Pickett’s charge

                                "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have

                                anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is

                             in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mk. 11:25 ESV)

Well, we're coming towards the end of year 2011 and I'm going to assume that, like me, you've probably been offended or hurt by the actions or words of another at sometime during this year. Maybe even to the degree that you harbor a grudge/s towards another person. I feel that this is a good time to pause and remind ourselves, especially myself, of how Christians are supposed to deal with this type of situation. Which is why our lesson today is on the subject of forgiveness.

First off, I am fully aware of the fact that "forgiveness" is sometimes a tough thing to deal with in life. The apostle Peter, a human being just like the rest of us, seemed to think pretty much the same way. We can tell that by a question he once asked Jesus seeking an answer about forgiving others. By his question, he was basically wanting to know "What's expected of me? How am I supposed to act in order to be righteous?"

When you think about it, shouldn't that be the underlying reason for all of our thoughts and actions, remembering that this is the proper sequence - we think and then we act. Like we sometimes do though, we don't think enough before we act, do we? But shouldn't, in the thinking stage, we consider how our actions will effect our righteousness? I guess, in short, that will be the aim of our lesson here. IE: What is expected of us, as Christians, in the area of "forgiveness".

Like Peter, we should be concerned about something that has an effect upon our righteousness. Concerned with how we are to act when we've been offended, when we've been wronged in some way, by someone else. Concerned with forgiving those persons for whatever the trespass against us was. As previously stated, we realize that this, responding properly to an offense, is probably one of the toughest emotions in our makeup to control. But, the answer Peter was given by Christ to his question shows us that we must control it.

The concept of this is, if we don't control "it," "it" controls us. "It" is a sin that falls under the category of "pride of life"(1Jn. 2:16). The natural progression of "it" becomes "anger," which becomes "resentment" and then becomes "hatred." Then "hatred" takes us away from God because it is the antithesis of "love." Just remember this little equation, "love" takes us towards God, but "hatred" takes us away.

As has been my practice in past editorials, I run across some little item or article that inspires me to write about a particular subject and today is no exception. What I came across is a little story about an event that occurred in1913 when a reunion of veterans of the famous Battle of Gettysburg got together to commemorate that momentous occasion. I feel that, if I can adequately adapt it here, it can help illustrate our lesson on "forgiveness."

Prefacing this story, let me remind you that the Battle of Gettysburg was a three day battle, culminating in a major action forever after known as "Pickett's charge" named after the Confederate General that led it. Gen. Pickett began his charge with 12,500 men across a wide open, up-sloping field towards the Union lines on the crest of a hill. He suffered a 50% casualty rate, figuring out to the loss of about 6,800 men in this charge and did not win the day.

Now let me return to the article regarding the reunion in 1913. At one point during this reunion the participants did a reenactment of Pickett's charge. It was reported that when the old Confederate soldiers lined up and started across the open field and up the hill, that an audible moan was heard coming from the Union veterans stationed on the hill. It said that, following the moan, the Union soldiers rushed down the hill towards the advancing Rebels, but it was not to repel them. Instead, they embraced them with tears flowing and "all was forgiven."

Please consider with me for a moment, the amount of "forgiveness" involved in that event. Think about what had transpired in the actual battle. Here were two armies, bitterly opposed to each other, acting with all the intent of obliterating the other. Think about the horrors of war and all that entails and the effects it would have had on the veterans of the battle. And then consider the thoughts and actions of those veterans - "all is forgiven." I can only think - what a Gospel-like action.

Yes, "forgiveness" is not easy, is it? But know this - it is necessary! It is essential to both our physical and spiritual lives. Physical because it can bring about a lot of unnecessary problems, health-wise and other-wise. Things like nervous problems, depression and relationship problems. But more importantly to be considered is - spiritual problems because if we suffer spiritual-health problems, the suffering will be of an eternal nature and not just a temporary type of suffering.

Let's go back to Peter's question and the answer he received in response to it for our closing thought today. Read this account in Matt. 18: 21-35 as I offer a short synopsis here. Peter asked, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" The answer Jesus gave Peter to his question would be the same if we had asked it. Let's review this answer.

Christ shows Peter, and us, why our Christianity, our standing with God, makes "forgiveness" necessary. In the parabolic answer given to Peter, Jesus pointed out that the "King" forgave a man an enormous debt because he was moved by "compassion." (Vs. 27) The same man had a fellow worker who owed him a paltry amount yet refused to forgive him and had him cast into debtor's prison.

