Our grandsons stayed with us for several days in late May.  We had a wonderful time, but it was a bit different than it has been in the past.  They are now old enough to take care of things we always had to do before, like bathe and dress them, feed them, help with brushing and flossing teeth, and keep an eye on them practically every minute.  Now they do all the personal hygiene and care for themselves.  They even remember their own medicine—which didn't keep me from checking to make sure it was taken.  We still spent a lot of one on one time with them, which is the point, isn't it?  Keith had a homemade slip and slide which required him running a hose continuously over a long piece of plastic on the slope between the two sheds, and I let them help me cook—cookies, waffles, and yeast rolls.  We played the prophets game, as you have already heard about.  And I was the official judge of the Construx car building contest.  (Kind of touchy, that one.)
            Still there were times that we had things that required our attention and they needed to keep themselves busy.  For one of those times I taught them solitaire.  Not the one on the Kindle or the computer, but the one using real cards.  They ate it up and played for literally hours one afternoon while I did the laundry and cooked dinner.  Once I was free again I sat down to see how they were doing.
            "Good," one said.  "We've been experimenting."
            A little careful questioning told me what kind of "experiments" they were doing.  You and I would call it "cheating."  When every third card left them stuck, they changed it to every second card, and finally every single card, in an attempt to keep the game going.  Another time instead of putting a red five on a black six at the "bottom" of a stack, they lifted the stack and put a red queen behind the black jack at the top.  They thought it worked a whole lot better that way because they won more often and got more enjoyment out of it.
            "You know you're not allowed to do that, right?"
            "You’re not?"
            "Nope.  It's against the rules."
            "Oh.  We didn't know that."
            After that, they cut out the "experimenting."  They understood the concept of "rules" and "cheating," and that whether you liked it better or not was not the issue.  The question is:  are you playing solitaire or are you making up a whole new game you like better?
            I know a few people who need that lesson.  They decide that they don't like the way we worship, or the way the church does its business, or the life a Christian is expected to live.  So they do some "experimenting" to find something they like better.  Somehow it never crosses their mind that God ought to have a say in this, that He ought to be able to decide how He wants to be worshipped, how His kingdom ought to run, and the way His servants ought to live.  Some of them may not have thought about that before, that God has the authority to tell us these things and expect us to conform to His rules.  In fact, I have even heard one brother denigrate the idea of authority at all, as if it were rules people made up instead of God.  I worry for that one.  There are too many illustrations in the Old Testament of how God reacted to people who were presumptuous enough to change His commands and do as they pleased.  God has not changed because we live under the New Covenant now.
            So let's set the record straight here.  God is the Supreme Authority.  All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Jehovah. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations (Psalm 22:27,28).
            When it comes to the kingdom, He has given that authority to His Son.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Eph 1:22-23). 
            Jesus gave his apostles authority to tell us how to live and worship.  And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ​Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt 28:18-20).  That you should remember…the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles (2Pet 3:2).
            You may not like the rules.  You may find other ways of doing things that you like better.  But authority is authority and it won't go away just because you want to "experiment."  My little guys understood that and they followed the rules the rest of their stay.  It actually made winning a lot more satisfying than changing the rules so they could win.  And that's only for a game.  Trying to change God's rules is no game.  Learn them, follow them, and then enjoy the win.
 
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine; I will repay. And again, The Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:26-31).
 
