A Minute Meditation

Many people treat their religion like a spare tire, they never use it except in an emergency. This is tragic! God refuses to be placed in our trunk and only pulled out when we have a problem or face danger.

During the second world war, there was a common saying that “there were no atheists in the foxholes.” This meant that soldiers would turn to God when down in the foxhole with the bullets flying over their heads. It also inferred that just as soon as they climbed out of the foxhole to safety, they forgot God.

Human nature is like this. As Paul points out to us, the experiences of the children of Israel are recorded for our learning. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition.” Their experiences proved the truth of the two sayings about the spare tire and the lack of atheists in the foxholes.

Moses warned them against doing the very thing that they did. “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwell therein…then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God…But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.”

God has not changed his position. He wants our love and attention at all times, not just when we are in trouble. The children of Israel revealed a very human pattern in their conduct. When they were secure and prosperous, they forgot God. When they were punished for iniquity, they cried unto Him until He delivered them. Just as soon as things went well for them, the cycle would start anew.

What about us? Are we like this? Do we turn to God when we are in trouble and then forget Him once we have passed through the storm clouds and the sun has once again begun to shine upon us? God will not be pleased with such an attitude. We need to learn that while God is our refuge and strength in time of trouble, He is also our God every minute of every hour of every day in good times. If He is not, then we may find ourselves in the same position that the Israelites were in. God said to them: “When ye spread your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.”

God wants to bless us but He requires our love and devotion to Him all the time, not just when we are in trouble.

Someone once said to Abe Lincoln, “I hope the Lord is on our side.” Lincoln replied, “The Lord is always on the side of right. My constant anxiety and prayer is that I be on the Lord’s side.”

Isn’t it interesting how some act as if the Lord is always on their side and if we oppose them, we are opposing God. Would that we could be as humble as Abe Lincoln in recognizing the truth that the Lord is always on the side of right and it is up to us to see we are on His side. We can hardly expect Him to be on our side when we are bent on doing what we think is right because it is best for us. It is amazing how some seem to think what is best for them must be right and they do whatever they deem necessary in order to achieve their own desires. The end does not justify the means. Many atrocities have been committed in the name of the Lord in the past. Unfortunately, they are still happening today.

We recall an incident when a brother was spreading lies about another brother. Brother “A,” who was telling the lies, was approached in a kindly and loving way by Brother “B,” who was the subject of Brother “A’s” abuse. He asked why he was being accused of beliefs he did not hold and actions he had not committed. Brother “A’s” answer was, “It does not matter if the specific accusations are true or not, it is my duty to discredit you at all costs.” In the misguided mind of Brother “A,” the end justified the means. His goal was completely to discredit Brother “B,” and if he had to lie in order to accomplish this goal, it just had to be. All this time, Brother “A” behaved as if he had a special calling from God to defame his brother. All this he was doing in the name of the Lord, or so he thought. How sad!

Solomon told us that “there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

It is important that we each examine ourselves to see if we are truly following our Lord. Are we so bent on doing what we “think” is right that we convince ourselves that the Lord is following us?

It was Azariah who was sent by God to king Asa with the message: “The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” King David instructed his 19-year-old son, Solomon, saying, “know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.” Solomon began well and “The LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly” but later “his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, and the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel.”

We love to quote Paul who told us that “if God be for us, who can be against us.” The assurance is true but it is qualified by that big little word

Having God for us is a wonderful thing. “The Lord is always on the side of right.” May our “constant anxiety and prayer be that we will always be on the Lord’s side.”

According to history, Alexander the Great was one of the finest generals of all time. We are told that following a successful military campaign, Alexander would reward the soldiers who performed bravely and he would punish those who had demonstrated cowardice.

On one occasion, while Alexander was celebrating a victory with his generals, his guards dragged a young soldier before him. The man was charged with deserting his post and was now to receive Alexander’s sentence.

The automatic penalty for such an offense was usually death. For some reason, known only to himself, this time Alexander hesitated. He looked down on the soldier who was trembling and prostrate before him. Alexander asked him a simple question. “Soldier, what is your name?” “Alexander” the young man whispered weakly. “What is your name?” Alexander asked again, his voice rising in anger. “Alexander” the soldier repeated, ashamedly. In a flash, the great ruler was upon the man; he grabbed him by the front of his tunic and yanked him face to face. “That’s my name,” Alexander roared. Then in a suddenly soft, but firm tone, he continued: “Soldier, you shall live, but from this day on, you either must change your conduct, or you must change your name.”

Alexander’s point, of course, was that if the soldier was to share his name he must behave in a way that was consistent with the ruler’s reputation and character.

We call ourselves Christadelphians, and we all know that this means “brethren in Christ” or “Christ’s brother.” What would we think if Christ was suddenly to appear and look us right in the eye and say to us, “either you must change your conduct or change your name.” Would we rather change the way we behave or change our name?

In a sense, we are not really his brother or sister unless we do behave as he would have us behave.

