The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
March 23, 2008
In
This Issue:
Leftovers
by
Steve Klein
An
Old Testament Dream Team
by
Alan Jones
Leftovers
Leftovers. They can be good (especially if the original meal involved barbecue!) But you wouldn't normally feed leftovers to an honored guest. And after a few days, even the best leftovers must be thrown out.
God deserves better than our leftovers. In fact, He demands it. We're commanded to, "Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase" (Proverbs 3:9).
The Israelites of Malachi's day were in the habit of giving the Lord less than their best. "You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?' By saying, 'The table of the LORD is contemptible.' And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts. ( Malachi 1:7-8 ).
What they offered to God would not have been accepted by their governor. Yet God is a "Great King" and "greatly to be feared among the nations" (Malachi 1:14). God deserved better than the governor! What they offered to God showed contempt rather than honor.
Sadly, we may show contempt for God in exactly the same way today. We give Him our leftover time and energy, if there is any leftover after we work, play, care for our families, and finish our chores. We give Him our leftover money, if there is any leftover after we pay the utility bills, pay the mortgage, go out to eat, take a vacation, and purchase all of those unneeded "necessities." We give Him our leftover lives, if there is any life left in us after we've spent our youth pursuing our own interests. It is as the poet said&ldots;
Leftovers are such humble things We would not
serve to a guest,
And yet we serve them to our Lord Who deserves
the very best.
We give to Him leftover time, Stray minutes here
and there.
Leftover cash we give to Him, Such few coins as
we can spare.
We give our youth unto the world, To pleasure,
lust and strife;
Then in declining years we give To him the
remnant of our life.
-- author unknown
Don't give God your leftovers. Give Him your first fruits. Write out your contribution check before you pay the bills. Plan your week around worshiping and serving Him, then fit in other activities. Give of your best to the Master. He deserves it.
-- Steve Klein
When we hear the phrase "dream team," what comes to mind? Basketball, the Olympics, and the best of the best in the USA humiliating the opposition by at least fifty points, of course. In the Olympics, the great players of the USA come together in an awesome display of talent that we otherwise can just dream about.
Ezekiel, in his prophecy, brings together three Old Testament men as a "dream team" of righteousness to illustrate the hopelessness of Jerusalem. God said to him, "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves." (Ezek. 14:13-14)
God was getting ready to destroy Jerusalem. The only survivors would be people of righteousness. When the survivors came to Babylon, they would prove to the Jews already in captivity the justice of God in Jerusalem's destruction (Ezek. 14:21-23). Those who were righteous could only save themselves. Not even the famous "dream team" of righteousness, should they be assembled in Jerusalem at that time, could do any better than their own salvation.
What can we learn from these men who God singled out and grouped together as example of righteousness? How can their lives inspire us to "deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteous, and godly in the present age?"
Noah was a righteous man despite the wickedness around him. In his day, "the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of this heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5) "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (6:8) Why? "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God."(6:9)
What kept Noah pure in a world of wickedness? It was godly fear or reverence. This was the motivation which led him to build the ark to the saving of himself and this family (Heb. 11:7) and to preach righteousness to those so steeped in sin they could only give him a deaf ear (2 Pet.2:5).
Reverence comes from a deep recognition of the greatness of God and, therefore, a profound respect for His authority. This attitude always results in the obedience to God's commandments and in the urging of others to do the same. Noah's concern was in walking with God, rather than following all others down the path away from Him. What about us?
Daniel was righteous despite the pressure applied to him to violate the will of God. Why? He had courage. He refused to be intimidated, even by powerful worldly authorities.
When Daniel was a teenager, he dared to refuse to eat the diet proposed for him by Nebuchadnezzar, the recognized ruler of the world, because it was in violation of the law of God, the true ruler of the world (Dan. 1:8-16). As an elderly man, he dared pray to God as usual, despite a law forbidding it, willing to face a lion's den rather than cease commu-nication with His creator (Dan. 6:1-23).
Today, as a wicked world either quietly pressures us to conform or directly compels us, will we have the courage of Daniel? Will we refuse what is wrong and continue to do what is right no matter who wants us to do otherwise?
Job was righteous despite the trials which faced him. He suffered financial loss (Job 1:13-17), the death of all of his children (1:18-19), and severe illness and pain (2:7-8). Around him he found no support, but only a wife who encouraged him to curse God (2:9-10) and friends who falsely accused him of sin.
How did he keep from renouncing God as was the devil's goal in bringing these things upon him (1:11, 2:5)? The key to Job maintaining righteousness in trial was patience (James 5:11). He had a trust in God which endured. He questioned, but he never quit.
Satan would like the trials of life to put an end to our righteousness. God would like to use the same circumstances to perfect our righteous character (James 1:2-4). Who will accomplish their objective with us? Only the patience of Job will let God come out a winner.
How are the Old Testament "dream team" members alike? If you have read this article carefully, you will have noticed the key. Each was righteous "despite. . ." Living godly is not easy. Most people are not doing it. There is pressure to live otherwise. And, trials will test our resolve. But, with reverence, courage, and patience we may overcome all opposition to righteousness as convincingly as the USA "dream team" overcomes their opponents.
~ Alan Jones
Via The Berean, August 1996