Dene Ward

Last winter we had a whole flock of turkeys come out of the woods to visit our property.  I assumed they would find their way to the bird feeders as a couple of lone turkeys had done a few years ago, but for some reason they did not.  We watched them strut down the fence line from the southwest one morning, then one by one hop/fly over the fence.  They headed straight for our fallow garden, but found precious little in the plowed ground, so they continued east toward the old pigpen where at least a few weeds might have offered them some dried seeds.  After about a half hour they started back again, just as slowly as before, did that one-hop/fly over the fence, and strutted back to the woods.
            A day or two later, I headed toward the firepit on the east side of the property, just fifteen feet or so this side of the eastern fence.  I never saw a thing until 13 turkeys suddenly flew out of the oak trees on the other side.  We are talking thirty pound birds up in the trees, big blobs of brown and I never saw them until they flew in a racket like a dozen sheets flapping on a clothesline in a stiff breeze.  How had I not seen those great big birds in winter-bare trees not a stone's throw away?  I'll tell you how—I never expected to see such a thing.  Turkeys avoid flying if they can at all for one thing, and I certainly never saw one that high up, not to mention thirteen of them!
            Which goes to show, I suppose, that we see what we expect to see, and miss what we don't expect.  Everyone does.  Jesus was certainly not the Messiah the Jews expected nor his kingdom either.  Even his apostles had trouble with that.  It can happen to us as well.  We don't see the real Jesus because society has painted such a prevalent picture of a weak, namby-pamby, accept-everyone-as-they-are picture of him.  I actually heard someone say recently, "Jesus never offended anyone."  Are they reading the same Bible I am?
            And he called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man. Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Know thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit (Matt 15:10-14).  And that is just one of many examples.  Jesus had no problem at all saying what needed to be said whether others liked it or not.
            Then I heard someone say, "Jesus will accept me the way I am."  Well, yes, at the beginning, but he expects change and commitment.  "Go your way and sin no more," he told the adulterous woman in John 8:11.  And what did he say to a few who wanted to follow him?  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:59-62).
            And do you realize that, "O ye of little faith," was always spoken to his disciples?  Not just interested people, but people who had left all to follow him.  Kind of drill-sergeant tough, don't you think?
            Do you know why we miss those things?  Because we don't expect to hear them from Jesus, and worse, we don't want to hear them.  When the crowds of disciples turned and left after the hard sermon in John 6, Jesus did not chase them down, saying, "Wait!  I didn't mean to be so harsh.  Come back and let me try again."  No, he turned to the Twelve and said, "Are you going to leave too?"
            I pray we all have the faith Peter did at that moment and can say even to a Jesus who is not always what everyone expects to see in the Scriptures, "To whom shall we go Lord?  You have the words of Eternal Life.  And we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" John 6:66-69.
 
…blessed is the one who is not offended by me (Matt 11:6).
 
Dene Ward

Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing.

            2 Samuel 24 relates the numbering of the Israelites as commanded by David.  To make a long story short, this sin caused a pestilence sent from God as punishment.  God then told David to offer up a sin offering at a threshing floor owned by Araunah. 
            Aranauh saw the king’s entourage headed his way and went out to greet them, wondering what he could do for his king.  When David explained and asked to buy the property so he could offer the sacrifice, Araunah said, “Oh no, lord.  Everything is yours for the taking, including the oxen for the burnt offering.”
            Then David uttered those words above, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord which cost me nothing.”  It isn’t worship, David meant, when it isn’t mine to give.  It isn’t worship when it’s an extra I keep on the shelf for emergencies.  It isn’t worship if it isn’t something I need for myself.  Service to God should cost me something.
            I wonder what David would say were he alive today.  I bet I know some things he would not say.
            “We have a gospel meeting this week?  I’ll go if it’s convenient.”
            “The price of gas has gotten too steep to make that extra Bible study this week.”
            “That’s just too early for me to have to get up in the morning.”
            “It’s a song service tonight?  I don’t like to sing anyway.”
            “It’s on the way to my activity, so I can stop by the hospital for a quick visit, otherwise...”
            “My neighbor mentioned wanting to ask me about some problems he is having, and I wanted to watch that ball game.  Maybe tomorrow night.”
            It doesn’t have to be inconvenient to count as service; if it did, the most pious time to assemble would be 2:00 AM.  However, if convenient service is all we ever give, you wonder if it truly deserves that description, “service.”
            Did you ever offer assistance and have someone say, “Well, only if it isn’t any trouble?”  Have you said it yourself?  Don’t deny someone the right to “pay” for the offerings they give.  It is often trouble to help someone out—it’s supposed to be!  How much trouble they go to for someone else is a measure of their commitment to the Lord (Matt 25: 40).  The same standard is a measure of your commitment as well. 
            Since we do operate our assemblies on a system of expedients, it is too easy to think that everything should be convenient.  Surely God doesn’t really expect our service to Him to cost us time, money, or pleasures and recreation that are good and wholesome.  We may understand the concept of sacrificial giving on the first day of the week, but how much do we understand the concept of sacrificial giving every day of our lives?
            Because of all He has done for me, I should be willing and anxious to say, “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.”
 
Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: for our God is a consuming fire. Heb 12:28,29.
 
Dene Ward

…Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” Matt 22:21.
 
            I suppose nothing rankles so much as giving your hard-earned money to a government whose policies you disagree with, who often use that money for things you disapprove of as a Christian.  Guess what?  We are not the first to feel that way, and our government doesn’t come close to the one that governed the people Jesus and the apostles plainly told to pay.  Our government does not yet imprison us for our faith, nor does it throw us to the lions, crucify us, or burn us alive in an arena paid for by tax dollars.
            Paul makes it crystal clear when he says, For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed…Rom 13:6,7.  Some of those very people wound up paying for their own executions, so I doubt we have much excuse in not paying our taxes.
            This is what we miss when we start all the complaining.  In the very same passage Paul says, Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God…Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience, vv 1,5. 
            You would think that God’s wrath would have been reserved for that government that persecuted His people, but no, in this case, His wrath is on those who do not pay because He ordained that government.  Not to obey that earthly authority is to disobey His heavenly authority.  Paul even adds at the end of verse 7, [Pay] respect to whom respect is owed and honor to whom honor is owed.  That does not mean only those who deserve that respect and honor as individuals, it means those who are in a position of authority.  That position deserves the respect and honor no matter who fills it, because God put him there. 
            Peter says much the same thing:  Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good, 1 Pet 2:13,14.  We obey “for the Lord’s sake.”  So what would that make any civil disobedience on our part?  A slap in the face of God, that’s what.
            This is a lot more important than we like to think.  Subjection is the mark of a Christian.  Every one of us is subject to everyone else, and we all are in subjection in other areas of life.  Peter says that is why our subjection to the government is so important. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor, vv15-17.  When we act in any other way, when we disobey the laws of the land, when we cheat on our taxes, we are causing the world to laugh at the very notion of our subjection as servants to God, invalidating our faith as surely as if we had stood up and denied the Lord in front of them.
            Yes, it’s that time of year.  Maybe instead of complaining, we should thank God that we have a government that, though it certainly isn’t honoring God, isn’t murdering His children.  At least not yet.
 
…You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people, Acts 23:5.
 
