January 10, 2006

Number 2

VIEWPOINT

If you were marooned on a desert island and could have only a single book with you, what would you choose?

Somebody once asked this question of G. K. Chesterton.  Given his reputation as one of the most intellectual and creative Christian writers in the first half of the twentieth century, one would naturally expect his response to be the Bible.  It was not.  Chesterton chose Thomas’ Guide to Practical Ship-building.

That makes sense, of course.  When we’re trapped on an island, we want a book that will help us get home.  We don’t want to be entertained or even informed.  We want a book that will show us how to be saved.

“The truth is that we are trapped – trapped in patterns of thought and behavior that lead to death.  Chesterton himself once said that the doctrine of the Fall is the one Christian belief that is empirically verifiable.  We are all trapped, as Eugene Peterson put it, on an ‘I-land,’ where we know neither ourselves nor God and are looking for a message that help is on the way. 

“So the followers of Christ have historically sought to be a people devoted to the Word.  John Wesley said that a pivotal moment of his life came when he prayed to become a ‘man of one book’” (John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted).

            We would do well to re-member that “the secret of life is pursuing one thing.”  Soren Kierkegaard said, “Purity of heart is to will one thing.”  The words that bombard us all day long from billboards and tabloids and talk shows pull us in a thousand directions.     But  the  word  God speaks to us from his Word can renew our minds

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A GREAT BLESSING:  At our leadership meeting Sunday, our shepherds announced that we are ready to make a final payment on the roof loan.  What could have taken 15 years or more has been completed in just over two years thanks to our generous, committed Cedar Grove family.

Our regular contributions have been liberal enough to allow us to make double payments to reduce the principal since the inception of the loan in 2003.  In addition, we’ve been blessed with some special gifts at the end of 2005.  This has enabled us to pay off the indebtedness far ahead of schedule.  We continue to give thanks for the generous hearts that make up our Cedar Grove family! 

I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a positive word!                                                                                                         RA

Commitment

Consider these statements from a variety of spiritual observers:  

·   God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him. – Andrew Murray

·   There is not an inch of any sphere of life of which Jesus Christ the Lord does not say, “Mine.” – Abraham Kuyper

·   A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing. – Martin Luther

·  Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all. – Augustine

·  A wife who is 85% faithful to her husband is not faithful at all.  There is no such thing as part-time loyalty to Jesus Christ. – Vance Havner