By Mike Benson

When was the last time...

. You went to visit someone in the community who lives alone?

. You wrote a letter to say "thank you" to a person who has helped you along life's way?

. You dropped by the local nursing home and just listened to someone who needed a sympathetic ear?

. You showed a special interest in a child who comes from a broken home?

. You encouraged a neighbor who recently lost a loved one?

. You told a teenager how proud you are of his or her efforts?

. You invited a friend to study the Bible with you?

. You tried to encourage a child of God who is struggling with temptation?

. You told your family how much you loved and appreciate them?

The Bible reminds us, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, LET US DO GOOD..." (Galatians 6:10a). When was the last time?

by Stan Mitchell

When Chicago Cub superstar Sammy Sosa's bat shattered into pieces of wood and, well, cork, the baseball universe tilted south. Sosa, who is not only a great home run hitter, but a perennial good guy, had cheated! How many home runs were hit with an illegal bat? All of them? Any of them?

The official rulers of Major League Baseball, Section 6.06, paragraph D state: "A batter is out for illegal action when: He uses or attempts to use a bat that, in the umpire's judgement, has been altered or tampered with in such a way as to improve the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball."

I want you to note something startling. The word "cork" is not used. The rules of baseball do not list the gamut of possible ways a player might alter the bat to his advantage. Technology advances constantly, and it would be impossible to actually name all of the possibilities. It should be enough to state the principle: Don't alter the bat. Get your home runs by using coordination, sweet timing, and strength, not by cheating. Perhaps you recognize, in this everyday event, an argument from silence? This is not the world of theology; this is no arcane, inconspicious, complex theological argument. It's baseball. But somehow everybody understands that an altered bat means any alterations, whether specified or not.

I hope Sammy just made this mistake once. But if he was cheating for some time, he should, well, "put a cork in it!" (The cheating, that is, not the bat!) It sounds a little like the words of the Lord Jesus: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book" (Revelation 22:18).

You see, this is not a principle some preacher dreamed up; it is something we understand to be true in every walk of life. No if's, and's or bats.

by Barry Newton

Passing through a conduit involving airport security checkpoints, stale re-circulated air, hours of travel and a bumpy, dusty ride in a four-wheel drive vehicle had taken the missionary from a world of wealth, incredible conveniences, electricity and running water into the stark reality of savanna bare existence. But this journey was nothing compared to what Jesus gave up and what he would do.

The Word left glory with the Father, purity, love, and holiness to become flesh and blood. As a child and then a man, Jesus was now in another world. This was a world destroyed by greed, lies, and every form of idolatry.

As he walked along a road, how many times had Jesus' feet scuffed up small clouds of dust, knowing the scene before him was his destiny? A naked body stretched out on wooden beams marked another life facing the sentence of death. What was it that would empower him to take another footstep forward knowing each step took him closer to such a barbaric end? Jesus' struggle in prayer shortly before his betrayal reveals at least part of his motivation. To the Father the words arose, "Not my will but yours be done." What was the Father doing?

Unbelievable grace would soon be poured out. The iron grasp of the dominion of darkness was about to be smashed through his death on wooden beams. The path to freedom from our shackles in order to belong to God would soon be a reality. God's promise of eternal life was about to radiate from the cross to liars, the greedy, the immoral, slanderers, the envious, the rebellious, and to those accused of every form of guilt, if they would come to the one lifted up.

None of us will ever deserve being rescued from our alienation from God to being made holy and blameless in God's sight. As we gather around the Lord's table to partake of the bread and fruit of the vine, we remember Jesus' physical body upon the cross. We remember his death. We are reminded of the price which was paid for our life.

We stand amazed in the presence of such love and grace. But how accurately do we understand the depth of our sin forgiven through Christ? How deep is our love? How determined is our response to grace poured out on wooden beams?

For further reflection consider: Luke 22:19,20 Colossians 1:13,14, 21-23 Luke 8:41-43

by Richard Mansel

In Genesis 3, Satan tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She ate and gave some to Adam to eat. Realizing the sin they had committed, they hid from God. When God challenged them, Eve blamed Satan and Adam blamed Eve. We have been blaming others for our sins ever since. As Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NKJV).

In Luke 14:16-24, Jesus related a parable where he established the futility of excuses before the face of God. People were invited to a great supper, but each person who had been invited had an excuse why they were unable to attend. The host of the feast was so infuriated that he revoked their invitations and said that "none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper" (14:24).

At the heart of many excuses lies a clever sleight of hand. We are looking for someone or something that relieves us of what we wish to avoid.

Excuses are useless in the ears of an all-knowing God. He can never be fooled or distracted. As Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked." The writer of Hebrews says, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13).

There will be a judgment where "each of us shall give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12) because "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10). John later wrote, "And the dead were judged according to their works" (Revelation 20:12).

Taking responsibility for our own sins is one thing we most abhor and yet God requires. We must all stand ready to face the consequences of our sins. No one else will stand at the judgment for us. No one else will be blamed for our actions or thoughts. They have their own problems before God.

When we sin, there are contributing factors, such as the influence of others, circumstances, opportunities, and the like. Ultimately, none of these factors has any bearing on our responsibilities before God.

Immodest clothes fill clothing stores, but that does not remove the responsibility to dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9). Profanity is now considered normal, but that does not alter my responsibility to have pure speech (Proverbs 17:20).

As a Christian, if I attend a congregation with a terrible song leader, that does not negate my command to sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). If the only place to worship is a congregation where no one speaks to me, that does not remove my responsibility to attend worship in the Lord's church (Hebrews 10:25). If the building always has extreme temperatures, that does not change my requirement to worship. A Christian who is rude does not remove my responsibility to be kind (Ephesians 4:32).

In our modern times, we spend billions of dollars trying to remove the consequences of sins. Moreover, we are seeking to label sins as diseases and the result of genetics which contribute to our refusal to hold ourselves responsible for our actions.

Admittedly, this will be against our nature and will require great effort. God knew that. That is why he told us that we should follow him and not the world (Ephesians 4:1; 5:1). Moreover, our companions will be even more important because they can lead us away from God very rapidly (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Let us begin taking responsibility for our actions before it is too late.

by Phil Sanders

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." -- Charles H. Duell, U.S. Patent Office commissioner, 1899.

"I cannot imagine any condition which could cause this ship to flounder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to the vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." -- E. J. Smith, captain of the Titanic, 1912.

"The atomic bomb will not go off. And I speak as an expert in explosives." -- Admiral W. Leahy to President Truman, 1945.

"I think there is a market for about five computers." -- Thomas J. Watson Jr., IBM, 1958.

Strong convictions do not ensure that what one believes is really true. Being an expert on some subject does not ensure that one is right. Just because one cannot imagine a thing happening doesn't mean it cannot happen. Just as one can be fooled about technology, so one can be fooled religiously. Many people will be very surprised at judgment.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Some apparently will be surprised that their miraculous gifts and service will not substitute for repentance. You can't treat the laws of God as if they did not matter and still go to heaven. Sacrifice did not replace obedience for King Saul (1 Samuel 15:22,23), and doing things one's own way is still rebellion.

The humanly-designed worship of instrumental music will not replace the obedience of merely singing, even if some so-called experts disagree. Calling the sprinkling of infants baptism, even with the greatest of conviction, does not change God's law. It is better to listen than to be surprised.