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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
"Multitudes in the Valley of Decision"
I don’t know many people who want to be five year-olds again, but some are weary of what life forces them to do. Including the tough decisions of life. The young child has some decisions to make, but they are seldom such that affect their entire future.
History reveals many extremely tough decisions that were made. No one else could decide whether the Atomic Bomb would be dropped on Japan in 1945. Harry Truman had that to do, and the consequences are still debated today. There are others:
- Abe Lincoln’s decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt pondering how to bring an end to the “Great Depression” of the 30’s.
- Our nation as a whole and our people choosing who will represent us in Washington.
- A cancer patient’s decision to accept or reject chemotherapy.
These and many others make up the life of man. Decisions!
As difficult as those mentioned may be, there is a greater choice to be made by every individual:
TO SERVE GOD
In the 9th century B. C. the prophet Joel spoke of the “Valley of Decision” in Joel 3:14. But that decision came about because Judah had sinned and had done little more than fake their repentance. He spoke of the “Day of the Lord” they would face, 2:11-13. They had to decide if they were going to serve God or not.
Man today has a similar choice. Will we serve God faithfully, or merely go through the motions of service? That may be a tough decision for some to make, but the consequences coming from that decision are eternal.
Yes, to follow the will of God will be filled with trials, but to refuse to serve God will result in a loss of great joy in this life, and eternal joy in heaven. What about you? Have you decided to faithfully follow His will? Or will you, like Joel’s hearers, merely act out a feigned commitment to the Lord? It’s yours to choose – in that “Valley of Decision.”
TO REAR YOUR CHILDREN IN THE LORD
Much sooner than you think, your young children will be making life’s great decisions. Mom and Dad, how well are you preparing them for the decisions they will make about the Bible, about Christ – decisions with eternal consequences?
Parents possess the strongest influence over young children. Have you begun to show them the joy of loving and serving God? What about the importance of marrying a faithful Christian? Of choosing the Bible as their constant, daily guide in all of their decision-making?
Other forces are vying for their mind, their time and their skills. You cannot wait until they are grown to fill them with the love of God, respect for the church and biblical morals. You will not regret even one moment spent in loving and teaching them; but trust me, many hours of regret await the parents who are neither faithful to God themselves nor teaching their children to be faithful. There is no greater sorrow than regret. If you doubt that, ask those who live with regret daily.
TO ESTABLISH YOUR PRIORITIES
Each day determines the minutes you must spend in your job, your hobbies, your work at home. These demands can easily seek to take a place before anything else, leaving you with little or no time for Bible study, benevolence, encouraging your family and your brothers/sisters in Christ. As important as is our work, notice what Jesus said about priorities:
“Therefore do not worry about your life, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:31-34.
What do your children see? Your neighbor? Your brothers and sisters in Christ? What are you saying to God? That money is more important? Of course you must be a diligent employee. Yes, money is a necessity. God is not going to drop a loaf of bread on your table, but He is your friend. He will take care of you – if you “seek first” your duties to Him.
We stand in the Valley of Decision every day, making decisions that life forces upon us all.
Our youth stand daily in the Valley of Decision, choosing how they will dress, what kind of speech they will choose, where they will go – and with whom – what moral standards they will respect, how they will relate to their parents. And especially how they will respond to God’s word. Let’s help each other make this decision.
Carl B. Garner
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“When you have to make a decision and don’t make it, that in itself is a decision.”
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”
“He who observes the wind will not sow; and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
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God's Letters
A childhood accident caused poet Elizabeth Barrett to lead a life of semi-invalidism before she married Robert Browning in 1846. There’s more to the story. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father’s disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply. After ten years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored.
God has literally sent us dozens of letters, in the form of His Word. Each is addressed to us individually. God has poured out His compassionate heart on the pages, and we MUST respond to its message. The response is not complicated, nor is it difficult. In fact, God’s desired response is spelled out for us in the Word.
How many of us will continue to walk through our lives without reading the letters God has sent to us? How many of us will stand before God and return His letters to Him, unopened?
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee,” Psalm 119:11.
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