Dene Ward

Part 4 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza
 
            And so now the excuses are arising:  “My house is too small.”  “I don’t have any extra money in my budget for guests.”  “I’m too shy.”  “I live too far away.”  “I’m too busy.”  And so on and so on and so on, as many excuses as there are people to make them, including, "People just don't do that anymore."  What people do and do not do in our culture makes no difference when we are talking about a command from God.
            Can I first just mention Priscilla and Lydia?  Both were working women, Priscilla alongside her husband making tents and Lydia with her own business.  Surely they were as busy as any woman today, especially when you remember the labor saving devices they did NOT have that we take for granted.  Yet they kept people in their homes.  In fact, Lydia said it this way to Paul and Silas, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay,” Acts 16:15.
            Am I faithful to the Lord?  Then “too busy” can be taken off the table right now.  I can always find a way around it.  Instead of cooking, take someone out to dinner.  Are you faithful to the Lord or to your overburdened schedule?  Prove it and postpone something.  Get your husband in on the act and ask for his help.  In Bible examples, it was almost always the husband who did the inviting and acted as a servant/host. 
            And speaking of sharing the work, go in with another family.  That will automatically lighten the cooking load and help with the shy problem.  The more people, the fewer awkward silences.  If that other family lives closer to the guests, have the meal in their home and you have another problem solved.  See what we are saying?  You can always make it work if you put your mind to it.
            Then there is the money problem.  And the “too small” house problem, which we would assume is at least partially caused by the “money” problem.  Once again, asking for another to help can remedy it, but assuming there is no one to ask, stop trying to find a hindrance and remember this:  Jesus looked at the widow and her two mites and said her gift was far greater than the richest man’s there.  Surely people who claim to be his disciples will also recognize your lack and the fact that you gave to them even in your own need and bless you for it too.
            When my parents were first married they had friends over nearly every Sunday night for scrambled eggs and toast.  No, not fancy eggs with smoked salmon or goat cheese or fresh herbs—just plain old scrambled eggs.  The other couple brought a loaf of bread for the toast.  They had a great time every week.  Do you know why?  It certainly wasn’t because of the food—it was because of their relationship.  Get over worrying about what you serve and start thinking about who you should serve.  Look for specials at the store and serve what’s cheap--chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, macaroni and cheese, yes, even scrambled eggs. 
            And the “small” problem?  My guest room used to be my boys’ room—room for bunk beds and two bureaus.  As a guest room there is barely enough space for the double bed and a chair and one night table.  I do my best to offer the things in Patricia’s list, but there isn’t room for it all.  The shower is so small that a larger person has to get wet, step outside on a towel to soap up, and then step back inside to rinse.  If you dropped the soap, you couldn’t bend over to pick it up without the other side of you banging against the shower wall and, depending upon how cold it was, possible hitting the ceiling.
            Guess what?  No one has complained.  Without exception, all of my guests have thanked me for taking them into our home.  You are worrying about nothing, and I am here to prove it.
            I hope you have enjoyed Patricia’s material and I thank her kindly for allowing me to use it.  If you would like to thank her yourself, then do so in the comments section below.  She has a knack for mixing the scriptural with the practical.  I learned a lot just listening to her, and more by actually being a guest in her home, something I hope will happen again.  Maybe I will get to return the favor someday, and I hope she won’t drop the soap in that tiny little shower!
 
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Rom 12:13.
 
Dene Ward

Part 3 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza. 

            Let’s get down to brass tacks.  Assuming you actually have a guest room and guest bath (which I stress in all caps IS NOT NECESSARY!), here is “the guest room test.” 
             Sleep in your own guest room just as it is, using the guest room pillows (you are not allowed to use the pillows from your own bed).  See if you are comfortable and think about the following checklist.  Ask yourself if there are any improvements you are able to make.  If you do not have an actual guest room, think about ways to make your sleeping area as comfortable as possible.
            Is the mattress comfortable?
            Are the pillows comfortable?
            Are the sheets and blankets comfortable?
            Do you have extra blankets for those who might like to sleep warmer?
            Are there end tables on both sides of the bed, i.e., places to set down a glass of water, eyeglasses, a book, medicine, a CPAP machine, etc., tables that are not so covered with decorations or knickknacks that a guest could not use it?
            Are there lamps beside the bed for reading or to find one’s way in the dark without having to walk across the room to the light switch?
            Is there a mirror to dress by?
            Are there unused space and hangers in the closet to hang up clothes?
            Is there a box of tissues and a waste basket?
            Does the window open easily for a guest who wants fresh air, and a screen in the window for that purpose as well?
            Are their curtains or shades for privacy?
            Is there a place to set luggage or a luggage stand?
            Is there a chair (often needed when dressing)?
            Is there an alarm clock?
            Are there guest towels set out in the bathroom, and more in case needed?
            Are there toiletries like soap and shampoo and plenty of toilet tissue?  ( I keep a painted porcelain pail of all types of travel size toiletries, including shower gel, body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, dental floss, hand and body lotions, chapstick, bath talc, shave cream, a disposable razor, and a clean toothbrush in the bathroom closet—dw.)
            As stated above, your house may not be the Ritz.  A fold-out sofa, a cot in the den, or an air mattress on the family room floor may be all you have to offer, but most guests—and all Christians, we hope—are gracious and grateful for whatever you offer.  Spending this kind of time together promotes an intimacy that keeps misunderstandings at bay and creates deeper relationships that last a lifetime.  God knew what He was doing when He commanded hospitality. 
 
