Dear Children and Grandchildren,

I have enjoyed the Word of God more than I ever have since I am no longer preaching 3 or 4 times a week and am not pressed for time. Some times I find things I'd like to share with all of you, or some of you individually. With your mother's encouragement I'd like to start a "Bible Blog" and share some of my thoughts with you. Last night I told Joanna that I opened a can of "Pork and Beans" for supper, (your mother is in Arizona helping Becky while Adam recuperates from a serious operation) but I found no pork so I renamed it "Beans and Beans". With a hearty laugh she wondered if I had "looked under every bean?' I trust what I send you will have some "pork" but if you find it to be only "beans" just push the delete button.

Ps.119:168 "I have kept Thy precepts and Thy testimonies: for all my ways are before Thee," As you were growing up one of the things I was careful to emphasize in our daily devotions was that the time would come when you would no longer be under the eye of Mom and Dad but you would never be out of sight of God's eye. What an encouragement we find here to keep God's Word. "all my ways are before Thee,"

"Experience makes many a paradox plain, and this is one. Before God we may be clear of open fault and yet at the same time mourn over a thousand heart-wanderings which need his restoring hand."--C.H. Spurgeon

"I may hide Thee from my eye, but not myself from Thine eye."--Wm. Gurnall

Monday, June 8, 2009

THE GLORY OF MAN

Dear Children,

Your mother asked me to write you a synopsis of the message I preached yesterday, June 7.  I am preaching through I Peter, and I’m sure the blessing I’m receiving in preparation and delivery of the messages is much greater than anyone might receive in hearing them.  The text was I Peter 1:24,25: “ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF GRASS.  THE GRASS WITHERETH,  AND THE FLOWER THEREOF FALLETH AWAY: BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”  This is in caps because it is taken from Isaiah  40:8.  Actually the text speaks for itself and my main job was to keep from messing it up with my preaching! 

I reminded everybody that all the GLORY OF MAN does not last any longer than the withering of the grass and the flower which suddenly appears and very quickly disappears, especially in Alaska.  This glory which disappears so quickly can include our physical appearance, our material possessions, or anything else we seek so fervently to aspire to in our brief stopover here.  Then I strongly emphasized the need of spending our time in THE  WORD OF GOD WHICH ENDURES FOREVER.  Not so much in the number of chapters read or even the length of time spent but in quality of the time spent.  I asked the folk if they would like to see the time they spent in the Word of God this past week written on a blackboard in front of the congregation.  One elderly gentleman,  absorbed in the message, said aloud, "NO!"

Does the Bible “live” as you read it, and do you often lay it down reluctantly when you must turn away to take other responsibilities? Does it bring real joy to your heart, or is the reading of the Word of God a burden that you take on as a salve to your conscience?  Do you read your three chapters so you can keep a schedule that gets you through the Bible in a year? Or are you sometimes “arrested” by a brief portion or perhaps even one verse that you must stop to meditate and pray over?

I concluded with “a preview of coming attractions” as they used to show in the matinee movies I attended as a boy.  I said next week I would be continuing with the first three verses of chapter 2. If there is no "life” in your reading of the Bible and you find it dull or boring, your problem could be that you are not born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God (verse 23),  or your appetite has been spoiled as stated in chapter 2:1-3.  I said that I would be preaching on the “wherefore” which begins chapter 2.  And I told them to ignore the chapter division found there as the first three verses in chapter 2 are a necessary continuation of chapter 1.

My wish for each of you is that you are finding the reading of Word of God the best part of your day as I can honestly say I do.

Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus, Amen.

DAD 
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