Now in verse 33 we find the key to knowing what Christianity requires of us in the area of "forgiveness." The King said to the "unforgiving" man, "you should have had the same compassion towards the man in your debt as I did towards you and your debts." (Paraphrased by me)

Then caps the whole lesson/answer in verse 35 by saying that "we should forgive others their trespasses as the 'Heavenly Father' has forgiven us ours." And, with the knowledge that the debt we've been forgiven is the "enormous" one. That if we can't find it in our hearts to have compassion on others, as God has on us, He will not forgive us until we do.

One last thought to close on and I'd like you to seriously consider this: forgiving someone doesn't make them right - it makes us right!

Ron Covey

　

Gender Confusion

 

            The left, world-wide, is intent on destroying everything good and wholesome. In Stockholm, Sweden, a preschool has decided to stop using gender talk. The Egalia preschool has forbidden the use of pronouns like "him" and "her." Their reasoning is that the use of such pronouns maintain gender distinctions which further reinforce inequality in society. Instead, they will use pronouns invented by the transgender community.

 

            Words cannot describe how ludicrous this is. "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?" (Matthew 19:4). Society did not create genders. Biology did not create genders. Physiology did not create genders. God created genders.

 

            God created genders for a reason. We may not be able to determine all the reasons God made man "male and female" but He did. And we need them. Mankind needs little boys playing with their trucks and guns and army men and footballs. Mankind needs little super heroes. Mankind needs little girls playing with their tea cups and dolls and stuffed animals.  Mankind needs little princesses.

 

            There is gender distinction among children just as there is gender distinctions among adults. Mankind needs them. Mankind needs the soft touch, soothing voice and tender heart of the woman. Mankind needs the hard hands, commanding voice and determined will of the man. That's the way God made us. He designed us to be complimentary - physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually.

 

            Speaking of spiritual equality, the apostle Paul wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).

 

-        Your fellow-servant in Christ,

-        Paul, Paris KY church of Christ

 

 

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify

 

                                   "I will praise God's name in song and glorify

                                       Him with thanksgiving." (Psalm 69:30)

Well, it's finally arrived. My favorite season of the year - autumn, and in a few days, one of my two favorite holidays - Thanksgiving. I love the warm days and cool nights, the various sports related to the season and I love the fellowship, and yes the food, related to the holiday.

Did you ever pause to think about the timing of Thanksgiving holiday? Why it's observed in November, in late autumn? Think about it for a moment. It's the perfect time of the year to have a special day of being thankful for the things we've been blessed with. It's harvest time. It's the time we reap the benefits of the bounty of the crops that were sowed.

When we look at all of the seasons of the year, we see that it fits perfectly with an autumn occurrence. In the sense of crops and reaping benefits, think of it this way. Winter is not only cold, but is the germination period. Then spring comes and that brings warmer weather and rain and the seeds begin to grow. Summer has the hot weather that matures the crops and then fall (autumn) and we realize the benefit of the collective efforts of the seasons - harvest.

Having said that I see the Thanksgiving holiday as perfectly situated to the fall of the year, I'd like to emphasize that we should be grateful all year round for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. We should be thankful and while being so, remember Who bestows those blessings.

Now we all remember the history lessons we learned in elementary school about the pilgrims and the Indians and the origin of "our" Thanksgiving Day observance, don't we? I emphasized "our" observance, but historically, it certainly wasn't the first "day" so designated. I don't know when the actual first one was, but I do know one that occurred a little over 2500 years ago.

After the Jews had returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, led by Nehemiah, they rebuilt the wall around the city, despite various setbacks and dangers. Upon completion, both Ezra (the priest) and Nehemiah (the governor) appointed a day for "gladness and thanksgiving" to be set aside for the dedication of the wall. (Read in Neh. 12:27)

About 2300 years ago another leader by the name of George Washington "appointed" another day of "thanksgiving" to be observed on a yearly basis by the citizens of America. Allow me to give you a few excerpts from his proclamation made regarding this observance.

It's in perfect keeping with our forefathers' many statements about the reliance on "the Creator" and His providence in the establishment of our nation that President Washington would say things in his proclamation of 1789 such as these:

That this holiday "be devoted by the people of these states, to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."

He also proclaimed that we should: "Unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country..... and in general, for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us."

He also added that we should: "humbly offer prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of nations." That we should pray for "our national and other transgressions." One prayer that he specified in his proclamation was that "our national government be a blessing to our people by enacting wise, just and constitutional laws...." (AMEN to that)

The last excerpt I'd like to mention from the proclamation establishing our national day of Thanksgiving is this prayer: "That God would grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best." Again, AMEN!

