As Nehemiah - So Go I

As Nehemiah - So Go I 

For Nehemiah the change would be dramatic. He served as a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes and enjoyed all the finer things of life in his day. Presenting the wine to the king Nehemiah had a close acquaintance with the hierarchy and was included even when the king was sitting with his wife (Nehemiah 2:6). Although a servant he would receive a better position in life than the common man. He could be content to bask in the comforts of his world but something troubled him. News from Jerusalem: "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).

It had been eleven years since Ezra had made the journey to Jerusalem to build the Temple. There was still work to be done in building the city and restoring the work of God’s people to the place chosen by the Lord. Nehemiah could look around at his position in life and enjoy the blessings of a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord in Shushan the citadel of the king. But what he saw in Jerusalem was a greater opportunity to help the people rebuild the walls. Gaining permission from the king to go to Jerusalem, Nehemiah made the journey to Jerusalem and with God’s help was able to rebuild the walls in 52 days.

I must say in the beginning that I am no Nehemiah. The faith of this great warrior of God is one of the powerful stories of holy writ. Yet there remains a kinship of spirit in realizing the blessings enjoyed in a work such as with the Trenton Church of Christ and an opportunity that presents itself in another place. As of August 1, Karen and I plan to move to Valdosta, Georgia to begin working with the North Valdosta Church of Christ. Numbering about 25, these saints of God need some help building the walls of the kingdom of Christ in Valdosta. Numerous opportunities exist and the possibilities are white for harvest. I came to Trenton the first time in 1981 and returned a second time in 1994. The last 19 years in Trenton has been a focal point of our lives. There are many, many memories that will always guide our lives and friendships that will last throughout the ages. Yet an opportunity to build some walls is where the Lord wants us to be.

The principle of church growth is illustrated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7: “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” It is not about me and it is not about men; it is about God and His will and His work.

Our feelings are mixed with the precious times we have enjoyed here yet the anticipation of the new challenges we will share in Valdosta. Trenton could have been our home until our golden years I guess. But the church is at peace, resting on a solid foundation and with much work left to do. Our leaving is simply the choice of looking beyond the horizon for opportunities the Lord has blessed us with. To all those who have supported us over the years we thank you with words unspoken. We ask for your prayers and encouragement as we make our move. My son, Everritt, will carry on the work in Trenton and will be blessed to be part of these wonderful people we call family at the Trenton Church of Christ. And what a great place to live – Gilchrist County!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring is in the air. The beauty of this time of year is testimony of the majesty of its creator and the providential plan He has established for the refreshing of His creation. Following the destruction of the flood God promised Noah "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22). The fears of a global warming are denied by this promise that the seasons will all continue as God has prescribed. David declares in Psalm 8, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him” (Psalms 8:3-4)? Spring reminds us of the presence of our Creator.

There is order in creation. Moses recorded the account of the creation of earth with the division of light and darkness, the firmament from the waters, dry land from the seas and then the process of plant growth over the face of the land. On the fourth day the lights in the firmament of the heavens were established “for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14). Then the animals began to appear in the waters and the skies filled with the “every winged bird according to its kind” (Genesis 1:21). Finally on the sixth day the land animals were created and the highest of creation the man and woman.

Paul reminds us of the testimony of the Lord in creation. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). The cycle of nature is a testimony to the power of God and is infinite wisdom. Rains are governed by His omniscience and come when according to His design they nurture the ground in bringing forth the beauty of Spring. Summer, Fall and Winter serve their own purposes in the design of God.

It is impossible to look at the striking beauty of this earth and not stand in awe of the powerful message from God. His thumbprint is all over the landscape and the heavens above. Abraham Lincoln said, “I never behold them (the heavens filled with stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist – but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, ‘There is no God.’” Jesus used creation to affirm His Father’s care for His children. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them  … consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:26-29).

The power of God. How awesome. If God can cloth the earth with garments of beauty and order what would limit His omnipotence to care for His creation beyond the grave. The beauty of God’s love is not found in a field of lilies or the majesty of the heavens above. The greatest gift of love is found at a place called “the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha” (John 19:17). All the beauty of the earth will be taken away but the gift of God’s love is eternal (John 3:16). Thank you God.

