Editorial

“Summer time and the living is easy” are words to a famous old song about the summer months. For many, summer is their favorite season of the year. It is the time when most take their vacation. Relaxing at the shore or in the mountains may be pleasant. Jesus on one occasion said to his disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” The twelve had just returned from a preaching expedition and they evidently were tired although enthused by all that happened to them. They excitedly “gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.” It was then that Jesus said, “Come ,re yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”

If we are in need of a rest, is it because we have been laboring so hard in the Master’s vineyard? If we are tired, what have we been doing to get that way? Jesus ;aid, “Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” There are people who work very hard for the wrong things. These workaholics even spend their vacation time scheming how to acquire more. Micah condemns them saying, “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their sand.” Amos tells us that these kind of people say, “When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat?” These industrious people were working hard all right, but for the wrong things. It really goes back to the point that Jesus made to us “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

While we are basking in the sun, where are our thoughts? We never take a vacation from our thoughts. Emerson said that we are what we think about all day long. We think about our treasure, that’s what we meditate on. So even on vacation, our minds should always be on the truth, it is also a wonderful time to study. We really never take a vacation from God, we should either be working for the Lord or resting in the Lord, but always with the Lord. “Come to me,” says Jesus “and I will give you rest. . . ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

What we do in our “free” time reveals quite a lot about us. If we hum a hymn as we mow the lawn and praise God for the birds singing above us as we weed the garden, our minds are in tune with the God of the universe and we feel close to Him while we enjoy the change of pace.

If our “free time” is spent watching TV, reading the cheap stories that come in paper back, even if it is spent doing something we think is as harmless as a jig saw puzzle, then we have to admit that this time is at the very best being wasted and at the worst it is corrupting our minds with garbage.

God said through Zechariah, “I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are it ease.” Although this is “summer time and the living is easy,” let us make use of our free time to spiritually re-charge our batteries for the fall and winter. It is interesting 😮 notice that when Jesus arrived at the desert place where they were going to rest that he spent his time teaching the people for “they were as sheep not having a shepherd.” He also fed them, all five thousand, a fish dinner. While on vacation we too must seize each opportunity to feed others spiritually. It could be the one sitting next to us on the plane. When Jesus was weary from his journey, he sat on the well and taught the woman of Samaria. He so revived from his stimulating conversation with her that he refused food when it was brought to him saying, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” That’s our meat too. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

“Hurry up to wait” seems to be the pass word when it comes to traveling. One hurries to leave the house for the airport only to wait in traffic jams. One hurries to unload the bags at curbside only to wait in line to check them; one hurries through security checks and down long corridors only to wait in line at the gate to get a seat assignment; one hurries onto the plane only to wait for the plane to take off. In spite of the fact that the plane may be traveling faster than the speed of sound, one still sits and waits to arrive at their destination. Once landed, one hurries to get off the plane only to wait in line for immigration, then there is a hurried walk down long corridors again to retrieve the checked bags and again a long wait. After getting the bags, one hurries to get into another line to clear customs.

Although this “hurry up to wait” routine is very pronounced while traveling, it really is a way of life almost every day. One can hurry to the market to wait for a parking space; one can hurry in to do shopping and wait in line to check out, hurry to work and then wait for the boss, hurry to lunch and wait to get served, hurry, hurry, hurry. Truly, as Daniel said, in these last days, we do run to and fro but we do a lot of waiting in between.

The time we spend waiting can affect us in a variety of ways. We can become anxious, frustrated and irritable, or we can use these precious moments to good advantage. We have to wait either way, so it only seems to make sense to use this waiting time to good advantage rather than by being upset about it.

James exhorts us saying, “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth” . . . there it is, the husbandman also has to wait, so waiting is not new. Continuing, James says, “The husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter Rain.” Now the lesson James wants us to draw from his example is, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Cultivating patience helps us to wait with the proper attitude. We can see how foolish the husbandman would be to get upset because his fruit did not come up right away. Our irritation while waiting does us no good either, in fact, it can make us tired or even exhausted. Isaiah tells us that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

As we wait, let us turn our minds to the Lord and meditate upon Him as we pass the time. David tells us to “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:” Our minds can be centered on God while our bodies stand in a humdrum line and if, perhaps, some rude person should crowd in ahead of us, then all we do is finish the verse that David gave us, which goes on to say, “Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” The rude and pushy people of the world may make our waiting a little longer but we need not be upset, for those “that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”

Our minds can be led beside the still waters and our souls restored even while we wait in a crowded line. As we rush hither and thither only to wait, let us remember what Isaiah said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever; for in the LORD Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

“Christ is the head of this house, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.” Many have a plaque with these words hanging in their home.

