Absolute Power

Someone has rightly said that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". There has never been a dictator, no matter how benevolently he/she started out, that does not abuse their power in the end. Absolute power will always corrupt.

God, in His wisdom, knew this so His plan for the organization of the church called for pastors (or elders or bishops or shepherds), not a pastor. He knew that one man in charge would always degenerate into one man rule.

His plan in the home is similar. Although the husband is the head of the house, he is not an absolute "ruler" because Christ is over him. We have all seen homes where the man thought he was an absolute ruler, and the resulting mess.

Tol

A lesson from a 16 year old

Josue David is the teenager in shorts toward the right of this picture, who lives in Valencia, Venezuela. At the time this was taken he was 14 but has now progressed to that difficult age of 16. He wants to do what all his friends from school are doing, even though he knows some of it is wrong. Internet cafes are in every neighborhood in Venezuela so most teenagers spend an hour or more each evening chatting or IM'ing their friends. Recently he came up with a lesson he wanted sent to all his schoolmates, which I have translated below. It's one of those moments when as a parent you can say, "I need to hear things like this" and know that all of your labors, arguments, and fights have not been in vain.

"knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;" (2 Pet. 3:3-14)

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you right with God?
2. Do you believe you would go to heaven or to hell?
3. Where would you like to go?

Remember that according to Matt. 25:26 the unrighteous will go to hell and the just or obedient to Jesus Christ to life eternal. "And these will go into eternal torment and the just to eternal life."

If you want to be with God this is what you need to do:

1. Believe in Jesus as the Son of God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that all who believe on Him, should not be lost, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

2. Repent of your sins "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them,"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:36-38)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Son of God "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said,"If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said,"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him." (Acts 8:35-38).

4. Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit "let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

5. Once you have done this you must continue in grace until you die or He comes. You must study the Word of God daily and obey Him faithfully. "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39) "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)

If you want to be with Satan do the following:
Fornicate, drink, lie, disobey, steal, kill, use bad language and do all that is not good.

Conclusion:

Remember that there is a hell where all sinners will go. You have been told the steps you need to take to go to heaven. What are you waiting for, today is all you have? Who knows if tomorrow you will not be here and will be lost in hell, "whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Maybe you will not listen to my voice, but I have fulfilled my work--the rest I leave to you.

What more can I add to that?????

Tol

The church as a social organization

We have been living in Columbia, Tn for 3 years now. I guess the First Baptist church must have finished their new "Family life center" shortly after we got here. It has been instructive to watch all the other churches, including some churches of Christ try to compete with them. In these 3 years we have seen at least 6 other churches build something similar and one more is in the planning stages and I suspect another is moving in that direction--they just announced that they are demolishing the building directly behind their church building. They didn't say they were building a family life center, but I'm guessing they will.

The denominations have been one upping one another in this area for over 20 years in Texas. In the late 80's I preached a meeting in the small town of Vernon, Tx. The Disciples of Christ had just finished their new gymnasium complex. A prominent family in the town had two high school age boys who were both very athletic. They had already "joined" two other churches right after they had built the biggest "family life center" in the town and soon after they joined the Disciples of Christ because they now had the best. If people come to church for physical things--recreation, potlucks, etc. It will take more of the same to hold them and even that may only be until some other church opens up something bigger and better. And this is not a new problem; Jesus warned the crowds, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."(John 6:27) Rom. 1:16 tells us that the Gospel is God's power to save, not entertainment, recreation, etc.

I am appalled when I see churches of Christ trying to compete with the denominations. Obviously some of them see themselves as no different from the denominations, so I guess that is to be expected of them. After all, if you're competition to sell cars you have to meet or beat the competition and it seems many churches of Christ today feel they are in competition with the denominations. But then I see churches of Christ that will tell you they are NOT in competition, will NOT build even a kitchen, much less a gymnasium, but still depend on a whirl of social activities to bring members in, keep the young people, etc. While they Lord's money is not used in any of these activities I fear their emphasis is misplaced. Do I think it is important for Christians to spend time together? Most definitely, there is no other way to get to know one another and become the family that we should be. I had occasion to call some Christians in another state some time back on a regular basis. When I would ask them how the work was going there, invariably their answer was "great" and the details of their latest social gathering. My Lord did not come into this world, suffer all that He suffered, and die the death that He died so that we could play basketball or have potlucks.

