From:
Date: April 23, 2019
Subject: It's April 23; Good Morning Union
“Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Romans 16:19
A good reminder this morning as I was looking at Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome—it reminded me of the famous Old Testament story about Samson. Raised in a good home with faithful believing parents, Samson reached young adulthood and basically asked the question, at least as I see the story, “What am I missing out in the world?” And he ventured out to discover what his parents had told him to stay away from.
Maybe his parents were overprotective; or maybe they knew from experience the cost of compromising with that which God has defined as evil. Whatever the cause or whatever the concern, Samson asked the question. And what he discovered was two things:
His parents probably knew both because they were young adults at one time too. Freedom into adulthood is an essential part of growing up. And with freedom comes responsibility. There just doesn’t seem to be any way to separate them. In all of life choices bring consequences or blessings. It’s not a salvation issue, it’s a life issue.
Samson discovered and I was reminded again this morning for myself, that it isn’t even reasonable to suggest that I can do what I want and then complain about the results. My best choice in life follows Paul’s advice to Rome- the best I can do in this life is to learn all I can about whatever is good so it fills my life, and stay as far away from whatever is evil SO THAT it takes up as little of my life as possible. What I miss out on in the world will be worth it for the rest of my life. Though the two axioms above are true, so, I continue to discover, are these two:
Have a great day choosing wisely,
Pastor Rich
Quote for the day: “Great is the cost of devotion, but cheap is the price of betrayal.” — The Jesus Bible
PS Chapel- Will be a special dedication of our next year’s SM and TF folks. See you in Woods @ 10:30. Come out for our last chapel of the year as we celebrate with the members of our school family who will be all over the world next school year.
PPS Christ on Demand, Last Christ on Demand, pizza feed (with vegan options) 7:30pm, Rees Hall Chapel
PPPS Tonight at the ASB Town Hall gathering at 8:30 in Rees Hall Chapel, you will have a chance to ask questions, and share thoughts and concerns on the UGather and UWorship concepts that will be implemented next school year. We really do value your input and look forward to hearing from you. I’ll be there to listen and answer questions if I can.