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God's First Question

3/28/2016

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Trivia question: What was God’s first question?
    
“Let there be light” are the first words of God as recorded in Scripture (Genesis 1:3). But do you know what God’s first question was?

    It occurs in Genesis 3:9 after Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The ramifications and unforeseen consequences of sinful choices were already rearing their ugly head. The feelings of guilt and shame had overtaken a once innocent man and woman. Pitiful coverings of fig leaves were made in an attempt to cover their exposed selves. And fear caused them to run away and hide from the Creator with whom they had previously enjoyed a friendship based on openness and transparency. 

    And then God asks it – “Where are you?” For a God who knows everything and is ever-present, such a question seems quite ridiculous. But God wasn’t asking the question for his own information; he wanted Adam and Eve to consider the question for themselves. So Adam replies, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

    “I was hiding” is a poor reply to a God who knows all and sees all. When we find ourselves in a mess because of sin, the truth is that we often try to hide from ourselves or from reality. The longer we hide or run away from the truth, the bigger our mess usually gets.

    While the writer of Hebrews makes no mention of Adam and Eve, he seems to be referring to the story of Eden that is often repeated among us. Hebrews 4:13 states, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

    If God knows all and sees all, and if we all have sinned, what can we do? Rather than hide from God (or ourselves), Hebrews 4:16 suggests a far better course – “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

​    Even when we sin, hiding from or covering up our exposed selves will only make matters worse. Drawing near to a God who already knows us better than we know ourselves will expose us to what we ultimately need – mercy and grace.

    Praise God for seeing us for who we really are and still forgiving us in Christ Jesus! God’s first question is the one He stills asks each of us today – “Where are you?” Be blessed today by coming to him, no matter where or how you may be hiding. Bless someone else today by helping them know his mercy and grace.

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All of the World . . . and All of My Community

3/21/2016

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    Our church’s worship service last night was a special thing to experience. The singing was rich, the prayers were sincere, and the message lifted up the Lord while lifting up all who heard it. One of our elders Tom Montgomery spoke of a recent visit he, his wife, and two other of our elders’ families made to the church in Guatemala. There they attended a weekend lectureship hosted by the Theological Institute of Latin America. It was obvious that Tom and the others came away from the weekend encouraged by what they had experienced there. He spoke of how Christians in that area had traveled six hours just to be at the lectureship and how some of them used their free time together to pray for one another and sing together. His slideshow presentation depicted a people and a place that clearly do not enjoy the material wealth or earthly possessions of most Americans. However, it was apparent that many of them are far richer than many of us. Maybe it’s time for them to send mission teams to us.
    Morristown Church of Christ’s connection to Guatemala started more than ten years ago when an illegal Guatemalan immigrant by the name of Darvin came to this area to find work. He happened to cross paths with one of our church members who initiated conversations with Darvin about his faith and relationship to the Lord. Because of the seeds planted through that relationship, Darvin would eventually put on Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in baptism. Darvin returned to Guatemala as a new man with a new mission. He entered school in Panama to be trained to become a minister. While in Panama, he provided his home in Guatemala as a space for Christians to worship regularly in his hometown. Today Darvin continues to build up churches in Guatemala while also serving as an instructor at the Theological Institute of Latin America. Many people are now followers of Jesus because of Darvin. Praise God! I’m unhappy to say that I have not yet met Darvin. I’m very happy to say that he is my brother and friend.
    In his presentation last night, Tom challenged our church to re-orient ourselves to think beyond ourselves. Specifically as Christians, we are to think outwardly and become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Most Christians know that Jesus commanded his disciples to “go into all the world” (Mark 16:15). Going into all of the world includes going into all of the local community. Our community is quite diverse. Our church is not nearly as diverse. A predominantly white church in a diverse area serves neither the Lord’s kingdom nor the local community well. If Jesus expected his followers two thousand years ago to break down the barriers between Jews, Gentiles & Samaritans, surely we by faith can break down the racial, ethnic & linguistic barriers that exist in our communities today. 
    Had one of our church members not reached out to an illegal immigrant those many years ago, the world today would be a bit darker than it is and some people would not know Jesus the way that they do now. Regardless of one’s skin color, primary language, immigration status, sexual orientation, addiction, criminal record, or any other consideration . . . when a person made in the image of God encounters a follower of His Son, they should be met the way Jesus would meet them. Jesus welcomed all people with a message of redemption. The world has never been the same since. It is the good news, and it ultimately blesses those who receive it. But it can only bless them today through those who share it. God is to be praised for those who have reached out to Darvin and others like him. God is to be praised for those who have come to Jesus because of Darvin and others like him. You can be blessed and be a blessing today by sharing Jesus with all wherever you go.

