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St Mary's, GA, United States
Weekly bulletin. Church Office Phone: (912) 882-5800

Friday, March 26, 2010

A FAMILY HERITAGE

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19).

This past Tuesday would have been my dad’s 85th birthday if he was still living. Since his death almost three years ago, I have often thought about what he instilled in my life. He and my mom (she passed away in 1999) were not perfect by any means (neither are any of their children). However, they did raise six children, all of them Christians. The four who are married have Christian spouses. Almost all of their nine grandchildren are members of the Lord’s body and the three that are married are married to Christians. I am not trying to brag, but mom and dad must have done something right. I would like to share with you a few things they (especially dad) taught us that I believe can help today to raise faithful children.

A Good Work Ethic. Dad was always a hard worker. He quit school in the third grade, the oldest of 10 children, to support the family by working on the farm. As a young man, he went to work in the local cotton mill and worked there a total of almost 50 years. When we were young, he often worked 16 hours a day five or six days a week. I believe one time he went about 10 years without missing a day of work. He was a true believer of Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” He taught that same principle to his children.

Personal Accountability. Since early times man has looked for someone to blame for his mistakes (Genesis 3:12-13). The Scriptures teach that each person is accountable (Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12). When we messed up, we had to “face the music.” It was not acceptable to place the blame on someone else. One example was our behavior in school. We were told that if we got in trouble at school we would be in trouble at home. In today’s society when a child gets in trouble at school, the parents often blame the teacher. I was talking with someone recently who had received a speeding ticket. Their excuse was “I was going with the flow of traffic. It was wrong for them to stop me and not stop everyone else.” My response was, “Were you speeding?” If so, you deserved the ticket no matter what everyone else was doing.”

Put God First. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). I never remember mom and dad discussing whether or not we would attend church services. It was an accepted fact that if the doors were open, we would be there. Dad’s work schedule was such that he was unable to attend every service, but if he was not working he was there. There are several examples I could give, but one directly involved me. I was 12 years old and playing little league baseball. Our games were always played on Monday and Thursday nights. There was no such thing as having games, or even practice, on Wednesday. The games would usually last about an hour or so. This particular game was against the team we were battling for first place. It was also the week of our gospel meeting. The game went into extra innings. The time for church services to start was drawing near. Dad took me out of the game so we could go to church. I begged and pleaded with him to let me stay, but he would have none of that. Some would say, “It’s only one time. What’s the harm?” However, what message is that sending to our children about priorities? What happens the next time, and the next? What happens when they have to make their own decisions about priorities? I know the lesson my dad taught me, not just that night but every day of his life.

What heritage are you leaving your children?
--Lamar

Friday, March 19, 2010

HAVE WE GOTTEN TOO COMFORTABLE WITH GOD

Some of you may remember the time when the songbook racks would also hold hand-held fans. Some years ago, many church buildings did not have air conditioning and the fans were made available to help the audience try and cool off a bit. With the availability of AC now there is not much of a need for these fans. Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to find the right temperature for everyone, we can be much more comfortable today than in years gone by. The seating has changed as well. The building where I attended as a young child had wooden seats with no padding or cushions. They also folded up and down like theater seats. More than one child found themselves falling when they stood on the seat and it folded up on them. How many places of worship today do not have cushioned seating? Not very many, I would think. It’s all about comfort. No, I am not campaigning that we turn off the air conditioning or remove the padding from the chairs. I like being comfortable as much as the next person. However, I do wonder if maybe we haven’t become too comfortable in our attitude toward God.

“He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9). This is the New King James rendering. The King James says, “Holy and reverend is His name.” Holy refers not only to his perfect purity, but also to the fact that He is the one and only such One. Reverend and awesome have become such common words in our language that they have lost some of their real meaning. While man is instructed to be holy (1 Peter 2:15), I am not aware of anywhere that God describes man as reverend or awesome. We trivialize reverend when we use it to refer to men and awesome when we use it to mean anything that is a bit exciting or unusual. Perhaps we need to give thought to the Revised Standard Version in this verse: “Holy and terrible is His name.”

People do not want to think of this aspect of God’s nature. They want to picture God as a loving grandpa-type gift-giver. He is a jovial good ole boy you can joke with or joke about. He is someone who just makes you feel good about yourself. Some have turned Christianity into a big bless-me club where we receive God’s favors and blessings freely and never have to give anything. People shop around for a church that can meet their needs while demanding nothing. What was Moses’ response when being in the presence of God on Mount Sinai? “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling” (Hebrews 12:21).

While it is true that is present everywhere, there is a special sense in which we are in His presence in worship (Psalm 100:2). We are coming before a holy and reverend (awesome, terrible) God. These are not casual meetings; they are sacred meetings. We need to take special care that our appearance before Him is in reverence and awe. Many people, in every religious group, seem to be saying about worship assemblies, “I don’t get anything out of it.” Perhaps the problem is not in the actions taking place, or not taking place, in the worship. Perhaps the problem is a lack of preparation, reverence, and awe.

“And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods” (2 Chronicles 2:5).
--Lamar

Friday, March 5, 2010

WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?

Perhaps you have uttered the above words to someone who has appeared unexpectedly in your life. I would like for us to think about the question in its truest sense in continuing our thoughts from last week. Where did we (mankind) come from? Charles Darwin, and other evolutionists would have us believed we have evolved over a period of millions of years. The basic idea is that humans and apes derive from a common ancestor that lived a few million years ago. As evolution took its course, man went one way and the apes went another. What is there in man that provides evidence of intelligent design? It is as plain as the nose on your face. (Once again, the credit for the scientific information comes from apologeticspress.org).

Scientists, designers, and researchers have been trying for many years to develop “electronic noses.” One of the ideas is that they can be used to “sniff out” chemicals used in explosives, if they can be developed with a sense of smell. Thus far, they have failed to master this ability. The “e-nose” simply has not been able to perform up to the standard of the human nose.

The average person’s nose can detect over four thousand scents. I can remember as a child waking up almost every morning to the scent of coffee brewing. Those of you who have never been around an old-fashioned percolator do not know what you are missing (“Mr. Coffee” just does not cut it as far as the aroma goes). I never once woke up, smelled that aroma, and thought it was chicken frying, or a pie baking, or raw sewage. Smells register in your brain and alert you of things that are pleasant, unpleasant, or even dangerous.

How is the nose able to detect odors? There is a patch of yellow-brown tissue about the size of a penny on the roof of each nasal cavity. Each patch has about ten million receptor cells, plus six to eight tiny sensory hairs that project from each cell. All of this is connected to the brain, which is just about an inch away. The brain processes the data and registers them for future use, eventually possessing the capability of matching various odors as being sweet, bitter, flowery, or any one of thousands of other scents.

This is just one example of the design involved in one small part of the human body. No one would argue that the “e-nose” just happened with no one responsible for its design, and it does not work as well as the real nose. How can it be that the real thing just happened that way with no designer (creator) involved? It is indeed true that “…His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,” and we are indeed “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
--Lamar