Editorial

The very first time we went bowling, the first ball we rolled was a strike! Much to the amazement of those with us, the second ball was also a strike At this point we had as high a score as any professional howler Of course our game deteriorated rapidly from there, and we ended up with a low score.

Anyone can bowl a strike sometimes The difference between the amateur and the professional is consistency This is also true in almost all other sports On a given hole many duffers can beat Arnold Palmer but not in 18 or 36 holes Some times the landlubber accidentally lards the biggest fish of all, but he can t keep up with the experienced fisherman day after day.

Our profession is following Christ Anyone can do a good deed once in awhile Even hardened criminals do kind things sometimes The difference between us, Christ s brethren, and the rest is consistency Let us not point to the exception and make out that it is the rule The fact that we did this or that last year means nothing now Tomorrow is a brand new day to serve the Lord What we did today will not fill tomorrow’s need. How many times have we observed the scores of a double header in baseball where in the first game one team won by a lopsided score of something like twelve to nothing only to lose the next one by a score of three to two All those excess runs in the first game could not be used again.

Our life is like this, We cannot rest on our laurels and think that yesterday s good deeds are sufficient to carry us through today We have a brand new day before us, brand new God go en strength and brand new opportunities to serve the Lord The thing that should cause us to stand out from the rest, like a champion over an amateur, is the fact that we consistently read our Bibles, we pray continually, we always attend every meeting and class, and we can always be counted on to help the weak and visit the sick Everyone does some of these things sometimes On a sinking ship, many people are praying but when had they previously sought God this way?

Jesus tells us that only a few will be saved The difference between those few and the rest will be the fact that the few served God every single day. They always tried to do what was right They did not run in spurts like the hare but patiently continued in well ding, and at last when Christ returns he will give them the crown of life that fadeth not away.

It is difficult to be consistent In sports it separates the champions from the crowd In the Truth it separates the sheep from the goats We need to decide upon the goal we want to reach No champion ever got there by accident It requires hours and hours of practice day after day to reach the top Fritz Chrysler once said that if he missed practicing his violin one day, he knew it, if he missed two days, his friends knew it and if he missed three days, the whole world knew it.

God knows if we miss just one day Our godly life of reading, praying, and serving must be a daily life Let us then “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus “

“Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” With a loud voice Festus cried out these words as Paul was making his defense before King Agrippa.

Although Paul was not mad as he patiently explained to Festus, nevertheless it is possible to come “mad” with much learning. Today there are some who seem to worship learning and education as if it was the end instead of merely a means to an end.

Solomon tells us that “much study is a weariness of the flesh,” and surely those students who have sat up all night cramming for an exam can attest to this. Few would quarrel with the fact that a good education is a tremendous help in many ways. It is beneficial to learn how to think a problem through, to acquire good study habits and to learn to do what we ought to do whether we want to do it or not. This, said Huxley, is the primary purpose of education.

But the coin of education has two sides. It is a great pity that most people who are well educated in the wisdom of this world have discarded the Bible as a book of fairy tales and have decided that “God is dead.” Paul, of course, saw that this would happen. He asked, “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” . . . “The foolish­ness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men . . . But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”

The scholars of this age have no time for God for they think He has died if in fact, He ever lived. What a surprise is in store for them! The day will soon be here when “the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth , and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.”

We have a great responsibility to teach those who are being subjected to the evil influences of so called higher learning that God is NOT dead. Paul instructed a young man he loved, saying, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babbling’s, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.”

Some today have erred from the faith by believing vain babblings and science falsely so called. True science and the Bible are in perfect harmony. Scientists of a hundred years ago would have ridiculed the Bible had it told of men circling the earth in a matter of minutes. Of course Daniel did tell us that knowledge would be increased and many shall run to and fro, but today the world is blaze about landing a man on the moon but cannot accept the simple truth that a literal serpent tempted Eve. Man has become so wise that God’s truths are foolishness to him just as Paul predicted.

It still requires childlike faith to believe in God and for this reason, not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, respond to the call.

Let us be on our guard not to let this godless worldly wisdom creep in and infect us or our children. Unfortunately they are being subjected to it in schools but it is not limited to the schools for we must fight it even from within our own ranks. Again, Paul forsaw the problem and warned us “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves, shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.”

Let us be on our guard that regardless of how much of this world’s wisdom we may acquire that we never become beside our self with much learning so that we do not accept the simple truths of God. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.”

A lot of birds have sung and gone since Solomon penned these words. A lot of people have too. All their songs, joys, hopes and fears have gone with them.

Those who observed the spring just one hundred years ago in 1866 have long since ceased to sing or mourn or rejoice or despair. The same will be true of us who observe the spring of 1966 for in a few years we shall follow them to the grave. Those as yet unborn will then be rejoicing over the prospects of spring and, if like most, filling that spring time as they do the winter, fall and summer with plans, thoughts and activities that completely crowd God out of their life. That is, they will, if Christ has not yet come. From the signs of the times, he will have come before very many if even another spring time appears.

