This is the Stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the Chief Cornerstone." Acts 4:11
Volume 12 * Number 1* January 1, 2012
HOW CAN WE THANK GOD?
Stan L. Caldwell
There can be no question left to the fact that God has blessed us greatly in life.
When we study the lepers who were cured by Jesus and see that only one returned to
give thanks and Jesus’ saying, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
(Luke 17:17- 18), we long to give thanks to God! In Nehemiah’s day the Jews longed
to give thanks and we see them doing this in several ways as we too are encouraged
to give thanks.
1. GIVE THANKS BY PRAYER. There were those, “who began the thanksgiving
with prayer” (Neh. 11:17). Men ought always to, “Pray without ceasing. In every thing
give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess.
5:17-18).
2. GIVE THANKS BY GIVING. In chapter 10 of Nehemiah we see the thanksgiving
of the people by the manner in which they gave o the Lord. You should read this chapter
and see the great giving by the people of Nehemiah’s day. We can thank God by giving
to him of our means, talents, time and lives.
3. GIVE THANKS BY SINGING. Nehemiah in dedicating the Wall of the city of Jerusalem divided the people into “two large thanksgiving choirs” and they sang the “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Neh. 12:31, 46). We can thank God by singing while thinking of the great things He has done and of our gratitude to Him.
4. GIVE THANKS BY REJOICING. Neh. 12:43-44 shows the children of Israel thanking
God by rejoicing over the service of the Lord and those ministering to them spiritually.
Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” What
better way can Christians show their thanksgiving than by rejoicing in the Lord!
5. GIVE THANKS BY REMOVING EVIL. Neh 13:14 says, “Remember me, O my God, concerning
this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God,
and for its services!” Nehemiah made many reforms in Jerusalem. He removed the things
that were wrong and reinstated the good service of God. You too are to “present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”
(Rom. 12:2). By our removing sin from our lives and being obedient in all things
we show our thanksgiving for all God had done for us. Let us be thankful!
Dead While She Lives
Joe Fitch
"Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives" (1Timothy 5:5-6). Dead and yet alive? This bears investigation!
"She" peers intently at the mirror. The reflection staring back is beautiful and flawless. Perfect health is obvious. Even old age (early stages of dying) is nowhere evident -- not even a wrinkle to be seen. Yet God looks, and sees only her corpse!
In my garden, squash plants all look lush. No bugs at all. You see no squash borer. In stealth, he enters the stem and eats the inside of the stalk. Abruptly, the squash wilts and dies -- dead from the inside. So is this woman. She is already dead -- dead from the inside. On the other hand, "She who is really a widow" is old and gets older. Yet she is alive -- inside and out. She will still be vitally alive when she expels her last breath -- alive even when she is dead.
Why is she "dead while she lives"? Because she "lives in pleasure". Enjoying life is not evil; this is rather a problem of emphasis. "Pleasure" is not the focal point of life; fun does not define life. For many, fun is more important than money -- they only work so they can afford to play. Pleasure is all there is to her life. If it is not fun, she will have none of it. Fun is her absolute demand. Contrast now the "really widow" who "trusts in God." God is her core of life; faith is her solid connection to Him. Even if she is poor -- or alone -- or old, she has God. God is her life; He does not fail her. The "dead while she lives" woman stakes all on pleasure. Trusting God comes in a distant second best -- if at all! Her choice is fatal!
How bad is this "living in pleasure" problem? Just a little flaw? -- a slight glitch? No! She missed life -- "living in pleasure" killed her. This is deadly serious.
She has no exclusive on "dead while she lives". It is not gender specific. Men are plagued with the disease at least as much as women -- and results are the same.
This deadly blight is also not exclusive to living in pleasure. All living in sin (life characterized by the practice of any sin) has the same fatal result. A drunk eventually dies from drinking, but has already destroyed his own spiritual life long before he expired. An immoral man suffers numerous ills and consequences from carousing, but his "sins against his own body" (1Cor.6:18) already killed his inner man. Lying is usually not a life threatening matter -- according to who you lie to and what you lie about. However, it is always fatal to the soul.
"Dead while she lives" also conjures up in my mind some church applications as well. Some churches are dead -- already dead -- and no one even notices. Nothing seems amiss; everything proceeds as it always has. The church died, but no one grieves -- nor laments -- nor cries. There are no efforts at resuscitation. That is sad!
A church is dead while alive when the ability to edify the members is lost. People are not mean or rebellious. Yet no one edifies the saints! No one is "equipping ... the saints … for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12) -- which is a fundamental purpose of the church. They will not grow better, but they will eventually weaken -- and wither -- and just dry up. By then, they will have been dead a long time -- just waiting to be buried.
A church is dead while alive when a sense of worship has expired. Awe in God's presence is forgotten. Songs are dirges; prayers are by rote. Bread and grape juice are consumed without remembering. The "acts of worship" are all in place, but "worship" is gone. Ritual rules! The church is dead -- just waiting for the doors to close.
A church is dead while alive when spiritual fervor burns out -- where they are "neither hot nor cold" (Revelation 3:15) -- when they are not "stirred up", being "put in remembrance" (2 Peter 3:1). Oh yes, they are dead -- just waiting for the funeral.
A church is dead while alive when a zeal for souls is gone. At that very point, the church is as good as dead. Surely no one will notice it -- or accept it. Sooner or later, people move -- die -- desert the Lord until finally, no one is left. The building is an empty monument. The church has been embalmed for many years; it is now time to proceed to the cemetery.
"Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. See then
that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise ..." (Ephesians 5:14-15).
The Cornerstone
Published to Support the Work of the West End Church of Christ, Richmond, Virginia
