Slow Down!

See woman walking on far right with child in arms

Neal Pollard

One of the classic episodes of the Andy Griffith Show is entitled, "Man in a Hurry."  In it, a fast-paced business man learns the value of slowing down and enjoying life.  It cut against the grain of his crotchety, need-it-now gruffness, but he learned the value of taking life slower.  As a woman and her four-year-old son recently learned, when dealing with the New York City subway system, a failure to slow down can be deadly.  Video surveillance shows her leading the boy by the hand right past the platform and down onto the track below, just as a speeding train approached.  The fast, courageous thinking of commuters-turned-rescuers kept this from having a tragic ending.  Instead of talking about her and her son as fatalities, the woman lived to talk about how blessed and grateful she was.  Hopefully she learned to slow down and pay attention.

Haste makes waste, they say.  Hurrying can not only lead to mistakes, it can get one in much trouble.  Some things deserve time for deliberation.  Nothing deserves more careful contemplation than matters of eternal implication.  When it comes to how we will live life or where we will spend eternity, we must be cautious and thoughtful.  Yet, the majority are rushing headlong throughout life, oblivious to the danger.  Isaiah, for one, says, in essence, "Slow down and think!"  In exact words, he writes, "Come now, let us reason together..." (Isa. 1:18).  Therein, he makes an appeal to consider a salvation issue.

Our eternal destiny is worth the most careful consideration.  In Luke 14, Jesus preaches careful contemplation. This is not the paralyzing, fearful hesitation that prevents one from doing what is right, but it is the precise process of self-examination urged by Paul (2 Cor. 13:5).  If you are not thinking "long term," pondering your relationship with God, you need to slow down.

A Free Man Still in Prison

 

In 1999, Daniel Larsen was convicted of a crime in California and put in prison.  Ten years later, new witnesses came forward, stacking the evidence in Larsen’s favor.  As a result, a federal magistrate ruled that Larsen had been denied rights to a fair trial and ordered his immediate release.  Unfortunately, because of some complicated rules and technical jargon, the state of California has kept Larsen in prison for the past two years.  Even though Daniel had a shaky past and is to blame for some of his troubles, he should still be a free man according to the evidence.  However, he is continuing to live his life behind bars.

It would be quite sad to know that we could and should be free, but still find ourselves imprisoned.  Yes, this would be terrible, but this situation happens much more often then we might think.  It even happens to people you know!

Romans 6 discusses this very point, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life… Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts… For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness…But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life” (1-4, 12, 20, 22).

The idea behind Romans 6 is simply that those of us who have been freed from sin through baptism should not continue to live life imprisoned by sin!  The problem is, spiritually free Christians choose to continue living behind the prison bars of sin.

It’s sad that Daniel Larsen is forced to stay in prison when he should be free, but it is much more depressing when free people, Christians, choose to live life enslaved to sin.  Have we been freed from sin through baptism (Romans 6:3-4; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)?  If so, let’s never take our freedom for granted and continue to live a life free from sin.

Are You a Hero?

 

Are you a hero?  I don’t mean are you superman.  What I mean is, how do you react during an emergency?  Do you freeze up or jump into action?  Some of us have never been in a situation like this and can only speculate.  This was not the case for Stephen St. Bernard, a 53-year-old bus driver.

Last month at his Brooklyn, N.Y. apartment building, he arrived to see a crowd outside.  They were all looking up at a 7-year-old girl who was dancing on top of an air-conditioning unit hanging from the window.  St. Bernard hurried up to the building.  All that was on his mind was, “Maybe I can catch her.”  As he moved under the window, the girl slipped and fell.  St. Bernard caught the girl, but not without consequences.  It is estimated that the falling girl brought 600 pounds of force onto Stephen’s arms.  The force tore muscles, tendons, and nerves in his arm and needed surgical repair.  Despite the pain and discomfort he was in, he selflessly stated, "Not a scratch was on that baby."  Stephen St. Bernard is definitely a valiant hero.

Most of us have probably not been in a situation like this.  However, this does not mean we are not and cannot be heroes.  It is one thing to save someone’s life; it is another to save someone’s soul.  What could be more heroic than saving someone from an eternity in hell?

Think about the last time you could have shared Christ with someone.  Did you jump into action, or did you freeze up?  Did you prove to be a hero under the pressure, or just another face in the crowd?

Here is a reminder of Jesus’ command to us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This command is not just for preachers, elders, and evangelists.  This command is for me and this command is for you.  We all would like to think we would jump into action and be a hero like St. Bernard if someone’s life was on the line.  Yet sometimes we cannot even talk to others about the hero that saved our own souls, Christ the Lord!  Now is the time to show what we are made of.  It’s time we step up and be spiritual heroes.

Problems, Problems, Problems

 

“The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island.  He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.  Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.  But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.  The worst had happened; everything was lost.  He was stung with grief and anger.  ‘God, how could you do this to me!’ he cried.  Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.  It had come to rescue him.  ‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers.  ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied” (Tim Shen Illustrations).

I have to admit, I cringe when people blame God for their problems.  Who are we, as a small and sinful people, to point the finger at God and condemn Him for our problems?  The reason I like the above illustration is because it shows that positive things come from trials sometimes.  We are all wearing blinders that make it hard to see past our immediate situations.  All we see are the problems happening right here and right now.  For this reason, it is so important that we keep our composure and work through the trials.

There is a much better way to view the problems we face.  It is all about perspective.  We need to look for the silver lining.  The book of James speaks often about trials and suffering.  Here are a few suggestions to view trials with a better attitude:

• Look at trials as a joy, because they are (James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:12-16).  Maybe we go through some of our problems because God sees us worthy enough for such a difficult trial!
• Look at trials as a test from God, because they might be (James 1:3; Genesis 22).  Will we pass this test, or will we get angry and blame god?
• Look at trials as a way to make you better and stronger for the future (James 1:3-4).  Take off the blinders and start looking for how God may use this in your future.

God never promised that this life will be problem free, even for the most faithful.  He has promised an eternal reward in heaven for those who remain faithful through this life though (Revelation 2:10).  So the next time a trial comes your way, how will you react?

A "Strike Of Capital"

Neal Pollard

In the July/August 2012 issue of Imprimis, put out by Hillsdale College, economist and author John Steele Gordon shared five "Economic Lessons from American History."  It is a fascinating read, but this is not a review of it.  Near the end of the article, Gordon makes a point about what financial markets call a "strike of capital."  In stressing that the stock market hates uncertainty (what financial policies and decisions government will make), corporations engage in a "strike of capital."  Companies have plenty of money and are making a profit, but they are unwilling to invest it until they have a clearer picture about taxes, government control, and the like.  It makes perfect sense, though in the process it can impact prices, job availability, growth, and any number of related factors (Vol. 41, Nos. 7/8, 7).

While in economics this can be a prudent thing to do, it is never what God wants us to do spiritually.  What is the church's capital?  Certainly, it is everything God gives in spiritual and material terms (cf. Eph. 1:3; Js. 1:17), but it inevitably includes the people who make up the church.  So, what is the Christian's capital?  Essentially, it is his or her time, interest, money, ability, and anything else over which God has made him or her a steward.  Since God's government and plan is always perfect, none of us ever has a right or reason to engage in a "strike of capital."  We are nothing and can do nothing without Him, who gives us everything that we have in terms of our personal "capital."  When we consider that we are to use everything to advance His cause and glorify His name, we must continually invest accordingly (cf. Mat. 6:19-21).  

Could it ever be that, without consciously doing so, we are engaging in a "strike of capital"?  What we are talking about goes beyond crashes, bulls, or bears.  We are talking about eternal accountability!  God has us here to do His business.  Let us put that "capital" to use!