| January 21, 2001 |
Vol. III, No. 38
|
I read recently the story of a 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and the sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind: "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."
The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
We don't often view our weaknesses in the same way, but we should.
I am reminded of the time that Paul prayed fervently for God to remove
some affliction unknown to us, what he called a "thorn in the flesh."
Refusing to remove it, God said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9).
That seems to make no sense, and yet we see throughout the Bible how God is able to work despite the weaknesses of men and women, showing forth his power -- David with his small stature against Goliath the giant, Gideon a man of no significant background leading a greatly outnumbered band of men, Jesus taking on humanity in the form of a helpless baby. In fact, the greatest demonstrations of God's power have come when men and women have felt the weakest. Remember that the next time you feel inadequate.
"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me....For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:9b-10).
--Alan Smith, via Thought For the Day
It is not the mission of the church to furnish amusement for the world or even for its own members. Innocent amusement in proper proportion has its place in the life of all normal persons, but it is not the business of the church to furnish it. The church would come off a poor second if it undertook to compete with institutions established for the express purpose of entertaining people. It would make itself ridiculous if it entered into such competition. Again, it is not the responsibility of the church as such to furnish recreation for its members. A certain amount of recreation is necessary to the health and happiness of the individual. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, it is said, and rightly said; but it is not the function of the church to provide the play.
For the church to turn aside from its divine work to furnish amusement and recreation is to pervert its mission. It is to degrade its mission. Amusements and recreation should stem from the home rather than the church.
The church, like Nehemiah, has a great work to do; and it should not come down on the plains of Ono to amuse and entertain. As the church turns its attention to amusement and recreation, it will be shorn of its power as Samson was when his hair was cut. Only as the church becomes worldly, as it pillows its head on the lap of Delilah, will it want to turn from its wonted course to relatively unimportant matters.
--B.C. Goodpasture, Gospel Advocate, May 20, 1948
When the Pharisees asked Jesus in Matt. 19:3, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” He reminded them of God’s original intent and purpose for the marriage relationship. When God joined a man and woman together as husband and wife, it was not His will for them to be divorced from each other. Their mutual love and respect for one another was to hold them together as long as they both lived. “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (vs. 5).
Note that the Pharisees’ question involved a matter of law -- the law of Moses under which they lived. But Jesus’ answer went back even beyond that Law to God’s original intent and purpose. His response prompted them to further ask, “’Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to put her away?’ He said to them, ‘Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery’” (verses 7-9).
Note that in their second question, they suggested Moses had commanded divorce. Jesus corrected their terminology by reminding them that Moses had tolerated divorce. He certainly had not commanded it. Deut. 24:1-4 would never have been written but for the hardness of the hearts of Israel in ignoring God’s revelation about marriage in the beginning, and it was given to regulate the worst features of a completely undesirable situation.
The time was rapidly approaching when the Law of Moses would be taken away and “nailed to the cross” (Col. 3:14-16). Jesus was in the process of preparing folks for the kingdom of God, which was at hand, Matt. 4:17; 10:7; 19:12, etc. Therefore Jesus was little concerned at that point in time with making technical clarifications of Moses’ Law. He was more concerned with emphasizing the original desires and purposes of God for the marriage relationship. Jesus underscored that under His administration, divorce “for just any reason” would not be acceptable. Within the law of Christ, marriage is to be as it was “in the beginning.” Divorce is to be greatly discouraged, and re-marriage is not acceptable except in the case of the death of a spouse, or in a case where the divorce occurred because of the sexual immorality of one of the parties to that marriage. In such a case, the faithful partner has the option of divorcing the immoral partner, and the faithful partner may re-marry without sin. Society needs to return to the principles of Jesus on the subject of marriage and divorce.
–CRJ
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--via The Biblical Messenger