It is interesting to consider the difference a guest makes in ones home, whether it be an elderly parent or a bouncing ten pound baby. When someone comes to stay with us, our life style inevitably changes as a result. We are fortunate to have our children and grandchildren visiting us from Canada, and things are really different while they are here.

Our little guests are certainly seen and heard at every meal, and the conversation is quite different while they are here than when they are not. Their needs and interests must be considered, and we enjoy the childish patter that goes on while they are with us. Everything seems so quiet after they leave, and we recall the happy moments that we spent together.

Jesus has offered to become a guest in our home, as the plaque indicates. Of course, one of the big differences is that he is unseen and unheard, but that does not make him any the less there. In fact, he has not only offered to come into our home, but he is willing to bring his Father with him, for he has told us, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Now what change in our life style has taken place as a result of our unseen house guests ? We know that the visible house guests make a considerable difference in what we say and do. What effect has the coming of Jesus and his Father into our home made?

If we should say, “none,” then can we really say that they have made “their abode with us ?” It is impossible for Jesus to be the “unseen guest at every meal and the silent listener to every conversation” without it having a profound effect upon what we say and do. Even our manners should improve, for good manners are really consideration acts of thoughtfulness for others. Jesus tells us that his Father is “kind even unto the unthankful,” and that we should be merciful, as our Father also is merciful.” So when someone asks us to pass them a dish at the dinner table, we should respond kindly and thoughtfully to their request even if they were unthankful.

Our conversations in our home will certainly improve when we remember the silent listener, for as David exclaimed, God knows “our down-sitting and our uprising . . . there is not a word in our tongue, but, lo, 0 LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” Being aware of the fact that our “unseen guests” know our every thought, word, and action should make us very careful of how we behave in our own homes. We certainly will not speak evil of others, remembering the wise advice that James gives us: “Speak not evil one of another, brethren.” Of course, with Jesus and God hearing every word we say, we would not want them to hear us say something unkind about another when the Father Himself is kind even to the unthankful.

When Zacchaeus heard Jesus say to him, “Make haste, . . . for today I must abide at thy house,” Zacchaeus “made haste, . . . and received him joyfully.”

There is no doubt that Zacchaeus was never the same again. Having Jesus come and abide in our home will do this for us also. These are not just words to hang on a wall,, this is our way of life, having Jesus as our “unseen guest.”

LA’s make him welcome — no one enjoys being in a home where they are not wanted, and it is doubtful that Jesus will remain as our “unseen guest” if our way of life tells him that he is not wanted or accepted in our home.

Let us heed the knock of Jesus and welcome him into our home with open arms, for he has promised, ”Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

There was a sign hanging on the wall, of an establishment back in the gold rush days that went something like this, “I ain’t what I ought to be, I ain’t what I’m going to be, but, I’m thankful that I ain’t what I was.”

This is stated in homely language but it expresses the thought that we are constantly changing and we can all change for the better. Looking back, can we also be thankful that we are not now what we once were ? Are we closer to God now than we were? Are our prayers more fervent now than they used to be? As we walk towards the Kingdom, can we honestly say that we feel closer to God today than we did a year ago ?

If the answers to these questions is “yes” then we can take heart that we are growing spiritually. If the answer is “no” then this should act like a red flag for it is telling us something. Fortunately we can change a “no” answer into a “yes” if we really want to. If we have made little or no progress in growing closer to God, then let us begin right now to move in the right direction.

Paul in writing to the Corinthians said, “If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” This agrees with the first part of the sign, “I ain’t what I ought to be.” All of us ought to know more than we do. Acknowledging that we do not know all that we ought to know helps to prevent us from being puffed up by what we do know. It should also help motivate us to study more, read more, and pray more so that we can become what we want to be.

