A drainage ditch can teach a good Bible lesson
by Barrett Vanlandingham
December 5, 2012

            The drainage ditch that runs across the middle school lawn in Fort Gibson has never really held any special significance for me.  But because of the changing of the seasons I could not help but notice how lush and green the grass was on both of its banks.  The color was accentuated even more because the grass even a few feet away was already dormant, yellow, having lost its green color. 

The contrast was so stark, I even took a picture of it when I picked my son up from school.

 

There is a well-known Bible passage from the book of Psalms that describes the man who stays close to God, away from wicked lifestyles, and instead delights in the law of the Lord day and night.

            “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1:1-3, ESV).”

            When there’s plenty of rain, the school lawn looks green whether it is close to the stream, or not. But in the winter season or in times of drought, any sight of green grass makes it obvious where the ground is retaining water. 

            Christians are a lot like the green grass by streams of water.  A lot of times, we feel spiritually strong when we have a lot of success, and things around us seem to be doing well. But when life throws challenges in our direction, it’s almost like the green field around us turns yellow and dormant.  Only then do we really find out the importance of being planted firmly in the Lord, our spiritual stream of water. 

During a feast, Jesus stood and said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:37-38).”

In the very next verse, the writer, John, says Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit as the streams of living water that people would later receive who believed in Jesus.

Today, we can be planted by those same streams of living water, just like Christians were 2000 years ago.  God’s Spirit makes his home inside of us when we repent and are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  But just like the grass by the drainage ditch that stays green even when the rest of the grass has yellowed, Christians must choose to stay close to the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25) if we are to survive times of spiritual drought.  Have a great week!

Christians must be compassionate
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 28, 2012

            You drive up to an intersection.  A man stands there with a sad face and a handwritten sign that says, “Will work for food!”  You see another guy sleeping under a bridge, a doorway, or a park bench.  You see another man with his wife and children at your worship service who obviously needs help.

The reality is that Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you…” 

This is the time of year when the number of street beggars seems to increase.  So how are Christians supposed to respond?  We’ve all seen the investigative reports that show swindlers posing as down and out homeless people.  God will deal with them in his own way and time.

The Apostle Paul speaks strongly against expecting to get something for nothing.  “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

Now granted, a person who is not a Christian may not know about this command, and may not live by them, especially since our tax dollars feed and clothe people whether they put forth any effort to earn a living or not.  In fact, an argument could be made that poor people are less likely now than ever to feel the need to be a part of the Lord’s body (the church).  Why? Because the government supplies all their earthly needs.  In the first century, this was a function of the church.

Jesus not only met people’s physical and nutritional needs by providing healing and food, but he also met their spiritual needs by showing them the way to heaven.  Paul says we should “do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10)”.

This is a challenge to all Christians to not only seek opportunities to teach the Gospel story of Jesus Christ, but also opportunities to be good stewards of our finances.  This may mean that we cannot give money to every beggar we see.  But we should be receptive when the Holy Spirit nudges us to give a little extra to children’s homes, mission efforts in poor countries, and churches or charities who have the ability to spend the money where needed.  And yes, it may mean personally giving to a street beggar or other needy friend now and then.  Who knows?  Maybe God provides opportunities for us to show compassion just to see how we will react. 

In Matthew 25:34-46, Jesus encouraged his followers to help those who were hungry, in need of clothes, medical help, or a simple visit in prison.  He said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”   Have a great week!

Gaining patience is frustrating but rewarding
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 21, 2012

As a parent and youth minister I have tried to come up with answers for kids who just want to know “Why?”

For that matter, we adults still spend a lot of time looking for that answer. The fact is that some things will never make sense no matter how much we try to understand. For me, Algebra is a good example of that.

Besides the basic math skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions, my family tends to do better when we stick to reading, writing, and the performing arts.

Maybe you’ve also heard a child question what good will ever come out of learning many of those difficult mathematical concepts. And with a few exceptions, I would tend to agree.

The answer I typically give after trying to show some degree of compassion is simply that they may or may not ever use those math facts again.

But one thing is for sure. As Christians, we will face trials in life that far surpass any frustration experienced in math or any other kind of class that challenges us beyond the norm.