We remember when Christ’s immediate family was standing outside desiring to speak to him. When he was told this, he turned to his disciples and said, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?” Stretching his hand toward his disciples he said, “Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

We see that Jesus, like Alexander, is really saying, “keep my command­ments, do the will of my Father or change your name, for you are not my brother and sister if you don’t.”

We often speak of a person as having a “good name” or a “bad name.” When we do so, we are not talking about the name on their birth certificate but the way they behave.

What kind of a name do we have? Are we living up to our name as Christ’s brother? There were those living in Sardis who had a name that they lived but Jesus said that they were dead.

Let us decide to live up to our name as Christ’s brethren so that when he comes he will give us “a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

There is a story about a small town businessman whose clothing store was threatened with extinction. A national chain store had acquired all the properties on his block and had told him that “we’ll build all around you and put you out of business.” The day came when the small merchant found himself hemmed in with a new department store stretching out on both sides of his little shop. The competitor’s banner announced “Grand Opening.” The merchant countered with a banner stretching across the entire width of his store. It read, “Main Entrance.”

The world is all around us. The world would love to put us out of business. We need to remember that “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.” He told us, “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”

The world is all around us but Jesus is still the “Main Entrance.”

Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved … the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life.”

We really can’t stop the world from building next door to us but we can certainly keep the door (Jesus Christ) open wide, inviting all who really want to have life to enter in.

The chain store had no intention of leading people to the merchant’s store. The world has no intention of leading people to Christ. The chain store and the world are motivated to make money. We are motivated to show people the way to life. The merchant was an opportunist. Paul was an opportunist. He told the Athenians, “I saw your sign admitting there is a god you know nothing about. Let me tell you all about him.”

We are surrounded by the world and yet separate from it. The merchant was surrounded by the chain store and yet independent. We should seize every opportunity to hold high our banner of “Main Entrance” to the kingdom of God. The world isn’t even looking for the kingdom, yet we have an opportunity to show it the way and God will be pleased with our efforts regardless of the results.

How eager are we to tell all those we meet that we are Christadelphi­ans? Are we ashamed of Jesus? He says that if we are ashamed of him now, he will be ashamed of us when he comes.

Why should we be hesitant to tell the world we believe in Jesus? The world is quick to tell us who they believe in. It may be apolitical candidate, a sports hero, a famous author, poet or musician.

Our Savior is greater than all of the above rolled into one and multiplied by a hundred thousand. When we think of what Jesus did for us, how can we be hesitant to tell the world what he is willing to do for it? Everybody knows his name and most people in the world mention it many times a day, but not as an act of worship! Do we mention his name as often in the right way as the world does in the wrong way?

When he comes will he find us surrounded by the world, but not part of it, holding high his banner of “Main Entrance” to the kingdom of God?

There is a story about a college professor who developed a revolutionary new formula and was invited to travel from college to college as an after-dinner speaker to explain his discovery. He was furnished a limousine and a chauffeur who accompanied him and who heard him give the exact same speech every night for months on end. As they were driving into a small mid-west town one evening, the professor complained of not feeling well. He suggested that he and the chauffeur exchange positions since no one there had ever seen either of them so the chauffeur could pose as the professor and give the talk for him. The chauffeur was quite agreeable to the suggestion since he had heard the talk so many times he knew it by heart. Everything went quite well until after the talk when the chairman announced that they were going to entertain questions from the floor for the professor to answer. The first question was quite long and involved and so the chauffeur rose to his feet, smiled, and thanked the questioner for asking it. Then he explained that since it was such a simple question, he would let his chauffeur answer it for him.

Could we be like the chauffeur? Do we know a set of canned beliefs but are unable to answer a question or offer an explanation if we are called upon to give an account of the hope that is within us?

Do we know facts by rote but are unable to apply those facts to our everyday life in a practical way? The college professor not only knew the formula, he also knew how to apply his knowledge for useful purposes. The chauffeur knew the speech but did not have a clue as to how to apply what he knew.

Do we know the first principles of the Truth but in our everyday workaday life seem unable to apply what we know in our lives?

It is important that we know the Truth. It is equally important that we live the Truth. So how can we profess that we will only receive as much mercy as we show and then turn around and treat one another as we do? How can we be so demanding of others and so lenient with ourselves?

The chauffeur may have known the professor’s speech and could recite it perfectly. We may know the Truth backwards and forwards; but if we do not apply that which we know, what good is it? In fact, our knowing and not doing could be a lot worse than not knowing. Peter tells us that, “It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”

Let each of us ask ourselves these questions. How is my life different because of what I know? How is my life more godly because I love God? Do I treat others differently because of my love for Jesus? “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” said Jesus. The way some of us treat others in the name of Jesus Christ must make him weep. It isn’t that we do not know the Truth, it is that we do not show the love that Jesus demanded of his followers. And we do it all in his name?

God, speaking through Isaiah, describes how we can cast out our brethren while we are saying ever so piously: “Let the Lord be glorified.” God goes on to tell us that: “He shall appear to your joy (the ones being cast out) and they shall be ashamed” (the ones who were casting out their brethren).

Let us not be like the chauffeur who knew all the right words but could not apply them.