Brethren, when the emphasis of a church shifts primarily to the social apostacy cannot be far behind. If you don't believe me, look what has happened to the "major" denominations, like the Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans and so on. In the 1960's they shifted from preaching and teaching to social action and recreation. While that seemed to work for a few years they have steadily been losing members since the 1980's. Why? Because of their social emphasis and even they cannot compete with the Country Clubs, Discos, and other professional social clubs and entertainment organizations. No, what set them apart from these things before was their teaching about the Bible--when they lost that they lost their distinctive. Will we learn this lesson from history or have to learn it the hard way?

Tol

Death comes to all

Two brethren here in Columbia passed from this life earlier this week. One had been suffering for some time and it truly was a blessing for her and not unexpected. The other had a massive heart attack and died that day--quite unexpected; we are all still in shock. But whether expected or unexpected we are warned over and over and over that each one of us must die.

Death does not discriminate--it takes the old and the young, the rich and the poor, men and women. Since we all KNOW we must die we need to prepare for our death. If this life is all there is, there is no life after death, then the hedonists have it down pat--as a commercial used to say "you only go around once in this life, so go for the gusto". If when we die we cease to exist then we should do everything to enjoy life here, because that's all we have, so preparing for death would be doing, seeing, and having everything I possibly can.

If on the other hand, there is life after death, as the Bible repeatedly says, then preparing for our death is not about this world as much as it is the next one. We may spend 100 years in this world, if we live long, but we will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Preparation for our death, according to God's Word is being right with Him so we can spend eternity in His presence.

You don't know when death may come knocking for you--you may have warning but you may not. Are you prepared??

Tol

More fruit in Venezuela

I translate reports for several preachers in Venezuela, so get their news on a fairly regular basis. During March there were 5 baptisms--1 each in both of the congregations is Barquisimeto, as well as one each in (starting from the South and the West) Barinas, Valencia, and Caracas. On average they are baptized 5-8 per month among the 25 congregations in the country.

Three of these new brothers and sisters are the relatives of other Christians while the other two are contacts made through door-knocking or other public preaching/teaching.

You may wonder how they are able to reach so many, relatively speaking. Without a doubt the key is personal work, with the emphasis on WORK. They are all talking to people they know about the Gospel every day. In Caracas they go out 2 days a week to pass out tracts, preach, discuss in parks. One of the preachers in Barquisimeto not only teaches 6-8 adult contacts in Barq. but also 4-5 teenage boys, besides traveling by public transportation to 3 villages each week, plus traveling to preach one or two Sundays a month in other churches. Nino is presently working with 3 churches, obviously not by himself, of which one is 3 hours away.

Someone told me years ago that the important thing about personal work was not the plan--it was the work.

Tol

Abortion IS murder

The story is told of a young mother who went to the Doctor to confirm that she was indeed pregnant. Yes, she was, which was a problem to her. She told the Doctor that she was not ready for another child just yet--after all, her older son was less than 2 years old and it would be just too much trouble to have two children so close together. Besides that, she and her husband weren't ready financially for another child. The Doctor would have to "do something" about this new life--an abortion.

The Doctor told her that he understood, that indeed they would be close in age and that would be a little harder. He then confirmed that she only wanted 1 child. After she confirmed this, the Doctor laid his hand on the toddler by her side. He told her that it would be easier to kill the toddler than to perform an abortion, because there was at least a slight risk for her from an abortion, but of course there was no risk to killing the toddler.

As you can imagine the Mother was indignant--why the very idea of killing her precious child. How could this man call himself a Doctor? The Doctor then continued, telling her that she was indeed right--it would be murder to kill the toddler. But what was the difference between the two children? Both were alive, both were growing, both were her offspring. The Doctor could no more kill the one inside her womb and it not be murder than he could kill the one sitting by her side.

