A Habit to Establish

Q: How does one spell love correctly? 

A:   T  I   M   E  

 

I had an epiphany recently (this was as close to Devine inspiration as I’ll ever get).  I was riding down the road, talking to my wife about something, (don’t remember what exactly… likely about the kids; how they are growing up, how dangerous it is for them in our society today or how little time I actually spend with them, etc…) when I thought about taking them to breakfast.

 

So, this morning we started what I hope will become a habit and tradition in my house.  I got up at 6:47 a.m. (early for me, go ahead, call me lazy), got Kayla out of bed and took her to the Country Diner in Williamsburg for a waffle and coffee (well, she had milk).

 

It was wonderful.  I was giddy when I returned home, because I realized the impact that an hour (or so) with a kid, alone, can really have on them.  We talked, drew pictures on the placemats, laughed and learned how boys are supposed to open doors for girls: small things? yes; but building blocks in the right direction.

 

Of all the possessions God grant’s to us in this life, children are the most valuable.  You might argue that it’s your salvation or your spouse.  I would say that my salvation is a condition and my wife is a completion. 

Р     True, I possess “eternal life” within myself now that I’m a child of God through faith.  However, I like to view that as a change in WHO I am more than an addition to WHAT I’ve got.  I know; it’s just semantics to some extent (and, if anything, I’m His possession). 

Р     AND, I also know that I “belong” to my wife and she “belongs” to me (I Corinthians 7:4).  But we are one.  We are a unit; on the same team in a “symbiotic” union.

So; God, me and my wife (working together) have a vital interest in a possession that is eternal – that is, the four children who live under our roof.  They are my kids; our kids.  We are stewards of invaluable young lives.  What a magnificent responsibility. 

 

The friends I had in school as a kid – they’re not a part of my life anymore.  My buddies in college – don’t even know where most of them are.  Even my brothers and sisters have lives that are mostly a mystery to me.  My coworkers have changed and drifted away as I’ve changed jobs through the years.  The students I taught in school are gone from my life (most of them, not all).  My friends from former churches have grown increasingly distant.  I know almost nothing about most of my former neighbors…  But, my children… they will always be my kids; my offspring; my ward; my responsibility.  The names we gave them will be with them throughout eternity.  The lessons we teach them will impact their decisions and their destiny.  My parenting can literally make the difference between heaven and hell for my darlings (Proverbs 23:14).  Oh, yes, of course, we want them to grow up, get married, be independent, have a life and family of their own; yet, they will still be ours.  We will have the obligation and honor of being there for them till we die. 

 

So, anyway; what a privilege!  What a joy!  What a grave responsibility it is to have children!  As such, there can be no greater priority than rearing them according to God’s plan. 

 

As I frequently do, allow me to give you a few verses from Holy Writ; verses that drive this nail home.          

 

Psalm 127:3-5; “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them…”

 

Proverbs 22:6; “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

 

I Timothy 5:8; “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

 

A man may have a great reputation.  He may be a hard working, honest and successful business man.  He may be a good neighbor, a great citizen and a loyal husband.  He may take fine care of his body, study till he is a master of truth and have every possession that ambition could press toward.  He may even be a diligent and sacrificing servant in the true church of the living God.  But (may I make this very personal) if I loose my children to the Devil through neglect, hypocrisy, ignorance, complacency or distraction – I am a failure. 

 

I can imagine how willing the psalmist David would have been, at the end of his life, to trade his fame, fortune and power for the souls of Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah – but it was too late.  The damage had been done, and, David surely must have known that he had himself to blame.

 

Gideon, Eli and Samuel were God’s judges, priests and prophets – yet they lost their boys.  Were they successful?  Perhaps if we could ask them, they would weep and morn with regrets; with wishes that they could go back and do things differently.

 

If you, dear reader, are young, as I am – may we learn from the mistakes of others and not repeat them.  If you have spent your opportunities and are now attempting “retroactive” rearing; consider your grandkids, friends, neighbors and acquaintances.  Pray for parents that we might do right as the guardians and trainers of the next generation. 

