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Bulletin Article Archives Special Occasions Click on the title to move to the selected article and then on my name at the conclusion of the article to return to this directory.
Where Yesterday Meets Tomorrow Kadesh Barnea, in the Wilderness of Paran, is a place of sacrifice. This was the place where Israel awaited the return of the spies from Canaan. Here the chosen delegation of ten held a filibuster to promote as policy of fear. Nearly lost in their message were the words of Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13). Kadesh became a graveyard where God’s promises for tomorrow were buried deep under the rubbish of yesterday. It was much more than a lonely spot in the desert for a nomadic people to congregate – it was the place where their yesterday met and conquered their hopes of tomorrow We can locate the exact point where Missouri meets Arkansas. We can celebrate the moment 1990 yields to 1991. So also, we can identify the joining of these two worlds. Today is the land where yesterday meets tomorrow. It is not a terribly complex land. In and of itself it is not cluttered. I do tend to carry trophies over from yesterday to decorate the cramped quarters of today. I also tend to squeeze in a fair sampling of tomorrow as well. But this is my doing, not God’s plan (Mat. 6:34). All God has placed there is a simple altar. Smoke constantly ascends as each brings his offering. Some will bring the burnt offerings of yesterday like those of Kadesh who remembered Egypt from which they had been delivered but longed to return (Num. 14:4). These will live on the glory of the past. Others will present the sacrifice of tomorrow, just as the Hebrews sacrificed the promises of a land flowing with milk and honey. These will live in dread of the future. And the Lord, watching over the altar, brushes away a tear. Then one approaches the altar with determination, his eyes fixed on the Lords. In confidence and trust he steps empty-handed into its midst. There he is transformed (Rom. 12:1-2)! This one will live for God. Today is much more than a compartment for us to fill with the cares off yesterday and the burdens of tomorrow. It is the land where both world meet and where God can transform the one to embrace the other. January 27, 1991 The thresholds of life often give rise to resolutions. So it is common to make promises to others, God and ourselves at the dawn of a new year. Perhaps you have your own set of "New year's Resolutions." However, the point at hand is not how you feel about making such agreements but how you feel about keeping them. Various studies could be cited but the final results appear strikingly similar. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of New Year's vows are broken during the first week. Nearly seventy percent (70%) fall victim to violation during the month of January. Only a small handful is kept throughout the New Year. Perhaps this is true because our resolutions are too vague. Maybe the problem lies in goals not clearly identified. For example, a common resolution made within the church is, "to live a better Christian life that the previous year." Such a vow must be broken. A year is much too long to set our sights upon. Why not resolve each day to present a better example of spiritual service than the previous day? Now that is not only practical and manageable but scriptural. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). It is a very wise person who has learned that the only way to live a better life this year is to do better each day. Don't worry about being a better Christian in the New Year. Just set your goal on growing a little each day and come next December we will have real cause to praise our Father. Are you willing to renew, each day, the commitment you made to yourself, the church and God when you made Jesus your Lord at baptism? January 3, 1993 Paul shared a secret with the Philippian church. The reports they had received of his hardships were true, which prompted a loving response to his need. A generous outpouring of material provisions soon followed. In gratitude Paul wrote thanking them for their gift and sharing with them his secret. Paul's secret was his commitment to be satisfied no matter what his outward situation. No matter how unpleasant his circumstances, his trust in God was always greater (Phil. 4:13). This could only be achieved by obtaining an unshakable inward trust in Christ. More than a limp resolve, Paul embraced an open commitment that daily determined his attitude and actions. Generally speaking, New Year's resolutions are about as effective as wishing wells and wishbones. This would not be the case if resolutions could be accomplished without expending effort. However, nothing worth resolving can come so easily. If it is important, it demands more than a mere resolve to achieve. You ought to be committed. Don't resolve to read your Bible this year. Make a commitment to God and adopt a plan to achieve it. Don't just resolve to be faithful in your attendance, to grow in your giving, to spend more time in prayer, and to lead someone to Christ. Follow Paul's example and make a commitment, adopt a workable plan, and say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." January 1, 1995 Connotationally speaking, there is a difference between a resolution and a commitment. Resolute is defined as “having or showing a fixed, firm purpose; determined; bold; firm; steady; resolved; unwavering.” The definition of commitment is “the act or process of consigning, delivering, or entrusting, as for safekeeping; committal.” A resolution is something someone does alone. A commitment is something done with another, especially God. Have you ever resolved to read through the Bible, only to quit before reading through Genesis? Why not this year make a New Year’s commitment to read through the Bible and ask God each day to help you fulfill it? Schedules can be found in most study Bibles or in church tract racks. Following these schedules will take the average reader