Little League World Series game between Southern Calif. and Pennsylvania

Last night I watched an event on TV that was inspirational to me. I'm speaking of the Little League World Series game between Southern Calif. and Pennsylvania. It was a game in which you hated to see either team lose, not only because the loser was eliminated from the series, but just because it's such a good thing in a world of bad things and you hate to see sadness come to half of the participants. If you haven't been watching this event, you should be. In a nutshell, it's the real America on display.

It's not the America depicted by the disgusting behavior of a lot of our society such as cheating, unfair play or the rampant greed we witness all the time. Rather, it's respect for the rules, respect for others and dedication to doing one's best, all being taught by a bunch of 11-12 year old kids. God bless them!

One of the ills of society that I just mentioned was "greed" or the propensity of many people to be "greedy." The Bible also calls it "covetousness." If you'll allow me a few minutes, I'd like to discuss this topic of "greed" with you today. I'll be giving you some scriptures as we go along that relate to our subject of study and the first one is found in Col. 3:5 where we find listed several kinds of behavior that are offensive to God with one of them being "....covetousness, which is idolatry."

In Eph. 5:5 the Apostle Paul also tells us that a "covetous man" is "an idolater." Let's talk about this link between "greed" or "covetousness" and "idolatry" for a moment. Just why is a greedy person an idolater? You may have heard many sermons and lessons, or maybe even preached/taught lessons on this link, but I'm going to give you my take on the connection between "greed" and "idolatry." And, in keeping with my mental capacity and philosophical bent, it's a pretty simple equation.

Very simply stated, it's because if we are "greedy/covetous" then that is where our "treasure" lies. And if that is where our "treasure" (whatever it is that is valuable to us) lies, that is where our "heart" is. (Luke 12:34) In other words, Jesus is saying that the "heart" of a "covetous" person is more concerned with the gaining of material things of this earth than being concerned with pleasing God.

If we are so found in that condition, we're guilty of being enslaved, as the Apostle John says it, by the "lust of the eyes." (1Jn. 2:16) Or, another way the Bible describes it is, having an "inordinate affection (desire)" for something worldly. To the extent that we put these things ahead of God and that is - "idolatry."

But, you know, love of "things" is nothing new, is it? Remember the account of the man that came up to Jesus and asked him what he could do to inherit eternal life? Jesus cited the Commandments to him and he said that he had kept these his whole life. But then Jesus hit him were he lived, so to speak - right in the "heart." He told him that he lacked on thing in his life, get rid of your possessions and give to the poor. The account (Mark 10:23) says that he "went away grieved; for he had great possessions."

It's hard for people to put being pleasing to God ahead of "possessions," isn't it? Our society tells us that our success is measured by how much we possess. It judges us by how big our house is, or by how expensive a car we drive. Sometimes, even by the brand of clothes we wear. The world tells us that we should strive for this kind of success. It tells us where our "hearts" should lie. God says otherwise.

Earlier, when I mentioned being "enslaved" by "greed" I was reminded of a cute, but effective little story I once read. It was entitled: "How To Catch A Monkey." Using writer's license here, I'll just condense it for you. (One caveat here first: I've never caught a monkey, nor have I ever tried, so I'm relying on the expertise of the story's author.)

It's said that the best way to catch a monkey is to take a strong, steel cage about one foot square and cut a hole in one side just big enough for a monkey to slip his open hand through. Then take that cage into the jungle and securely attach it to a large tree and place a large lump of sugar inside where it can be reached.

What will happen, it's said, is that the monkey will reach into the cage and grab the lump of sugar and try to pull it back out through the hole. However, by holding onto the sugar, he can't get his hand to slide back out through the hole. He doesn't want to let go of the sugar, so as long as he holds onto it, he's trapped. Isn't that illustrative of how "greed" enslaves, or traps us? We just don't want to let go of our "things."

And, you know something else? Hardly anyone considers themselves to be "greedy," do they? They just "want what's theirs" is the common saying. Abraham Lincoln used to tell about an Illinois farmer who said, "I ain't greedy about land. I only want what joins mine." Yes, don't you agree that we need to do a little soul-searching and see if we aren't "covetous" in some ways?

One day, on the side of a mountain in Galilee, Jesus preached His first sermon. It was in this sermon that he talked about our "treasures." He told His disciples gathered there these words relating to our lesson today. He said: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matt. 6:19-21 NLT)

With the intention of providing you with a closing thought to this lesson, I'm going to quote the last paragraph of the story: "How To Catch A Monkey." It's amusing on the face of it, but if you really consider the words you'll find a real meaning to them. The storyteller summed up his thoughts with these words:

                "You know, I got to thinking about the story on how to catch a

                monkey and I've come to a conclusion concerning it. Either

                there are a lot of monkeys around who look like people, or

                there are a lot of people around who act like monkeys."

Ron Covey

The City of Lights

As an airplane was on its way to Paris, a report came in about heavy fog in
"the City of Lights." The fog was so severe that landing the plane in Paris
was completely out of the question. So, the aircraft was diverted to another
city about 190 miles away where the passengers were to be carried home by
charter busses. Now, most passengers would be upset by the delay but would
probably understand the situation. At least the company was professional
enough to offer the people a nice bus ride to their destination.

