In This Issue

• WHO IS A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT?
• LEARNED AND LEARNING
• EVER BEEN HIT WITH A BRICK?
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

WHO IS A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT?

In Matt. 24:36-44, Jesus had spoken of His coming, and of the fact that no one on earth knows when it will occur. He insisted that even the angels in heaven do not know when that coming will be. And in fact, in Mark's account, we learn that even Jesus Himself did not know at that point in time when that coming would occur, Mark 13:32. He indicated that, just as we make certain provision to protect ourselves from thieves because we have no way of knowing when they might strike, so we should also be wise enough to make provision for Christ's coming, with the realization that it could happen at any time, and will take many people unaware.

Jesus continues in Matt. 24:45-51, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

In Luke's account of the gospel, this parable of the wise and evil servants is told in response to a question Simon Peter had asked about the declaration that Christ's coming would be at an unknown time for which His servants were to remain constantly ready. Peter had asked, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" (Luke 12:42). Peter and the other apostles were given a special responsibility in spiritually feeding the flock of God, John 20:15-17. As God's kingdom spread and multiplied, this responsibility was given to elders in each local congregation, Acts 20:28. Preachers or evangelists were given the duty to "preach the word" (1 Tim. 4:2). Every faithful Christian should pass it on to others, generation after generation, 2 Tim. 2:2. To make application, then, of the parable of the wise and the evil servants, the servant who is wise will be found busily engaging himself in the duties and responsibilities his Master has charged him with. "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes will find so doing."

--CRJ

LEARNED AND LEARNING

I've learned - that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned - that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned - that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned - that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned - that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned - that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned - that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned - that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned - that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned - that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel. That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I've learned - that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned - that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned - that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.

I've learned - that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned - that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned - that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned - that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned - that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned - that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned - that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned - that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned - that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I've learned - that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I've learned - that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned - that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

--author unknown

EVER BEEN HIT WITH A BRICK?

A lady wrote to me, "I'm the type who has to be hit over the head with a brick for me to wake up." She told how God had used something I said, and added, "Thanks for the brick." What started this was the fellow in Gulf Shores, Alabama, who was attacked by a shark. As the shark was chewing on his right arm, Chuck Anderson kept beating on it with his left fist, all the while thinking, "I am not going to let this thing take me away from my kids." I pointed out in my morning radio spot that there are a lot of 'sharks' out there trying to take you away from your kids. Casinos, alcohol, drugs, and extra-marital affairs are dangers lurking nearby, each with the ability to destroy your home. The woman who wrote the letter called this message a "brick" from God to her life.

Bob Swanson is a neighbor of mine. Often when we're doing our early-morning walking, we swap stories of what the Lord is doing. Today Bob told me of an LSU student who approached a campus party animal and said, "Can I ask you a question? Why do you do drugs and alcohol?" The other student said, "You don't understand, man. Those people I do drugs with, they are my family." The first student says, "That hit me like a brick." He went home and thanked his mother and dad.

Last week I heard of a greeting card company that went to a prison and gave away Mother's Day Cards for the inmates to mail to mom. They underestimated the response and had to ship in extras. When Father's Day rolled around, they brought in plenty and were ready. To their surprise, no one wanted a card to send to dad. Turns out all the inmates had "issues" with their fathers. Either they were non-existent, absentee, or abusive. Bottom line: We thank God for mothers who do all they can; but no one can take the place of a faithful father. Man-eating sharks roam the waters of society ready to pull the dads away from the kids. A wise father will be careful where he swims.

The Old Testament ends with the promise that in the days of the Lord Jesus, the hearts of the fathers will be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. It is still true that when a man rebels against God and goes the way of the world, the first place to feel the effects is the home and the first people to notice it is the children. Likewise, when a man comes to Jesus, the home is the first place to benefit and the children first to receive the blessing.

--Joe McKeever

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