The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
May 16, 2004
In
This Issue:
Despised
and Rejected
What
a Waste
by
Steve Klein
The
Indian's Memory
by
Tom Edwards
Despised and Rejected
The concept of time travel used to be a theme peculiar to science fiction movies and stories. The theory was that if man could achieve a certain speed, he would begin to travel in time rather than in distance. Christopher Lloyd, the frenetic professor in the "Back to the Future" series of movies, popularized the phrase "time-space continuum." Time travel is certainly an interesting concept. According to Mr. Lloyd, if one "disrupts the time-space continuum" (whatever that means!) in the past, he changes the reality of the present and the future.
The prospect of traveling into the past to change it is certainly alluring (I would fix it so that I avoided that 5th grade paddling by Mrs. Benton), but the truth is that no one can change the past. We can fret about the past, "live" in the past (meaning that we ignore the reality of the present), etc., but we cannot change it.
The fact that we cannot change the past does not mean that the past has no consequences. The things that I have done in the past create obligations for me in the present and perhaps even into the future. Commitments I have made in the past (my conversion to Jesus Christ, marriage vows to my spouse, etc.) must be honored now. I cannot change the fact that I have sinned in the past, but I can determine my present attitude toward those sins. Repentance is literally a change of mind about one's conduct. I can decide in the present that I will not do in the future what I did in the past. It may be that sinful actions in the past require restitution (one of the "fruits" of repentance; see Matthew 3:8) or confession of sin to those against whom I have sinned. Sin has no statute of limitations, meaning that regardless of how much time passes, my sins are not automatically erased. I must accept the responsibility of my past actions.
It is possible, however, to "spend too much time" in the past. The tendency is to rest on my laurels (achievements) in the past and forget that today presents new challenges and opportunities. The apostle Paul would not have us to completely ignore the past, but he encourages us to avoid dwelling there (Philippians 3:13-14). If I can live today acceptably, the past will take care of itself; after all, today is tomorrow's past!
byAllen Dvorak
Ever had to throw out a half-eaten T-bone steak? Maybe a guest lost his appetite or a child had eyes too big for her stomach, so you wound up throwing away perfectly good food. If you are like me, you probably ruefully muttered something like "what a waste" as you raked the uneaten portion into the garbage can.
There are people who waste themselves and their assets. The prodigal son "wasted his substance with riotous living" (Luke 15:13). It is not certain exactly what that involved; we are not given an account of his expenditures. The word "riotous" (or "prodigal" NKJV) seems to suggest that perhaps money was spent for alcohol and parties (compare 1 Peter 4:3-4). It is possible that some portion of his wealth was also given to prostitutes, for "a companion of harlots wastes his wealth" (Proverbs 29:3). But the prodigal son "came to himself." He repented of his wasteful living and was joyously received back home by his Father.
God is much more disturbed about the waste of talents and blessings that He gives us than you and I are about any waste of food. Immediately following the story of the prodigal son, Jesus told about "a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods" (Luke 16:1). The charge of "wasting his goods" resulted in the steward being required to "give an account" of the way he was spending the assets his master had entrusted him.
How will we fare when God calls us to give an account of the way we have spent our lives? Before becoming a Christian, you may have squandered a lot of your life. If you are a Christian, it is certainly comforting to know that "those empty, wasted years He will restore, and your iniquities remember no more." But what about now? How much of your life is wasted in selfish pursuits? How much do you really use the talents and blessings God has given you to accomplish things that are worthwhile? Surely, "We have spent enough of our past lifetime" in wasteful, worldly living (1 Peter 4:3). God understands our need to rest and relax, but WE need to understand that he expects us to be used up in His service and for his glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). I wonder how many will be raked into the garbage can of eternal fire on the judgment day as God shakes His mighty head and mutters to Himself, "What a waste.
By Steve Klein
I heard a joke many years ago about an Indian who was noted for his keenly sharp memory. In wanting to test the Indian's power of recall, a tourist walked up to him and asked, ``What was it that you had for breakfast twenty years ago?''
The Indian, who was calmly sitting with arms and legs crossed, replied with only slight hesitation, ``Eggs.''
Twenty years passed, and the same tourist ran into the same Indian in front of the same tepee. Glad to see him again after so many years, the tourist, with right hand upheld, approached the old Indian, and said, ``How!''
The Indian, gently caressing his chin in a downward motion with forefinger and thumb, looked up and said, ``Scrambled.''
It would be handy to have a memory as keen as this Indian's, but it is highly unlikely that many of us do. How long, therefore, has it been since you've last read all of the New Testament? Have you forgotten any of the Lord's commands? We need to continually refresh our minds with the revitalizing power of the gospel--and even truths in God's word that we already know can still cause us to exalt in the Lord all over again, as we give our reverential attention to His message. For we, as God's people, are often in need of reminders (cf, 2 Tim. 2:14; Titus 3:1; 2 Pet. 1:12)--and though it took the power of the Holy Spirit to bring to the remembrance of the apostles ``all'' that Jesus said to them (Jn. 14:26), we today must turn to the Scriptures, which is ``the sword of the Spirit'' (Eph. 6:17), in order that the Holy Spirit can refresh our minds with those truths God has revealed.
Far better for one to forget his own name than to forget the word of the Lord
by Tom Edwards