However, when the plane finally landed, over 20 passengers refused to get
off the plane and demanded that they be taken to Paris by air. The flight
attendants were going to remain on the aircraft but the passengers became so
troublesome that even the attendants left. To try to get the people out of
the plane, bathrooms were locked, the power was turned off, and the people
were left in the dark. The disgruntled people staged this protest for four
hours, which was probably longer than the bus ride would have been. After
their prolonged protest, the people still ended up leaving the plane, walked
onto a bus, and headed home to Paris -- a place they could have been at
hours ago had they not been so completely and utterly stubborn. *

Our stubbornness often leads to personal misery and causes us to miss out on
some good things - even the greatest things - in life. The greatest loss
that we experience comes when our stubbornness keeps us from surrendering
our lives to God's will.

"The Lord is not SLOW in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come
to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God "desires ALL men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4).

It is God's Will that each and every one of us live eternally with Him. He
has even provided the WAY to eternal life through His Son, Jesus (John
14:6). When our sins and stubborn wills condemned us to destruction (see
Matthew 7:13-14), God sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price for
our redemption (Ephesians 1:7) and open up the Way to eternal life (Hebrews
10:19-20).

But WE have a choice in the matter. We must relinquish our stubborn wills
and submit to His plan. In order to be saved and have eternal life, we must
place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sin and
stubbornness in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our
sins (Acts 2:38). Then, we must continue to "walk in the light" of His
revealed Will in the Scriptures. As we do so, the blood of Jesus continues
to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7).

Our stubborn wills bring us nothing but distress and destruction! But if we
yield our wills to God's will, we can experience the abundant life now and
eternal life to come.

Let's STOP being so stubborn and yield our wills to God's will, so that we
might know and follow the Way to Heaven.

Won't YOU?

David A. Sargent

A triple rating that cannot go down

 

 

I know it is on your mind if you are a working adult.  What does it mean that the United States, which, according to Michelle Bachmann, has had a AAA credit rating since 1917 and "has endured the great depression, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the terrorist attacks on 9/11" but has been downgraded to AA-plus?  How will this effect present financial functioning and future economic opportunities, including things like retirement?  Has our nation become like that cliched bum uncle that is loaned $1000 but refuses to pay it back, calling himself unable while keeping premium cable and smoking three packs a day?  If the government is to blame, why must bill-paying, responsible citizens pay?

Perhaps such questions are futile in looking at our national economy.  However, there is one arena in which we will never have to worry about a "credit downgrade."  The apostle Paul mentions this extensively in Romans four.  In fact, all nine times the word "credited" is used in the NAS version, it is found in this single chapter.  The word is an accounting term meaning "to enter in the account book" (Reinecker 357).  The crux of the discussion is how righteousness is credited. Paul indicates that righteousness is credited to our account, not based on our performance but rather by belief in the resurrected Lord (cf. 4:24).  That is not to discount the necessity of a faith that obeys and does the works commanded by Christ.  It is, however, to remind us that our salvation can be trusted because it is built upon the worth and soundness of the perfect Son of God.  Jesus ever was, is, and ever will be perfect and sinless (2 Cor. 5:21).  God, from eternity to eternity, cannot and will not lie (cf. Heb. 6:19-20).  Therefore, justification through Christ can never be devalued.  Especially on a day like today, such reassurance is timely!  Christ is the only trustworthy foundation upon which to build life (cf. Matt. 7:24ff).  

 

 Neal Pollard   

What is heaven like?

   I find it seriously curious and very sobering, as well as very un-humorous, that in every account of a prophet or apostle trying to describe a "heavenly scene" they encountered, they seem to be distraught at trying to find the proper adjectives to adequately describe the beauty and holiness of the event. They seem to literally exhaust their vocabulary trying to relate to us the majesty and holiness of the heavenly nature of God.

            Whether it was the great prophet Isaiah (6:1-8), Ezekiel (1:4-3:27), Daniel (chapter 10), or the apostle John throughout the Book of Revelation, not to forget Paul's encounter in 2Corinthians 12, there is one thing all had in common. The beauty and majesty of the scene forced great humility upon them. On more than one occasion the scene was so overwhelming they couldn't even bear it in the flesh and passed out (e.g. Revelation 1:17).

            When it comes to the nature, character, and attitude of "The God" who will one day pass an eternal judgment upon us, we seem to be heavily unbalanced.  Most of us emphasize the "love of God" and purposely shove aside any emphasis on the "holiness of God."

            Reasons for this are legion, but mostly because we have friends and family whom we know are not following God's word. Therefore, we, perhaps even subconsciously, put a contemporary emphasis on God's love and grace only - - hoping He will save such people anyway. This unbalanced leaning towards God's love "only," leads us to a perception that God will not punish the evil that we see all around us, and even in us.

