February 3, 2009

Number 5

VIEWPOINT

The lowly groundhog, sometimes called a woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. The groundhog's day was February 2. Although it's not a federal holiday and nobody gets off work, it’s still quite a feat to have a day named after you. 

This is one of the four “cross-quarters” of the year, occurring half way between the first day of winter and the first day of spring.  It’s a good reminder that time is relentlessly moving forward. 

Tim Peck, a minister in California, has made these comments about time:

“The older I get, the more I realize that there’s a lot of waste when you’re young.  The young have so much idealism, but so little wisdom.  They have boundless energy and enthusiasm, yet they lack many of the life skills necessary to harness that energy and enthusiasm for lasting good. They’re ready to take risks, yet often they take foolish risks, rather than calculated ones. So much is wasted during our youth.

“And the older I get, the more I realize that being older has a lot of waste as well.  When we finally have the wisdom of hindsight, we no longer have the guts to take the risks we did in our youth.  All that wisdom, learned from the school of hard knocks, yet it is wisdom we’ll probably take to our graves with us.  We have the perspective of experience, yet we distrust new ideas, so we waste that perspective. Aging has a lot of waste.

“But what would happen if the young and old respected each other?  What would happen if the generation gap closed some, so the vigor and idealism of the young was joined with the hindsight and wisdom of the older?  What would happen if the young and old had a common vision of God’s kingdom work on this earth, and instead of discounting each other, they respected each other for what each group had to offer? 

“God has standards we are all obligated to meet.  Although some issues have changed, the strategy for dealing with people is still the same.  Let’s love our church family, let’s encourage our leaders, and let’s deepen our obligation to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

-----------------------

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

What’s Your Measure?

In Luke 6:38, Jesus said these words,

“Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

That is a promise of Jesus that you can stake your life on.  Give, and what happens?  It will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?!

But notice that He also added this, “The same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  If you take a serving spoon, and that is what you measure out your giving with, you will get an overflowing serving spoon.  It comes back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing from a serving spoon.

The measure you use is what is measured back to you.  If you use a shovel, and that is what you measure it out with, that is how it comes back to you.

Wouldn’t you rather have a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shovel as opposed to a serving spoon?  The measure you use, Jesus said, that is what is used to measure back to you.

I believe many people are using a teaspoon and yet they are praying, “God bless me.  I have big needs.”  I am sure God is saying, “I’m doing all I can.  You know, I’m pressing it down as much as I can press it down.  It is running over.  But a running over teaspoon is just not that much.”

Are you using a teaspoon or a shovel?  Whatever you use is what comes back multiplied, but it is only according to the measure you use.  (Bayless Conley)