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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
When is it Time to Surrender
Surrender has always been the temptation under stress. The winter of 1941-42 saw the Russian army and their population on the brink of defeat at the hands of Hitler’s Third Reich. Their backs were literally against the wall even in the streets of their major cities. There appeared no chance for survival, much less victory. The corpses of hundreds of thousands of their best soldiers remained in the fields because the ground was too frozen to bury them. Their women and children were violated. Every indicator foretold their imminent defeat. But it did not happen, for they would not surrender.
In recent months it has appeared that the forces of decadence and depravity have won every battle for the minds of men. Satan’s best weapon against Christians is often discouragement, and many want to, or already have given up the fight.
Sure enough, the entertainment industry is continuing to fill the screens with their salacious fare. Even religious groups have caved in, approving perversion and the murder of infants. Terrorism has the world in its grip. The economic news is so negative that despair is commonplace. Even the Supreme Court has given their sanction to those who are purveyors of “virtual child pornography.” So, have we not reached the point in which surrender is our only choice? Is the battle not lost? Should we give up?
Think again of historical events in which total despair seemed the only sensible retreat. Britain was under daily bombardment in September of 1940. Every night in London was spent in the bomb shelters. London give up? Forget it!
In 1865, our nation was in the throes of a “civil war,” in which brother fought against brother. Hatred within families, racial and regional discord seemed ready to tear apart a nation less than a century old. Democracy appeared doomed to failure. To top that, our President was dead at the hand of an assassin. Wasn’t it time for us to give up on the shaky idea of true democracy? Are you kidding!
The American Navy was in complete disarray in December of 1941. The fleet was in flames at Pearl Harbor, and Hitler declared war against us as well. Military preparedness was non-existent. Mothers and Dads were horrified that their sons were going across the oceans to fight in a world war. But give up? Not a chance!
In the second century, Christians were under the most diabolical persecution man could imagine. Intimidation came from Jerusalem, Rome and points west. Taunts and threats were a daily event. Christ’s apostles were imprisoned, executed and under constant peril. Some brethren were going back to their former state of sin, while others considered going back to Judaism. Many were embracing idolatry, and there appeared to be no place of refuge for believers. Was it not time for the church of Christ to give up? Accept defeat? Of course not!
The apostle Paul, having left a life of political and religious distinction, now lay in a prison cell, knowing the time of his death was near. Was it finally time to retract his conversion to Christ, beg the forgiveness of his Jewish brethren, and give up on Jesus Christ and His church? Well, hear his charge to Timothy, then put it in your heart.
“I charge thee before God… watch thou in all things, endure afflictions…I am ready to be offered…the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing,” 2 Timothy 4:1-9.
Give up? Not a chance. Cave in? No way! Neither is this the time for us to give up. The light of the gospel can shine brightest in the darkness that men have created. These are the times for us to be bold, to advance, not surrender.
Discouraged? Perhaps. Doubts? Maybe. Fearful? Probably. But give up? Surrender? Never!
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“No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
“Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,”
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!”
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Warm Weather and Immodest Dress
When the good Lord was creating fathers He started with a tall frame.
And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If You're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."
And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child-size, whom would children have to look up to?"
And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy.
And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do You know what You're doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, tiny buttons, rubber bands on ponytails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."
And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day...yet small enough to cup a child's face in his hands."
And then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders.
And the angel nearby had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right." she clucked. "Do You realize You just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"
And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle, or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."
God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do You honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"
And God smiled and said. "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to 'ride a horse to Banbury Cross,' or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."
God worked throughout the might, giving the father few words, but a firm, authoritative voice: eyes that saw everything, but remained calm and forbearing.
Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"
Then the angel shutteth up.
perspective by
Erma Bombeck
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