By Joe Widick
Perhaps you have seen or heard the story before, but I feel it is worth repeating. There was the following notice that was posted on the bulletin board of a very busy office. It simply read: “It has come to management’s attention that workers dying on the job are failing to fall down. This practice must stop, as it becomes impossible to distinguish between death and the natural movement of the staff. Any employee found dead in an upright position will be dropped from the payroll.”
When I first read this somewhat humorous story I began to think that there might be some very serious parallels among you and me as Christians. Attendance at Maple Hill this year has been good. God is blessing us with a number of visitors each week. The preaching has been excellent; the enthusiasm on the staff is truly exciting. On the outside things seem to really be happening. The question comes to mind however, what about the inside? Are we going through the motions of obedience without any real heart involvement? I believe there needs to be a very serious evaluation in each of our lives. Am I simply punching a clock that says I have now completed my service for the week or are we involved in a heart felt way. Are we displaying the agape love that is mentioned so many times in the bible? Behind our business-as-usual appearance is there a lack of enthusiasm for righteous living and serving God. I wonder what type of force the family at Maple Hill would be in this community if all of our service was motivated out of an agape love instead of a punching the clock mentality. On one occasion the apostle Paul wrote the following to the church at Rome. He said; “It is time to awake out of sleep” (Romans 13:11).
It is obvious that we need to remain intense in our desire to please the Lord. That intenseness needs to be motivated by a heart that is filled with love. Centuries ago the psalmist prayed that he wouldn’t settle for a casual religious experience. Take a moment and read his exact words in Psalm 119:1-8. He longed for a total commitment to love what God loves and to hate what He hates. He sensed that he would have to give his whole heart, mind and strength to the task. Anything less than that would be completely unacceptable.
It becomes more and more obvious to me that living for Jesus in not a part-time job. No matter where we are, we are a Christian. I cannot get off the clock to do this or that; I am always on the clock as a Christian. I trust that all will agree that we can accomplish much for the Lord if we set our will against the current of the world and the pull of our sinful flesh. Let each of us determine not to fall asleep on the job.
Prayer Thought: Give me a heart of service that is built on love.
By Joe Widick
I am not asking a question about grades. It would be a very low grade if you skipped over F and went to G. That is not what this is about. It is about an article that came from a national newspaper. The article was talking about the young people in Singapore. The article stated that they were aspiring to having the five C’s. The five C’s are: Cash in the bank, a career for the future, a car to drive, a condominium to live in and a credit card to travel with. The aspirations are high. To achieve these goals one would have to work hard, plan and save. In a manner of speaking, it appears to be the ingredients that often times makes up the American dream. The trouble is that many times, we Americans do not have the determination to accomplish our dreams. Too many feel as though they deserve something handed to them because they live in America. I digress! That is really not what this article is about. The article is really about the two G’s which will be far more important than the five C’s
In the 30th chapter of Proverbs the author Agur—a fanciful name for Solomon—or a real man, asked God for two G’s. The two G’s are simply grace and goodness. There seems to be a reason why Agur was asking for God’s grace. He was wanting to “remove falsehood and lied far from me” (Proverbs 30:8). It was important for Agur to not fall into the trap of believing that corrupt principles, practices, and affections are acceptable. With the help of God’s grace, he felt he could be turned from these concerns/worries. The second G that Agur asked for was the goodness of God to provide what he needed. He does not seem to ask for an abundance but simply no more or no less than was needed. He seems to be concerned that poverty could cause him to become covetous and to disgrace God’s name. He also realized how easily riches could pamper him and cause him to deny the Lord. As I look at how richly I have been blessed in this life, it makes me think of how richly blessed I want to be in eternal life. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to be with the creator and sustainer of life forever. So I have to ask myself what it that I really desire more is. Is it the temporary satisfaction the five C’s or the eternal rewards of God’s grace and goodness? The Psalmist wrote: “The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11). If my real desire is to receive the two G’s, then I need to desire to honor God’s name above all!
Prayer Thought: Please help me to get my priorities in order.
By Joe Widick
Grace and peace from God our Father to you and your family.
I feel very privileged and thankful because God opens doors in order of that the Kingdom of Christ comes to many homes.
As you know the family is the base of the society, and a society could be bad or good according to the morals principles and spirituals. So, we have begun a series of Biblical studies about the marriage and the families according God.
And it was on Friday 12th that we had a special married couples meeting in the Church.
And we considered to invite the Bro. Francisco Lara from San Pedro Sula city. His thirty years in the Church given him experience and knowledge on these topics.
