Love To A Child. . . 
By Lance Wubbels

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows.
     Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.
     It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover.
     Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long-buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.
     Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son’s childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal.
     Why did Elizabeth always save the children’s old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.
     Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short entry, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. 
     Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. 
     It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.
     Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son’s simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
     Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son’s journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. 
     Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.
     Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. 
     His was leather bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son’s was tattered and the name “Jimmy” had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.
     As he opened his journal, the old man’s eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:
     Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing.
     With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy’s journal and found the boy’s entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters pressed deeply in the paper read:
     Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.
     You may have heard it before but it bears repeating. Someone once said, “I’ve never known anyone who, on their deathbed said…I wish I had spent more time at the office.” Our Dash is a fleeting moment in time, and what we do with it is up to us. The quote on the Priorities print from Successories says it all:
     “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but, the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”LOVE TO A CHILD IS SPELLED T-I-M-E 
- LP

This article was written in during the 2011-2012 football season.
THE BEST PLAY WAS NOT EVEN ON THE FIELD!   
Neal Pollard   

Yesterday, professional football fans saw one of the most exciting, improbable victories in its history climaxed by the stunning first play from scrimmage in overtime when Tebow hit Thomas for a playoff, overtime record 80 yards in a playoff, overtime record 11 seconds.  Local play-by-play man Dave Logan's call, which will likely go down in Bronco lore, captures how monumental it was for the underdog Denver team.  If you watch ESPN, there will be several highlights of passes, runs, and defensive plays.  However, without a doubt, the best play of the day happened up in the stands, almost on the front row in the seats at the 15 yard line.  The game was tied, 23-23, and it was about 5:45 P.M.  The outcome was completely unknown and very much in doubt.  The last minute of regulation, alone, was a pins and needles affair.  It was right about then that a Christian husband and father, a deacon in this congregation, told his son, "It's time for us to go."  The son, a huge Tim Tebow and Broncos fan, was curious as to why.  His dad explained, "We've got something more important to do."
Wait a minute.  What is more important than seeing on the biggest sports moments in this town in years?  That father knew that the saints were assembling at 6:00 P.M., and he wanted his son to know that worshipping God was the highest priority.  Here is a father who is raising his son to enjoy and appreciate those normal "guy things" that will be a source of entertainment for this young man for decades to come.  But, he is also teaching him something infinitely more important!  Those earthly diversions and entertainments are subordinate to "kingdom matters" (Mat. 6:33).  This father was showing his son Who reigns on the throne of his heart.  I pray that this man's example will influence us all to remember what really matters most in the end.
Thanks, Dean!  What a great "play"! - LP

FINANCIAL PLANNING
      Dan was a single man living at home with his widowed father and working in the family business. When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed to find a wife with whom to share his fortune. One evening, at an investment meeting, he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. 
     "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said to her, "but soon, my father will die and I will inherit $200 million." Impressed, the woman asked for his business card and three days later, she became his stepmother. 
Women are so much better at financial planning than men.
      We would say the woman above was very shrewd in the way she handled the situation. Jesus talks about another situation of shrewdness about financial planning in Luke 16:1-13.
       He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' 3 Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' 5 So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. 9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." 
     Jesus makes a comparison of the unjust steward and Christians. He points out that worldly people are more shrewd in their dealing with earthly wealth than we as Christians are with the spiritual wealth that is available to us (eternal life).
     True riches are found in heaven. Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
    How are you at spiritual financial planning? Where is your heart? - LP

BARBARISM - A BARBAROUS OR UNCIVILIZED STATE OR CONDITION
We live in a civilized land and of course, consider ourselves to be civilized. Oddly enough though, we often do things that the barbarian would never do. Let’s be realistic the heathen of the South American or African jungle would never even think of doing some of the things we do in this civilized country. When was the last time you heard of a barbarian killing his wife and their children and then fighting off others for hours before finally taking his own life. It happens several times a year in this country. Even though the barbarians as we call them will fight viciously against an enemy tribe, they do not make a habit of fighting among themselves like we do. Even those battles between tribes with spears and bows and knives over such petty things as tribal boundaries can't compare with our civilized wars with guns, tanks, bombers and missiles.

Spiritually we find some of those same human weaknesses in us as Christians. While the barbarian would shout a warning or possibly even physically intervene to stop a companion from going over the edge of a cliff, we are too civilized to do that. Everyday somewhere around 8 - 10 million people die in this world and the vast majority of them do it outside of Christ. Right near us the local papers are filled with obituaries of people who have stepped off the cliff into the great eternal abyss, and what are we doing about it? Nothing. How barbaric. We haven’t seen the worst yet. There are often Christians who begin drifting away from Christ in one way or another, and do we help hold onto them to bring them back? Do we even shout a warning to them? The fact is that in many cases we help push them off the edge. It happens with the new Christian who doesn’t say or do something just right and instead of exhorting them to continue to grow and encouraging their willingness to try, we jump on them and condemn them for not knowing everything we know. Or we see someone do something and immediately tell everyone in the congregation how wrong they were for what they did instead of going to them. In neither of these cases do we ever think that it has taken us a number of years to grow beyond the stage this individual is. In neither of these cases do we stop to first examine our own life, attitude, and motives.