According to the precepts of Christianity set forth in the Gospel, the very nature of a Christian is to be of a spirit of being "grateful." Of being "thankful." One example of that precept can be found in Col. 3:15. It's beyond my comprehension to think of a Christian not being thankful to God for the "temporal prosperities" we receive in our lives. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, I don't see how an unthankful or ungrateful person could qualify to be a Christian.

I once heard a man ask this question regarding atheists and unbelievers who were celebrating Thanksgiving (and they do) "Exactly who do they thank?" That little question sure engenders a lot of thought, doesn't it?

In a humorous vein, I once read a comment that said "more Americans commit suicide with a fork every year than with any other weapon." Four days from now I'm going to gather with my family and friends around a table that, if past holidays serve as an indicator, will be loaded with various examples of God's bounty. There by my plate will be that most-misused "weapon" so I covet your prayers that I respect its lurking threat and my vulnerability.

Let me close today's thoughts on our observance of Thanksgiving with the words of a little nine year old girl offering the blessing prayer one Thanksgiving Day:

                            "Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the turkey, the rolls,

                              the mashed potatoes, the red jiggly stuff and the bread

                              stuffing even though I don't like it. We ask that you not

                              let us choke on this food. Amen"

Ron Covey

　

But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay,

To cover up a very ugly spot right outside our back
door, my husband and I have been laying patio stones.
After shopping the market and seeing that we could not
afford the right pavers, we opted instead to pour
concrete mix into molds to form pavers on the area.

In spite of the backbreaking labor, it has been a lot
of fun, embedding pebbles and pressing leaves into the
wet mix to make leaf impressions in the wet concrete.

Okay, we also scratched the perfunctory "GB & TB"
initials with the hearts, too. I guess we can get away
with silliness like that after almost 38 years of
marriage.

One thing good about molds is that you get the same
product each time, with the exception of what you
imprint or embed into it. They fit together nicely and
will make a lovely patio for a cheapskate couple.

The same is true (minus the cheapskate couple) in
Christianity. We are molded into the image of Christ
by the pattern found in the Bible.

"Brethren, join in following my example, and observe
those who walk according to the pattern you have in
us" (Philippians 3:17 NASB).

The product will be the same if the same mold is used.
The Bible contains the mold, or pattern, that we obey
to become Christians. We may look a little different
on the outside, with our own personality, just as each
of our leaf pavers will be one-of-a-kind.
Nevertheless, our purpose will be identical. As New
Testament Christians, we serve our Master and our
risen Lord.

It delighted and impressed me this week to find a
Facebook post by my daughter using the exact same
Bible verses and same arguments against early marriage
that I used when I was her age. I must admit that my
first emotion was surprise, because she is at that age
when she seems to feel that her mother knows very
little. Then I realized that she was simply allowing
herself to be molded by the same power that molded me.

She was quoting the same Bible verses and references
that I used so long ago. That same wisdom, found as a
pattern in the Bible, kept me safe from the unstable
and unhealthy relationships that plagued my friends.
In fact, I didn't date at all until I met the
wonderful, godly man who is now my husband. Why
bother? Dating has a goal, and the goal should be a
godly mate. I could not see any of the other possible
love interests ending up that way.

I thank God for the molding that happened as I studied
God's way in the scriptures, rather than following the
way of the culture around me. That same information
and wisdom is there in the Book, ready for anyone
willing to be molded and shaped by God.

As we teach our children, we do well to remember that
the amount of Bible facts that we stuff into their
heads have value. But far greater is the value of
teaching them to allow that precious book to mold them
as they continue studying and learning from it!

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay,
and you our potter; and all of us are the work of your
hand" (Isaiah 64:8).

Christine Berglund @ forthright.net

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life

I recently heard a story about a little boy who was sailing his little sail
boat in a pond in the park. He had tied a string to the boat so he wouldn't
loose it, but it had come untied. The boat began to drift out further into
the pond than the boy could reach and of course he became very upset. His
father was watching the whole thing and walked up and began throwing large
stones to the far side of the boat. The idea of course was that the splash
and the ripples would begin to move the boat back towards the shore. Before
long the boat was back within the reach of the boy and he was happy once
again.

I wonder if sometimes that is how God works in our lives? We begin to drift
away from him, fail to talk with him, fail to worship with his children, do
we fail to live lives which would honor him. Then something happens to upset
the calm waters of our lives, it makes a big splash and cause ripples.
Hopefully these things will cause us to begin to drift back towards God. Do
you think that God ever uses those bad or difficult things that happen in
your life to get your attention and shove you back into his arms?