The debate abour abortion is not about whether the fetus is alive or not. It is, but rather about the "choice" the Mother has. I am quite amused when a person is charged with manslaughter, murder, whatever exactly it is, when they harm a fetus, through a car wreck, fight, etc. Of course this fetus is a person and therefore should receive monetary damages. If that same fetus had been aborted, no one is at fault because the fetus is "not a person". Consistency, thou art a rare jewel.

Tol

Cleaning the Fence row

I've been cleaning the fence row today. It didn't look quite as bad as the picture, but it took me a couple of hours to cut back the brush so I could get to some cinder blocks to put along the bottom of the fence to keep our dogs in.

As I was working I wondered how long it had been since this fence row had been cleared. Judging by the size of some of the trees and bushes and what little I know about the history of the house, I'd say at least 5 years. Not only were there bushes and even some trees but also honeysuckle and wild grape vines, so it was a tangled mess--I cut one tree down and it didn't fall, because the vines and neighboring trees were holding it up. If this fence row had been cleaned regularly, every 2-3 years, there wouldn't be any trees and the vines wouldn't be nearly as troublesome as they were. As we all know these plants didn't grow up in the fence row over night.

As I thought about this later this evening I thought that our lives are not that much different from the fence row. The devil plants all kinds of little seeds in our hearts, with the express purpose of causing us to sin. It may that our hearts are so full of worldly things that we no longer have time for spiritual things. It may be that something addictive has crept into our hearts and is slowly choking out the good in our lives. When these things mature, many people finally wake up and ask themselves, "How did these "weeds" get so big???" Well, it didn't happen overnight. No, little by little, over a period of time, these weeds grew and grew and grew until they took over.

Do we have to let the spiritual weeds take over? No, because 1 Cor. 10:13 promises that God will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape. But what happens is that while we're busy with other things, the weeds begin to grow. They're kind of like what we always called careless weeds--they grow so slow that they only way they can go to seed is if you're really careless.

We all need to stop from time to time and examine our lives to see if we are allowing the weeds to flourish in our heart.

Worry, worry, worry

The story is told of a young man who was courting a girl. He visited in her home and the young lady was sent down to the cellar to draw drinks for all of them. As she was waiting for the glasses to fill she glanced up into the floor joists and saw a pickaxe sticking out of one of them. She began to think, "What if Hans and I got married and we had a child and we sent the child down here to draw drink and that axe shall fall on him and kill him?" The more she thought about it the more upset she became and forgot completely about the drinks. After awhile Mother got worried and went down to check on her. Well, the daughter went through this whole thought process with Mother and she too bursts into uncontrollable tears. Finally the Father goes down to see what is keeping the women and after hearing he too joins the pity party.

I am reminded of the quote from Winston Churchill (and someone else before him) to the effect that, "I have suffered many disappointments and setbacks in my life, most of which never happened." How often do we "know" that only the worst is going to happen? How many times have we wanted something--a better job, a raise, a date with a girl, etc., but we never make any serious effort to secure it because we "know" we couldn't get it anyway? How much time and energy are wasted worrying about "what if's"? Why do we seem so intent on borrowing trouble? This question is especially troubling to me when Christians are involved in it.

The New Testament is very clear: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. " (1 Pet. 5:6-7) Is it that hard to understand that all your care in this verse means ALL your cares and worries? No, the problem is not understanding the verse, but rather putting it into practice. Why is it so hard to give our problems and worries to God? I'm persuaded much of it is due to our unwillingness to let go; after all, if we give a problem or worry to God it's out of our hands and what if He lets us down?

As soon as we voice such an idea we see how absurd it is. Will God ever let us down? Will He ever do something that is not in our best interest? Of course not. But are we willing to humble ourselves enough to let go and let Him handle things? That's the rub, isn't it? Brethren, we need to learn that the future is not ours to control. If we can ever really believe that, we can let our worries go, because we know God can take care of it.