I wish I could say I never faltered in this area. I know as well as you do how difficult it is to have the courage to say or do something, and how much more difficult it is to be sure to say or do the RIGHT thing. We don’t have the ability to see others’ hearts and minds to know just what will get through to them the way Jesus could, but we do each have the ability to look at our own lives and attitudes and to control the way we react. If we will go as we should the blood of those going over the cliff will not be on our hands, but if we fail to warn them we will be to some degree responsible. (Ezek 33:7-9) “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. {8} When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. {9} Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

Are you your brother’s keeper? If not you should be.

AESTHETICISM - FINDING VALUE ONLY IN THINGS PLEASING TO THE SENSES
How many once faithful Christians have fallen prey to this sinful attitude? Many live by mottos such as: “If it feels good do it”, “Drink Sprite because it tastes good”, or the beer commercial “Tastes Great, Less Filling.” Our society is obsessed with feeling good, looking good, sounding good, smelling good, and having things that taste good. Sometimes the church is the same way, churches hire preachers that sound good and don’t pay attention to what they are teaching. Christian young people date attractive non-Christians and even marry them without paying attention to what disastrous consequences may come as a result.

As Christians, we must realize that there are limits on these things. We must at some point “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus”. It may not look good to be lugging around a huge cross, and it certainly won’t feel good, but if we want to please God rather than men we must. If Adam and Eve had been able to resist the temptation of aestheticism, we might be in the garden yet. Think about how Eve was tempted. Moses wrote this concerning it, (Gen 3:5-6) “’ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ {6} And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Look at the aestheticism there: looked good, would taste good, would make her smarter (i.e. sounds good). God wants us to enjoy life, but he doesn’t want us to be indulgent. There are some things that may please the senses and not be wrong under certain circumstances while excessive or improper involvement would be wrong. For example: sexual intercourse is both pleasurable and pleasing to God inside the marriage relationship, but it is sinful outside the parameters set by God. Paul tells us that God’s grace was sent for the purpose of “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:12)

Don’t compromise with the world by excusing and rationalizing the selfish and fleshly sins of aestheticism.

Jesus asks two questions in Matthew 16:26. First, "...what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” As we mentioned in our last article the answer is ‘nothing’ and in fact he has lost a great deal in the bargain. The second question is, “...what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” This is the question we want to focus on this week. Instead of thinking of ‘a man’ as Jesus asked the question, we need to make it more personal. It is always easy for us to tell what others should do or what some hypothetical person should or shouldn’t do in some hypothetical situation. It is quite different for us to look as honestly and objectively at our own lives. 

That is why we often ask a question as Jesus did to get an honest answer and then see if people will take it to heart and apply the lesson to their own lives. For example: when asked if it is wrong for someone to steal from them almost everyone would say, “yes, of course it would be wrong for someone to take something that belonged to me.” But when push comes to shove there are far fewer people who believe that principle, ‘it is wrong to take something that is not yours’ applies to them. We know it is wrong to steal, but many of us practice it on a regular basis. At this point people say ‘not me’ and some really mean it. Do you report all of your income on your tax forms? Have you ever bought or sold food stamps? Did you ever take a few supplies from your office or job? You see, most of us have never broken into someone’s house and carried out their TV, but many take things that don’t belong to them on a regular basis.

So, it is easy for us to say nothing is more valuable than a soul and nothing would be worth losing your soul. The real question is will we apply that fact to ourselves and the way we live our lives. Instead of wondering what a man will give in exchange for his soul, ask “what will I give for mine?” What answers do you come up with?

You may be thinking this is silly. Why would anyone ever make a trade that would cost his or her soul? The answer is simpler than you might think. Most of the time the soul is lost before it is even realized. Much like an addiction that starts working before the person realizes it. Maybe you have already traded your soul and don’t know it. With some it is alcohol and drugs. With others it is lust, pornography, and sexual immorality. With many it may be friends and family. With a few it is a job or a business or some other wealth building scheme. Sometimes it is apathy,  laziness, or a desire for fun and games. Maybe it is hatred, racism, or bigotry. Whatever pulls you away from God is what the devil will use to destroy your soul.

Ironic isn’t it that some of the very things God created for us to enjoy and to help bring us closer to him are the very things the devil adds to his own evil ways to try to draw us away. Who would ever imagine that the innocent little baby cooing in your arms could be exactly what Satan needs to keep you from prayer and Bible study. Sometimes Satan even uses churches and religion to keep people firmly in his grasp. When we put man-made rules and traditions before God’s word we have traded our souls for those things just as the Pharisees of Jesus day had.