I think the problem is that sometimes our string becomes untied, we loose
our anchor and we drift. We sometimes sing the old hymn, "Will your anchor
hold", notice some of the words:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

The writer of the book of Hebrews uses this theme to assure us that we can
trust in God. God never changes and never goes back on his word and is
always there for us. Notice what the writer says: "God also bound himself
with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure
that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and
his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God
to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great
confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong
and trustworthy anchor for our souls."(Hebrews 6:17-19, NLT)

Is your string securely tied? Will your anchor hold? Will you recognize that
the ripples or storms taking place around you may be God trying to get your
attention? If you are "fastened to the Rock," then you can speak the words
of Psalms 23 with security and serenity of one whose father is watching over
us. You can sing the words of the song knowing even the storms won't cause
you to drift?

Russ Lawson

1 Kings 18:27

The story is humorous, but there was nothing funny about it at the
time it happened.  An airplane had departed Asheville, NC last night,
bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York City.  Along the way the pilot
stepped out of the cockpit to go into the lavatory.  When he tried to
exit the lavatory he found the door had jammed and he couldn't get it
open.

A passenger heard the pilot banging on the door, and was asked to
inform the copilot to the situation.  The copilot wasn't convinced of
the story, however, and alerted authorities to a possible highjacking
situation.  Eventually the pilot got out, and the tense situation was
defused before fighter jets were scrambled.

We can chuckle about it now, but it was a potentially serious
situation.  What if the copilot was not trained in certain emergency
procedures?  What if there had been no copilot at all?  On whom could
the passengers rely if the pilot was unavailable?

The same might be asked of God.  The writers of Bible times knew
nothing of aircraft, of course, so there's no need to look for
occurrences in Scripture of this metaphor.  But God's ability to guide
lives is a prominent theme, and that's in the same category as an
airline pilot.  What if our Pilot was unavailable when we needed Him
most?

An interesting episode is found in 1 Kings 18.  Elijah, a prophet of
God, confronted false prophets.  He proposed a contest to prove whose
deity was actually real.  As the false prophets tried hard to get
their god, Baal, to answer them, "... Elijah mocked them and said,
'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy,
or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened"
(1 Kings 18:27).  Following their failure to rouse their so-called
god, Elijah showed the power of the true God by calling fire down from
heaven to consume his sacrifice.

Didn't Elijah raise a valid point, however?  Could it not be the case
that God, the true God, might Himself be unavailable?  What would we
do if that moment was a time of urgent need?

Psalm 121 answers our fears with powerful reassurance: "He will not
allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm
121:3,4; we suggest reading all eight verses of this beautiful psalm).
God is never off-duty.

Jesus also taught us to trust the loving concern of our heavenly
Father.  After stating that God takes note of the activities of the
birds, He went on to say this: "But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows" (Luke 12:7).  The lesson: God watches over us, and will give
us the guidance we need.

But that's precisely the point most fail to realize: We need God's
guidance.  The wisdom and understanding of people are limited (see
Jeremiah 10:23).  We don't have infallible ability to make good
decisions.  God, though, reaches out to us with a stunning offer: "I
will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide
you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8).  The promise is not to guide us by
means of an angel (though that would be awesome); God will guide us
personally!

Timothy D. Hall

Did you ever kiss a mule?

A young somewhat cocky cowboy was riding his horse one day when he
spied a hunched-over old farm hand on a mule. Deciding to have a little
fun, the young cowboy drew his six-shooter and told the old man to get down
off his mule. He then asked the old man "if he had ever danced" and began
to empty his revolver at his feet with great laughter.

The old man slowly turned back to his mule (unamused) and put his hand
into his pack and drew a shotgun, aimed it at the now bulletless young
cowboy and said, "Did you ever kiss a mule?"

To which the young cowboy said with fright, "No, but I have always
wanted to!"

There is nothing like a bullet for motivation. What is it, though,
that provides you with the motivation to serve God day after day?

Perhaps you are motivated by the fear of punishment if you don't. It's
a valid motive -- that's why Jesus told us about hell.

Or perhaps you are motivated by the hope of reward. Again, it's a
valid motive -- that's why Jesus told us about heaven.

But I would suggest to you that there is an even higher motive and that
is to serve God out of a love and appreciation for all that He has done for
us.

As a parent, that's what I hope for my children. They may at times
obey me to avoid punishment or to gain some reward I've promised them, but I
hope that in time they come to listen to me simply because they love and
respect me.