Tol

The sparkplug

Nino was the first sound preacher in Venezuela. His wife Chela was among the first converts there--he had been a Pentecostal "pastor" before, but had always had doubts about some things, so when he heard the truth preached he gladly accepted it. A number of preachers from the States: Wayne Partain, Valente Rodriguez, Ruben Amador, Jose Soto and others came frequently in the early years. After a year or so a contact was made with the institutional churches there and a number of brethren left these errors, Pueblo Nuevo in Barquisimeto was one of them. As brethren moved from Barinas for work they took the Gospel with them and Nino was soon traveling all over the country, teaching and strengthening the brethren. Truly he and Chela were the sparkplug that kept things going. In Venezuela, even more than in the States, most of the members don't have much time to consistently do the Lord's work, so the preacher is an important aspect of that work--someone who can dedicate themselves to Bible studies, exhortation and comforting of the brethren, etc. Without Nino's tireless efforts it would have taken much longer for the churches to grow.

Nino began about a year ago to work with a family who had moved from Barinas to San Cristobal. In that year the church has grown to 15-20 on Sunday and they continue to have Bible studies with other prospects. Please pray for Nino & Chela as they labor in the Lord's vineyard.

Tol

Don't sweat the small stuff

I am in the midst of planning two different preaching trips, one to Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic in May and another to Dominica in July. The one in May involves 4 people and the Dominica involves at 6. As always, there are snags in planning.

I'm renting a car in Puerto Rico, which is always fun--not the car or the roads, the car rental process. I have a coupon for an upgrade, but of course they don't accept that in Puerto Rico. I was quoted one price but the e-mail confirmation is over $100 higher and when I called to check on this I was quoted still another price in between the two. Besides all that, I'm thinking of the hour it took me to get the car last time. I had also hoped we would have a house available to house all four of us in one place, but that fell through yesterday.

Getting to Dominica is always a challenge, well getting there in one day is a challenge. I have spent at least an hour checking every possible combination--going through St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbados, even Trinidad, all to no avail. There is just no way to get to Dominica without spending the night in route, both coming and going, which is of course an added expense for all involved.

I have a tendency to let all this get to me, but then I remember what my Lord says about worry. "Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to your stature?" "Cast all your burdens on Him, for He cares for you." Then I let it all go because I know the Lord is in control. Does it always work out the most convenient way for me? No, but with the Lord's help I am always able to get through it. Is it any different in our daily lives? How we sometimes let other drivers, whether slow, fast, reckless, lost, etc. get our goat. But we seem to get where we're going, don't we, even if it is 2 minutes later than it could have been. When one of the kids gets sick, it can really be a hassle, but when they get well life goes on as usual. Let us all learn to let go and give our cares to our Heavenly Father in prayer--He knows what to do with them.

Tol

Downtown church in Barquisimeto, Venezuela

The downtown church met for 10 + years in this conference room in a hotel. For most of those years it was a struggle to keep meeting, due to the expenses, etc. But as the brethren grew and Orlando began to preach on the radio they began to grow. When I was there in Jan. 2005 they had just baptized 5 from a rather large extended family that had all been Pentecostal. 9-10 of the family were present that night, along with another family who had been meeting in their home for probably 8 years. It was a wonderful service that lasted 1 1/2 hours, then 30-45 minutes of visiting afterwards, only to go downstairs to the street to find brethren still visiting there, so we talked another 15 or so minutes.

Since that time the church has continued to grow, primarily from studies within this family. 2 more were baptized in this past Feb. They have also moved to a better location--in the beginning this hotel was a good location, but over time the neighborhood has gone to drugs and prostitution. Their new location is also much closer to where all the members live.

Please pray for the brethren in Venezuela. There are uncertain economic and political times there, but the number of churches and brethren has continued to grow, whether because of the uncertainty or in spite of it.

Tol

"Nobody made it"

Sir Isaac Newton was a scientist but also a believer in God. He had a close friend who was also a scientist but an atheist. They were together frequently discussing all sorts of things, including God and creation. Finally Sir Isaac had a carpenter make a working model of the universe. At the center was a large golden ball representing the sun and properly arranged around it were the balls representing the planets. As one turned the handle the whole universe went in to motion, the planets circling the sun.