Christianity Is Not A Diet - It Is A Lifestyle

Christianity Is Not A Diet – It Is A Lifestyle

The American culture is driven by the diet dogma. Diet free drinks, low carb snacks, all natural health oriented weight saving produce that attempts to slim down, reduce, shrink and manage the ever growing waist line. Obesity is a national concern with billions of dollars spent on how to, why to, where to and what to with every guru known to man hawking their wares of enrichment and quick fixes. There are concerns over the roller coaster philosophy of diet today, lose control tomorrow and back on a diet the next day. New Year resolutions to lose weight change as often as the moon phase and often on the same calendar. The reason many do not lose weight is they are dieting instead of making life changes.

There is a similarity in how many people approach their life with Jesus Christ. It is more of a fad than anything to be serious about on a daily basis. Some diet because they become concerned temporarily about their health and weight. After a time they lose interest and concern and return to the way they were before. Then they go on a diet again and up and down it goes. Sounds like the way some treat the word of God. It is good for emergencies and special needs when we feel guilt but when we lose interest or concern it is laid aside and forgotten – until we need it again. The power of the gospel is not a short fix to solve a few problems but rather a long term remedy of the sin that so easily ensnares us (Hebrews 12:1).

Psalm 1 shows how a relationship with the Lord is not a temporary fashion style we can enjoy one moment and lay aside for another. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalms 1:1-6). Day and night suggests the need for a constant impact of the word of God. This is a way of living and living a way that is rooted in the word of God.

After Moses died, the Lord encouraged Joshua to take the Book of the Law and not let it depart from his mouth. “But you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). Losing weight is accomplished when a lifestyle is changed. Finding success with the word of God is a lifestyle measured by a daily mediation on the mind of God. Lacking the courage to instill the grace of God in our lives will only bring heartache and sorrow.

The apostle Paul was thankful that Timothy had made the word of God a daily habit. He reminds him of his childhood that taught him to love the word of God daily. “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15). His word is inspired and will make us complete!

The Rich And The Widow

The Rich And The Widow 

Jesus taught many lessons to His disciples by teaching them to watch people and learn from their actions and attitudes. Sitting in the Temple Jesus observed a contrast of people who lived at opposite ends of the economic scale. “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood’”(Mark 12:41-44; see also Luke 21:1-4).

The rich had an abundance of wealth to put into the treasury. God had blessed them with the bounty of increase and they were showing their love for Him by returning their bounty to the Lord. In this story Jesus was not condemning the rich for giving so much but rather making a lesson of contrast. The widow had so little to give to the Lord and yet she was willing to give all she had. God notices the small people! He knows those who struggle daily and sees their hearts still trusting and serving Him. While men are judged by their philanthropy the character of all men are examined by God from the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Turn the camera back a few hours when the widow was leaving her home. It was not a grand palace of luxury where servants waited on the master and food was plentiful. She did not wear nice clothes nor enjoy the benefits of comfort as the rich. Her husband had died and may have led to much of her poverty. Bread was scarce in her home and the gnawing pains of hunger she knew all too well. As she prepared to go the Temple she gathered what she had (two mites) and began walking to the Temple. No one would give her notice. No one would give her help. Entering the Temple she would be overlooked in the crowd. Approaching the place of treasury her two mites would hardly make a sound on the heap of riches left by those before her. But God saw her.

She did not notice the man sitting off to the side watching her. As she left the Temple she would return to her home of poverty to scrape out another meal, some oil for the lamp and hope that hunger would not be as severe as before. Most likely in a future time when she could find two mites again she would journey to the Temple to give glory to God by her sacrificial offering. She loved God. She loved to show what small amount of gratitude she could muster for the God she served. Her two mites were all she had but the Lord was all she needed. A contrast of characters – the rich and their abundance and the widow in her poverty.

The widow knew dependence on God. Her small gift was all she could do but she did all she could do. Jesus picked her out of the crowd and preserved her story through the ages to remind us the measure of a man is not on the amount of his gift but the gift of the heart shown by a widow. Like Lazarus who lay at the gate of the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) her circumstance was dire but her love for the Lord was not. Even in her poverty she trusted in God and depended on God. Her greatest blessing and reward came when she was carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham. Our greatest blessing is to know the lesson of the widow and know that God cares for me.