by Greg Tidwell

Last month, some motorists in Michigan thought they had found a gold mine. Discovering a computer error that enabled them to swipe their drivers' licenses instead of credit cards, they filled their tanks at the Meijer chain without paying. Over 100 people took advantage of this "free" gasoline, costing Meijer thousands of dollars.

Some of the culprits, many of them students from Ann Arbor, filled up their tanks up to 15 times over a three-week period. No one would ever know; no one would get hurt.

There is, however, no such thing as a free tank of gas. Beyond the Meijer Corporation taking a loss, it so happened the information from each driver's license was stored on the pump's computer, permitting the police to identify the offenders. The free gasoline came at a high price.

Temptation comes to all of us in different ways. Often we feel that we can cut corners and no one will know. The danger of being found out is not, for Christians, the primary motivation for right living. Sometimes our sins are uncovered publicly, causing pain and embarrassment. At other times our sins remain hidden to human eyes.

God, however, always knows everything. We really have no secrets. As God's people we must always at all times live our lives with the knowledge of his presence. This outlook of faith will guide our thoughts and actions, keeping us on the right track. Integrity is not usually the easy way in life, but it is the way that will be blessed by God.

by Greg Tidwell

On January 11, 1992 an eighth grade student from Japan dropped a bottle in the Pacific Ocean. The bottle contained a note with the student's contact information and a request to be notified if the bottle were recovered.

From the waters just south of Okinawa this message floated until, twelve years later, it washed up on Hanauma Bay in Hawaii.

The glass bottle, covered in algae, contained the age-brittled note written by a child who is now an adult. The student who wrote the message years ago can now only imagine the details of the bottle's voyage, surrounded by the power and beauty of the vast expanse of water. Certainly, when he placed the message in the water, he could have neither known how far it would go nor how long it would take to find its way home.

In many ways this Japanese youth's experience illustrates the truth of Ecclesiastes 11:1, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days."

God calls us, day by day, to reach out in faith. We do the Lord's work never knowing the certain outcome of our effort. The time spent teaching a Bible class, visiting a shut-in, or making a visitor feel welcome is an investment in the future. We do God's work in faith, often not seeing the results until long after — if ever.

We live in an impatient age which looks for immediate results. The work of the church, in contrast, builds over time. Committing ourselves to faithful service we can be sure that, in the appropriate time, God will bless our efforts.

Greg Tidwell

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls" (Hebrews 10:35-39).

Life is filled with decisions. Most are trivial. A few matter. We agonize over a choice of restaurant or movie for an evening's entertainment, flipping from channel to channel on a remote to select a program – knowing that tomorrow we really won't care which choice we made.

The decisions which do matter are the ones we will care about tomorrow, and next week, and next year. Some decisions make a difference over a very long time. We realize the importance of buying a car or a house, of pursuing an education and choosing a career, of marriage and children. These decisions make a difference over a lifetime.

Beyond today, tomorrow, next year, or even a lifetime, one central decision makes a difference for eternity. The commitment to become a Christian is the most important decision anyone can make. It makes the difference between heaven and hell.

As important as becoming a Christian is, one must remain a Christian to receive the reward. There is, as the author of Hebrews reminds us, a need for endurance. Fidelity is a choice. Day by day we must rise to the challenge and keep our commitment of faith. The new birth in Christ begins with a decision which is embodied in baptism. Making this decision brings us into salvation. Living in Christ involves a continual commitment; it is this faith which keeps us saved. Choosing Christ, once for all, is the most important decision we can make.

by Greg Tidwell

Despising low-brow trends, I disdained "reality" programs on television. "Fake documentaries," I scoffed. Then, stumbling across Donald Trump's The Apprentice, I was hooked. Rather than a dumbed-down documentary, The Apprentice is a smartened-up game show offering amusement to its viewers and prizes to winning contestants.

Undoubtedly, part of the show's popularity comes from our cultural obsession with money and accomplishment. While few people would really enjoy living in Trump's overblown apartment, and fewer yet appreciate his overblown hair, Donald Trump's wealth and power fascinate. Trump is Jay Gatsby.

Beyond the hype, however, here are some important lessons which come through in the series. Taking the crass worldliness with a shaker of salt (this is Donald Trump not Batsell Barrett Baxter, after all), the overall thrust of the show has showcased personal character as a foundation for business success.

You've Got to Believe

One resent episode opened with Trump meeting his contestants in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Divided into two teams, their task was to identify a promising artist and to arrange a showing in a New York gallery. Of course, the winning team would be the one making the most money.

One team selected an artist they liked, whose work was ordinary but pleasant. They sold $13,000 worth of his paintings. The other team went with an artist whose work was edgy and unnerving. They didn't like her art, but thought it would appeal to other people. They only sold $869 of her work.

In the debriefing, Trump said the loosing team got "creamed" because they made the mistake of not believing in what they were selling. He focused on the need for conviction in sales: you won't succeed if you don't believe in what you are selling.

Saved by Faith

Perhaps we can see a lesson which applies to the church as well. We will not succeed unless we believe. The need for integrity of conviction is greater, in point of fact, in matters of salvation than in the peddling of a commercial product.

The apostle Paul commended the Thessalonians for their "work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope" (1 Thess. 1:3). Where did these Christians find the strength to persevere in their efforts? Success came from inner conviction; they worked steadfastly because of their faith, their hope and their love.

Too often Christians attempt to achieve outward results without cultivating the inner reality requisite for success. Emphasizing outer results rather than inward conviction is the Achilles heel of the Community Church Movement's pragmatic attitude. While the "bread and circus" approach may produce impressive numbers when times are good, only true conviction will produce dependable results over time.

Donald Trump encouraged his apprentices to believe in the product they were trying to sell. Spiritually, we will succeed in our efforts to advance the kingdom if we will truly believe what God has told us. "Faith," as we often sing, "is the victory that overcomes the world." Believing in God's exclusive way of salvation, the Lord's church has a message which we can, with the integrity of conviction, commend to the world around us.

by Greg Tidwell

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15 ESV).

Do you have a real friend? Don't answer too quickly, for I am not talking about a social acquaintance. Do you have someone with whom you can be yourself, someone you know will always be there for you? Outside of our immediate family, someone like this is very rare. You are blessed if you have one or two real friends.

All Christians, however, have the blessing of the greatest friend imaginable. Jesus, the Son of God, has called us to be His friends. This friendship is not empty talk; Jesus has proven Himself to be our friend when He took our place in His death on the cross.

One of the attributes of a true friend is a willingness to tell us what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear. Jesus wants us to be blessed. He wants our lives to be rich and full and complete. For this reason, Jesus calls us to obey the will of God. It is in this relationship of trusting obedience that we are friends to Jesus. On our side, as well, friendship must be more than empty talk; it must prove itself in practice.

It is in obedience to the will of God, in penitent faith, that we come into a relationship with the Lord. This friendship means, come what may, we always have Someone who knows us, loves us, and will always be there for us. Jesus is our friend.