One evening his friend came visit and Newton was in the middle of something, so his friend began to examine the model of the universe. As he turned the crank and everything began to move he was amazed--"Who made this for you?" he exlaimed. "Nobody" was Sir Isaac's reply. "What do you mean nobody? Of course someone made it for you" his friend said. "Nobody made it, it just happened". By now his friend is getting excited, "Do you think I'm crazy? Of course someone made it." Newton's reply was simple and to the point, "If you understand that this model had a maker how can you claim that the real thing, of which this is only a poor copy, came about by mere chance?"

There aren't many, if any, who would believe that a car came in to being because of an explosion in the Saturn plant. No one could believe that a computer "just happened". Why then, do so many blindly believe that this universe or even the human body, both much more complex than either one, just happened? If the car and computer must have a designer and builder, is not the same true of the universe?

Tol

Caribbean color

As the streets in the old part of Maracaibo will attest Caribbean people are not afraid to use a little color--that's part of the Caribbean flavor. And I suppose it is only natural that when you live surrounded by so many bright colors it becomes part of your life--paint colors, clothing colors, etc.

When we painted a house in St. Croix a light sea green one of our neighbors told us we'd been to Puerto Rico too often. Maybe so because we painted the next one a kind of adobe pink. Our couch was a bold flowery print, which fit well there.

This is even true in their funeral customs. In the West Indies white is quite as acceptable as black for funeral attire--even polka dots is fine. The funeral directors are dressed all in white. And when they dress up, none of these pastels you see the tourists in.

Life itself is often very flamboyant, which makes for some drastic changes when people become Christians. Yes, the change is not too difficult to see because the Gospel changes lives. Over time the gaudy clothes, the loud, overbearing personality, the exaggerated hedonism all give place to that meek and quiet spirit that is most precious in the sight of God.

Tol

The beauty of Creation

There is nothing quite like the wildflowers in the Spring in Texas. There are a lot more trees and perhaps a greater variety of flowers in other parts of the country, but the bluebonnets (in the photo) and the other wildflowers sometimes cover acres at a time. One of the common photo ops at this time of year is to get people in the midst of a patch of bluebonnets and people never tire of such photos.

The interesting thing is that in terms of economic value the wildflowers really have none. Bluebonnets were known as buffalo weed, as only buffalo would eat them--they are too tough for cattle. That is true of most of the wildflowers; they are not good for forage, people can't eat them, they're not even much use for bees as they don't last long enough. Yet God has put them firmly into the Texas landscape--even a dry year like this one doesn't completely stop them. God, in His love for His creation, has put beauty everywhere. In the middle of tornado alley, severe thunderstorms, hail, etc. God has planted wildflowers for the sole purpose of beauty for mankind.

If you've ever scuba dived in the Caribbean you know the many brilliant colors under the sea--the sponges vary from neon orange to bright yellow to lavender to green. The sea fans, some 6 feet tall are also purple. And don't forget the colors of the fish--yellows, reds, greens, blues, black with blue edges. Just what purpose does all this color serve? Apparently none, other than to please mankind.

If God took the trouble to make this world so beautiful, a world which is only temporary, how much more beautiful will heaven be?

Tol

Preacher "support"

Preacher support can be a sensitive issue and much more for some preachers than others. A friend and I were discussing some of the indignities he has suffered in his search for support. One set of elders asked why he had so many kids--didn't he think about how much kids cost to raise, etc.? He has 4 kids. He was also asked if he'd thought about getting an apartment with utilities included--it would be cheaper, you know. I wasn't sure such a thing existed anymore, but those I lived in when I was single could best be described as dumps and were certainly not the kind of place you'd want to raise children. Why was he treated this way? I've never been asked those kinds of questions or given that type of suggestion, even though I've asked for and received support from some of these very churches. Could it be that I'm White and he's not?

