THE HEIGHTENER
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you." -James 4:10
| Volume XXIX |
June 3, 2008 |
Number 22 |
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VIEWPOINT After
major tornadoes devastated Windsor, Colorado, news reports continued to
follow the upheaval in the lives of residents.
One such story showed homeowners returning to the remains of what
had once been their houses. Many
of those interviewed were looking for one specific item.
One
woman was looking for a ring that was an heirloom. One
man was trying to locate a family picture that was far more valuable
than anything monetary to him. Someone
else was seeking legal papers needed to start the compensation process. By
far the most touching scene was the young lady who was scheduled to be
married the next weekend. Her
frantic search focused on the wedding gown that she was supposed to
wear. It was nowhere to be
found. Each
had something in common: they
wanted to find ONE thing. Scripture emphasizes that Jesus and the
apostles knew how to focus on one
thing: “Only
one thing is needed” (Luke 10:42). “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a
man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all
he had and bought that field (Mt. 13:44). “One thing I do: Forgetting what
is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the
goal” (Phil. 3:13, 14). “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine
pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold
everything he had and bought
it” (Matthew 13:45, 46). “One thing I do know. I was blind
but now I see!” (Jn. 9:25). May I encourage you to stay focused on “one thing.” I
am indebted to Jimmy Pulliam for writing this week’s column.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a
positive word! RA
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Blessed Are the
Meek BLESSED
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew
5:5) THE
MEEK
are those who are gentle, humble, and unassuming, simple in faith and
patient in the face of every affront.
Imbued with the precepts of the gospel, they imitate the
meekness of the Lord, who says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and
humble of heart.” (Chromatius, Tractate on Matthew) TO
SEE
what meekness is, you must look not at meekness but at Christ. Saying
meekness is this or that sends you to concepts which are pale copies
of reality. Saying “Jesus is meek” sends you to the living reality
of it. (Peter Kreeft,
Back to Virtue) THERE
IS
radiant meekness in Mary's response to the archangel Gabriel: “Here
I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me just as you have
said” (Luke 1:38). . . . In all its meekness, no other act in human
history has had such significance. Through Mary, our Creator became
one with us in the flesh. (Jim Forest, The Ladder of the
Beatitudes) GENTLENESS,
to be sure, is a fruit of meekness. But the main point about the meek
is not their gentleness but their quiet faith and trust in God.
The meek turn again and again to God for help, for direction,
and for the sheer joy of it. (John W. Miller, The Christian
Way) THE SCRIPTURES
make much of meekness … and so it is the more appalling that
meekness does not characterize more of us who claim to be Christians.
Both at the personal level, where we are too often concerned with
justifying ourselves rather than with edifying our brother, and at the
corporate level, where we are more successful at organizing rallies,
institutions, and pressure groups than at extending the kingdom of
God, meekness has not been the mark of most Christians for a long
time. (D. A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount) –
Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman |
CEDAR GROVE VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Where
Faith Conquers Fear and All Doubts Are “Cast Away”
June 22-25
RESOLUTION