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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
"Life is What Happens . . ."
The Reader’s Digest, January 1957, quoted Allen Saunders:
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
Sure enough, some of us may want to separate our life from our deeds, but that won’t work. Life is made up of every moment, every relationship and every deed, however distasteful that may be. It does not have to be a negative, but it will be if we don’t put – and keep – our “house in order.” When we fail to do so, then we end up with a life that is not what we really intended or wanted it to be.
When James asked the question, “What is your life…?” (James 4:14) he referred to the temporary and brief nature of man’s journey on this planet. But more could be considered under that title. It was Solomon who spoke of the “whole of man..” in Ecclesiastes 12:13. In so doing, Solomon emphasized that man’s life should be focused upon:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
When a child is born into this world, he/she will develop by what he is taught and by what he sees in others around him. Their life, then, depends to a degree upon the actions and words of others. How this child grows and becomes a useful and honorable member of our society, then, will depend upon what we expose them to and what he/she eventually thinks and does.
One of man’s most puzzling questions addresses the essence of life. “Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?” Man’s life consists of many facts and events. The sum of life’s “parts” includes our failures and flaws as well as our accomplishments. We may receive forgiveness for our sin, but sin often leaves deep scars. The relationships we form, the services we render to others, the obstacles we overcome, our successes, our failures – and the people with whom we associate, all are part of us, and what we are today often rests upon what we were yesterday.
Note that in Ecclesiastes Solomon looks back at his life and, recalling his mistakes, advises ancient and modern man how to make life worth living. Note one of the questions Solomon asks:
“For who knows what is good for man in life…?” Ecclesiastes 6:12.
As wise as Solomon had been at one time, he realized he had wasted and misused that wisdom. God gave him a second chance to use some of that wisdom when, at the end of that book of “..the preacher,” Solomon makes it clear that if one is to make a positive, long-lasting mark in life, good for himself and others, he/she must “Fear God, and keep His commandments.”
Why? Because only in that way can one have a life that is “whole,” that fulfills the capabilities of a man of God, a woman of God, a child of God.
Think carefully of this. Make a note of the great significance of these words. What is the “whole,” the “all” of man? Why is he here and how can he live a life that is profitable to himself, to God, to his fellow man? Note that it is not to make a name for himself or acquire great riches, Ecclesiastes 2:1-6. Neither is it in having others serve him and cater to his every whim, 2:7. It is not in possessing what man views as “greatness,” power or the gratification of fleshly lusts, 1 Kings 11:1-4. For Solomon it was not in the building of great edifices, 1 Kings 11:5-12. Not even in the building of the temple, 1 Kings 6, ornate and beautiful though it was. No, Solomon’s greatness would come to him only when he humbled himself and was willing to “fear God and keep His commandments.” No getting away from that principle.
When we read of his life, it was not a life of greatness, but of wasted wisdom, wealth and opportunity. Looking further into his life we find that his legacy is seen even in a son that followed his father’s path, eventually abdicating his own leadership to “advisors,” and an eventual divided kingdom.
|We see a fragment of Solomon’s legacy centuries later in those of Samaria who split away from Judah and Benjamin. Jesus told a woman that the Samaritans “worship what you do not know,” John 4:22.
Let us not forget, however, that this obedience to God is not a blind allegiance. God’s existence is capable of proof. His commandments are not grievous, or “burdensome” to us, 1 John 5:3. Genuine peace and contentment are possessed by those who “fear God and keep his commandments.”
It makes sense to respect God and His word. The hope of eternal life is in the balance.
By the way, what’s happening in your life?
Carl B Garner
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“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was duty. I acted and behold, duty was joy.”
“Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
“The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever,”
“What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
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What Draws 'Em, Keeps 'Em
"What Draws 'Em, Keeps 'Em" is a fine line. This is often the difference between the right and the wrong; between the expedient and the uncalled for. We so desperately want to see our congregation grow, and we do have genuine concern for our fellowman. But, this sincere concern can often lead us to employ techniques which will back us into a corner.
When we find ourselves asking the question, "What can we do to draw people into the church?" we had better be careful how we answer. That which we use to draw them in, we must use to keep them in! Those who are drawn by manipulations must be held in the same way. Past experience has shown many religious organizations that depended upon musical concerts and entertainment to attract people that they eventually found themselves in a trap. A constant parade of knee-slapping "pickers and grinners" must be kept on the schedule or those attracted by entertainment will soon be lost due to lack of same.
Churches who depend upon cook-outs, "rah-rah" rallies, and trips on chartered buses may find themselves constantly trying to appease the appetites of gluttons, neurotics, and fun-seekers. Spirituality takes a back seat to physical gratification. A slick-tongued orator may draw a big crowd, but when the brighter lights beckon and he moves on, his disciples soon dissipate.
Even noble service alone cannot be depended upon to grow a church. When we try to use benevolence as a manipulative tool to coerce folk into the church, we may find ourselves holding an empty bag. Unethical hucksters will use all the right terms and answer all the questions correctly, as long as the vault is open, but when God makes demands on them, they often vanish into the night.
Membership lists are padded even now witih the names of those who seldom attend. These could be those who were attracted by, and converted to, the "fun and games syndrome" which they mistakenly understood to be the doctrines of Christ, rather than to the "faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," Jude 3. This, they assumed, was the doctrine of Christ and they were converted to it, not to Christ Who purchased the church with His own blood.
"If I be lifted up," Jesus proclaimed, "I will draw all men unto myself," John 12:32. Paul determined, "...to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified," 1 Corinthians 2:2. We will be loved for benevolent deeds, and we need to practice Christian fellowship, and there is a time and place for "fun times," but Jesus is the drawing power to the salvation that is in Christ and to His body, the church. And, what draws 'em, keeps 'em!
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