A laborer is worthy of his hire, or to make the New Testament application, a man who dedicates his time wholly to preaching the Word is worthy of support. Are there preachers that are not worthy of support--MOST DEFINITELY!! But if a man is not worthy of support he shouldn't be supported at all. If a man is worthy of support he needs to receive an adequate "wage"; whatever his circumstances require. Yes it cost more to raise 4 children than it does 3 or 2 or even 1. Some preachers also have other burdens, like health problems, support for aged parents, a very high cost of living, etc.

I was told by a church one time that they couldn't support anyone who made more than their local preacher. Now they lived in one of the cheapest areas of the country to live in and I was living in one of the highest at the time, so I thanked them for their time and moved on. Certainly they have the right to choose who and how much they will support a preacher, whether at home or in another place, but I find some brethren are very shortsighted.

There was a time I was reproached because I had a computer (this was long before every preacher had to have a computer)--if I had a computer I obviously didn't need any more financial help. My friend was told basically, "If you're so poor, how come you have a cell phone?" And the list goes on and on.

Brethren one more point and then I will close my tirade. I wonder if we think when we make a distinction among preachers. We would never question the "budget" of a white preacher, but the budget of a minority preacher needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. My friend was told to bring his budget and they elders would go through it with him and help him find ways to cut his expenses--he's trying to live on $2200 a month for 6 people and they're going to help him find ways to cut his expenses. Minority preachers are no more likely to be dishonest or poor stewards than are white preachers. I will close by saying again, if a man is worthy of support he is worthy to be supported with what he needs.

Tol

Really a big Family

I am preaching a Gospel meeting in Spanish in Austin, Texas this week. Before I came I only knew the preacher, Abelardo Montanez, Jr. and his family but once I arrived in Austin and began visiting with the brethren I found that there were a lot more ties than I knew. For example, there is the oldest son of a man who I met 26 or 27 years ago, when he began to visit the church in West Dallas. Then one of the sisters is married into a family that we have had connections with for some years, even as a child although I didn't know it then. And the list goes on and on--two of the brethren have a brother who preaches in Reynosa whom I know, etc.

In this country in such circumstances we normally say, "It's a small world" but I think a brother put it better, "It's a really big family". And that is true--we have spiritual family throughout the world--on every continent, even if not in every country. Dana and I personally know brethren in almost every state and at least 20 countries. A sister I know travels for business in Europe and knows a whole other set of brethren--yes, we are part of a really big family.

At times we can get discouraged, thinking about how few of us there are. It's then that we need to remember that our family is spread throughout the whole world. The Word of God has an effect whereever there are honest hearts.

Tol

Why???? #2

As we talk about suffering and why God permits it we must also acknowledge that adversity forces us to grwo--in the same way that an athlete pushes himself to the limit, so his muscles will grow suffering often pushes us to our limits so our spiritual muscles will grow. Rom. 5:3-4 talks about the fruit of tribulation--patience, which leads us to a hope and trust in God. When we lost our house to Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 I didn't know what we were giong to do. The next week a check came from a church in response to the damage we had from Hurricane Luis 10 days before Marilyn, which tided us over. Some brethren had added a second story to their house but had not quite finished it so we were able to move in there until we were able to get a roof back on our toolshed and get it ready for us to live in temporarily--it was small, 7' X 14'. So small that when we went to bed we ALL had to go to bed. With the Lord's help we not only survived but were able to build a permanent house. These sufferings caused our faith in God to grow and to push our skills to the limit to build a block house, which we moved in to one year later. So when our house in TN burned in 2004 we knew the Lord would provide, and He did. Yes we were out of the house 5 months and lost everything in it, but now have esenetially a brand new house inside and new furnishings that actually match.

Sufferings push us to grow, whether we want to or not. They also teach us patience--the recovery process is always slow, or at least slower than we think it should be. Thus we MUST have patience, which will benefit us in all areas of our life.

Why does God allow suffering? Otten we can see the reason or reasons, but as in the case of Job sometimes we can't. Interestingly enough God never tells Job why he is suffering--all He says is you just have to trust me on this one. If we believe that God knows what's best for us, there are times we just have to trust Him.

Tol

Why?????