"We love Him because He first loved us." (I John 4:19)

Whatever your motivation, may you give your life wholly to God!

Alan Smith

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte

I know that this is a difficult time of the year for some people. It seems
that the subject of every conversation includes something about the
Thanksgiving holiday. It's difficult for some people, because they really
don't feel that they have anything for which to be thankful. For most it is
a time of gathering and celebration with family, yet for some they have no
family or perhaps they are separated by great distances from their family.
It may be that you have just lost a loved one, a spouse or a parent and this
holiday is not something to which they are looking forward to celebrating.
In fact it may be difficult for them to try to find anything for which to be
thankful.

"Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in
the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday
morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself,
"Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord
on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by
praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this.'" (Daily
Bread, 1989.)

Don't you wish that you could have that kind of spirit, that kind of faith?
Wouldn't it be great if you had the kind of relationship to God that would
allow you to look for the positive, to see the hope for the future and His
power in the present? You see that's what it takes to be able to truly
celebrate and give thanks not just at this holiday season, but also
throughout all of the year.
Let me suggest that rather than dwelling upon all of the bad things in your
life that you start offering the prayer of Alexander Whyte and say, "We
thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this!"
Notice a couple of scriptures that give us an idea of how we can find the
strength to be thankful. First in Romans 6:3-5 Paul writes, "Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in
the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection."

Notice especially that Paul said we have been "planted together" with Christ
(some translations say 'united". Now notice another scripture (and I love
this translation), Colossians 2:7, the apostle Paul says, "Let your roots
grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in
faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives
overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done." (NLT)
So how about it, is it time for a change in your life and relationship to
Christ? How about taking a look at your life, today and always, letting it "
overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done." But, there is a catch to
doing that, first you have to be planted with Christ before you can let your
roots grow down and draw up nourishment form him.

Russ Lawson

Attention Assist Mercedes Benz

 

I've been quite frustrated lately.  The fire alarm system in our
church building has gone off on four occasions within the last two
weeks - and there was no fire (thankfully).  Twice the alarm has
pulled me out of bed as I'm at the top of the list the monitoring
service calls in such circumstances.  A service repairman has made
some adjustments which "might" take care of the problem.

I'm all for fire alarms.  In the event of an actual fire, we want to
know as quickly as possible so damage can be minimized.  But when
alerts don't work properly, I'm tempted to shut them off completely.
That approach, though, could prove disastrous.

Mercedes Benz has introduced a safety feature for its automobiles.
"Attention Assist" monitors the driving habits of the person behind
the wheel, as well as external factors such as wind gusts.  If it
detects the car drifting out of its lane, it will send an audible
alert suggesting that the driver take a break before falling asleep.
(A survey by AAA found that 40% of drivers confessed that they have at
one time or another nodded off while driving.)

But what if these safety alerts have been incorrectly programmed?
Human error is a common factor in accidents.  Isn't it possible that
such devices may not be wired properly?

God has placed within each human soul an alert system to help keep
them from veering off the path.  It's what the Bible calls a
"conscience".  When it's functioning properly, dangerous turns are
avoided and our lives stay on the "straight and narrow" path.  But
sometimes ...

Paul wrote of the need for a good conscience: "Having faith and a good
conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have
suffered shipwreck" (1 Timothy 1:19).  In this case the people under
discussion had the opportunity to receive God's guidance and the
assistance of a conscience; but they chose to reject those resources.
Their end was tragic - a spiritual shipwreck.

You know how it works: You were likely taught from childhood to
respect the property of others.  If a thought comes into your mind to
take something that belongs to another, a twinge of guilt shoots
through your subconscious and you abandon the plan.  It's like an
alarm going off, warning you not to go down that path.  Some, however,
learn to ignore those alarms.  In time, they no longer even feel any
remorse for going against what they were taught.

Being taught the right things - that's the key to an effective soul-
warning system.  The wise man stated it clearly: "Also it is not good
for a soul to be without knowledge ..." (Proverbs 19:2).  Later in the
same chapter he taught this: "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will find good" (Proverbs 19:8).

We can't depend on the world to teach us correctly.  They often do,
but sometimes the message varies from God's instruction.  The safest
course for successful living is to allow God to "program" our
conscience.  Once programmed, we must then take heed whenever that
alert goes off.

Of course, you can choose the alternative: Ignore God's teachings and
trust your own decisions.  But wouldn't you feel more secure allowing
the all-wise God to guide you?  "The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

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