Whatever it was that took all the time and attention of those who lived just a hundred years ago, it was all a waste of time except for those few who dedicated their lives to the Lord. Their hopes, dreams, aspirations, problems and worries all died with them. Their money was left behind, their homes occupied by their heirs, their businesses run by others and they “being in honor abideth not, they are like the beasts that perish.”

We know this is true. Yet, where are we laying up our treasure, what is taking our time, what have we done since last spring that has any lasting value? Time is so short, so precious, just what are we doing to redeem it?

In 1866 Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were busily engaged in amassing huge fortunes. John Thomas and Robert Roberts were also busy that year in studying their Bibles and serving the Lord. All four men are dead. Rockefeller gave away to charity some 600 million dollars. He and Carnegie were successful be­yond anyone’s wildest dreams. Their names will live long in financial history. John Thomas and Robert Roberts are unheard of by the world at large. Each one of these men had 24 hours a day for 365 days of the year 1866. They each spent those hours in the way they thought was important. Now they are all dead. Who do we now think spent their time most profitably? From a financial view point certainly Rockefeller and Carnegie. From God’s viewpoint these two men are like the beasts that perish. John Thomas and Robert Roberts spent their time in the service of the King. In whose service are we spending our time? None of us will ever achieve the success of Carnegie or Rockefeller but are we spending our time on things as unimportant from God’s viewpoint as they did?

Can we learn a lesson from the lives of these four men ? Can we realize as we see the flowers begin to appear and hear the birds singing that only those things we do for the Lord are of any lasting value? Truly “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,” but we shall unless our name is recorded in the Book of Life and if it is, then we “shall shine as the brightness of the firmament . . . and as the stars for ever and ever.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes said “Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer.”

The teachings of the Master are not just a creed to be believed but a life to be lived. It’s one thing to sail under a flag of high ideals, it is quite another to use these principles as the rudder of our ship.

It is incredible that people will put their hand upon a Bible in being sworn into office when in that very Bible in the very Sermon on the Mount that Oliver Wendell Holmes mentioned, Jesus says, “Swear not at all.” He tells us to let our “communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

This is an excellent example of just how much this Sermon on the Mount is used as a rudder. It isn’t even used as a flag to sail under!

Jesus meant what he said. He meant for us to practice what he preached. His words are easy to understand. Why are they ignored ?

He said, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.” Why then do we paste stickers on our doors saying “We Gave” to this charitable organization and wear a little red cross in our button hole to show that we contri­buted to that one? Why do we find plaques in the halls and on the doors of rooms of hospitals and colleges stating that this room was furnished by so and so and that wing was built by such and such?

We hear Jesus saying “Resist not evil” but we find those around us fighting for their rights. We listen as Jesus says “If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.” Why then do we discover the court dockets jammed with pending law suits? We all know Jesus said to turn the other cheek but we find that even killing is justified if done in self defense.

We know that Jesus said to “love your enemies” but evidently few believe that he really meant for us to do it.

Why are these plain teachings of Jesus ignored ? The answer is so simple it is missed. These things are just the opposite of what we want to do. After all, when we give, we want everyone to know what a great person we are. When someone wrongs us, we want to fight back. When there is a conflict between what we want to do and what Jesus has told us to do, it is obvious that most people cater to their own designs. We can look around and see that the Sermon on the Mount has never been hoisted up the flag pole, let alone used as a rudder.

Now it’s time to stop looking around to notice how everyone else is ignoring Christ’s commands. It is now time to look within our own heart. How do we fit these easy to understand principles into our every day life? There is no satisfaction in knowing that everyone else ignores them. Noah’s drowning neighbors could see their friends choking, gasping and sinking too but that is no comfort to one going down for the third time. Misery may love company but we don’t want to be miser­able and we don’t have to be either.

True happiness, true peace comes from obeying from the heart the things Jesus plainly taught. If we truly belong to Christ, then we “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Crucifying the flesh has never been easy or popular but it brings great rewards. Let us follow our Master who not only taught us how to live but showed us. With him we say to our Heavenly Father, “Not my will but thine be done.”

“Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?”

Solomon asked these questions thousands of years ago and mankind is still trying to get just as close to sin as possible thinking they can escape the flames of the fire that has burned all their predecessors.

We are reminded of the story of the rich man who was interviewing prospec­tive chauffeurs and asked each one how close they could drive to the edge of the precipice without going over Each applicant tried to out do the others by telling how close they could get except one man who said he wouldn’t go anywhere near the edge. This was the man that got the job.