 

And, in addition to the importance of parenting from an eternal perspective, even within this life…

“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” 

- William Ross Wallace (poem)

The Conquest of Civilization and the Death of Conscience

 

Scholars say that a Barbarian is an “uncivilized person: a member of a people whose culture and behavior is considered uncivilized.”  Then, a civilized man, on the other hand, is “culturally advanced: having advanced cultural and social development.”  It seems to be a matter of organization, population, education and experience.  “Civilization” is defined as an “advanced level of development in a society that is marked by complex social and political organization, and material, scientific, and artistic progress.”¹

 

I once thought that civilization was wholly a good thing.  I’m realizing now that this is not necessarily the case.  Indeed, civility includes being polite and observing certain social respect for one’s fellow man.

 

Lately, however, I’m in a quandary.  Life on this planet seems to be rushing pell-mell in two different directions, yet these divergent paths end at the same location.

 

1. The incredible progress of civilization: It is mind-boggling how complex and extensive the organization and development of our culture has become.  The social networking, the political bureaucracy, the material affluence, the scientific knowledge and the imaginative creativity that I encounter makes my head spin.  I’m not saying that these things are evil; generally, they are neutral tracks upon which both secular and sacred lives are lived.  But, the very bulk and weight of living such a “civilized” life leaves little room for meditation, realization and discovery on a spiritual plane.  Blaise Pascal (in Pensées, if I recall correctly) spoke of man’s search for diversions.  To quote another man, there is indeed a God-shaped hole in the soul of men; a hole that can only be filled by the Almighty.  Yet people can temporarily fill this void with various things that divert their attention from the deep spiritual hunger that they feel.  My fear is that (these days) the quantity of potential diversions is so gargantuan that one could live several lifetimes without exhausting the supply of distractions or realizing the nature of their real thirst.  The innovative and ingenious ways of inspiring awe and achieving highs is compounding and multiplying at an astronomical rate.  Just when I think I’ve seen about everything, I stumble onto some other new fad that Americans (particularly) can add to their growing list of “been there, done that” experiences.  Amazingly though, the more diverse and broad our tastes become, the more our culture includes and fosters lifestyles that are more barbarian than civilized. 
2. The preposterous regress into barbarianism: As the populous in this land burns up all of the potential wholesome experiences, since there is little comprehension of their eternal purpose for existing, they seem to be grasping at increasingly weird and bizarre flavors of life.  The total unlikelihood of shocking many people (with anything) demonstrates this reality.  The callousness, the rudeness, the quirkiness, the amoral and the immoral, the bizarre and the edginess of much of the mainstream of our culture; these are enough to scare the breath out of “old fashioned” folk like me.  I could write for a very long while about recent experiences that I have had that have forcefully brought fear into my heart and bewilderment into my mind.  The sense of being violated and polluted by the things that I see and hear comes with increasing frequency and intensity.  If I’m so offended by the out-and-out brashness of selfish indulgence by people in public, how must God feel about it?  I know that the most horrendous of all evils is as old as time, but the roaring commonality of it all (and the casual acceptance of it) makes me long for deliverance or for judgment.  I would illustrate some of the things that I’m talking about, but, after mulling it over, I decided that to do so would only contribute to the infernal noise of the decadence that dominates our culture.  Besides, Ephesians 5 says, “…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”  Of course, our nation is getting so wicked that the things that were once done only in secret are now boasted of openly.  I saw a T-shirt yesterday that said, “My boyfriend’s wife hates me.”  What kind of a people accept or promote such sad flaunting of rebellion against God’s designs?  Bumper stickers, T-shirts, songs, movies and comments – these all reflect the attitude of the people who produce them.  The filth and debauchery would not be pervasively distributed if there were no market for it, but there is.  The demand for sewer-ethics and barn-yard morality is exploding.  How are we as believers to “keep ourselves unspotted from the world” (James 1:27)?  We can’t become hermits; reclusion would only remove the seasoning and enlightening effect that we have on the world.  Our removal is at God’s discretion.  We have been left here to liberate sinful men from their bondage, but oh, the horror of their condition.  Even worse, the terror of seeing their habits and attitudes reflected in the faces of our own brothers and sisters who claim the name of Christ.  Hello - “Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (II Timothy 2:19b).

 

Barbarians or civilized people all have the same problem and the same need.  A sin nature is present and regeneration is required. 

 

I know that the whole world is not going to hell in a hand basket – but the number who are…

a.      is growing rapidly,

b.      the audible volume of their wicked din is escalating or

c.      my sensitivity to it all is increasing exponentially. 

