FORGIVENESS

One of the most difficult commands that we have been given by our Lord Jesus is the command to forgive.  Sometimes it is very difficult to forgive those who have done us wrong.  But obedience to this command is so important that we are told in Matthew 6:14-15 that our own forgiveness from the Father is connected directly with our willingness to forgive those who sin against us.

 

At times we all thoughtlessly do and say things that hurt others.  James tells us in James 3:2:  “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”  Many times the ones we hurt the most, are those with whom we share fellowship in Christ.  If we cannot learn to forgive, this fellowship in Christ cannot exist.

 

If someone has said or done something that has hurt you physically or emotionally, and you are finding it difficult to forgive, remember the words of Jesus as He prayed for those who had just hanged Him on the cross:  “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” 

  -Wendell Ingram in House to House Publication

A DOG AND HIS TREASURE

 

A DOG AND HIS TREASURE: By Wendell Ingram

Kathy and I have been working the last few weeks getting her late parent’s home ready to sell and one of the jobs that had to be done was to clean out the freezer. Much of the food that was stored in the freezer was out of date and had to be discarded and a lot of it was meat. Not wanting to be wasteful, we brought the outdated meat home, removed it from the wrappers and piled it all in the back yard to feed to our dog and four cats. This abundance of meat created a rather comical situation with a number of object lessons that I would like to share. Our dog "Hank" is a Blackmouth Curr that weighs about 75 pounds and is at the top of the food chain at our place. He immediately claimed all the meat for his own and while he is tolerant of our cats he is not willing to share his food with them.

After eating all the meat he could hold and burying a few pieces in the garden, he spent his days guarding that pile of meat with the cats all laying a safe distance away, waiting for Hank to doze off so they could sneak up and steal a few bites of his treasure. At night the cats were not a problem because they feared the local coyotes which also got wind of the meat. Hank had to spend his nights keeping the coyotes run out of the yard. Hank’s abundance was literally wearing him out. I am reminded of Solomon’s observations in Ecclesiastes 5:12, The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.

Hank is a very loving and personable dog and every time we come home he meets us in the driveway and walks with us to the front door wanting us to scratch his back, but after acquiring his pile of meat, his allegiance was divided. When we would come home he would run to meet us in the driveway then run to the back yard to make sure the cats weren’t stealing his meat, he would again run to the front to get a quick petting and then return to the back to check on his stash of meat. He wanted to cultivate his relationship with us but he just couldn’t leave his meat unattended for fear of losing some of it.

As I watched Hank’s obsession with his pile of meat, I wondered if this is the way Christ sees his disciples who are so obsessed with accumulating and protecting their possessions that they don’t have time to cultivate their relationship with God or fellowship with his people. Jesus had a lot to say to his disciples on these matters. He states in Matthew 6:19-21, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Again in Matthew 6:24 Jesus states, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. And then Jesus promises in Matthew 6:31-33, So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Well, that pile of meat that became Hank’s obsession is now gone. In spite of Hank’s best efforts he could not protect or preserve his treasure. As with all material possessions, it perished with the using. Proverbs 23:4-5 tells us, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Hank’s treasure of meat resulted in physical exhaustion, made him a target for potential physical harm (coyotes can be vicious) and it interfered with his relationship with his master. Paul warns in I Timothy 6:10-12, But godliness with contentment is great gain. For For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Since the loss of his treasure, Hank is certainly sleeping better, not having to protect his treasure from the cats and other critters. He can now meet us in the driveway, wait patiently as we get out of the car and get all the scratching and petting we will give him without him being preoccupied with protecting his treasure. Once again Hank trusts his master to provide him with his daily food each morning. Once again Hank is a content and happy dog!

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower and he explains that the seed that fell among thorns is the man who receives the word but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it making it unfruitful. Let’s be careful not to make the same mistake as Hank and allow ourselves to become obsessed with our abundant possessions and allow our obsession to interfere with the relationship with our Master. Hank has an excuse—he’s just a dumb animal following his instincts, but God has given us the ability to think and to reason and he has given us ample information in his word so we can make wise choices that lead to an abundant life here and eternal life with God in heaven.  -Wendell Ingram

BEAUTY IN THE CHANGING OF THE SEASONS

Why is it, do you think, that we all love the autumn season and the beauty in the changing of the leaves?