about 20 minutes a day. It would be helpful to read with a notebook handy for taking notes, writing down questions or topics for further study, or making outlines to help you have a better understanding of what you are reading. Day by day you will work your way through the Bible and year after year your knowledge will continue to grow. Through the fog of seemingly petty resolutions, why not make a commitment with God about something that really matters and begin your journey through the Bible. December 31, 1995 In less than two weeks 1996 will be history. As you look back over the past twelve months, do you find yourself increasing in faith, knowledge and love? Did you catch yourself growing in your involvement in the Lord's work? Did you discover more opportunities last year to serve and less desire to be served? In the New Testament we meet a brother named Gaius (3 Jn. 1). This man is shrouded in mystery. Little is known about him except that he was growing spiritually. He was far from being isolated from the troubles of life. Based on John's request for his well-being (vs. 2) we might infer that his health was less than perfect. He also faced the pressures of the domineering Diotrephes, who was reeking havoc within the local congregation. Still, Gaius' spiritual health was robust. As we compare where we are, at the close of 1996, to where we were as the year began, we hope to detect a stronger spiritual pulse. For that to be the case each of us as individual members need to be stronger spiritually than we were at the close of 1995. Otherwise, even with the emphasis, expense, programs and hoopla, 1996 would be to you just another year. December 22, 1996 Happy New Year! Various studies support the following statistics. Thirty-eight percent of New Year’s resolutions are broken during the first week of January. Nearly seventy percent are cast aside before February comes. Only a precious few survive to the end of December. And the saddest part is that no one will likely notice that a resolution has been broken. The exception is keeping your New Year’s promise. Failure is not taken as that serious. This is a sure sign that the resolution was too vague. A resolution that can be broken without concern or consequence is meaningless. Perhaps that’s why the Bible talks about commitment rather than resolutions. A commitment counts. When you fail to keep a commitment it is a real failure. We should have clear goals set before us as we begin this New Year. Those goals will help us keep focused each day. They will help us to maintain our commitment to God made not on January 1st but at the waters of baptism. That, in the big scheme of things, is a promise that matters. Happy New Year! January 4, 1998 An old legend tells the story of a prince with a crooked back. Despite his physical limitations he remained very proud and strong. So it was not surprising to his subjects when he called the most skilled sculptor among them and commissioned him to make a statue in the image of the prince. The instruction was clear, "Make a statue of me, but with a straight back. I would see myself as I might have been." Upon completion the statue was presented to the pleased prince. It was so impressive many clamored for the statue to be placed at the palace gate for all to admire. The prince, however, refused and ordered it hidden in a secret part of his private garden - a place he alone could visit. Time passed and many forgot about the magnificent statue. But the prince would visit it each day. He would stand before it and imagine what it would be like to stand straight and tall. Months became years until someone noticed the prince's back was becoming straight. He was becoming the man in the statue. As we stand on the brink of a new year it is good to look back on the old. Am I becoming more like Jesus or more like the world? Who am I becoming? December 13, 1998 “And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:2). Sunday was a great day. Surprised at the tomb early in the morning the promises of Jesus’ life came flooding back with a wave of expectation. Later that day two travelers on the Road to Emmaus suddenly realized that the unknown pilgrim with them was in fact their Risen Lord. The day ended with the amazing appearance of Christ to ten of the remaining apostles in an upper room. Then came Monday. Most of the world awoke to life as usual. The disciples of Jesus, however, faced the day with greater hope, knowing that Jesus was alive. The resurrection made a difference. For many of them the rest of their lives would now matter. They would never be the same. They would always be better because Jesus arose. Today the world celebrates the resurrection of Christ on one Sunday morning each year. They momentarily acknowledge the revolutionary life He lived only to return to life unchanged the next morning. Monday it will hardly seem to have mattered what Jesus did or why. Jesus did not die for this. The One we celebrate each Sunday lives every Monday too. He will be the risen Lord forever. April 12, 1998 Cries of anguish filled the throne room of Heaven. God's chosen nation languished in severe bondage, oppressed by the merciless brutality of Egypt. Heaven rang with cries of confusion at the apparent silence and apathy of God. Cries of desperation in the face of seemingly forgotten promises of deliverance echoed about the Creator. The time was right for God to change the world. A child was to be born, sheltered and nurtured to step into the vacant leadership role and bring forth the Hebrew nation. But before that child could be sent, another had to come, a kind, caring soul equipped to bring about the marvelous scheme of Heaven. God sent first Jochebed, a mother. Later cries of anticipation filled the throne room of God as the world languished in deadly bondage to sin. These were cries of hope that God would act by bringing forth the long-awaited Savior. They were cries of exultation prompted by the knowledge that all the wonderful promises would find fulfillment in the coming Lord. The time was right for