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Prov 15:17
 
Dene Ward

Part 2 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza.
 
            Scriptures to read on your own about hospitality:  Gen 18:1-8; 2 Kings 4:8-17; 1 Tim 5:3,9,10; Matt 5:46-48; 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-42; Rom 16:23; Gal 6:9,10; Heb 13:2; 3 John 1-8.
            After reading those scriptures ask yourself questions like:  In what sorts of ways was hospitality shown?  (You may be surprised at what we have labeled “hospitality,” but really it is nothing more than service.)  To whom was it shown?  How does God view hospitality?  How does the Bible describe people who show hospitality?  What does Jesus say about how important showing hospitality is?
            If you’ve done that little exercise, you undoubtedly see that showing hospitality is an essential trait of a Christian.  Maybe it’s time to ask myself some questions:  First and foremost, what are some steps I need to take to prepare my heart for an attitude of service?  That is where it all begins.  Things will come much more easily if my heart is right. 
            “It’s my duty,” may be true, but will not help you get the task done in the joyful and generous way God requires of us.  “The Lord loves a cheerful giver,” not one who hates every moment of his service.  So be practical and honest—if that is your problem, how do you go about fixing it?  Humility and gratitude will go a long way on this one. 
            Once you have that problem licked, it’s simply a matter of figuring out exactly what to do.  So the next question is, what are some steps I can take in my home to make my guests comfortable?
            Before you begin any project, especially spiritual ones, remember to pray for God’s help and guidance.  For some reason, this always seems to be the last step for us—the one we use when things fall apart or do not go as we expected.  Don’t put the cart before the horse. 
            The next step is to seek advice from others who have already shown themselves a worthy example of hospitality.  All of them will be more than happy to share their ideas with you, and that’s exactly what we are told to do in Titus 2, another very practical piece of scripture.
            So now that we are on the road, here are some suggestions for showing hospitality.  There are more ways than you realize. 

1.  Invite visitors in the worship assembly to your home for a meal OR take them out to dinner if they need to get on down the road.

2.  If you know ahead of time that visitors are coming from a long distance for a gospel meeting or extended study at your home congregation, invite them to stay in your home—don’t wait to be asked.  (And I will add to Patricia’s suggestion—even if you find out that night, invite them!  We ended up with two gospel preachers in our home for five nights on a last second whim one time, but we have never regretted it.  They were gracious enough to know we were not exactly prepared and never once complained about anything! dw)

3.  Have people over for a sing or a potluck.  If your home is too small for the whole congregation, divide it up and do it once a month until you get them all.

4.  Have a family over for dinner, or even just coffee and dessert.  While we all want to do a little extra for guests, it does not have to be elaborate.

5.  Have college students in your home for a home-cooked meal.  They are usually satisfied with just about anything and keep each other entertained.

6. Have a group of teenage girls over for a study and sleep-over, yes, even if there is no teenage girl in your home.  Show them that older people are worth knowing and have something to offer, and then listen well to their concerns and ideas to prove it.

7.  If someone needs a temporary home, invite them to live with you.

8.  Show kindness to strangers outside the faith, especially when you see them in distress.  This may not even involve a meal, just a ride home or the use of your phone.  You never know but what it may be their opportunity to hear the gospel.

9.  Have several widows in your home, or several singles.  They are often left out because we tend to think in terms of couples and families, particularly if that’s what we are.