And why is it that we hate aging of our human body and wrinkles and gray hair. Who has convinced us there is no beauty in that? Could it be vanity on our part?

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 31:30 that "..."Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." There is beauty in youth but there is also beauty in aging and the kind of beauty in aging is not vanity.

Beauty in the changing leaves looks forward to Spring when they come on anew and are alive and green. We (Christians) look forward to our "Spring" when we will be in heaven and have a new 'ageless' and glorious body.

Philippians 3:21  "...Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."

Through the various ages of my life I have had favorite Scriptures that are meaningful and comforting to me at the time. Mine at this point in time: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

©Edna L. Ingram

     A young boy grew up and left home. When he applied for his first job, he told the owner of the shop that he would not work on Sundays, Sunday nights or Wednesday nights, because
he didn’t want to miss ‘church’.  The boss said it wouldn’t be a problem at all. One Wednesday about closing time, he was in the middle of a job, and the foreman told him to stay and finish.

The young man told him he couldn’t, but that he would come back and work all night if need be, but he was not going to miss Bible study.
      The foreman got mad and told him to pick up his tools then. He did and left.  The next morning he didn’t know if he had a job left or not, but he loaded his tools and went on to work.

 The owner of the shop remembered what he had told him when he was hired, so he still had his job.
      Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added unto us…” “All these things” are not wealth and riches but are the things that we need. (See Matthew 6:33)

     Where did this young man get this kind of training and example,that he had the courage to stand up against this kind of thing?  He got the example from his dad.

      At one point in time a man from the next town came and told this dad that he would like to hire him to do oil well equipment servicing in Shamrock, Texas during the big oil boom of the 70’s.  The dad was offered $2400.00 per week and that was about 6 times what he was making per week in his shop, and even more than the president was making at that time. 

      He turned it down. Why?Because he would have to be on call 24/7 and could not be sure that he would get to be at the assemblies of the church each time.  Parents are the best source of example for little children growing up...and a Christian home with a faithful mom and dad is the best preacher training school in the world.

DRESSING MODESTLY IS A CHRISTIAN REQUIREMENT

 

Have you noticed that as a general rule...men's clothing is more modest than women's?  I wondered why and I decided to investigate.  I believe this is by design in our society and our manufacturers and not by mistake or happen-stance.

I decided to measure the seams from the waist of Bobby's pants...and see if it was different in proportion from the seams in mine.  Guess what I found?  I didn't have a pattern to go by so I looked at the real garments.  I do not like to write about immodest dress...I don't even like to think about that...but it is here and it needs desperately to be addressed.   So...

I put the front waist and back waist evenly together and measured the seam from the back top of the waist to the crotch in Bobby's and then I measured the same with a pair of mine.  Ladies, it was 3-5 inches difference from the waistline to crotch seam in his.  Mine was only 1 inch difference, and some were only 1/2 inch and the short seam is at the back.  Go and check out the difference in yours and your husband's.  Do you know what that 3-4 inch difference in the back, does for the guys? 

It lets their pants drape a little in the back area... instead of pulling tight across that area...and is a lot more modest.  It isn't because his clothing is larger than mine. It is in relation to your own size and garment.  This is a tricky little way that clothing manufacturers can make ladies' clothing more immodest and we may not even realize it!  As one Christian lady put it...we may need to use a rear-view mirror to make sure we are in decent clothing.  And...wear a long top.

There is a difference in people and in what inspires passion in them.  Would you like to be the lady (or woman or whatever you call yourself)  to be the one who caused a man to sin even by so simple a thing?  (Matthew 5:28).      You may not even know you did.

Society does not help us in our determination to dress in a modest fashion.  It hinders it.  

Society is not going to be our answer to the problem...It is the problem!  But maybe longer tops that cover could be the answer to the problem because pants ARE comfortable and can be worn decently at appropriate times, and...at times they may be more decent than a dress...depending on what we are doing.