HABITUAL TARDINESS

    The Southern Bell Company has a policy of recording every minute that an employee is late for work. They have an occasional fifteen-minute break. If one comes back late, this is also put on permanent record.

   When people realize that a certain thing is to go down on a permanent record against them, they are very careful to keep this record clean. Regardless of how early or late in the day one is to report for duty, he is nearly always on time. Why? His record is involved. It might mean difficulty in holding his present job or in obtaining another one.

   In the assembly of the saints, there is a habitual tardiness with some. In many congregations one can tell when the second song should start. Brother X has just arrived. Many do not have any set time for coming. Maybe they come after the first song or the second or in the middle of the class period. Others have the evil habit of coming after half of the morning service is over. They miss the first half and try to fill up on the second half. The first half (the class period) is not just for the children. It is equally as important for the adults

   No one in the congregation sits with a pen and paper to keep a permanent record of tardiness. However, God does have a record of our interest. Would you have more concern for your work than you do for the Lord? Could be that you do. One is usually more concerned about being prompt at work than worship. More concerned with man's record than the record that God keeps.

   Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, who went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and carried extra oil with their lamps. Five were foolish, they carried no extra oil. They all slept until a cry was made, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." The virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. But, lo, five of them were out of oil. While they went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were prepared went in with him. The foolish came later, but too late the door was shut.

   The Lord's conclusion is: "WATCH, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Mt. 25:13). Peter exhorts us to give diligence.to make our calling and election sure. (2 Pet. 1:10). This involves the whole of a Christian's life. There are many things tht are incongruous with giving diligence. Habitual tardiness is one of them. Let us do everything possible to insure an ample supply of oil in anticipation of the Bridegroom's coming. (This article appeared in the Sword of Peace).

   The above article is one of the best I have seen on the subject of tardiness and neglectful indifference. (I said that forty years ago, I had only been trying to preach about ten years at that time, JWS). I recommend it to each and every Christian that claims to be a child of God. How often are you late to your work dear brother or sister? How often are you late to school young people? I would not want a person on my payroll that was habitually tardy in his coming to work would you? Well, do we respect the Lord less than we do men?

   I have often noticed people coming in late for Bible study or worship service and barge right on in while singing is in progress, having no respect for those that are trying to sing praises to God and to admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The same people would not think of coming on in while prayer is being offered. Tell me brethren, which is more important; singing praises to Almighty God or praying to Him? To me, one is as important as the other. I know that it is distracting to the song leader to try to keep the song service going along smoothly while people are barging in and distracting the audience, but try to continue the best you can to keep the unity of the song together without breaking the chain of thought that should ensue.

   There are reasons for tardiness. These are acceptable to God. There are excuses given for tardiness, these are not acceptable to God. A reason is something that you were unable to avoid in any way. An excuse is something you use to try and justify yourself in being tardy that you could have, and should have, prevented if you would have. A tire being flat when you go out to attend services should have been checked long enough ahead of time to fix it. A car not cranking when you go out to go to services should have been checked long enough in advance that a brother could have been called to come by and pick you up. Brethren are always available and delighted to help those who need a lift to services.

   Some years after writing the above, I and my family moved to Nigeria, West Africa to do some work for the Lord. While there, the brethren, as they would lead the prayers would always pray the Lord to bless those that were on their way to the services. But, these brethren that might come in late had to depend on the uncertainty of public transport. Which might run once in awhile on time but mostly quite late. The only other way they could get to the services was to walk and some of them lived many miles from the building where we met. But, one thing about those brethren, once they were there it didn't make any difference to them if we stayed at the meetinghouse three or four hours.

~By Jim Sasser

Home and Family:

Rearing Godly  Children In  Difficult Times

   It is not uncommon today to hear older Christians who have already reared their children comment somberly in the presence of young prospective parents, "I certainly wouldn't want to be bringing up children in times like these." It may be innocently done, but it is not helpful. These already anxious young people do not have a choice of times in which to rear children. For them, it is now or never.

   Candidly, from the short term perspective, these are certainly not the best of times for the family. Much has happened in this century that serves to tear at the fabric of domestic life. We have become a city rather than a rural people, living in the anonymity of teeming urban anthills where no one knows or cares who his neighbors are. Our increasing mobility had made us a "nation of strangers" and the once supportive influence of an extended family of grandparents, uncles and aunts, has been lost. Even the homemaker mother has been gradually disappearing before the increasing power of industrialization. Today, for the first time, most American women of childbearing years are working outside the home.