10.  Now that you have seen several ideas, make a list of your own, one that suits the home you have and your own resources.  While hospitality in the Bible always included a meal, there are many other ways to show it.  What it’s really all about is filling a need.

            Challenge yourself to do one or more of these this year.  Look through those verses at the top if you haven’t already.  Be creative.  And use the gifts God has given you (your home, your cooking ability, your income, the joyful, loving, and content atmosphere you have created) for His glory and the service of others.
 
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 1Pet 4:8-10.
 
Dene Ward

If you have been with me long, or in any of my classes, you know that I do my best to make my lessons practical.  Too many sermons end up short of the mark.  They are all theory, all concept, all theology, and fail to tell the listener how to apply those ideas to their lives in a concrete way.  “It’s up to the listener to apply it,” I heard one preacher say, which misses the most obvious point in the world: if that were easy to do, surely good people would have done it already.  And then there is the big stumbling block for us all:  Applying the scriptures to my life means I must examine myself for faults that need correcting, and who is eager to do that!?   

Read the prophets sometime.  They were specific in their catalog of sins. 

Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals— those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. Amos 2:6-8.

Do you think that was specific enough?  Read Micah, Hosea, and Malachi.  They are all that way, and they were not the first.  “Thou art the man,” Nathan told David, leaving no room for doubt in David’s mind.  Concrete applications should be part of every lesson if for no other reason than to help people learn how to make those applications to themselves.

I recently sat in a hospitality “workshop” given by a wonderful sister in the Lord named Patricia Miozza, the very ideal of hospitality herself.  Yes, we studied the scriptures and talked about the sacred obligation that hospitality is and always has been.  But after that we put feet to the lesson, learning exactly how to offer warm hospitality.  We talked about excuses and how to overcome them.  We talked about the various methods of showing hospitality.  Then we even talked about making guests comfortable in our homes in an extremely practical way.  Patricia called it “The Hospitality Challenge,” and since I will be using her material, far be it from me to change the title.  Besides, it fits because for many of us it is a challenge, but one I hope you will take.

For the rest of this week I will share with you my take on Patricia’s eminently practical suggestions for us as we all do our best to practice this God-given duty.
 
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Heb 13:1-2
 
Dene Ward

Hindsight, rather than being 20/20 and helping us understand better, can often blind us when studying the Bible, particularly the life of Jesus.  Every time we see something Jesus did, we see it complete with the Son of God “halo” over his head and miss the effect it would have had on the people then.  What they saw was Josh, the son of Joe Carpenter, John 6:42.  (Joshua is Hebrew for Jesus.)
            Let’s try this:  Imagine five or six of the most stable, godly, faithful Christian women you know.  Go ahead, name them out loud—real people with faces you can see in your mind.  Now imagine they suddenly started following around some itinerant preacher who vilified the leading men of your congregation (Matt 23), taught things that seemed opposite of what you had heard all your life (Matt 5,6), and actually threw things and people out of the meetinghouse (John 2, Mark 11).  Not only that, but every time he needed something, these women whipped out their checkbooks and took care of it for him.  And he wasn’t even handsome (Isa 53:2).  What would you think?  Have they gone nuts?!!!    
            And it came to pass that he went about through cities and villages teaching…along with certain women who ministered to them of their substance.  Luke 8:1-3
            Susanna, Joanna, Mary Magdalene and others, probably Mary and Martha, and Aunt Salome, too, were those stable, godly, faithful women.  “They were following Jesus,” we think, “so it was perfectly normal,” and miss the sacrifices they made and the courage they had.  They were probably the topic of conversation in every home in their communities.  Can’t you just hear the women gossiping, and the men mocking their husbands?  “You mean he actually let’s her get away with that?  Just who wears the biggest robes in his family, anyway?”  They also risked being kicked out of the synagogue, which would have put an end to their social lives and maybe their economic lives as well. 
            Would I have been as brave?  Would you?  Are we that brave now, or do we find ourselves saying things like, “We need to be careful what the community thinks about us.  We don’t want to be controversial.  Why, they may think we’re fanatics!”  There are times when you just can’t worry about what other people think.
            The next time you study, remember, you are looking from only one perspective and sometimes that blinds you to things that should be obvious.  Clear your mind and appreciate what these people went through, and try to be as strong and brave as they were.
 
