cell the evening of his execution. Publicly, he has denied his guilt, but privately he knows that his crimes were so terrible that he deserves the death penalty. The date has been set for some time. Now he is filled with unimaginable dread as the moment draws near.
Suddenly, a priest is ushered into his cell. The door clangs shut behind him, and the two men are alone together.
However, this man is no ordinary priest. He is the condemned man’s twin brother.
In the privacy of the cell, the priest convinces his brother to exchange clothing with him. The guard later unknowingly escorts the criminal outside the prison to freedom. The innocent brother is led to face the firing squad. He willingly takes the punishment that his brother deserves.
This is an amazing story of love. And it is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”—Romans 5:8.
Marc Bajarin
On February 13, 2013, a hospital employee found a telephone hidden in a locker room at Saint Joseph East hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. The phone was positioned in a locker in such a way as to record female employees as they changed clothes.
Marc P. Bajarin, 43, has been charged with third-degree voyeurism. He has pleaded not guilty.
Bajarin initially said that he had lost his phone. He later admitted to police that he had set the phone up in the locker, but maintained that he had done this to record alleged criminal activity.
It remains to be seen whether or not this defense will hold up in court. It might be difficult to convince a jury of the defendant’s good intentions. I’m not even sure that Mr. Bajarin believes his own claims.
The Bible warns us that we can easily be deceived, even by ourselves. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Let’s always be careful that we are not fooling ourselves!
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”—Stephen Covey.
Sometimes we struggle to maintain our priorities. Programs and ministries within the church are begun with the right motives, but often take on a life of their own and actually distract us from what we really should be doing.
Our thoughts tend to wander from the important to the insignificant, and therefore we spend too much time contemplating trivial matters.
Paul reminds us, “…The important thing is that in every way…Christ is preached…”—Philippians 1:18.
Communion is an excellent reminder of one of our top priorities. Indeed, when we participate in the Lord’s Supper together, we preach Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Let’s keep the main thing the main thing.
The lady I baptized during the worship service yesterday was truly feeling the joy of having her sins washed away and being united with Jesus. As soon as she came up out of the water, she praised God and grabbed me with such excitement that I thought she was going to dunk me under the water!
Her joy was uninhibited. She did not care what other people thought. Her response to the grace that God had given her through Jesus was pure worship.
This lady’s enthusiasm was contagious. Joy ran rampant in our church yesterday.
I hope that this new convert’s zeal continues. Sometimes we tend to lose the joy and excitement that comes with being saved. We all need to hold on to that feeling that we experienced when we first came to Christ.
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”—Romans 12:11.
Some polls indicate that Americans are becoming more open to moving away from Jesus’ definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24 & Mark 10:7).
Television shows such as Modern Family and The New Normal attempt to portray homosexual relationships as an ordinary part of family life in today’s society. (These shows at the same time try to get laughs from the idea that men are actually in such relationships! Go figure!).
The Supreme Court is now preparing to consider the subject of homosexual unions. Any decision they might make in favor of these relationships is being called the “Roe vs. Wade” of this great moral issue.
18 states now recognize gay “marriage” or some form of same-sex union. Most recently, Colorado’s governor signed such legislation into law. This caused Jerry Cunningham, the publisher of the magazine Out Front Colorado, to comment: “It’s kind of amazing. It’s creating an awareness that we can have relationships. It validates it and legitimizes it, and says it’s OK.”
This is the concern of Christian people. The Bible clearly and consistently says that homosexual behavior is not OK. In fact, Romans 1 plainly warns that the wrath of God awaits not only those who practice homosexual behavior, but also those who condone it.
Someone once suggested that Sodom and Gomorrah were not punished for homosexual behavior. They were destroyed when they stopped calling it a sin.
In any case, the United States is venturing into dangerous territory.
We can’t say that we haven’t been warned
“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.”—Acts 6:1.
God’s people have always tended to be complainers. From the grumbling Israelites to the complainers in the first century church to the gripers of today, we are continually susceptible to being distracted from our mission.
The church in Acts did have a major concern—some widows were being neglected, and something needed to be done about it. I’m not sure that a lot of today’s issues are quite that important. If you were to write the history of many churches, it might read something like this:
“The deacons complained against the elders about who had the right to make the most important decisions in the church.”
“The cold-natured people complained against the hot-natured people over who controlled the thermostat.”
“The moms who worked outside the home complained against the stay-at-home moms about the Vacation Bible School schedule.”
“One generation complained against another generation about the selection of songs for last Sunday’s worship service.”
“The upper-middle class complained against the lower class about the way they dressed for church.”
The list could go on and on.
What’s your issue? Is it about someone else’s legitimate need, or about your own selfish desires? If your concern doesn’t have something to do about feeding the poor, or some other important matter, chances are God doesn’t want to hear it.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”—Philippians 2:14.
Paul Prather says that his father, who was a preacher, also did some substitute teaching. One day his father caught some boys playing poker at school. They admitted their guilt, but were surprised at the substitute teacher’s offer. He told the boys that if they could beat him in three out of five hands of poker, they could play cards any day that he subbed. However, if he beat them three out of five hands, they had to leave their cards at home.
“This will be easy,” they thought. “There is no way this preacher could beat us.”
Then came the catch—Mr. Prather would deal the cards.
They agreed, and the preacher dealt himself five great hands in succession, while giving the boys terrible cards.
One of the boys asked, “Mr. Prather, where did you learn to do that? I thought you were a preacher.”
Mr. Prather smiled and answered, “Son, we were all something before.”
No one’s history is spotless, and that young man still tells people, “We were all something before.”
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?…And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”—1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
Permann’s long shot
When Alex Permann made a half-court shot before the Missouri Valley Conference championship basketball game, he thought he had won $50,000. The contest required that he make a layup, free throw, three-pointer and half-court shot in 24 seconds in order to win the prize. However, he forgot about the three-point shot. By the time he realized his mistake, he had time to get off a couple of hurried attempts from three-point range, but he misfired, thus losing out on the grand prize.
A lot of people live in fear of missing out on heaven because they didn’t do enough. They are afraid that they have omitted something, and that God will deny them the ultimate prize because of their short-coming. Have they been as generous as they should have been? Have they forgiven everyone who has wronged them? Have they missed an opportunity to serve? Have they disobeyed God in some unknown way?
While it is important to be concerned about these matters, the answers to those questions will not determine where we spend eternity.
Whether or not we have accepted the grace that God has offered us through his son Jesus Christ will determine our salvation.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”—Romans 8:1.