the world to be changed. A child was to be born, sheltered and nurtured, prepared for the greatest task conceivable, ready to give Himself for the human race. But first another had to come, one pure and submissive, compliant and loving, one equipped to give herself freely, completely, unselfishly. First God sent Mary, a mother. Have you ever noticed that every time God sets out to change the world He begins by sending a mother? The greatest gifts from God are always found shrouded in a godly mother's love. May 10, 1992 War memorials dot the downtowns of most American cities. I remember the cannon and Civil War statue adorning the courthouse square in my hometown, inscribed with unfamiliar but appreciated names. Perhaps most importantly to their families, they are not forgotten. Of the millions of Americans who have marched off to war surely all of them hoped to return safely. Many did not. Loved ones left behind reluctantly abandoned dreams put on hold. Loves brimming with potential were struck down in their prime. They are remembered not for their dreams but for their sacrifice. Truly this is the highest measure of devotion. When Jesus left home for his "tour of duty" he was well aware of the task before him. Seeing the cross at the end of the way he looked beyond to the open, empty tomb. Despite the humiliation, pain and loneliness, he gave willingly and completely. His sacrifice was different. Not a casualty of war, Jesus voluntarily offered himself for the human race. Truly this is the highest measure of love. This Memorial Day we remember those who have gone before to secure our freedom. They gave when called upon, hoping against hope to survive. But there is One who gave a premeditated sacrifice for you. He demands from you nothing less (Romans 12:1-2). May 1996 The sense of national pride evident in modern America was strangely absent in the days of Jesus. The Jews held the Roman government, and any who would represent it, in derision and sought every opportunity to undermine its influence. Expectations were running naturally high, then, among the chosen people of God for the Messianic arrival. The Christ, it was supposed, would set the record straight by putting the Romans in their place. Thoughts of revolution ran rampant. Visions of a world-wide empire revolving around Jerusalem were cherished in the mind of every loyal Jew. However, the kingdom destined to be established was far from the "Golden Age" dream of the anxious populace. It was something much better that God had prepared for them. For that kingdom was built not on wealth and military strategy but on love and forgiveness. All this began to dawn on the hopes of a disappointed people because of a coin. Jesus requested a coin when someone asked about the controversial subject of paying taxes to the Roman government. He pointed out that this coin bore the image of Caesar who issued it. The image and inscription declared its proper ownership and allegiance. His point, although unpopular, was nevertheless undeniable. The darkest hour of Israel in the New Testament came by the failure of these people to grasp the inescapable conclusion made by the Lord on that day. They failed to see, indelibly stamped upon their hearts, the image of God marking them as His own. They failed to express towards God the allegiance due Him. Where have you placed the supreme patriotism of which Jesus spoke in Luke 20:25? December 13, 1992 They said that Jesus was rebellious towards Rome, forbidding the payment of taxes (Luke 23:2). It did not matter that the propaganda was false as long as their goal was attained. It was. The facts, however, indicate that Jesus taught the very opposite (Luke 20:25). Paul and Peter followed in the steps of their Master, encouraging Christians to be loyal citizens on earth, even while knowing they were citizens of Heaven (Rom. 13; 1 Pet. 2:13; Phil. 3:20). Every citizen who is qualified to vote should vote. Each child of God should be concerned about the affairs of this world that will affect our family and community. We should seek to become well informed, not of the rhetoric but the facts, comparing truth with Truth. Christians must be persistent in prayer. A vote alone is just a vote but coupled with prayer it becomes a testimony of faith. To fail to vote is to relinquish rights as citizens others would die to receive. It is to support those opposing righteousness. Every vote counts. God will be with you in the voting booth. November 6, 1994 The men of Jabesh walked all night, making the trip northward to Beth Shan, ten miles, to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons (1 Sam. 31:11-13). Braving the Philistine enemy, their plans include removing the bodies from the city wall, returning home to Jabesh, conducting a proper burial, and then holding the customary week long fast to mourn the loss of the first king of Israel. The reaction of Jabesh seems unusual in light of the fact that much of the nation was relieved, if not ecstatic, to see Saul go. His treatment of David was an embarrassment. His ill temper and lapses into insanity were widely told. The great stature of Saul that appealed to the people seemed to diminish as his sins pulled him down (1 Sam. 9:2). The humility he once possessed had lately been replaced with pride and jealousy (1 Sam. 15:17). He was forsaken by Samuel and rejected by God. With Saul's death David could take his rightful place as anointed king and the broken nation could begin to heal. Jabesh looked at this differently because of what they remembered. As a new king Saul's first royal act was to deliver a small city threatened by the Ammonites. When others would let them perish, Saul called together and army of 330,000 and marched all night to rescue his helpless subjects (1 Sam. 11:1- 11). Jabesh could never forget what Saul had done. Forty years later Saul's body was laid to rest in Jabesh-Gilead as a testimony of humble thanksgiving. Jabesh remembered! November 28, 1993 In 1912 C. P. J. Mooney wrote an editorial, which appeared in The Commercial Appeal, a Memphis, TN