What are you giving in exchange for your soul? I hope you won’t trade it, but even if you have there is good news. God is in the business of buying back or redeeming souls that have been traded. We would be happy to help you get your soul out of the devil’s hands and back into God’s. Let me know if we can help.

That might seem like a silly title to you, in fact, you may think it is a stupid question. Before you judge it too harshly you might want to know that it is a question that Jesus asked in Matthew 12:12. Surprised? Of course we should realize that Jesus knows the answer to the question. He is not asking out of his need for knowledge, but as with most (possibly all) of the questions he asked in the Bible he is making those around him think about the answer to the question. If Christ thought it was something worthy of their time and attention then it would seem that the question is worthy of our consideration as well.

First let’s see why Jesus was dealing with this subject. (Matthew 12:9-14 KJV)  "And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: {10} And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. {11} And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? {12} How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. {13} Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. {14} Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." The Pharisees of Jesus’ time believed, practiced, and taught the wrong thing about the value of things. The law of Moses under which the Jews lived at the time of Christ was clear that no work was to be done on the sabbath. Some had gone so far as to say that you couldn’t even get out of bed or open your eyelids all day. You want to talk about hard work -- just try laying in bed with your eyes closed all day long. Those Jesus is with at this time didn’t go that far in fact Jesus claims that it was common for them to go get a sheep out of a pit on the sabbath. It is strange then that these same people wanted to destroy him for doing something similar but of a greater value when he healed a man on the sabbath. This was certainly not the only time the Pharisees fought with Jesus over doing good on the sabbath. Jesus is trying to show there hypocrisy and convince them to reevaluate there doctrine about this topic.

See, the Pharisees had foolishly placed the good of a sheep above the good of a man. Does that sound like anything people today would do? Since Jesus asks ‘how much’ better the man is, then we must believe that Jesus believed that man was better than a sheep. We live in a confused world today. You could probably find thousands, maybe even millions or billions, who believe that man is no better than an animal. Evolution, the belief that man is nothing more than an animal that has developed special skills and abilities over millions of years, is being taught as a fact to our children as young as 5 or 6 years old. Is it any surprise then that people are starting to act like animals? Some believe that is all we are. How sad. The Bible tells us that mankind was created by God in the image of God. How differently people who believe they are supposed to be like God act when compared with people who believe they are supposed to be like the animals.

It is disturbing how truly mixed up some people are. There are places where fat cows walk around in complete safety while people are starving to death refusing to eat the food available because the cows are sacred to them. I wonder if it would even change them if God Himself spoke to them and told them to rise, kill, and eat like he told Peter (Acts 10:13-16). I remember a case a few years back where a child was lost in the forest. The rescuers in a helicopter found him, but weren’t allowed to land and save him because of a fear that the wind and noise from the helicopter would harm the ecosystem in the area. Meanwhile a lost child was facing the possibility of death. We have people who will risk their lives to try to save a whale or manatee or some other animal. We are definitely supposed to care for the world God has given us and not be wasteful of life of any kind, but we must remember that only humans have an eternal soul and are, therefore, more valuable than any other creature on earth even if it is the last of its kind.

I remember the wisdom of a judge in Arkansas who was dealing with a wreck where a man claimed it was caused because he had dodged a dog. He had in the process damaged property, endangered his life, and endangered others. The judge said, “I don’t mean to be cruel, but next time hit the dog.” Hopefully, none of us would ever go out and intentionally run over dogs, but if there was a choice to be made between the safety and health of ourselves and our families and the life of a dog wouldn’t we make the right choice? To be Continued.

We have discussed the fact that nothing is as needed as time spent with Jesus listening to him and his teaching. So let’s listen, really listen to his teaching in Matthew chapter 19. In the first part of this chapter Jesus teaches on one of the greatest plagues in our society, that of divorce. Let’s leave that for next time. Beginning in verse 16 he has a conversation with a rich young man. The young man wants to know how to gain eternal life, but as we will see the price Jesus asks is too high. And unlike other things salvation never goes on sale. The price has been the same for 2000 years.

Their heart to heart begins with the man asking what he can do and Jesus responds that he should keep the commandments. Remember that until Jesus died the Law of Moses was the spiritual law that was in effect. The young man replied that he had done that and then asked the crucial question that each of us should ask each and every day of our lives. In verse 20 he says, “...what lack I yet?” You see, following God and Christ is not like many other things in life, which can be completed. Being a Christian is a life-long pursuit that is not finished until death. When we have learned our ABC’s, for example, we are done; we know them, and unless there is an accident or some severe illness that affects our mind and memory, we never have to learn them again. Many skills are that way and some of Christianity falls into that category as well, but unlike finishing school in the secular world we can’t graduate from Christianity.