I think I see it more (in part) because I’m trying to rear children in this cesspool.  The likelihood of harboring them in safety without resorting to complete seclusion is (in my judgment) impossible.                     

 

I know it sounds like I’ve picked up some kind of a chicken little complex all of the sudden, but, in reality, I’ve had a growing concern with the pace of decline for some time now.  I’m not mad, I’m sad.  I know that “sin cities” like Sodom have always existed (I visited one [Cancun, Mexico] several years back and vowed never to return there as a tourist; as a missionary maybe, but not for pleasure and site-seeing), but Metropolitan “Babels” and their vices have always seemed so distant and unapproachable to me.  However, recently, it’s like the Devil has found a way to beat a path to my doorstep.  Displays of incomprehensible iniquity are everywhere.  From the grocery store, to the church pew, to the mirror in my bathroom; the fallen condition of humanity is “in my face” and unavoidable.  “I’m here, deal with it” is the screaming sandwich sign of the sinful society that we live in.  How I long for the days when sin was in the closet.  Roles have been reversed; God has been relegated to the closet while depravity is paraded in the streets and memorialized on public forums.

 

There was a day when even degenerate men would try to clean up a little outwardly and temporarily as a courtesy to folk around them.  But, it seems even that futile effort has been discarded.  People are proud of their sin.  People relish being identified with the rejection of rules and authority.  Liberty for all and responsibility for none is the new aphorism.

 

Call me an old fogy, but I’ve got to say it anyway.  What we do does actually matter.  What people say, what they wear, what we watch, what we hear, who we accept and what we reject are all very important.  I’m convinced that if we don’t do something about the moral slide in this country, we are going to skid right into oblivion.  Write me off as nutty.  Say I’m a freak prophet.  But still, I’ll not be surprised when the day comes when preachers will be laughed at in the mainstream in America for preaching against things like nudity, bestiality, incest, cannibalism, murder, rape, polygamy or suicide.  That all may seem a mite far-fetched to you, but don’t you see that the road of sin gets steeper and wider as it nears the gates of hell.  Don’t tell me that it can’t happen.  The conscience can be seared to such a condition that there is no shame or inhibition whatsoever - only unbridled curiosity, ambition and lust.  It’s happened before, it can happen again.  Study the “enlightened” Roman empire and see how acceptable strange behaviors were.  I’m telling you that we are going in the same direction.  We are headed for a violent and ugly ending.  Only God’s power can heal our land.        

 

It doesn’t matter if our sin is refined, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing; or, if our sin is crude, rude, base and repulsive – it’s still wrong; it’s still sin.  People like Marilyn Manson and Marilyn Monroe may not seem to be cut from the same mold, but actually they are.  One may ooze wild heathen sadism while the other exuded ravishing hedonic sumptuousness, but, both of their types of paths lead away from God.  America has vices that are stylish and classy; we have vices that are creepy and weird – but neither honor God.  It is as if Satan has a smorgasbord of tempting delights.  He can tailor to the preferences of any palate.  Our culture has consumed helpings from his every dish, but, the dessert is still to come, woe to us if we partake.    

 

Time will tell. II Timothy 3:9 says that “…their folly shall be manifest unto all men…”

 

I sure hope I’m wrong.

 

¹Definitions taken from Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Remembering and Forgetting

 

“Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.  But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create…” (Isaiah 65:17-18)

 

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away… And God shall wipe away all tears… and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  And He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Revelation 21: 1-5).

 

There are certain memories that I wish to erase.  In discovering the art of forgetfulness, perhaps The Master should be consulted.  In Hebrews 8:12 we read that God said, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”  Recognizing that we do not really understand how God “thinks” – we can only suppose that He either deletes the information about our sins when He forgives us (not likely), or He chooses to never focus upon it again.  Regardless, He doesn’t hold us hostage with our guilty record.  He has “forgotten” what I have done, but I still have trouble forgetting it.  I may not think about the bleak past for a long while, then another failure, someone else’s disappointment or just a little spare time revives the vivid and ugly graffiti of my past. 

 

Some of our memories are unpleasant, even though there is no guilt associated with them.  Being the recipient of abuse; having been injured physically or emotionally – though through no fault of our own – can lead to troubled recollections that we would prefer to wipe away.

