ISSUE: #42

MEM

Message

My father was a true collector of junk. You know, "One man’s junk, another man’s treasure." My father was very unique in that he could sort through sheds full of items and make useful creations; whether for a 4^th of July parade, or for someone that wanted a novel widget or a restored whatever. He could take in a broken down riding lawn mower and have it running like new from other broken down machines; for him he could see value in everything.

I not only look like my father, but I also collect junk. Thankfully there is a large barn on our property that holds most of that stuff. Like my father I can see value in most anything. Unlike my father, I have not been able to make much of my warehouse of possibilities.

When my father died, his children (seven of them) did their best to sort, sell or dump all his collected treasures. It took months. Being determined not to put my children through such future agony, I began sorting and trashing all unnecessary items. This project has been going on for years; now there is a pile of discarded items, oh, about a car trunk full, ready for the land-fill. Why is it so hard to let go of cherished items?

How much are we like this when it comes to our spiritual life? Have we latched on to every dogma and doctrine that comes along? Do we store them in the recesses of our mind, not in any particular order? Have we cluttered our spiritual life with bits and pieces that do not fit, that have not been completely abandoned or discarded? Are we hanging onto cherished tradition, emotional sentiments, or what seems right and useful when they do not fit the template of Scripture?

Can we shed that which hinders? Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? {hinder you: or, drive you back} (AV)

Scriptures about casting away (AV throughout):

We need to make wise decisions - Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Do other treasures interfere with true worship? Isaiah 31:7 For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

What makes us transgress? Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die…? Ezekiel 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them...

Here is a case of casting away the wrong thing - Isaiah 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

If we put physical or spiritual things before our Maker, we will be cast away.

Luke 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

Let not our heart be encumbered with things that hinder.

Proverb

Proverbs 8:11 "For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her. (NAS)

Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters, "Give," "Give." There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, "Enough":

Saying (s)

Maturity is a never ending process. There will always be progress to make in one dimension or another. We grow by being willing to tackle the process rather than resist it.. Stephen R. Covey

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity..,

Bible Quiz

1. What did Yeshua say to Matthew when he called him?
2. In which kingdom did Joel prophesy?
3. Where did David reign for thirty-three years?
4. What did Simon the sorcerer want to buy?
5. What did Aaron do with gold earrings?
6. Who had a dream about three baskets of bread on his head?
7. Who said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of YHVH of hosts…"

Humility

"In the life of earnest Christians who pursue and profess holiness, humility ought to be the chief mark of their uprightness." Andrew Murray

If one but remembers that humility is - the emptying oneself of our way and turning to the Might Elohim to have Him manifest Himself in and through us - We would understand the need of getting the clutter out of our lives – replacing it with the power and goodness of our Creator. Through this housecleaning we acknowledge we are but the creature and He the Creator, and we desire the relationship He offers. Just as it takes effort to cast off the unproductive bands of this human nature there is great reward in experiencing peace and joy through victory in Yeshua.

Did you know:

Men can read smaller print than women can; but women can hear better.

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow

A. Their birthplace
  A. One thousand

Lighter Side

Political Philosophies Explained in Simple Two Cow Terms..

SOCIALISM You have two cows. You keep one and give one to your neighbor...

COMMUNISM You have two cows, The government takes them both and provides you with milk..

FASCISM You have two cows, the government takes them and sells you the milk...

BUREAUCRACY You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours it down the drain...

CAPITALISM You have two cows, you sell one and buy a bull..

CORPORATE You have two cows, You sell one , force the other to produce the milk of four cows, then act surprised when it drops dead...

DEMOCRACY You have two cows, the government taxes you to the point that you must sell them both in order to support a man in a foreign country that has only one cow which was a gift from your government..

Children’s Story

It was the next Sunday when Harry asked pastor Mike if he still wanted him to teach a Sunday School Class. Yes, there was a need for an instructor for the 12 to 15 year old children. After some preliminary instruction pastor Mike gave Harry the lesson manual and study guide. It was agreed to begin in two weeks. Harry was to attend the class the next week to be introduced and to get a feel of things; pastor Mike would be teaching that class for the last time.

Harry took this responsibility very seriously. He prayed every morning about teaching others, he studied the material and he practiced speaking before a mirror. The next Sunday morning Harry dressed in his best, he waited for the young teen class to begin. When it was over, Harry was confident he could handle the material; after all, he had been in this class only four years ago. Only then did he realize how little he had paid attention during those years; how little it meant to him then. How could he convey to these teens the need to cultivate a life dependant on God.

That night, and for the rest of the week, Harry pondered how he could present the lesson material in a way that would invite and draw in the young teens. He studied the ‘Study Guide,’ he went to the library looking for literature about presentations; and he prayed.

Harry finally was determined to use, ‘object lessons’, to convey the material in the class manual. Pastor Mike sat in on the first couple of classes presented by Harry. He was pleased with the participation of the students and the interest generated by Harry’s presentation. After that he let Harry do his thing, he could check up on Harry by questioning his youngest son who was in that class.

Harry became more and more bold as his confidence grew. He worked harder on object lessons to maintain the classes’ interest. Soon the young teens expected spectacular happenings at each class. Harry tried to become more creative: David fighting Goliath - man returning to dust – the storm on the sea of Galilee – Elijah calling down fire from heaven… So it went until he almost burned down the classroom. That was when Pastor Mike had a talk with Harry.

Pastor Mike gave Harry a month off to think about his escapades. He analyzed his affect on the teens. What they really remembered were the presentations and not the lessons from Scripture. So Harry prayed and asked God to give him direction. What was really important for the youth at this stage in their lives? The American economy was growing so fast, the lives of people were being consumed by materialism. The novelty of TV was taking up the time of the youth as well as their family time together. Neighborhood and family events being abandoned by the pursuit of modern secularism. In fact the church was abandoning the meetings during the week because of the lack of attendance. Even on Sunday the congregation could hardly wait for the last "Amen" to rush out to do their own thing.

Harry wondered what to do. As the winter season was approaching and farm chores were diminishing, Harry threw himself into the study of Scripture. He supplemented the study guide with other resource material. He wisely spent his small income on other Bible translations, Bible dictionaries, and a Bible Concordance. He determined to read the Bible from cover to cover. When he resumed his class instruction, with the promise of no more fire, his conveyance was more Biblically oriented. Instead of the usual Old Testament stories he added information about the story characters. At first it was difficult to get and keep the attention of the teens because of his more scholarly approach. Because of his persistence in both prayer and study he gained a wealth of knowledge. Soon the young teens recognized his skill and knowledge, they started coming to him for advice and had genuine questions about Scripture. During his lesson time he would depart from the study guide to include practical lessons about life and how to resolve them with help from the Book of Proverbs.

Harry was able, over time, to encourage his students to look to Scripture as the source of spiritual knowledge and to talk to their Creator in prayer. He was able to demonstrate the love of Yeshua (Jesus), and their need for Him in their daily life, not just a once a week token time.

Next time: Harry goes too far.

Quiz Answers

1. "Follow me." - Matthew 9:9

2. The southern kingdom (Judah)

3. Jerusalem - 2 Samuel 5:5

4. The ability to give the Holy Spirit to others - Acts 8:9,18-19

5. He made an idol cast in the shape of a calf - Exodus 32:2-4

6. Pharaoh’s chief baker - Genesis 40:16-17

7. David - 1 Samuel 17:45