July 13, 2010

Number 28

VIEWPOINT

Paula and I both have dental appointments today. These visits every six months are called “preventative care.” They clean our teeth. Sometimes they take x-rays to look for problems.  They remind us to floss.

Sometimes I am tempted to skip these visits.  It’s not that I would refuse to go to the dentist.   If I were to have a toothache I would be there as soon as I could. Dr. Mitchell reminds me that if I keep doing preventative care, I won’t have to come see him because something is wrong. Take care of things now and avoid the major work later.

It makes sense and the smart thing to do is to follow his advice. In fact, you would rightly conclude that I don’t value my teeth if I neglected them until I had a problem.

So why not apply that same principle to our relationship with God?  Why neglect the everyday care of that relationship, but quickly ask God for help when life gets difficult. Maybe regular attention to what God says would prevent major problems in my life. And if I talked to God on a daily basis I would be more equipped to face life’s problems.

I wonder how God feels when I neglect to regularly put attention on my relationship with Him. God does not desire our relationship with Him to only be about crisis management.  He wants us in a relationship that includes regular care and maintenance.  He is certainly capable of handling the crisis in my life.  He has proved that.  But that is not the extent of our connection.

I do like my teeth – so I will keep up my daily brushing and flossing. I will continue my regular dental check-ups. I’ll be healthier and happier for it.  And I am going to give daily attention to my relationship with God. I’ll be healthier and happier for it . . . both now and in eternity.

It’s worth thinking about:  is God more important to you than your teeth?

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I borrowed some of the “dental ideas” from Steve Ridgell.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile, and a positive word!                                                           RA

Wasting Life

There was something different about Morris Siegel, a street person — in Los Angeles, California. On the surface he seemed like your average Los Angeles street person—roaming about in dark alleys, sleeping out of doors, carrying everything he owned in an old shopping cart. And he died the way one expects a street person to die; he was found in an alley, dead of natural causes, heart trouble perhaps.

Something about him was different, though. Maybe it was his three bank accounts containing a total of $207,421.00.

In 1979, Morris’ father died and left him the money. When Morris did not claim it, the Division of Unclaimed Property tracked him down, and his family forced him to accept it. He did not show up at the ceremony when the cash was awarded. He took enough of the money to buy an old car, where he slept in bad weather. Relatives rented him an apartment; he never went there. He died December 14, 1989, with three dollars in his pocket and an untouched fortune in the bank.

Sound Crazy? Well, figure this one out:

A couple of thousand years ago, our heavenly Father ratified His will and left all of His children eternal wealth—life, peace, victory. To this day, many have not claimed the windfall, and some have refused to spend any of it. Lost people shuffle down blind alleys of an empty existence, facing hell for eternity and ignore the salvation promised in Christ. Many Christians are content to live isolated, unproductive lives on this earth, when they have the riches of heaven at their disposal (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Trading eternal life for a perishing earth sounds as crazy as Morris (Matthew 16:26).

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