 

Yesterday I received a beautiful and powerful testimony from one of my “old” friends. Her story is bursting with the need to be told – so, with slight editing, here it is…

 

I grew up in one church and attended its Christian school.  I was saved and had a good foundation, but, no personal fellowship with God.  I wanted one, but I became content with (and very efficient at) saying and doing all the “right” things.  I fit in nicely in my Christian surroundings.  Having the approval of my pastor and teachers was my goal and driving force.  I valued the opinions of these people and looked up to them with great respect and admiration.  I used them to fill an emptiness in my life. 

 

The emptiness I am referring to was the absence of my father.  From the age of 9 until 11 (almost 3 years) my dad sexually abused me.  There were many consequences that followed from that trauma.  My life, as I knew it, was over... not just because I felt so betrayed by this man that I trusted to protect me from harm and to comfort me when I was harmed, but because my stay-at-home mom had to become the bread winner, working two and three jobs.  So, I was responsible for my three younger siblings. 

 

The years and events that followed were very difficult.  I married when I was 18.   Together, my husband and I faced the world, strapped with a lot of “baggage” for two people so young. 

 

We went away to Bible college (again, to “please” spiritual leaders), but dropped out after just one year.  When we returned home, we both started jobs.  Within 6 months, my husband became very sick.  It took doctors a year to diagnose him with Crohn's disease.  He did not respond well to treatments and had to file for disability.  This was a hard blow.  I began really battling serious depression and anxiety.  By this time, we had two small children and my husband was “Mr. Mom.”  I was working a job and God was using my boss to meet many of our financial needs as we waited for the awarding of disability. 

 

One night, a week before our daughters first birthday, my husband came to pick me up after work.  On our way home, we were unable to avoid running over something that was lying in the road.  After it was too late, we realized that the “something” was a young girl.  Our world stopped.  For some time we felt paralyzed from fear and depression from that trauma.  I began counseling and anti-depressants.  There was no personal fellowship with God – just this “hero-worship” for my pastor and other spiritual leaders. 

 

Well, my heroes were human and some of them fell.  I felt that the very foundation was being ripped from beneath me.  I questioned everything they taught me and everything I believed.  Oh, how I wish my foundation would have been my Heavenly Father.  But, I resisted Him too.  I didn’t really trust any father figures anymore.

 

My husband and I moved on from the church that we had both grown up in, met in and even married in.  We joined another church because it felt so familiar.  It was indeed very familiar… again the leader fell.  All the while my anxiety was building and my depression was spiraling.  Why?  Because - I was putting all of my trust and hope in people, instead of putting it in God. 

 

Satan made his move.  Fear became his stronghold of choice in my life.  Surviving panic attacks and isolating myself from family, friends and church became my new role.  Building walls for protection and finding the perfect mixture of anti-depressants and sedatives became my new focus.  I had no joy, no peace, no hope, and no contentment.  Many times, I just wanted to die.  While I was lying in this “pit” – I cried out to God. 

 

Psalm 40:1-3 tells the rest of my story.  “I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out the miry clay, and set my foot upon a rock, and established my goings.  And He hath put a new song in my mouth even praise unto our God.  Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.  Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust…”

 

Does Satan still try to use depression and fear to control me?  Yes.  But God sent the Reformers Unanimous program into my life so that I would have the tools to do battle.  I have learned how to take the focus off of me, and to hide His words in my heart.  I am learning how to have a personal walk with Him – my Heavenly Father.

 

I say, “Praise God for his love, mercy, grace, patience, goodness and power!”  But, even with growth and victory, this precious Christian lady has pain and scars that will never go away in this life.  But, how about in heaven after the developments of history from Creation to the final judgment are complete?  I’m convinced that God will not only wipe away her tears, but He will give her (and you, and me) a new perspective, and the power to literally forget these former things.  Oh, glorious day!  There are many days of weeping ahead for all of us, but, hold on – joy is coming in the morning.

 

Yes - precious memories! How they linger; how they ever flood my soul.  Yet, just as truly, despicable memories also linger and plague my soul.

 

Sometimes, we would much rather sing about the “sea of God’s forgetfulness” than about precious memories. 

 

“Brethren… this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark…” (Philippians 3:13).

 

Bless you, Danielle…

Foolish Poise

 

Unfortunately, I have convinced myself that I know what I’m talking about.

