Needed: Good People By Tom Roberts
(Reprinted from Watchman Magazine http://www.watchmanmag.com/)
The world has a surfeit of wicked people. One does not have to look far to find a drunkard, a liar, a cheat, etc. Not only do they surround us on every hand, but also the effects of their drinking, lying and cheating invade our privacy and affect our lives. It is well nigh impossible for anyone to escape the effects of wickedness in this world. As Paul said, "We must needs go out of the world" (1 Corinthians 5:9) to escape its pollution. Since we cannot leave this world, we must learn to live with sin and sinners as best we can, trying to convert them to Christ.
But my point is not that we have so much wickedness around us. Rather, I would like to emphasize the need for good people in the face of such wickedness. This need is so often overlooked and good people are so often discounted that we fail to appreciate their value. They are often taken for granted or simply tolerated as uninteresting. Perhaps those of us who are Christians do not appreciate the value of being good.
Jesus stated the value of goodness when He said, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:13,14). We have enough of those Jesus called "good for nothing." The world needs the preserving and illuminating power of good people. Without them and without their influence, the world is miserable indeed. Let me illustrate.
We need Good Mothers
I firmly believe the decline of the morals in our nation (as in
our churches) can be directly connected to the decline of good
mothers. The power of a good woman in the home, training and influencing
the souls of young children, is inestimable. It cannot be weighed
on a scale or calculated for a paycheck, but it is a treasure
beyond telling. We have seen two whole generations now that have
been reared without mothers and we are reaping the harvest. How
badly we need good mothers in our homes.
We Need Good Fathers
If our mothers have left the homes to go into the market place,
even so have our fathers abdicated their place of authority and
responsibility in the homes. So many men are so intent on living
the "good life" that they have forgotten how to be good
men. Recreation has become a god in America. Men cannot be fathers
because they have to be coaches, spectators, fishermen, hunters,
sportsmen (participants or spectators). While it is true that
good fathers can use all of these things in bringing up their
children, it is usually the case that old Dad is more interested
in having his own fun in these things instead of using them to
train his children. We have been TV-trained to enjoy life ("since
we only go round one time, let us do it with gusto") and
many are going to enjoy life to the neglect of family or God or
anyone else. Our families need a firm hand on the helm again and
this should come from good fathers, men who are concerned with
the welfare and love of wife and children and who are grown up
enough to quit playing at being an overgrown boy and learn to
be a man.
We Need Good Husbands and Wives
A lot of our couples are "playing house" instead of
building a family. And all too many times, they are "playing
house" with somebody else's mate! Adultery and illicit sex
are altars in the religion of recreation. "If it feels good,
do it." We need men and women who are dedicated to the godly
principles of fidelity, honesty and faithfulness. We have enough
(even in the church) of unfaithful, dishonest vow-breakers. These
people care nothing for the sanctity of marriage or the welfare
of their family but, like animals, take their pleasure without
restraint or shame. Friends, we have more than enough of "sleeping
around," "wife swapping," "alternate life
styles," "communal living," and such like. What
we need is some good, old common decency and love in the home.
We need some good men and women, desperately.
We Need Good Children
Once again, we have enough rebellious, delinquent, drinking, drug-using,
ignorant punks in the world. You can find them in any school or
in any neighborhood. They have a grudge against the world, venom
in their minds and violence in their hands. Boys and girls alike
who look only for immediate pleasure and sexual gratification.
They are attempting to justify the sorry manner of life so typical
of today's youth by blaming their preceding generation for its
mistakes. No one in their right mind would justify the mistakes
of any generation, but only a mindless drone would repeat the
same mistakes and do a little worse for vengeance' sake. We don't
need any more of this sort of thing. Instead, we need good boys
and girls who will take the mistakes of the adults and do better...
who will love instead of hate... build instead of destroy... heal
instead of wound... look up instead of down.
Conclusion
The list could go on and on. But I hope the point is made adequately.
We need people who will make the world a better place in which
to live. People who will make the church better. People who will
make the family and nation better. We see by the fruit of good
and evil which is the best course to follow. But there are so
many wicked people around us that it is easier to give in and
join them than rise to a nobler plane. Which will it be for you?
"Be not overcome with evil but overcome evil with good"
(Romans 12:21).
Regard Not Your Stuff by Ken Green
Reprinted from Biblical e-sights (http://www.biblical-insights.org)
"Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours" (Genesis 45:20 KJV)
Joseph is here instructing his brothers to return to Canaan, get their father and their families and come back to dwell in Egypt. "Don't worry about your stuff," he tells them. "There's plenty of stuff in the land of Egypt.
I like the King James rendition of that. "Regard not your stuff." Other versions say "your goods," or "your possessions." That's fine, but we all understand the words, "Don't worry about your stuff."
Most of us have more stuff than we know what to do with. Somebody said, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" Well, we hardly know where to put what we do accumulate. I was at a yard sale recently, seeing if there was any more second hand stuff that I might find room for. One child was excited about finding something or other and the lady hosting the sale assured her that she should not miss the opportunity to add that to her collection. "Why some day you can have a yard sale of your own," she suggested.
Stuff has proliferated beyond belief. I was not a deprived child but I would have had no difficulty taking inventory of my toys. I would hate to think how long it would take to count some of my grandchildren's toys. But we grownups are just as bad. Most of us are really convinced deep down that the secret of happiness is more stuff.
The story is told of a little girl in Hollywood who was asked to write a story about a poor family. She began her essay with the words: "There was once a very poor little girl. Her father was poor. Her mother was poor. Her governess was poor. Her chauffeur was poor..." She could not begin to relate to what it means to be really poor. While we do not have governesses and chauffeurs, most of us cannot relate to this either.
I often yearn for a simpler time and lifestyle. I just never have gotten serious enough about it to make any changes. I cast a longing glance at the Amish family in the horse and buggy and wonder how it would be, but there's an awful lot of stuff that I really don't want to give up. I've read Walden Pond by Thoreau and fantasized about doing something similar, but I won't.
Many places where I have visited as in Africa and India, the average person can probably carry on his back all the stuff he owns. Yet, the people seem to be at least as happy as we are in this land of abundance. I've watched children kicking a rolled-up wad of rags and laughing with exhilaration that couldn't be increased if they had free access to a Toys R Us right there in their primitive village.
I don't suppose the answer is in getting rid of a lot of our
stuff though it might help a little. The real answer is in realizing
more and more that our stuff is not what life is truly all about.
Whether we like it or not and whether we're ready or not we shall
someday leave all our stuff. We must learn to hold it loosely
now.
Jesus has this to say to us: "Take heed and beware of covetousness,
for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things
he possesses" (Luke 12:15). The chief end of man is not to
make more money in order to acquire more material comforts and
luxuries. These things too often become our masters rather than
our servants.
If we are to ever live life as God designed it to be lived, we must learn to regard not our stuff. It's not really ours anyway. Our treasures are in heaven (Matthew 6:19-24).
"Christians are people who couldn't care more in a world that couldn't care less."
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve." - Albert Schweitzer"
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