Topic(s): Blessings, Priorities

A short-term missionary was asked, “What did you miss most while in Romania?” Here at least is a partial list:

• Being able to brush your teeth with water from a faucet.
• Air conditioning.
• Being able to travel from place to place without facing terrible odors.
• Going to Wal-Mart or a grocery store where you can buy everything at one stop.
• Being able to hop in a car to run an errand or go to church services.
• Green grass and trees.

To that list the young ladies added:

• Clothes dryers and fabric softener.
• Dish washers, garbage disposals, microwaves.
• Grocery bags.
• Push button phones.

The amazing thing was these things really didn’t matter. They all became a minor discomfort. These pale in comparison to the following list:

• A young lady traveling three hours one way by train for worship each week.
• College age men and women who take their vacation time to attend a daily four-hour Bible class with lots of homework and exams.
• Christians who gather for worship and smother you with love.
• Christians who live the life of faith despite real hardships at home, work, and school.
• People so hungry for the Word that they give up vacations, travel under difficult conditions, and even rearrange work schedules to be present every time a teacher is present.

Perhaps we need to take some lessons from our brothers and sisters in Romania.

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” - 1 Corinthians 11:1

Empty Temples

Topic(s): Worship

Surrounded by magnificent temples built by the Athenians to their gods, and virtually in the shadow of the historic Parthenon (temple of Athena), Paul boldly said God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:23,24). What boldness! What courage! Where does one find that kind of courage? From Christ and conviction of truth (Philippians 4:13). How we need it in our present state of confusion in America.

The Nails of the Cross

Topic(s): God's Will, Jesus, Love

John tells us that Christ had “prints of the nails” in His hand (John 20:25). Matthew tells us that the mob on the hill of Calvary challenged Christ to “come down from the cross” (27:40). What was it that held Christ to the cross?

It Was Not the Nails that Held Him on the Cross

He had the power to remove the nails. He could have called “more than twelve legions of angels” to remove Him from the cross (Matthew 26:53). He who could still the storm, feed the multitude, and raise the dead, could have removed the nails. That crowd could not have killed Christ if He had not wished to do His Father's will. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself…” (John 10:17,18).

The Father's Will and Wish Held Him on the Cross

In the garden Jesus prayed and said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). It was the will of God that His Son become the “propitiation,” that is the atoning sacrifice, for our sins (1 John 2:2). The Savior’s love and our sins held Christ to the tree.

God's Eternal Purpose Held Christ to the Cross

Jesus died to purchase the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The church is the institution through which the eternal purpose of God is to be made known to the world (Ephesians 3:10). Without Christ’s death, God’s purpose for the world would have been aborted. Thus His love for God and man held Him to the cross and not the nails.

The Joy Set Before the Christ Held Him to the Cross

The “author and perfector of our faith” disregarded His suffering and “for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). The angry mob’s mocking at the cross was ignored by Christ because of the “joy set before Him.”

Neither the lack of power nor the nails held Jesus to the cross. His resignation to the will of God and His love for the souls of mankind bound Him to the tree on which He died. Our love for God and His Son should cause us to remain faithful in the kingdom of God despite the mockings of all who would have us depart from the path of duty. - G.K. Wallace, Gospel Advocate, September 27, 1973

Woman's Right to Her Body

Topic(s): Moral Issues, Sin

A prostitute in Palm Beach, Florida, was suing the state of Florida to ban the law on prostitution. In her 1995 opening remarks to the Judge, she used the courts decision on Roe vs. Wade to say if a woman had the right to her body in the case of abortion, then she also has the right to sell her body for profit. (Paul Harvey on radio, June 5, Dallas, TX). A person’s right to do as he/she wants with the body is limited by the One who gave the body (Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

Fathers

Topic(s): Children, Father

Years ago, I read a parent’s responsibility was not to pave the road for their children, but to provide a road map. So, as my son, Adam, prepared to leave for college, I jotted down a few words of counsel and put them in a dime-store binder. After his mother and I had helped him move into his dorm, I presented him with the bound pages. A few days later, Adam called me. “Dad,” he said, “the book is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I'm going to add to it and someday give it to my son” (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.). Solomon’s is better—read Proverbs again this month. One chapter a day—31 days.