   Along with these important social and economic changes, there has been a significant philosophical shift. Our society has been increasingly secularized. Biblical values that once had at least some influence on our institutions have been largely set aside. From a world in which certain values were cherished, even though often violated, we have moved to one which denies that absolute values exist. Out of the passionate individualism which arose during the Vietnam War era has come a hedonistic pursuit of personal fulfillment which is heedless of the consequences to others. Marriage and family commitments are seen as less important than the "finding" of oneself. Drug abuse and mindless sensuality abound.

   And to this already frightening equation must be added the insidious factor of television, which has the ability to instantly, universally and powerfully infiltrate this moral and spiritual corruption into every American mind.

   But if this analysis of our times is accurate in the short term, it certainly does not obtain for the long one. From a wider perspective, current circumstances do not present nearly the challenge to rearing children that past ages have. A few examples will suffice to make the point.

   How would you have liked to rear children in the days of Noah, when the whole world was convulsed by violence and every human heart, save two, was wholly set on evil? In spite of the loneliness of their task (you think you're in the minority!) and the ridicule which it must have brought, Noah and his wife reared three sons not only to trust the true God in the midst of a moral cesspool, but to influence three young women into the same commitment.

   What chances of nurturing children in righteousness would you have given Jewish parents during Israel's abject bond servitude in Egypt when even your infant children's lives were under threat from an all-powerful state? Amram and Jochebed reared two sons and a daughter in these very circumstances. In order to save the life of Moses, they were compelled to sacrifice the joys of seeing their youngest child grow daily into manhood and were not even allowed to openly claim him as their own. But the little time they were granted with that son was so well used that he never forgot who he was and, at last, chose affliction with God's people over the pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:24-25).

   The New Testament world was no great advance over that of the Old Testament. Fully half the people of the first century Roman Empire were slaves. Human life was cheap and murder was frequent. Divorce was easy and generally accepted. Unwanted infants were simply exposed to die and the females were frequently saved by the enterprising and reared as prostitutes. Every variety of corrupt pagan religion and superstition flourished and was woven into the work-a-day world of all the people. Devotion to some god or goddess was linked to every job and every social occasion. And yet in a world like that, in the midst of an intensely pagan city, a young Jewish girl, married to an unbelieving Greek, reared her son to be one of the great gospel preachers of the early church. With no synagogue in Lystra and only her mother to help with Timothy's spiritual training, Eunice not only succeeded in rearing a godly son, she succeeded magnificently!

   And so, when anxious young people approach me with concern and ask if I think it is possible to build solid marriages and rear godly children in these "difficult times", I simply take them by the hand, look them in the eye, and tell them, "Absolutely!" All that is required is that they be willing to pay the price of a surpassing love for God and a deep love for one another which guided the parenting of those successful fathers and mothers who have gone before us.

              ~Paul Earnhart ~In Gospel Power

SIN IS LIKE A KIDNEY STONE

   Many people have had kidney stones. Perhaps some here. I have never had any, but my father has, and I remember it clearly. He and others have described the pain as being the worst pain ever felt. Some women have said it was worse than childbirth. It has also been said to be more painful than a gunshot! I recently read an article written by a member of the church who, while lying in his hospital room with nothing but his IV as companion, realized how much like sin a kidney stone is. No one likes kidney stones, no one should like sin either!

 A little bit causes so much pain

   That tiny stone can literally bring a man to his knees, helpless with pain. All it takes is one sin to keep us from heaven - James 2:10 This is not to mention all kinds of possible physical consequences.

 The pain may disappear for a while, but the problem remains

   The pain from the stone may come and go, but it remains in the system. The pain of sin may go away, but it remains, we become numb, callous - Eph. 4:17-19.

 If not taken care of, it can do much harm

   People have been known to lose kidneys or have other permanent damage from stones left alone. Sin, as it goes on, does more and more damage to our lives - James 1:14-16

 Can be very painful to get out

   Sometimes surgery, some must pass the stone naturally! Sin may be very painful to get rid of too. - Mt 18:7-9 We may lose friends or family in the process.

  Once gone, the relief is fantastic

   Once the incredible pain is gone, one is out of danger, out of hospital, a load is taken off the mind. The relief and joy at removing sin should be great - Rom. 5:11 What could make us more happy than going to heaven?

 There is always a chance of recurrence

   Sometimes it requires a new diet to prevent the return of these stones. We must change our lives to avoid future sins - Col. 3:1-3

   Anyone can get a kidney stone. Anyone can sin. The kidney stone must be dealt with by a professional, and so must sin. Jesus is our physician - Mt 9:11-12. Let him work on you and heal you, he is always willing to forgive those who ask.

~ Michael J. Walls (adapted)