 

There is a healthy humility that is fostered by failures and bungles.  Wisely – God must allow Satan to trip us up every now and then just to keep us looking up.  There are some of us (obviously) who never need Lucifer’s assistance (or his imps) in falling flat on our face; we tumble frequently enough on our own.  In my case, despite recurrent mishaps and blunders, I still maintain an inordinate amount of confidence. 

 

Confidence is not all bad.  For example, last night I challenged two teenage fellows to a game of basketball (two on one).  I didn’t “KNOW” for sure that I could beat them, but I was pretty sure that I could.  Well, I did indeed beat them.  Interestingly, one of the main reasons that I won against them was that I was convinced that I could.  In basketball, confidence is invaluable in the process of playing to win.  Every time I went up for a shot, I was certain that I could make it.  I did not make all my shots, but I always had a mindset that I would adjust my style slightly and make the next one.  I was confident.  Why?  What made me feel such assurance?  Look at these possibilities.

1.      Experience – a past record of success builds my confidence.

2.      Effort – a current willingness to exert the necessary energy to succeed also contributes to my confidence.

3.      Will – a realization that I have the passion, commitment and desire to make this happen makes me feel confident.

4.      Ability – being persuaded that I have sufficient size, strength and skill to accomplish the task causes confidence.

5.      Opponent – the attitude, abilities, size, strength, energy, interest and experience of my opponents (if deficient) adds to my level of confidence.

Surely there are more factors, but these are enough to get the ball rolling in the direction that we need to go today.

 

In basketball my confidence is actually self-confidence.  Though I know that my athletic potential (or lack thereof) is a gift from God, it does actually exist and I am aware of the possibilities and the limitations.  For instance, I would not (with the same level of assurance) challenge my brother Stephen to a game of make-um-take-um to 15. 

 

Does self-confidence have a proper place in the life of a Christian?  Well, it depends on how it is defined.  Or, better yet, it depends on the reason(s) for that confidence.  If I’m emotionally steady and even because I know God’s promises and His calling, fine.  But, if my level of confidence stems from an inflated ego and arrogant pride, well, that’s a problem.

 

What does the Bible say?  “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).  The key words are not “I CAN” (the power of positive thinking).  The key words are “THROUGH CHRIST” (the power of God). 

 

If my confidence is a product of my faith in God, my knowledge of His word, my experiences of His blessings, the talents that He has given, the love and devotion that the Spirit has wrought in me and the awareness I have of the sure defeat of God’s enemies – fine, fine, fine.  In this sense, the word “confidence” is little more than a rear view description of “faith”.  I should have no confidence in myself – per se.  However, I should never doubt in areas where God has issued orders.  Remember with joy I Thessalonians 5:24; “Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it.”

 

Those who God calls, He equips.  If God has called you to sing, bellow it out with confidence and humility (not pride).  If God has called you to preach, proclaim the truth with boldness and meekness (not cruelty).  If God has called you to lead, take the reigns with zeal and modesty (not rudeness).  If God has called you to teach, study and teach with assurance and with an open mind (not with egotism).  If God has called you to serve, yield to your ministry with gladness and vigor (not bitterness).  If God has called you to be a visionary, share your ideas willingly and voluntarily (but not insistently).  

 

We know that God has chosen the foolish, the weak and the simple to do His greatest work.  Isaiah 10:15; “Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shakes it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.”  When we meet with success we should simply point to heaven and say, “God did it, not me.”

 

So – confidence in God, not in self, is a very, very good thing.  Overconfidence in the Christian life would basically be applicable only to situations where a person is sure in an area where they do not have God’s direction.  If God has commanded me to do a thing, it is impossible for me to be too confident.  I could mistakenly place my confidence in myself, but that would be misplaced confidence rather than overconfidence.  And, any level of confidence in myself (without dependence upon God and obedience to God) is overconfidence. 

 

Let the Word speak for itself:

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…” Philippians 1:6

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8

“For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” Proverbs 3:26

“In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.” Ephesians 3:12

 

I’m confident that somebody needed to read this message today; to be reminded that we have the Power of God indwelling us.  We should not doubt when He has promised. 

 

He is our confidence!

 

A man who has poise, but who stands alone – he is mad.

But, a man who lacks poise, but has God’s power and approval – he is also barmy.

