Apr
28
Apr
23
Paul and Shakespeare
I will have to admit that I was not too fond of studying Shakespeare in school. I struggled with people talking as they do in the immortal plays of this beloved author. English teachers relish the opportunity to spend time looking at the work of Shakespeare. For this west Nashville boy, it was more like torture. Probably one of the most famous lines written (or at least one that I can recall) is “To be or not to be—that is the question!” Kids who have heard that line somewhere will jokingly use it on the playground, never understanding what they are saying. They will eventually be in a high school English class and learn more of this famous line. They will become aware that Shakespeare’s character Hamlet, who speaks these lines, is a melancholy prince who learns that his uncle has killed his father and married his mother. The horror of this realization is so disturbing that he contemplates suicide. The question for his was; “to be” (to go on living) or “not to be” (to take his own life).
There are times in all of our lives where it seems that the pain of living can become so overbearing that we are tempted to despair. We just don’t seem to have the answers and don’t know where to turn to find solutions for mounting problems. The apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that his persecution in Asia was so intense he “despaired even of life” (II Corinthians 1:8). We need to ask ourselves what Paul did about this matter. We know that he didn’t give up and throw in the proverbial towel. What Paul did is something that each of us need to be willing to do, we need to start shifting our focus to our life-sustaining God. When Paul did this he became resilient instead of overwhelmed he was able to learn; “that we should not trust in ourselves but in God” (I Corinthians 1:9).
Trials can make life seem not worth living. Focusing on ourselves can lead to despair. But putting our trust in God gives us an entirely different perspective. As long as we live in this world, we can be certain that our all-sufficient God will sustain us. And as his followers, we will always have a divine purpose “to be.” Remember as we go through life that trials make us think; thinking has the ability to make us wise and wisdom is something that is always profitable.
Prayer Thought: God help me when I have a troubled heart that questions and worries over matters. Let me spend my worry time in prayer and praise to you.
Apr
17
A New Opportunity
It is always interesting to me to see how different people view the same thing in different ways. It probably has something to do with the character of the individual. This past week, I had a marvelous opportunity, that I wish each could have experienced. Victor and Rubia were in the middle Tennessee area and they stopped by to have lunch with me. You may not recognize the name Victor, but hopefully many of you will remember the name Rubia. We have prayed a great deal for this wonderful Christian lady. She is the sister of Mario Lara, who needed the kidney transplant. She graciously donated one of her kidneys. We had a wonderful visit. I learned a great deal about the work that Victor is involved with. He is fluent in English and is a true joy to speak with and to be around. He left his career with the electric company in San Salvador, to devote full time to working for the Lord. He is supported by the Una church of Christ in Nashville.
As we talked the conversation naturally went to the health of Mario and how he was doing. Both Victor and Rubia expressed the deepest gratitude for all that Maple Hill had done for Mario. Then they told me something that made me think about how I would view matters if I were in Mario’s position. They told me that now Mario has another opportunity to preach! I found myself asking myself, did I really hear that correctly. You see in my feeble thinking I thought it would be that now Mario has a new lease on life, or he now has a new opportunity at life. They said he now has another opportunity to preach. As the reality of that statement sank in, I begin to think of the future and how many people will be impacted by the life of service that Mario lives. How many will come to Christ because he is able to teach them the gospel. How many marriages will be strengthened because of his ministry? How many who face transplants will be encouraged because of Mario’s life. In my thinking, Mario has become one of the heroes of faith. I learn something from this young man each time he emails me. Can you and I not see how God moved to put things in motion so that one day, at just the right time, Mario would learn of Maple Hill and Maple Hill would learn of Mario. And one day, we would be able to help him with a serious transplant so that he would have the opportunity to once again preach the good news of Jesus. No wonder the apostle Paul would write; “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:18).
Prayer Thought: Give each of us one more opportunity to serve.