The second part of the sign showed that improvement is expected. “I ain’t what I’m going to be.” If we are not satisfied with what we are and what we know, it is important that we become determined to improve. It really does not matter where we are right now so long as we have a burning desire to get where we want to go. Surely we all want to be in the Kingdom of God more than anything else in all the world. We can all get there from where we are right now if we really want to. God is not willing that any should perish. Those who will perish do so because they are not determined to seek first the Kingdom of God.

We need to acknowledge that it is not our own cleverness that will achieve for us the Kingdom. The wise man Solomon instructed us to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Believing that God will direct our paths, we need to get up on our feet and get going. God feeds the birds but He doesn’t put the food in their mouths. God will direct our paths but we can’t walk sitting down. If “we ain’t what we’re going to be” then we had better get started in the right direction.

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ when he comes will “change our vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Since he will do this, truly we are not now what we are going to be, but he won’t do this for our bodies if we have not already changed our minds from thinking worldly fleshy thoughts to thinking spiritually. Again it is Paul who tells us that to be “spiritually minded is life and peace.” He told the Corinthians “incredible as it may sound, we who are spiritual have the very thoughts of Christ.” We can’t do anything about our bodies but we can control our thoughts. Let us fill our minds with the things of God so that when Jesus returns “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

There is a story about two deer hunters who bagged the biggest buck they had ever seen. They were struggling as they tried to drag the huge animal by its rear feet back to the road across rugged terrain. Another hunter observed their difficulty and advised them that they could pull the deer much easier if they would grab the deer by its antlers and pull it head first instead of feet first. They thanked their adviser and began to pull it by the head as he suggested. The one hunter exclaimed happily, “It really is a lot easier to pull it this way.” The other hunter shook his head and replied, “Yes, but we are getting further away from the car all the time.”

It is important to know in what direction we are going. Some people, like our deer hunters can use all their energy doing the right thing to go in the wrong direction. If we don’t know where we are going, then the method of locomotion is relatively unimportant.

As brethren and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ we ought to be moving in the direction of the Kingdom. Whatever we do, whatever we think, whatever we plan, we should always be asking the question,” is this taking me closer to my goal of the Kingdom or away from it?” We may laugh at the hunters as they struggle with their trophy as they got further and further from their goal but it is no laughing matter if we struggle through life getting further and further away from the one important thing in our life, a place in God’s soon coming Kingdom.

Many times a person has been promoted and transferred into isolation only to fall away from the truth as a result. Sometimes when trouble arises in an ecclesia, some decide to stay away. There have been instances when someone bought a boat, or a plane or some other possession, maybe a cottage at the shore or in the mountains, and soon we found that they were getting further and further away from their goal of a place in the Kingdom.

If we really do want to be in the Kingdom of God more than anything else in all the world, will we allow anything or anybody come between us and our goal? Paul did not think so. He said, “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul was determined that nothing would come between him and “the love of God.” Is anything coming between us and the love of God? The answer is in our dedication to our number one goal in life, a place in God’s Kingdom. If this really is our goal then we will not allow any of these things to take us from it. Oh, it does not mean that we cannot have a promotion, or a cottage, but they will not detract us from our goal. When the kingdom is everything to us, we will either use the temporal things to our advantage or we will get rid of them. When trouble comes (not if) we will work harder and pray for those who are opposing us. If we should admit that a hypocrite is coming between us and God, then we are admitting that the hypocrite is closer to God than we are. We will not go away from God just because there is strife. Jesus could have boycotted his last meal with his apostles because one was attending who was a thief and a betrayer and another was a liar and swore.

Let us measure everything we do to see if it is helping us get closer to our goal of the Kingdom. If it is not, then are we going to let it (whatever it is) separate us from the love of God ? No matter how great or how awful the “it” is, if it separates us from the love of God, then it is too high a price to pay. Paul gave the answer to his own question of “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?” by saying “If God be for us, who can be against us?” The real answer is nothing but we sometimes let ‘something’ change our direction as the foolish hunters did. Let us be persuaded, as Paul was, that nothing will “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”