The Christian Journal - July 2007
24 pages
Publié par
The Christian Journal
Copyright :
CREATION 2007
July 25 thru July 28
Page 11
The Exciting Journey
Of Abundant Life
By Mark Swegar
What Is The Abundant Life?By Fred Wikoff
Continued On Page 11
Remembering
RUTH BELL GRAHAM
Page 13
I was born during the depression.
Why...
[Plus]
CREATION 2007
July 25 thru July 28
Page 11
The Exciting Journey
Of Abundant Life
By Mark Swegar
What Is The Abundant Life?By Fred Wikoff
Continued On Page 11
Remembering
RUTH BELL GRAHAM
Page 13
I was born during the depression.
Why
anyone would want to start a family during
those bleak times is anybody’s guess.
Stories
of hard times and just getting by flourished.
My grandfather talked of working for ten
cents an hour and being glad for it.
Even with President Roosevelt’s CCC
work program money remained scarce for
the working class, causing him to exclaim:
“The test of our progress is not whether we
add more to the abundance of those who
have much, it is whether we provide enough
for those who have little.
”
It wasn’t until the end of World War II that
things finely turned around.
Pent-up demand
for everything from new cars to sugar and
shoes propelled a booming economy.
I
can still remember the joy of having candy
Easter eggs and fire works for the 4th of July
after the lifting of rationing.
Of course those “luxuries” along with
most everything imaginable are in great
abundance in the United States today.
Our
cup has overflowed for so many years that
ourwealthiscommonplaceandembarrassing
compared to a great part of the world.
Even
those living on food stamps and welfare are
blessed when compared to many living in
third world countries.
There was even a time, after the second
World War, when many countries looked
upon our nation as a Christian nation,
living under God, and richly blessed by
Him because of it.
We are still blessed
abundantly, but sadly, instead of being seen
as champions of the oppressed, we are now
often feared because of our power to take
even more to add to our abundance.
Our abundance belies other negative
problemsaswell.
“Oncemeasuredtohavethe
happiest citizens in the developed world, the
United States is now number 23, according
to research compiled at the University of
Leicester.
And along with our unhappiness,
“alcoholism, suicide, and depression rates
have soared.
”
( M a r k
Matousek in
“Live Better
With Less” in
the 2007 May/
June issue of
AARP)
With such
t r o u b l i n g
data it should
be obvious
that great
a b u n d a n c e
doesnotensure
h a p p i n e s s .
This is by no
means a new
observation.
Down through the years great
abundance, and the mishandling of it, has
bothered man to the point of searing his
conscious.
Buddha said: “To live a pure unselfish
life, one must count nothing as one’s own in
the midst of abundance.
”
Christ was even more emphatic: “Again I
tell you, it is easer for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man
to enter the kingdom of God.
” Matthew
19:24
Years later we find the great Dutch
theologian, Erasmus still warning man
about the temptations of abundance: “Great
abundance of riches cannot be gathered and
kept by any man without sin.
”
The same can be said about abundance
in any form.
Abundance is merely an over
sufficient supply of what is needed.
What
makes it so
threatening is
simply a matter of
over indulgence,
or keeping more
than we need.
When we do
either, abundance
becomes a sin.
Christ came to
give us life and to
giveitabundantly.
(See John
10:10) I believe
he wants us to
have a plentiful
physical life as
well as spiritual
abundance.
But, he wants us to use what we
need and share the rest with others.
Sharing
our abundance is a vital part of the Christian
life.
“Give to him who begs from you and do
not refuse him who would borrow from
you.
” Matthew 5:42
“Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you.
” Matthew 5:44
“Love one another as I have loved you.
”
John 15:12
Christ’s entire earthly life was one of
It’s vacation time and too many people
do vacations in a crazy, speeding, rushing,
cursing kind of way.
A family will travel
2000 miles to have “fun,” yet curse at each
other and other drivers along the way.
No
one has any fun.
Then, when they reach the
destination the family is suppose to relax
and enjoy the vacation.
Too bad it wasn’t
enjoyed each step of the way.
Christians need to relax now and enjoy
the sights along the way of their Christian
lives! Life in God is about the journey, not
just the end destination.
We must think longterm (Heaven), and short-term (Life now) at
the same time.
There are no quick fixes in
the Christian experience.
We must aim for a
lasting relationship with God, not a religion
to go.
We need to seek bread-of-life, not
fast-food.
We need walk-in Maturity, not
drive-thru McTurity.
Many people are very hard on themselves,
thinking that until they arrive at maturity,
they aren’t of any use to God.
But that’s
not even remotely true.
Couples who have
been married for 25 or 50 years have grown
up into solid and mature relationships.
But,
if you ask them about the road to success,
they say it came over years of practice.
They
would do it all over again.
Why? Because
they enjoyed the journey! Their goal was not
just to have a high-level relationship, but to
build it together, side by side, one brick at
a time.
Most people are better grandparents than
parents.
There are three reasons for this.
First, as Bill Cosby says, you’re dealing with
a much older person now, who is worried
about making it into Heaven! Second, it’s
easier now, because when you get tired, or if
your granddaughter fills her diaper, you can
just hand her back to Mom or Dad, and let
them deal with it.
Plus you have more money
than you did when your own children were
young.
Third, and perhaps most importantly,
you have more experience and knowledge
than you did twenty years ago.
One of the
problems with parenting is that by the time
Continued On Page 17
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