We were sixteen couples; and we spoke about the respect, confidence, sexuality, and others. The atmosphere it was very pleasant and participative. We believe that improving the married couples and the families we will improve the society . Now we are planning to realize the second part about “The family according God” And possibly will be on January month as the first activity of the work plan of 2,008.
On the other hand; right away we are in a season of rain and cold unusual. So, the assistance during worship night is down. Almost members prefer the morning though always there are during the night.
Thanks for all your time, help, and love to the Lord’s work, and to us.
In Christ,
Juan, Carol & Elaine Santamaria
By Joe Widick
I find it intriguing to look up into the sky at night and see the stars, the handiwork of God. I try to imagine what it would be like to travel beyond what it is that we can see with our naked eye. I recently read an article concerning our countries efforts in space exploration. The article stated that in 1977, the United States launched a rocket into space. On board was a small craft called Voyager I, a probe that was jettisoned into space to explore the planets. After Voyager was done sending back photos and data from the planet Jupiter and its neighbors, it didn’t stop working. It just kept going, much like the commercial for the Energizer Bunny.
Today, almost 30 years later, that tiny vehicle is still going. It travels at an amazing speed of 38,000 miles per hour. If you are into math and distance in the solar system, that puts the voyager nearly 9 billion miles from the sun. Too me that becomes mind-boggling! Brilliant scientists have sent a ship to the edge of our solar system. It is truly astounding. It is amazing.
Now for the rest of the story! As amazing as the above facts are, it is absolutely puny when compared with what God has done. If I can make a comparison, it would be like hearing someone brag to the architect of the Empire State Building that they had traveled to the second floor. The reality of the matter is that we have just begun to explore the vastness of God’s creation. What do we do with these steps that we are taking? With every small step that is made by mankind, we should continue to be put in absolute awe of God’s power and creativity. We should continue to realize that the design of the universe, demands a designer. Think of this for a moment. While we have left the realm of one star with a spaceship, the Creator of the stars “…calls them by name” (Isaiah 40:26). At the start of verse 26 God ask; “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens…”
I will still enjoy looking up into the starry sky at night and dreaming of what it is like in space. Exploring the universe with another Voyager would be truly amazing. Understanding that “The heavens are the work of Your hands” (Psalm 102:25) is inspiring. But exploring the God, who made it all; that is truly amazing. Let each of us be more determined to pick up his word and study it daily.
As amazing as all of these things are that were mentioned, it goes beyond amazing to realize that this is the same God who love me.
Prayer Thought: Open my eyes to the many wonders of your creation.
By Joe Widick
Elaine and I both enjoy watching football on television. I think she might be the bigger fan. Our sons are Alabama fans, Elaine is a Tennessee fan and I cheer for Vanderbilt. Our youngest son got us hooded sweatshirts for Christmas. Mine is Vandy, hers is UT. As much as we enjoy watching the games, I would not call us fanatical about it. Have you noticed the extremes that some fans are going to in their support of their favorite teams? What makes fans wear a cheese head to a game when the temperature is zero or below? Why does a fan paint his face a particular color or paint a letter on his chest to help spell out the team’s name? Why would someone set in a stadium and yell for hours on end for their team? I thought about this and I think the answer is that they are passionate in their support for their favorite team. They are willing to go to extremes to show their love and support for their team.
Maybe you already see the lesson in this thought, maybe not. How passionate are you and I for the cause of Christ? Before I try to answer that question, I want to assure you that I am not suggesting in anyway that we go to the extremes that some fanatical football fans go to. I am though asking myself and you, to consider taking a look at our Christianity. Too many are content to simply set in the pews, singing some, bowing our heads, and listening to a lesson. Do you call that passion, a passion for Christ and His church? Are we excited about worship? Are we excited about the opportunity that is presented to us to serve in one of the many ministries that are going on at this place?
What about our love for Christ? Our love for his church, or our love for our fellow man? On one occasion Jesus had silenced the Sadducees. The Pharisees got together to discuss this. Eventually they sent one who was an expert in the law to go and test Jesus. To do this he simply asked a question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Remember this is one who had come to test Jesus. When Jesus responded, there was not really anything left for the lawyer to say. Jesus said; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Sounds to me like Jesus wanted that lawyer to be passionate about his service to the Master. It also sounds like he is telling me and you that we also need to have a burning passion for the Creator of the universe. Maybe tonight if you watch the super bowl game and see the fans show a passion for their team, maybe you will stop for a moment and ask yourself, am I passionate in my worship and service to the Lord?
Prayer Thought: Help me dear Lord to love you the way I need to love you.