As you're no doubt aware at least 23 people died in Sunday's outbreak of tornados and severe thunderstorms. After such events we may wonder why God permits such things to take place, even why God allows suffering at all, especially for His children. Obviously we don't know all the answers, but His Word does reveal some.

Suffering should serve to draw us closer to God. In the face of a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other natural disaster we are powerless to protect ourselves, much less stop it. God repeatedly allowed Israel to suffer, to the end that they would return to Him--in the book of Judges it seems to have had the desired effect, but later on nothing seemed able to turn Israel back to Jehovah, so they were finally carried into captivity as punishment for their sins. God never promised He would remove suffering from this world or His children. You may remember in Num. 21 when God sent the serpents among Israel in punishment for their murmuring. Quickly they repented and asked Moses to pray so that God would get rid of the serpents. God responded to their prayer, but not by removing the serpents, He just gave a remedy for the snake bite--look upon the brazen serpent Moses had placed on a pole. In a similar way He answered the apostle Paul's prayer concerning his "thorn in the flesh"--rather than healing Paul's infirmity He told him, "My grace is sufficient for you". God has made the same promises to us--"If you'll depend on me, I'll see you through any trial, no matter what it is." He has also promised that He will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13) One of the reasons that God allows suffering in this world is to keep us mindful of our need for Him--He's the only one who controls this world. Modern man may think he has it all figured out, but even the things we do understand often are not under our control.

Much of our suffering is the result of our own actions and sins. For example, if I jump off the roof of a building on to a blacktop parking lot I will likely be injured and suffer as a result--my suffering is a direct result of my actions. We know sin has eternal consequences, but it often has earthly consequences as well. As our Heavenly Father God KNOWS the results of our actions, so had declared certain actions "off limits" or "sins", wanting to spare us their consequences. Fornication may be pleasurable for a little while but it always produces painful results--the "gay" lifestyle is definitely not happy or gay; the rate of attempted suicide is 25 % or more and over 60 % have thought about taking their own life. Why has God forbidden homosexuality? Not only is it against nature, but He knows the results it will bring--unhappiness, early death due to AIDS, etc.

And yet perhaps the pain of sin serves a purpose. Not only can fear of its consequences restrain us, but it can also serve as a deterrent to our continuing in sin. When we burn our hand by picking up something hot we drop it right away. The burn we receive is minor and will heal quickly. If we did not feel this minor burn we could be seriously injured by a major burn. In much the same way the consequences of sin, although ever so painful in this world, may cause us to cease from sin and avoid having to eternal consequences. Just as a child learns after one or maybe two encounters that a hot stove will burn you and avoids it, let us learn from the "burns" we get from sin to stay away from it.

Tol

"Come back home"

If you're a parent you've probably lost one of your kids, at least for a few minutes. If you're not a parent, then you probably have a dog, cat, or other pet which has gotten lost. Do you remember how you felt when you first realized you couldn't find them--the uncertainty that quickly turned into panic as you scrambled around looking for them? Especially in the case of a dog or cat, do you remember the feeling of loss when they stayed gone for a day or two? And what about the elation you felt when you found them again.

Our heavenly Father uses those feelings we all have to help us understand His love for us, His children, and the joy there is in heaven when one of us returns back home. We had a cat that was missing a couple of months then all of the sudden showed up again. He was as thin as a rail and had a ring at the base of his tail where all the hair had been rubbed off--apparently someone had tied him up by the tail and left him to starve. What awful conditions he must have been in and how sorry we were that he had been mistreated. True, he had wandered off, and apparently somewhere that he was not welcome, but what misery he must have endured.

In the same way our Father in heaven knows that most of the time our misery is the result of our being places/doing things we shouldn't have been, but at the same time He loves us and is sorry for the misery we've endured. So he welcomes us back home with open arms, as the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15) did.

But in order for God to receive us back we must repent and confess our sins. It's not that He needs to "find out" what we've done--He already knows our very thoughts. Rather we need to acknowledge and open up to our sins so we won't be as likely to relapse. Yes, He's waiting for YOU to come back to Him.

Tol