newspaper. Because his thoughts were so true then they remain true today. He began with the words, "There is no other character in history like that of Jesus." Plato was a great thinker, Aquinas a great philosopher, Napoleon a great soldier but Jesus was the Son of God, Savior of the world, "the perfect man." James A. Francis also wrote truth about Jesus when he penned that, although born in obscurity and living unencumbered by possessions and worldly honor, after nineteen centuries He remains "the central figure of the human race." Francis continued, "I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as that One Solitary Life." We have now come to that special day above all the rest when we are to remember and give special honor to Jesus Christ. It is not the day of his birth, for that is unknown to the entire human race. It is not the day of his death or resurrection, for these too are not known with certainty but are memorialized by Jesus Himself in our weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. The one special day we must remember Jesus as our Lord is today. With the dawn of each new today, if we will exalt the One who died to save the world we can live, in Him, to change the world for good. December 20, 1992 Unlike our modern world, the early church had little more than a passing interest in the birth of Jesus. For them it served to attest his divine origin and mark the fulfillment of long anticipated prophecies. His birth also helped confront inaccurate teaching about Christ's physical nature that slowly crept into the church (2 John 7). Of the eighty-nine chapters in the chapters in the four Gospel accounts of Jesus' life only four chapters in two books (Matthew and Luke) discuss events surrounding Jesus' birth. Does this indicate that the birth of Jesus is insignificant? Certainly not. It only serves to further emphasize the prevailing importance of his life, ministry and sacrificial death. The fact that Jesus lived is historically beyond dispute. His compassionate ministry is plainly documented by the Holy Spirit. Calvary and the empty tomb extend hope to a world anxious to celebrate Jesus' birth while denying that he ever lived! The deepest denial of Christ is the life that refuses to allow Jesus to change it. The height of hypocrisy is to celebrate his birth while living as if he was never born. Once the significance of Jesus' life is appreciated the need to celebrate his birth is removed. Jesus did not come to this earth to meet anyone in the manager. He came to meet you at the cross. November 27, 1994 Who are you? Beyond your name, who are you? What traits make you special? What aspect of your character draws others to you? What do you stand for? Do you have an identity? Life can be lived without an identity but it can never be lived well. Everyone needs to belong. Life needs to matter. We must find something that lasts. Solomon conducted this very search and came to the only valid conclusion: identity must be bestowed by God (Eccl. 12:13-14). Many will make it through this holiday season without God. They will decorate their inner emptiness with outward festivity. Hearing often about Jesus they will celebrate his birth while never knowing him. They will stand close to true religion but never find its real power. The holiday season will pass and they will be left without an identity. They will enter a New Year without becoming a new person. They will remain a nameless person who could have been God’s child. We should be praying that God will open our eyes to see such people. God will also open our hearts to offer them real hope, real joy and real identity as a Christian. December 24, 1995 Jesus came from heaven. About that there can be no doubt. Time and again the New Testament reminds us of the eternal history of Christ in affiliation with God the Father. In the week ahead much of the world, even those who do not believe, will give nodding recognition to this fact as they celebrate Christmas. They will recognize His birth but will they stop to consider why He came? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Jesus’ birth was an open expression of God's love for the human race. His life illustrated that love in an even more dramatic way. The cross indelibly stamped that remarkable love on the pages of history. And after that, Jesus returned to heaven. The goal of God is not found in the Christmas season, transient holiday cheer or an annual acknowledgement of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is found in your readiness for heaven. For this reason, by His own words, Jesus died. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). December 21, 1997 George Bailey learned the hard way what the world would have been like if he had never existed. Friends, family and events, once taken for granted, took on richer meanings. Unrealized dreams suddenly seemed unimportant. Viewers could reflect on Jimmy Stewart’s intriguing performance and come away with a clearer understanding of the important things in life. This time of year Jesus becomes popular. The story of his birth is rehearsed repeatedly. Joy and peace become the operative words as goodwill is mingled among the shopping frenzy. Life is not a Frank Capra film. We cannot experience what the fictional character George Bailey experienced. Yet, in the inspired discussion of Jesus' life and ministry an interesting observation was made by Christ himself, upon which we would do well to dwell. He said, in John 15:22, "If I had not come ..." Imagine what we would miss if Jesus had not come. There would be no church, New Testament or hope. Nothing encouraging could be said by an open grave. Nothing could help sustain marriages through difficult times. There would be no meaning to this life, no expectation of the next. There would be no Savior. Life would not be so wonderful. December 20, 1998
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David Bragg
Memoirs of a Martyr
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son" |
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