Apr
9
Fact or Fable
If you have spent much time at the computer, you realize that there are a lot of things out in cyber space that are hard to accept. It seems as though some things are just too bizarre to believe. You watch a magician perform his illusions and even though you know there is a trick involved, it seems to be real. After all you saw it with your own eyes.
Go back in time with me for a moment. Your world has been turned upside down. You had believed the one called Jesus and had followed him faithfully. But now reality has set in because you saw him on the cross in all of his shame and reproach. You saw the suffering humiliation he went through. He has been taken from the tree and placed in a borrowed tomb. Word comes to you that he is missing. Was his dead body stolen? Did he fool everyone and make them think he died on the cross, when in reality he just fainted? Did those who went to the tomb go to the wrong place?
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it we have no hope for this life nor the life to come. That’s why it is important to recognize that our belief in Christ’s resurrection is not based on a religious feeling or unfounded rumor, but on historical fact with solid evidence to support it. Over a century ago, a group of lawyers met in England to discuss the biblical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. They wanted to see if enough information was available to make a case that would hold up in a court of law. They concluded that Christ’s resurrection was one of the most well-established facts of history.
In a book written by G.B. Hardy entitled Countdown there are some thought-provoking questions about the resurrection: “There are two essential requirements: 1. Has anyone cheated death and proved it? 2. Is it available for me?” From that point G. B. Hardy goes on to declare that only the tomb of Jesus is empty. And because Jesus conquered sin and death, we who put our faith in Him will share in His resurrection. The apostle Paul put it this way in I Corinthians 15:17; “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are till in your sins.” Historical evidence and countless changed lives testify that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact. Have you put your hope in the risen Christ? One writer stated that Christ’s resurrection is more than a fact of history—it’s the proof of our salvation.
Let us each praise God that he has given us a hope of salvation because our Savior conquered death. That is a fact!
Prayer thought: Praise God for knowing long before I came into this world that I would need a savior.
Apr
3
Directories
If you have not picked up your church directory, you may do so at the church office Monday – Friday 8 – 4 PM. On Sunday we will have the directories available at the visitors station. Remember one per family.
Apr
2
The benefits of pudding
here are many types of “gimmicks” that are used in promotions. On the surface they all seem to be intriguing, beneficial and a guarantee to work. David Phillips is one of those individuals that took advantage of a special promotion that was being made in the airline industry several years ago. David received a nick name as the “Pudding Guy.” The reason for acquiring this name came when he made the most of an airline promotion that offered frequent-flyer miles for purchasing certain brand-name products. He quickly spent a little over three thousand dollars to buy 12,150 cups of pudding. The benefit of this for him was that he earned in the process 1.25 million miles. For a period of time, it seemed that his entire life revolved around getting frequent-flyer miles. Getting more pudding was becoming the most important thing in his life. One can only imagine what it was like at home each day as he came home to his wife and said; “Honey I am home, what do you want me to do with the pudding.”
I find it interesting to think about how people observe and perceive other people’s lives. What do they see as being the most important thing in our life? Imagine for a moment that you lived in the days of the first century church. You had the opportunity to observe the apostle Paul. What would you see in his life that was the most important thing? It is impossible for us to go back and live with Paul. However, it doesn’t take much reading to realize what the most important thing to him is. He stated; “One thing I do,…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Even if “frequent sailor miles” had existed in Paul’s day, I doubt that he would have given them much thought on his missionary journeys to Asia. Christ alone was at the top of his priority list. Everything else was secondary. Remember it was Paul who said; “…that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). When one looks at the example of Paul’s single-minded devotion to Christ, we are called to examine our own priorities in living. What is most important to us? For what are we spending our lives? For a period of time pudding was the single most important matter in the life of David Phillips. This was where he spent his time, energy and money. He did receive something for his effort. If we would be willing to give our life in service to God we too will be rewarded. Jesus gave His all to save us—are we giving our all to serve Him?
Prayer Thought: Help me to put Christ first in my life.