[Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 4/6/08
tedwards at onemain.com
tedwards at onemain.com
Thu Apr 10 12:25:20 CDT 2008
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THE GOSPEL OBSERVER
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"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20).
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April 6, 2008
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Contents:
1) Have a Good Time (Bob J. Walton)
2) Christ: The Solid Foundation of the Home (Steve Klein)
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-1-
Have a Good Time
by Bob J. Walton
It's that season of the year again; the "good ole summer time."
It's that time of the year when many of us take that long awaited
vacation. It's the time for recreation, travel, and truly the time
of the year to "have a good time."
And certainly if there was ever a time in human history when
people can have a good time, it is now. While our grandparents
worked from 60 to 80 hours per week, we plan our schedules around a
40-hour workweek. Thus we all have more time on our hands for
pleasure and recreation. And furthermore, with our technological
age, there are so many things to help us have a good time; in fact,
helping us have a good time has become one of the world's leading
industries. It is because of these factors that America has become
a land of "enjoy the good life" as one catchy television commercial
has put it.
From my study of the Scriptures, I am convinced that God wants
us to have a good time; to enjoy the beauty of his creation. Our
Heavenly Father has put so many things on this earth for us to
enjoy, and to enjoy them is his desire. And to enjoy the things of
God's creation is recreation. With the everyday toils of life, we
often become tired both mentally and physically; thus the word
recreation conveys the thought of "re-creating" our minds, bodies,
and energies.
One of the truly great books of the Old Testament is the book
of Ecclesiastes. This ancient book teaches us how to have a good
time. The theme of the book is "life under the sun," or how to live
on this earth. Six times in the book the writer admonishes man to
enjoy life. "Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely
(fitting) for one to eat and drink and to enjoy the good of all his
labor that he taketh under the sun, all the days of his life which
God giveth him: for this is his portion" (Eccl. 5:18). "There is
nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and
make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is
from the hand of God" (Eccl. 2:24). From these verses it is
concluded that God desires that man work diligently and from the
fruit of these labors he is to enjoy life. And we should always
consider this as a gift from God. Thus a great lesson about life we
need to learn is how to have a good time; how truly to enjoy life
on this earth. And the individual who learns this great lesson can
live a happy, productive, and successful life.
But with the expression "have a good time" there is also a
grave danger. The danger lies in the abuses. We do not have to be
reminded that there is another side of the coin; that side being
dissipation. This word means "excessive indulgence in luxury and
vicious pleasures." So many today abuse the principle of having a
good time and embrace the old Epicurean philosophy of "eat, drink,
and be merry" in which this ancient Greek philosopher advocated,
"the chief purpose of man is to achieve happiness, and true
happiness is found in pleasure." And so many today, under the guise
of "having a good time" have turned the God-given privilege of
enjoying life under the sun into an excessive indulgence of the
sordid pleasures of life. And when this philosophy is embraced, it
always leads to that which is injurious and debilitating to our
physical, mental, moral, and worst of all, our spiritual happiness
and well-being.
So a real test is presented to the Christian. The challenge is
for us to learn how to have a good time; how to enjoy the good life
and the rich provisions God has provided for us. And while learning
how to enjoy life we must, at the same time, learn to avoid that
which is crippling to our physical, mental, moral, and spiritual
health and happiness. And in order to meet this challenge we need
to seek the proper guidelines for that which is proper. And
certainly the guidelines are found in the word of God. We must,
therefore, seek divine approval for all our recreational
activities; the Bible does contain the answers. But while God's
word is specific on certain things that are wrong and prohibited,
not all the "do's and don't" are specifically spelled out for us.
But we hasten to declare that God has given us certain principles
to direct us and help us in our search for what is right and what
is wrong. And by applying these principles we can learn what
constitutes recreation as well as what constitutes dissipation.
Certain questions need to be asked and God's counsel must be sought
for answers pertaining to having a good time.
These questions and answers include:
(1) What about my companionships? "Evil companionships corrupt
good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33). So I certainly must choose good
company in my recreational activities. When the Christian
associates with evil people in recreational activities there is
always the danger of moral erosion; thus we need to be reminded
that we cannot "run with them into the same excess of riot" (1 Pet.