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Your Word

3/14/2016

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The saying goes “A man is as good as his word.” So how good are you?

Two of my friends recently suffered the same insult within the span of a couple of days – they each were stood up for lunch. One was offered the excuse of “I forgot.” One received no excuse or apology at all.

Another person told me about a sign-up sheet she posted for a church event. The event was well-attended and enjoyed by all, but some who signed-up didn’t show and gave no notice. Even signing one’s name on a piece of paper today seems to come with the warning “unless something else better comes along.”

There was a time when a person’s word meant something. A church member recently recalled to me what life was like growing up in her hometown in middle Tennessee. The local grocer would deliver what her mother needed at home during the week, and on Friday, her father would go into the store and pay the bill. Talk about trust! The grocery store trusted that the family would pay, and the family trusted that the grocery store was honest in its accounting. Yes, cash was the currency that paid for the groceries, but the ultimate currency in such an exchange is trust.

And we are running an ever-growing deficit of trust. Every time someone fails to live up to his/her word, the debt increases. When a husband or wife fails to put the other first, trust is lost. When parents selfishly put themselves before their children, trust is lost. When an employee refuses to give his/her best to the company, trust is lost. When the company values the bottom line over quality work, trust is lost.

Trust builds relationships, and trust builds successful organizations and societies.  

To build trust, we must keep our word and hold fast to our commitments. The Bible says it this way - “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37; James 5:12). What a simple concept!

In a time of fine print and loopholes, broken promises and failed commitments, what does your word mean? Does your “yes” mean “yes” or does it really mean “maybe?” Your family, friends, workplace, church & nation depend on you keeping your word. They will be blessed when you do. And guess what? So will you.

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Distracted Living

3/7/2016

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Recently I came upon an unusual single-vehicle accident. It was unusual because it occurred on the road that loops around our local mall where the potential for accidents is quite low. Due to traveling at a low speed, the driver was thankfully unhurt. The car, however, suffered significant damage because it was driven over a high curb and into a guardrail. 

I didn’t ask what caused the accident, but it seemed pretty obvious to me. In fact, the likely cause of the accident was still in the driver’s hands – a cell phone. 

The official term for using your cell phone behind the wheel is “distracted driving.” “Distracted” seems too sterile of a word, though, for a practice that results in thousands of deaths every year.

In a 2013 survey by AT&T, 98% of people said that texting and driving is unsafe. Yet 49% of them said that they do it.
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/adults-more-likely-to-text-and-drive-than-teens-study-says/2013/03/28/de759024-97ad-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html)

So while all of us know that something is dangerous, half of us still do it. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

Hebrews 3:7-11 refers to a group of people who should have known better but kept living dangerously too. The Israelites had been provided a clear path ahead by God that would lead them out of slavery in Egypt and into the promises of Canaan. Along the way, though, they became distracted. While the Israelites wanted to go their own way, God said, “They have not known my ways” (Hebrews 3:10). 

The writer of Hebrews wants readers to apply the lesson of the Israelites to our lives – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). 

Just like texting and driving, most people say that not following God’s ways is dangerous. And just like texting and driving, far too many people keep doing things that threaten their spiritual lives.

What about you? What’s distracting you today? Are your eyes on the Lord or are you going your own way? If you continue in the direction you’re going, where will that lead? If you want to be blessed today, keep your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). If you want to be a blessing, help someone else follow him and his ways. 

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    Blaine Kelly

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