 

At Risk of Repetition

 

Pete and Repeat are sitting on a park bench.  If Pete leaves the bench, who will still be sitting there alone?  Pete and Repeat are sitting on a park bench.  If Pete leaves the bench, who will still be sitting there alone?  Pete and Repeat are sitting on a park bench…

 

Remember that old elementary joke?

 

Repetition can be annoying.  But, there are some things that never get old. 

 

My Mamma cooked homemade gravy and biscuits just about every morning all the years I was growing up at home.  I never one time thought, “I wish she would make something else for breakfast ever now and then.”  I can’t imagine being tired of gravy and biscuit. 

 

Why is it that repetition sometimes causes boredom and at other times comfort, assurance and happiness?  Foods like ham sandwiches, turkey stuffing or potato chips are fine from time to time, but the reappearance of such dishes on my table will quickly cause me to loose my appetite. 

 

Old Solomon wrote “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  This troubles me some in the ministry because I fear becoming repetitious and boring.  I strive to find things that are fresh and new to me, hoping (of course) that it will be a novel angle to the people to whom I minister.  I don’t expect to be original, but bright and interesting approaches must surely be more effective than worn out clichés and rehashed arguments.  On the other hand, there are things that bear reiteration in simple terms regardless of whether or not a creative and innovative perspective can be found.  The gospel of Christ is the chief truth that it behooves us to habitually hammer out boldly and unashamedly.

 

I’m glad that God created stuff like chocolate, sex and sunsets; things that are just so wonderful that a whole lifetime is not long enough to exhaust one’s interest and hunger for them.  It makes me feel a little better about routines and customs in ministry.  If the preacher replicates old information grammatically or illustratively (to the point of distraction), a kind reminder is well deserved and should be received with humility.  However, duplicating one’s message of sin, damnation, redemption and life is not only acceptable, it is imperative. 

 

God approved of the recurrence of the deliverance of a single message over and over again in His Word.  Here’s how – though there are many smaller examples – the Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament and the Gospels in the New Testament include many stories that are merely echoes of former revelation.  In these cases the restatement of known information serves to both clarify and solidify the legitimacy and importance of the truth.  In the same way, if you hear the gospel every time you go to church, it should only remind you of the eternal significance of that information.

 

It has been said, “A preacher who will re-preach the same sermon (because he is too much of a sluggard to study something new) should not preach at all.  On the other hand, a preacher who will not re-preach a sermon when God impresses him to do so (because of pride and appearances) also should not preach at all.”

 

I have a real problem with remembering the past.  My Mamma told me years ago that I live for the future, not the past.  She was not giving advice; she was describing something that she had noticed about me.  Surely there are advantages to this mindset, but I know of at least one glaring disadvantage, I can say the same thing tomorrow that I said yesterday and I will likely be as excited and passionate about it as I was before.  I may not even remember that I knew it before, much less that I told anybody. 

 

I said all that to say this: in writing these blogs from day to day – I deeply want to keep things fresh and vigorous.  Please pray for me.  I desire so intensely to be a blessing to others; a conduit of truth; a channel of blessings; a mouthpiece for the Almighty.  On a less self-centered note, you should never be afraid of boring people by stating (again and again) what God has done for you.  I gather that Paul “overused” the story of his Damascus road experience, but God just kept using that plain testimony of God’s mercy and intervention.     

 

"I Love To Tell The Story"

 

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;

I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true,

It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.

Refrain:

I love to tell the story,

’Twill be my theme in glory,

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story, more wonderful it seems

Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams;

I love to tell the story, it did so much for me,

And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant to repeat,

What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest;

And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song,

’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

 

(©1869 Arabella K. Hankey)

 

The words redundant and repetitious are similar, but not the same.  “Redundant” means superfluous, useless, unnecessary or excessive use of the same thing.  I don’t want to be redundant, but I don’t mind being repetitive when it is appropriate and necessary. 

 

The nature of this etymological division might be clearly illustrated by the following example.  Saying “I love you” is beneficial and invaluable; it is likely that the hearer will not mind some repetition.  Saying “You messed up” is likely to (very shortly) be considered redundant information by the one receiving that criticism more than once.  

 

In Acts 17:21, it is written; "(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)"  New is not automatically good, old is not automatically bad.  But, there are people who need things fresh if were going to reach them.

 

FOOTNOTE:  All of my "old" posts disappeared mysteriously this morning.  I'm looking into it.