            God truly is perfect love - - but He is ALSO perfect Holiness; and by perfect holiness, I mean He is completely separated from evil of any kind. Furthermore, He is the One who determines what is, and what isn't evil.  There is no "shadow of turning" in the nature of God (James 1:17); there is "no darkness in Him at all" (1John 1:5), and because of this, God cannot fellowship evil of any kind, in any amount. Evil must be permanently cast away from the presence of God because He is absolutely Holy. And even if we don't want to think about that, it is still Truth.

            We need to understand that since God is holy, we must acclimate our lives to His holiness. "Without holiness, no one shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).  Our worship is to be in the "beauty of holiness" (1Chronicles 16:29).  In 2Chronicles 31:18, it speaks of the "beauty of holiness."  In Psalm 30:4, it speaks of the "beauty of holiness."  In Psalm 96:9, it speaks of the "beauty of holiness."  If you have ever wondered what God finds "beautiful," read these Scriptures and you will have your answer.

            In referencing the plan of salvation, Isaiah writes, "God is preparing a highway of holiness and the unclean shall not pass over it" (Isaiah 35:8).  Jesus referred to this "highway of holiness" as a "strait and narrow way" (Matthew 7:13-14).  We learn of this "holy way" by means of the Bible. Jeremiah wrote, "My heart within me is broken...and all my bones shake because of His Holy Words" (Jeremiah 23:9).

            Do you realize that because of God's absolute holiness, if you die while purposely fellowshipping sin, you MUST be eternally removed from His presence - - and that will be Hell!

            Yet, because God is not only a "Consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12:29), He is also "Love" (1John 4:16), and because of this we have been given a "grace period" - - a period of time to live on earth to demonstrate (through obedience), our love for the One whom God sent as our Rescuer - - our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.

            Since we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), our seemingly hopeless appointment with the wrath of a perfectly Holy God can only be escaped and avoided by climbing Calvary's mountain and kneeling at the Cross (cf. Romans 2:5-10).

            In Revelation chapter 5, we learn that after searching all of Heaven and earth, there was only One who was found "worthy" to take the Book of Life from the hand of God and break its seals, and that was Jesus. Jesus did not come to earth and die on the Cross just so you could "do your own thing"  or, just so you could "continue to ignore His Heavenly Father," or, just so you could "continue in sin!" (Rom 6:1-2). He came to earth and shed His Blood on the Cross so He could create a "way of holiness." (Note: not "ways" of holiness, but "way" of holiness - - singular). and that Way is called obedience to the gospel (2Thessalonians 1:7-8).

            Contrary to a growing trend in the church, obedience to the Gospel is MORE than just being baptized. Obedience to the Gospel is a "way of life" called "seeking *first* His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).  "Pursue peace" (Romans 12:18).  "Pursue love" (1Corinthians 14:1). "Pursue holiness" (Hebrews 12:14).       

Toby Miller

The Upshot

An article posted on August 2 by "The Upshot", a blog hosted by Yahoo,
told about a message in a bottle found a few weeks ago by a 9-year-old
girl in Hawaii.  The bottle began its journey a year earlier when a
10-year-old boy tossed it into the Pacific Ocean while on a deep-sea
fishing voyage off the coast of Oregon.  The boy confessed to being
surprised when someone responded to the email address he had given.

Stories about messages in bottles are not that rare; the same article
told of other such chance deliveries.  One, however, grabbed headlines
when a bottle was found in the Turks and Caicos Islands that had been
sent from the coast of New Hampshire 50 years before.  The distance
between those spots is about 2,000 miles, but no one knows how far
that bottle really traveled before being found.

I've never dropped a bottled message into the ocean, but I've done
something similar.  Years ago, during Vacation Bible Schools, we would
end our week of fun and learning with a balloon launch.  Tied to the
end of each balloon's ribbon would be a message asking the finder to
let us know the balloon had been found.  Two or three prompted
responses, but never more than a few days later and from within a few
miles' distance.  Most, apparently, never delivered our messages to
anyone.

The Bible is a remarkable message.  Launched (in its completed form)
almost 2,000 years ago from locations thousands of miles from the
United States, this Book was sent by God Himself.  Yes, human writers
were very much involved.  But Peter contended that this was a message
from God, not man: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture
is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will
of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20,21).

Many such statements can be found in the Bible, all agreeing that this
Holy Book was tossed into the sea of time by the Lord Himself.  Unlike
the messages in bottles mentioned above, God planned a more reliable
system of delivering this message.  Chance delivery just would not do.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Jesus
charged His apostles just before leaving the earth.  "Teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19,20).
Every follower of Jesus, therefore, has the responsibility of carrying
God's message to as many people as possible.  Ultimately the goal is
to blanket the earth with the good news of salvation.

Are you acquainted with God's message to you?  How could we summarize
a library of 66 books for those who don't know this message?  How
about this statement from Ezekiel 33:11: "Say to them, 'As I live,'
says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn, turn from your evil
ways!  For why will you die?'"

Yes, there are many more lessons to be learned from God's word.  But
this verse, in a nutshell, says it all: God loves each of us so much,
and wants to save us from eternal loss and ruin.  That fact alone
should make us want to pick up this "bottle" and read the vital
message inside.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him
in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you'd like
to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall.