There’s nothing like “old friends” and I’m not talking about age, although that would be appropriate in some cases. My wife and I just returned from visiting some of the folks I’m talking about. I preached last Saturday and Sunday at the Rodgers Baptist Church in Garland, Tx. where we had the privilege of visiting with Pastor Ron Thomas and his wife Brenda. This church has a special place in my heart and every visit brings back a lot of wonderful memories. Being there also gives me the opportunity to see a lot of old friends, even some I didn’t expect to see. What a blessing!

Many of those “old friends” are preachers and their wives (remember what I said, “I’m not talking about age.”–whew, that was close!), but many are simply church members who have remained faithful down through the years. I’ve know some of them for nearly 40 years and they are still involved in God’s work. What a great testimony!

It is members like that who, under the leadership of their good pastor, make Rodgers Baptist Church the great church it is. God has used this church to do amazing things and I am encouraged everytime I visit. It reminds me of what God can do when we do things His way.

Well, I guess there ought to be some point to all this, so I’ll just wrap it up by by saying this—Be grateful for your friends and never forget what a serious responsiblity it is to be a person’s friend. They won’t be around forever, so take a little time to let them know how special they are to you. It will be wonderful when all God’s children are gathered home where they can spend eternity in one anothers company. Until then, take some time to enjoy your friends. You will be glad you did. Think about it!

The older I get the more “Out-Dated” I feel. This, however, has nothing to do with age. This feeling comes from being out of sync with others. I’m not talking about the world in general—I haven’t been in sync with the world since I trusted Christ as my Savor. No it isn’t that. I’m talking about the way professing Christians have changed over the last forty years.

 

You would have to be blind not to see that there has been a drastic shift in the views and actions of professing Christians over this period of time. It’s hard to believe what has happened. Don’t misunderstand me—I’m not one of those who say, “ I’ve never changed any of my beliefs since the day I was saved.” I got some doubts about how much they have been studying God’s Word if they say that. Although I haven’t changed my beliefs in regards to the major doctrines of the Bible, I’ve changed my views in regards to other matters of lesser importance. I believe we ought to change when compelled to do so by the truth. That’s the real issue—what is right and what is wrong? We live in a day when it seems nothing is wrong, except maybe taking a firm stand for the truth. It seems that people today will tolerate anything except those who refuse to tolerate sin. Seems amazing that you can’t convince people that truth never changes.

 

I don’t mind telling you—I feel out of touch with most folks today. I know what some of you are thinking—“He is old fashioned”, “He isn’t up to date”. ”He is living in the past”, etc. That’s alright. My grief isn’t grounded in what they think about me. I grieve because they have forsaken the truth. That’s what hurts. The fact that they don’t agree with me doesn’t matter. Their being blinded to the truth matters very much. If someone saying, “You are behind the times” means that I have not departed from the truth, then I take that as a compliment.

 

I’m not the least bit concerned about being in step with the crowd. I’m not trying to win a popularity contest. My only concern is walking in the truth and pleasing Christ. Brag all you want about being the “ coolest dude” in town—it won’t be so funny when you stand before Christ. It’s not a matter of being “up-to-date”, it’s a matter of being right. As believers we ought to value the truth, abide in the truth, proclaim the truth, and “earnestly contend” for the truth. We are never at liberty to ignore it. We shall be judged by it. Think about it!

Did you ever feel like you were “just being used”? I’ll bet you have. It happens to everyone. On behalf of all the pastors, let me tell you it is a common problem. Most have felt like they were considered as nothing more than a piece of furniture or church owned equipment—useful only until a new model comes along or until they are out of style. They often feel they are just tolerated until they can no longer meet the expectations of the church. Then it’s off to the dump!

 

But pastors aren’t the only ones who feel that way. The same thing happens in all walks of life. No need to illustrate—anyone who strives to fulfill their duties know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s an awful feeling and sometimes it is difficult to keep going. Everyone gets tired of people taking advantage of them and feeling unappreciated. So how do you keep going when you feel like throwing in the towel?

 

Whether we are able to keep going or not is a matter of motive. Why do we do what we do? That’s the key issue. Here’s the answer—“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”(Colossians 3:23). When our main motive is to please God we will endure the slights and injustices of others. It still hurts, unrequited love always does, but we will be empowered to do what we should regardless of how people treat us.

 

The only way to really please yourself is to please Christ. Knowing  He is pleased with us will keep us going under the most trying circumstances. He turns drudgery into delight. Life is tough for everyone and it is made even tougher by those who just want to use you to get what they want. But we can get the job done by keeping our focus on Christ. So, if you are frustrated because others are unkind, consider your motive. THINK ABOUT IT!

Many today are worried sick about terrorism, but in reality we are our own worse enemy! Man’s biggest problem is his obsession with self. We see it vividly in little children and we expect it, but sadly it stays with most people throughtout life. Even those who contemplate becoming Christians usually do so with the wrong motive. They want to know “Will it help me?”, “Will it solve my problems?”, “Will it meet my needs?” Certainly every Christian would testify that Christianity does help us, but if that is the only factor a person considers he will never become the person God wants him to be.

The famous missionary to inland China, Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) understood this. He said,”Are we not all too apt to seek Him rather because of our need than for His joy and pleasure? This should not be. We do not admire selfish children who only think of what they can get from their parents and are unmindful of the pleasure that they may give or the service that they may render. But are not we in danger of forgetting that pleasing God means giving Him pleasure?”

Sadly, personal pleasure has become more important to us than pleasing God. We break our necks trying to make ourselves happy, and we believe we deserve it, but we keep coming up short. As Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) wrote:”The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” He was right.

A.W. Tozer(1897-1963) said, “The doctrine of man’s inalienable right to happiness is anti-God and anti-Christ, and its wide acceptance by society tells us a lot about that same society.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.said,”The end of life is not to be happy nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.”

Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote:”They alone are truly happy who are seeking to be righteous. Put happiness in the place of righteousness and you will never get it.” He was right–there is no true happiness without holiness. Solomon tried wisdom, wine, works, wealth, and women in his search for satisfaction, but he concluded that it was all vanity. He was so disappointed that he declared he hated life.

The Bible clearly teaches that our main duty is to glorify God. Living for any other purpose spells failure. Glorifying God should be the supreme passion of our heart. It should be our all consuming interest, the thing that motivates and drives us. Get that right and you will never lack for genuine joy.Think about it!

I just happened to run across an article on the internet that was written by a friend of mine many years ago, a friend who has been with the Lord for more than a quarter of a century. Even after all these years he is still ministering to people by way of what he left. That got me to thinking–as I’ve often said, “You are going to die and they will bury your body, but your influence will live on and on.” We need to think about that more often and we need to act on the reality of it. Many years after you are dead and gone others will be affected by the life you lived. [Read more…]