We too, are steering a course through life and the narrow winding road has many steep precipices Just how close to the edge do we want to get? At the start of our journey towards the kingdom sin is something that is very appealing to us, something we would love to do but mustn’t As we grow closer to God and our love for Christ waxes hotter, sin becomes more and more abhorrent until finally to sin against God becomes something we would hate to do Now we don’t get from one place to the other overnight but we shall never get there as long as we ride the edge of the road.

Just how do we get from the place where sin has strong appeal to the place where it does not? The answer lies in the way we think If we think pure thoughts, it follows that our actions will be above reproach If we allow our minds to wander over to the edge it’s only a matter of time until it falls over the precipice pulling us down with it.

The closer we stay to God the further we stay away from the edge and the hot coals When we begin to rely upon our own strength and think we can go it alone without the help of our Lord we are beginning to get into dangerous territory Cer­tainly Solomon was a strong wise king who had been abundantly blessed by God and as long as he relied upon God he was able to make wise decisions When he married outlandish women he soon began to think like they did, he got too close to the edge, and before he knew it he was worshipping the gods of his wives instead of the true and living God who had appeared to him.

We have not had the advantage of God personally appearing to us but we do have the same advantages as all the faithful of all ages in that we can take all our affairs to God in prayer knowing He hears us We also have in our hands God’s complete revelation (our Bibles) which many who lived earlier did not have We have all the help we need to stay away from the edge and clear of the hot coals but we also have a free will and if we, like Solomon, insist on trying to take fire into our bosom or tread the hot coals we can expect the same burns that struck Solomon down.

Let none of us think we can succeed in reaching the Kingdom unscathed if we are flirting with the world in any way Our love for God should make us abhor the evil that is in the world around us and if we still find it appealing at least let us have sense enough to turn our back upon it rather than snuggle up close and try to justify being on the edge.

Let us try a little game of mental gymnastics Pick something in the world that truly attracts us but we would be better off without Make it a matter of prayer, asking God’s help in overcoming our desire for it Concentrate upon the things of God and stay clear away from it and soon we will be in for an experience which will seem like a personal miracle Before we know it, the attraction will be gone God’s hand is as ready to help us today as it ever was Try it and see.

“The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” said Paul hundreds of years ago and the world’s wisdom today is just as foolish in God’s eyes as it was then.

Since Paul penned these words man’s wisdom has increased many fold in almost every area except in the things concerning God. Knowledge has been increased as Daniel predicted it would, men can now fly at the speed of sound and split the atom but still “the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” David wrote this many hundreds of years before, Paul quoted David, and we see today that David and Paul correctly assessed the present day situation.

What are the wise of the world thinking about today? It certainly is not about God. Their lives and minds are filled to the brim, some work all day and spend their evenings in night school and self improvement courses, others are engaged full time in the colleges and universities, while every industry has courses, seminars, and conven­tions where personnel are taught the latest methods, procedures and systems to increase sales, production, etc. There is so much to know about everything and the more one learns the more one realizes how much more there is to know about any subject. It is no wonder that this is the age of specialization because it has become too much for a person to be an expert except in a very limited area. All of this worldly wisdom has created great prosperity, advances in science, more free time for sports and recreation, but no time for God. Boating, bowling, and golf are all on the increase. Here again there is much to learn and hours of practice to become proficient. One does not take an expensive yacht out into the open sea without hours of study in navigation, Power Squadron regulations, and the like in addition to the hours of preparing the boat for the voyage and of course everyone knows that to play golf well requires months or years of concentrated practice. All of these things are part of the wisdom of this world which is so foolish to God. When we have done it, what have we done. So we have become an expert in electronics, an authority in accounting, a specialist in medicine, a crack golfer or champion bowler, so what? Life surely is more than this. All of these wise worldly leaders take time to lie down and die and then what becomes of their accomplishments?

It’s easy to see the folly of the fool Jesus described in his parable who pulled down his barns and built greater ones only to die and leave it all to others, but what about that person who lives in our shoes who perhaps hasn’t been quite so successful and who hasn’t yet died? Have we learned from the mistakes of others to lay up our treasure where the moths and rust can’t get at it and where no thieves can break through and steal?

Where is our treasure? Our hearts and minds are where it is. This is why the wisdom of this world is so foolish with God. Their treasure is here and all their wisdom which is considerable goes no higher than their heads and lasts no longer than their life.

This is not the case with those who have set their affection upon things above. Their thoughts are constantly upon the things of God. Their delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law do they meditate day and night. There aren’t many in the world today whose thoughts are constantly upon the things of God. We don’t find them in business, industry, sports or the universities. God’s name is rarely mentioned except in a profane way. It is the duty of man to glorify God’s Holy Name and it isn’t being done. Man is using his time, talents and wisdom for worldly things. No wonder all this is foolishness with God and will soon be destroyed when God sends His son to fill the whole earth with His glory.

In the meantime, are we being wise? What are we thinking about all day long? It had better be different than those around us. Those that “think upon His Name shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.”