The young man in our text probably thought things were going well when he asked this question. He was, apparently, a faithful Jew who thought he had kept the ten commandments and probably the whole law. Millions of people today think the same kind of way. We all want to believe that we have a good relationship with God whether we really do or not. Many have convinced themselves that because they joined one church or another, or their parents baptized them when they were little, or they live a good moral life, or any number of other similar reasonings there is nothing else necessary for them to please God and gain eternal life.

Christianity, however, is a race and not everyone who enters finishes. What’s more you can’t just go out and run down the street to be part of a race, you have to enter. Of course, races have rules and courses that must be followed without shortcuts. The Christian life is no different, and it is only concluded at death. We must always be working to correct sins, add virtues, increase knowledge and faith, and ask the tough questions. When we ask those tough questions we must be prepared for tough answers and have the courage and fortitude to respond. The young man in our story wasn’t prepared, and he lost the chance of heaven because of it.

 What lack I yet? Jesus answer to this young man was that he needed to go sell his goods and give the money to the poor. He couldn’t respond. He asked the tough question, but when he got the tough answer he wasn’t prepared to do it. When we ask the question ‘what lack I yet’ and listen to Jesus’ teaching, we must make the change. The answer to that question will be different for us at different times and under different circumstances, and our feelings will never be a sufficient guide. We must look to the teaching that Jesus left for us in the Bible. What are you lacking, that is keeping you from having the best relationship possible with God?

I hope that you are enjoying these articles, and learning from them. If you have a Bible question you would like answered with a Bible answer, or if there is a Bible topic you would like to see covered, please write me at the address below.

Happy New Year! How about those new year’s resolutions? Are you going to do it this year? Are you ruined already and waiting to try again next time? It seems everyone makes resolutions for the new year whether they make a big fuss over it or not. And, it seems that everyone breaks them by the second week of the year. Maybe we set our goals too high, perhaps our confidence is too low, could be we make too many resolutions to keep, but whatever the reason the breaking of new year’s resolutions is as much of a tradition as the making of them.

Why not do it different this year? I mean let’s face it we haven’t exactly got a great success record with the current plan, and since we can’t fire ourselves or trade ourselves to another team, why not a new plan? Funny, I can’t think of a good reason to keep making the same mistakes over and over again either. 

A plan has to be simple to be truly effective and so my new plan is. Of course you don’t have to follow it, but you are certainly free to try it if you would like. So, here it is: ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDED. Now, most of us have long lists of hopes and dreams for the new year, and some of it is well outside the realm of reality. But, if we could just do one thing in 2013 (yes, just ONE thing), then about 330 days (We are already into February) seems like enough time to do it or at least to get a good start on it.

So, what is the 1 thing? Look at this short section of Luke 10:38-42 "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. {39} And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. {40} But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. {41} And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: {42} But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Did you see it? I bet you did, but just to make sure I’ll repeat it. Martha was a lot like all of us. She had a dozen irons in the fire: a load of clothes in the wash, dinner cooking, a full-time job, a part-time job, a house to clean, guests to serve, etc. We don’t know what all here worries were, but we can be sure that the 21st century has not been the only one with busy people. Jesus said that she was “troubled about many things” translated to our time, she was ‘stressed out’. Jesus is concerned about this condition which among other things is not healthy. In verse 42 Jesus tells us that Mary has chosen something that will not be taken away from her, and that is the ‘one thing’ that is needed. All of the things that Martha was concerned about were temporary and unnecessary. 

What had Mary chosen? What does the scripture say? Verse 39 says that Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet” (she was spending time with him), and “heard his word” (she was listening to him). Now, Jesus said one thing was needful, so, let’s put this together into one thing. Mary was spending time listening to Jesus. Look at the contrast between these two sisters. Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe was in their home and Martha was missing out. Mary knew the dishes could be washed after Jesus was gone. Maybe Martha thought that she could impress Jesus if she fixed an incredible meal, we don’t know what she was thinking. Whatever it was she was wrong. The only thing she really needed to be doing she was neglecting.

We seem to be determined to make everything more complicated than it should be. This year get back to the simple satisfying life of spending time listening to Jesus. If we would the noises in the world around us would grow dimmer, and the voice of the savior clearer. Since Jesus isn’t here on earth as he was, we can’t sit at his feet as Mary did and as Martha should have. We must hear his voice calling through the inspiration of the Bible. As a preacher of the Gospel, my task is to preach the Word of God, and I try to do that whenever I preach and even through articles like this one. I’m sure my voice is not as pleasant to listen to as Christ’s, but I invite you all to come and hear that though the voice is not the same the teaching is. 

May we all seek to put God first this year and to spend time listening to those things He has spoken to us through his son. Hebrews 1:1-4