And who is he that will harm you if you are zealous of that which is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’s sake, blessed are you and fear not their fear, neither be troubled, but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord, being ready always to give answer to every man who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear, having a good conscience that, wherein you are spoken against they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of life in Christ. 1 Pet 3:13-16
 
Dene Ward
 

Keith mentioned a few weeks ago that Sonny James had died.  “Who?” I asked.
            “You know—‘Running Bear,’ and ‘Young Love’—the country singer.”
            Ah!  “Running Bear” I remembered.  It was on the radio nearly every day for a while when I was a young teen. 
           Sonny James was born on May 1, 1928.  Keith found an article and there it was all set out for us:  26 #1 hit singles and 16 #1 hits in a row.  He still holds the record for consecutive #1 hits by any solo recording artist throughout all musical genres.  And I couldn’t remember who he was!
            So, I got to thinking and, it being just passed, I looked up the Oscar winners.  Tell me, do you know who Warren Baxter was?  He won the 1930 Best Actor Oscar for his role in “In Old Arizona.”  I never even heard of the movie.  How about Paul Lukas?  He won in 1944.  Don’t tell me, “But that’s so long ago.”  It hasn’t even been a hundred years.  It certainly isn’t ancient history.
            How about nominees?  Let’s just sit awhile in the Best Actress category.  Ruth Chatterton?  Betty Compson? Jeanne Eagels?  They were nominated in 1928.  May Robson and Diana Wynyard?  They came along in 1932.  Martha Scott?  That was 1941, and Celia Johnson was nominated in 1945.  Okay, let’s make it easier.  How about 1966?  That was Ida Kaminska.  I still never heard of her.  Marie-Christine Barrault was nominated in 1976.  Surely you know her?  Here’s an easy one—1989.  Most of you were probably born by then.  Ever hear of Pauline Collins?  Me neither.
            I bet I could do the same thing with Emmys, Tonys, Grammys, and how about Heisman awards?  Do you see the point?  A huge percentage of these people will never be remembered by most people just a few years from now.  Acting is not that important in the grand scheme of things.  Touchdown passes, slam dunks, and home runs don’t really matter.  Why, oh why, do we lavish our praise and adoration on these people?  Why do we wear their colors and their uniform numbers, dress like they do, talk like they do, and want their signatures on hats and shirts and napkins?
            Think for a minute: who do we remember?  How about a widow who sewed for the poor in the town of Joppa?  How about a Christian couple who were chased out of Rome for being of Jewish extraction, but who kept traveling preachers in their home and even helped teach them and anyone else who came along, even at the risk of death?  How about a wealthy woman in Jerusalem who allowed the church to meet in her home in the midst of a dangerous persecution so they could pray for those in prison?  How about a disciple in Damascus who took his life into his hands to preach to one of the church’s worst persecutors?  How about yet another one who was known for his encouraging ways, who traveled and preached and took young preachers under his wing till they could grow to be mature servants of God?
            I bet you know every one of their names and can find their stories in your Bible.  These are the things that last.  These are the things that no one will forget.  These are the things that will make a difference to lives, and more than that, to eternal souls. 
            And most of these are things we can do, too.  Do you want to be remembered?  Put down the football.  Throw down the novel.  Turn off the DVD.  Pull out the earbuds.  Now go out there and do good to whomever you find, everywhere you can.  You will be remembered—by many, and especially by the One who counts.
 
​…Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ​For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also…for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  Luke 12:33-34; 16:15.
 
Dene Ward