4:4).
(2) What about my service to God? If having a good time
interferes with my worship to God, my Bible study, prayer life, or
any other phase of my growth and well-being as a Christian, it
becomes wrong. It is wrong because I am devoting my service and
allegiance to something other than God and thus recreation becomes
an idol.
(3) What about my influence? One of the most precious things
the Christian can possess is a good influence. "A good name is
rather to be chosen than great riches" (Prov. 22:1). I should
never do that which brings reproach on my family name and
posterity, and more so I must never do that which brings shame to
the name of my Lord and Savior.
(4) What about the indecent? A lot of recreation is indecent.
And if that recreation or entertainment puts me in a situation
where speech, action, or conduct are vulgar and coarse, and where
evil passions and desires are stirred, it should be avoided. As a
Christian, I should desire to keep my heart pure and strive to keep
my passions and evil desires in check.
(5) What about my financial means? I have a financial
responsibility to material things (government, family, etc.) as
well as a responsibility to God. And if I overload myself with
"things" in order to have a good time and in so doing, strap myself
financially, God is so often the one who is robbed (Mal. 3:8)
because financial responsibilities hinder me from giving as I
should.
My friend, God never expected nor intended that we give up all
the fun and enjoyment of living because we are Christians. It is
completely foreign to the life of the child of God to just endure a
life of morbid gloom. Likewise, it is a mistaken notion that
Christianity is just a lot of "don't do this and don't do that."
These are distorted ideas and untrue concepts of true religion.
Contrary to this, we should live radiant, happy, cheerful, and
truly enjoyable lives. We should learn to have a good time; to
"re-create" our bodies and minds. But let us always regulate our
lives in this respect so as to "prove all things; hold fast to that
which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thess. 5:21-
22).
-- Via Guardian of Truth XXXII: 15, pp. 462-463, August 4, 1988
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-2-
Christ: The Solid Foundation of the Home
The foundation of a house supports the entire structure. If
the foundation is not solid, the house is unstable (cf. Matthew
7:24-27). The stability of the family also depends upon a
well-laid foundation. What should serve as the foundation for our
homes?
We recognize that Christ is the foundation of the church (1
Corinthians 3:10). He is the foundation and chief cornerstone of
our relationships with God and other Christians in His church
(Ephesians 2:19-20).
But, when a person becomes a Christian, it changes more than
his relationship with God and the church; it changes all of his
relationships. The Christian is a new creature (2 Corinthians
5:17). His associations and dealings with others now have their
basis in his relationship with Christ, and, in a sense, Christ
becomes the foundation and chief cornerstone of every relationship
the new Christian has. For instance, he now obeys and respects
civil authority because Christ is the foundation of his life (cf.
Romans 13:1-6). If this is true when it comes to the Christian's
relationship with government, then it is vitally true when it comes
to relationships within the home.
Notice Paul's instructions concerning the duties of young wives
in Titus 2:4-5. They need to "love their husbands, to love their
children...that the word of God may not be blasphemed!" Similarly,
husbands must dwell with their wives "with understanding...that
your prayers may not be hindered!" (1 Peter 3:7). If the husband
does not provide for his family "he has denied the faith" (1
Timothy 5:8). Do you see it? All of these passages are implying
that proper dealings with one another in the home have a direct
connection to our affiliation with Jesus Christ. For Christians,
THE KEY to beginning to build an ideal home is to realize that
every relationship must be governed by Jesus Christ. The way you
treat your spouse, children and parents flows from your
relationship with Jesus as the foundation for your entire life.
And so, the way you fulfill your God-given role in the home says an
awful lot about you as a Christian, and goes a long way toward
determining whether your home life will be stable and secure or
weak and unsteady.
-- Adapted from "How to Build Your Dream Home" by Steve Klein
(via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, February
24, 2008)
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MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST
1022 Myrtle Street
Denham Springs, LA 70726
(225) 664-8208
Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 7:00 PM
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
e-mail: tedwards at onemain.com
web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go
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