August 3, 2010

Number 31

VIEWPOINT

I know I'm not the first person who has observed this.  But I noticed it again last week with our grandson, Logan. 

Children love to play on the beach.  They get close to the edge of the water.  It’s a mandate:  building sandcastles.  They become intent on the project.  It’s a little amusing, how careful they are with crumbly corners and how particular they make the tiny turrets.  Their faces are as focused as any construction engineer. 

Then a big wave starts to close in!  But the kids don't panic. They do a strange thing.  They jump to their feet, scream with excitement, and watch the waves wash away their creations.  There is no hysteria.  No sadness or bitterness.  Even little children know the fate that awaits sandcastles.  So they are neither shocked nor angry when the tide comes in.

Maybe that is where we should learn the lesson.  The stuff of this world is about as permanent as sandcastles on a beach.  Yet we get so caught up in it, defensive over it, and depressed over the loss of it.

God didn't create us for this world, however. Our destiny is not bound up in physical stuff.  So living to be a hundred years old is far less important than living well — even if for a relatively short time. Beautifying the body is not nearly as urgent as living with a pure heart before God.

Children know that their castles in the sand are brief joys destined to be taken away by an incoming tide.  So they don't fret as the waves approach. They watch their creations get swept away without shedding tears.

Likewise, everything about this life is merely temporary.  The incoming wave of our mortality is going to sweep it all away.  Like sandcastles at the edge of the ocean, nothing  we do for  the  sake  of  this world can survive.  Only what we do here for eternity will last.  Only the treasures we send ahead will escape corruption (Matthew 6:19-21).

What if your house were to go up in smoke tonight?  What if a pain sent you to your doctor and led to the discovery that you have but a few weeks to live?  These things really do happen, sometimes to people within our own church family.  We are all vulnerable.  Everything about our existence here is about as enduring as sandcastles.

We should be as smart as the children!  Life is God's gift. We enjoy every good thing – our castles in the sand.  We should just remember not to get too attached to them.

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Speaking of things that really count, this is August 3.  It marks the day 36 years ago that Paula graciously joined herself with me in marriage.  No other relationship has had such a profound, positive effect on me!  I don’t know how I would have made it in life, much less ministry without her partnership.  I am thankful for her! 

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

YOUR NEXT HAPPY MEAL

John Ortberg says . . .

When you buy your kid a Happy Meal, you're not just buying fries, McNuggets, and a toy; you're buying happiness. Their advertisements have convinced my children they have a little McDonald-shaped vacuum in their souls: "Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in a Happy Meal."

The problem with the Happy Meal is that the happy wears off, and they need a new fix. No child discovers lasting happiness in just one: "Remember that Happy Meal?  What great joy I found there!"

Happy Meals bring happiness only to McDonalds. You ever wonder why Ronald McDonald wears that grin?  Twenty billion Happy Meals, that's why. [Taken from the article Happy Meal Spirituality, Christianity Today, May 1993.]

Ortberg concludes by saying, "When you get older, you don't get any smarter; your happy meals just get more expensive."

What's the last Happy Meal you bought for yourself?  A car? Some clothes?  A house?  A spouse?  How long did it last?  No matter how hard we try, or how much we spend, as long as we live with a happy meal mentality, happiness will elude us.

Ortberg paraphrased a familiar quote by St. Augustine:  "Our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee."  Or as David said it, "My soul finds rest in God alone. . ." (Psalm 62:1).

Take a moment today to think about your next Happy Meal. Instead of pursuing one more thing, one more possession, one more acquisition . . . instead of striving for bigger numbers or better money or more praise directed your way . . . spend a few minutes alone with the God who loves you, and let his presence in your life satisfy you.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare (Isaiah 55:2). 

 –  Steve May

More than Survivors

2010 Wednesday Summer Series

Those who are more than survivors . . .

Walk by Faith not By Sight (Like Abraham)

June 9                   Alan Henderson

 Don’t Let Sin Get the Best of Us (Like David)

June 9                      Alfred Donald

 Risk Everything for God and His People

(Like Ruth)

June 16                     Scott Franks

 Serve God with Passion (Like Joshua)

June 23                      Patrick Gray

 Rebuild Spiritual Protection (Like Nehemiah)

June 30                                 Mike Sparks

 Always Does Good (Like Tabitha)

 July   7                    Ron Bradshaw

 Make Spiritual Choices (Like Moses)

    July 14                      Taylor Hammett

 Serve God with Passion (Like Joshua)

    July 24                      Dan Thompson

 Engage Spiritual Battles with Courage

(Like Elijah)

July 28                     Bob Staples

See Possibilities Not Just Problems (Like Caleb)

August 4                    Ben Slocumb

Hold on to Their Dreams (Like Jacob)

August 11              Barry Blackburn

Share God's Love with Those Around Us

(Like Paul)

August 18                   Chris King

Look at Life through God's Perspective

(Like Joseph)

August 25                 Ron Edwards

Watch Out for Compromises (Like Daniel)

September 1               Mitch Grubb