My “go to” passage for dealing with this issue comes from the New Testament.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).”

One of the qualities of the Holy Spirit that we are to imitate is patience. It takes a lot of everything including patience to stick with something (or persevere) when things get tough. The problem for most of us is that the trials we must go through in order to gain patience can be very difficult.

But if the immature do not learn to weather the storms that blow-in the gift of patience, then they will find it extremely difficult to survive in the grown-up world.

Adults know that patience is necessary when it comes to dealing with daily life that often brings frustrations. But more importantly, patience is needed carry out the Lord’s desire for us to save souls.

Jesus said, “Therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).”

Christians are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Can you imagine accomplishing this without patience? Many have tried unsuccessfully.

Pray that God allows us to use our trials to develop patience, and that souls will be saved as a result. Have a great week!

Reach Barrett Vanlandingham at the Fort Gibson Church of Christ at (918) 478-2222 or barrett@ftgcc.org.

God gives us the freedom to decide our destiny
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 14, 2012

            As I watched Fort Gibson’s Veteran’s Day assembly last Friday, it occurred to me once more just how blessed our little community really is. 

There is no doubt we live in the greatest nation on earth. Our military continually defends the freedoms we hold dear.  It is important for each of us to pray continually for God to bless us with the wisdom to look to Him for guidance in our decisions and those made on our behalf.

Since childhood I’ve heard people describe the United States of America as a Christian nation.  History would agree that we were founded on Godly principles.  But the same liberties that have allowed us to enjoy freedom of religion continue to be used by powers of darkness to cause our nation to slip into moral decline.  It’s the same old trick the devil has used on mankind since the beginning.  And now barely over half of all Americans attach any importance to faith.

We know that God has a history of causing nations and rulers to rise and fall (Daniel 2:21).  So what we need to remember is that God is not an American.  He’s God.  His allegiance is not to any particular continent on the globe, but rather to His people wherever they are, those who include God in everything they say, do, and think.  The apostle Peter said it best.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).”

Christians feel discouraged when laws are passed that promote sin.  But we must never under-estimate God’s power to turn things around.  He’s done it in the past. He can do it now.  Our job is to look into God’s word, obey it, and trust God’s grace.  He listens to his children.  “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).”

I guess the question is whether people are willing to be part of God’s righteous nation, or continue to rebel and do their own thing.  Mankind has never been very good at choosing the shortest and easiest path to God.  Seems we always have to learn the hard way.  But just like satan sometimes uses good things for evil purposes, God has a history of turning evil into good.  In the Old Testament, God gave his people some advice that Christians should remember today.

“If my people, who are called  by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).”  Have a blessed week!

Politics does not decide moral standards

by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 7, 2012

We all know that the elected leaders we put into office decide which laws are approved on the local, state, and national scene.

One thing that does not change after an election is God’s view on how we should conduct ourselves. In Matthew 5:18 Jesus says, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

How unsettling it would be to serve a God who constantly changed his mind. Thankfully, the Bible reads the same today as always.

As long as we are on this earth, we can be assured that people will continue to make errors in judgment. That includes our lawmakers, no matter who you support. As the years go by, laws change to reflect the mindsets in our culture. There will continue to be laws approved that do not meet Godly standards. The apostle Paul wrote these words.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor (1 Cor. 10:23-24).”

The Pharisees and others questioned Jesus about how to handle issues of loyalty to government. The simplicity of Jesus’ answer astonished his listeners.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. And they were amazed at him (Mark 12:17).”

So how does this apply to us today? Simply put, there are always going to be laws on the books that allow people to make decisions contrary to God’s will. This does not mean, however, that just because something is legal according to the law of the land, that it also meets God’s standards. Obviously, the list of behaviors that fits this description is too long for this article.

Students in my Bible classes have asked questions about when is it legal for them to engage in certain behaviors. I always tell them that Christians never get old enough to receive God’s approval for disobeying His will. Our decisions must be measured by God’s truth.

Christians should show proper respect for our governing authorities and for God (Titus 3:1-8, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Pet. 2:13-17), especially since God has a history of causing authorities to rise and fall (Daniel 2:21). So please include them in your prayers (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Have a great week!