"TO THE OCEAN, WHITE WITH FOAM"

During our family gatherings on Saint Simons Island, Georgia it has been my habit to arise early in the mornings and walk on the beach down to the pier and the village where I would buy a cup of coffee, eat breakfast and read the daily newspaper. Being from the hill country of northwest Georgia I am still fascinated by the appearance of the Atlantic Ocean. When the tide comes in the waves would hit the rocks and splash over them. The white caps were beautiful. Often I would express my deepest gratitude to God for His marvelous creation. Both the heavens and the earth with its seas declare the glory of God (Psalms 19). The book of nature indeed proves that there is a Supreme Architect who designed this universe (Romans 1:20). Though not a world traveler I have seen some of the beauties of our country with its mountains in the southeast and in the western part of our nation, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With all the faults that exist in our United States of America I do believe as a citizen that we live in the greatest nation on earth The pilgrims and early settlers sought freedom to worship God in this new land while settlers in the South American countries sought gold. Our governmental leaders possessed a faith in the Creator of the universe. There is no doubt that the Lord God has richly blessed this land and its people. The wise man declared that “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people'' (Proverbs 14:34). While sin and disbelief have always been in existence, our modern day society has strayed greatly from a faith in God and from His moral standard for human conduct. Atheism is growing daily; sexual perversion is commonplace; dishonesty and corruption are widely accepted and exist among many of our political and civic leaders; the killing of unborn children is considered acceptable since it is legal; adultery is prevalent among marriage partners and fornication among teens and adults abounds nationwide. Man has become a law unto himself (Judges 21:25). The Word of God is no longer reverend even among some religious groups. The blood of thousands of our men and women who have fought for our country and our freedom flows like a mighty river; yet, we are using this freedom to destroy the moral fiber of our people. It has become a license to do as we please without considering what God would have us to be as a nation of people. Eventually we will reap as we have been sowing (Galatians 6:7, . It is most important that we give heed to the following warnings: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God” and “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces” (Psalm 9:17; 50:22). The story is told about a student who wanted to fool his professor in some way. He held a bird in his hand and asked the professor, “What do I have in my hand?” The professor replied, “It is a bird.” The student asked, “What color is it?” “It is a red bird,” answered the professor. Then the student asked, “Is it dead or alive?” The wise old professor said, “The power of life or death is in your hand?” The power to revive faith in God and His standard of morals and ethics is in our hands. May the lyrics of the beautiful song ‘God Bless America’ written by Irving Berlin ever be our desire, hope and prayer. God Bless America "While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. " God Bless America,Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide herThru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies,To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.”

'LOVE YOURSELF"

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). This statement made by our Lord was a partial answer to the question, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” The Savior had first replied “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:25-37). The thought of ‘loving oneself’ might seem to be rather selfish and arrogant; however, Jesus has taught us to love others in the manner we love ourselves. The apostle Paul wrote, “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:28). But, the question might be raised as to why a person should love himself/herself. We learn in Genesis 1:27 we learn, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” While man’s physical body was formed of the dust of the earth, that part of man that pertains to his spirit, mind and soul, was made in the likeness of his creator. Man is not a product of a mere accident or by chance. The Great, August God, the Creator of heaven and earth was both the Designer and the Maker of man. Such knowledge caused the Psalmist to declare: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well: (Psalms 139:14). Furthermore, God loved us and demonstrated that love by the giving of his only Son for our sins (John 3:16,17). “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”. (Hebrews 2:9). Since God has made us and loved us, surely we ought to love ourselves. We can have self-respect without conceit; concern for self without selfishness; and love for self that is void of vanity. We should not be possessed with an inferiority complex or an attitude of “I’m not worth anything.” Jesus taught that the worth of one soul is more than the whole world (Matthew 16:26). Each one is indeed important in the sight of the Almighty God. True happiness in this life comes from accepting ourselves as God has made us; and, in responding to the grace and love of the Heavenly Father by giving ourselves totally to His Son, Jesus Christ.

THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS

The “angel of the Lord” declared to Joseph “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The apostle Peter, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit declared, “Nor is there salvation any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must b e saved” (Acts 4:12). There is a beautiful hymn entitled “There’s Something About That Name” with these meaningful lyrics: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, There’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus like the fragrance after the rain; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Let all Heaven and earth proclaim, Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, But there’s something about that name.” In our secular society we often speak of politicians and especially do we mention the names of great athletes. Our children learn the names of entertainers, television celebrities and movie stars; however, it is on rare occasions that you hear the precious name of Jesus. There is a possibility that we might be classified as being extremist if we did. We should not be hesitant to speak of Jesus because He gave His life for us on Calvary so we could be saved. The apostle Paul wrote how the Heavenly Father exalted His Son as found in Philippians 2:9-11): “ God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Christian parents are to teach their children of Jesus. One of the first songs they often learn to sing is ‘Jesus Loves Me’. If children are taught to speak the name of Jesus they will not be embarrassed to mention His precious name to others as they mature to adulthood. Please observed the truthfulness found in the following: “Before your child has come to seven, teach him well the Way to heaven! Better still the truth will thrive, if he knows it when he Is five! Better yet, if at your knee he learns it when he is only Three! Best of all is when you have begun to teach of Jesus Before he is one!”

"LEST WE FORGET"

The last Monday of the month of May is celebrated as Memorial Day each year in our nation. It began with the purpose of decorating the graves of the soldiers who fought in the War Between the States, 1861-64. However, all of our fallen military personnel are remembered on this day. I spoke on one occasion on Memorial Day in the military section of a cemetery in Prattville, Alabama. I had two visual aids in my hands. One was the Purple Heart that was given to my parents after my oldest brother was killed in WWII on April 5, 1945. The other one was a flag that had been placed by my brother’s grave in a military cemetery in the Netherlands. There is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling entitled “Recessional’ (Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia) that I think is very appropriate on this occasion and here are two stanzas of the poem: “God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle-line, Beneath whose awful Hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine – Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget – Lest we forget! The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the kings depart. Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, And humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Host, be with us yet, Lest we forget – lest we forget.” The following biblical truths should always be taught and practiced – “Lest We Forget”: 1. We need to remember Jesus Christ when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26. 2. We are to remember those saints who died for the cause of Christ. Colossians 4:18 3. We should always remember our salvation from our sins. 2 Peter 1:5-11. 4. We need to remember that we are to be faithful to Christ. Luke 17:32; I Corinthians 10:12; Revelation 2:5; Luke 9:62. 5. We are to remember the poor and needy. Galatians 2:10; Hebrews 13:16; Galatians 6:10; James 1:27. 6. The youth are to remember God. Ecclesiastes 12:1, 2 7. Remember that the Lord is coming again. II Peter 3: l-10; John 14:1-3. If we fail to remember God in this life and His Word for us to learn and practice, there will come a time when our remembrance will not be pleasant. Please observe these words as found in Luke 16:25: “But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.” It is wonderful however to remember that God will forgive and forget our sins and iniquities if we will obey Him and live for Jesus. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws into their hearts, And in their minds I will write them, then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16, 17). Our Lord has promised if we are faithful, He will give us “the crown of life” Revelation 2:10.