Making The Most Of Life

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If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened path of another

If I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty and thus bless my brother.

If I can wipe from any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty

If I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty.

 If I can teach one man that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have lived in vain while here.

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear and keep my life attuned to love and kindness

If I can scatter light and hope and cheer and help remove the curse of mental blindness.

If I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, I shall not have lived and loved in vain.

If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, though I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest

Though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while here.

Life is A Grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends upon what you are made of.

Author Unknown

 

Give Generously and Receive Gracefully

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Ordinarily, in our Church relationships, we talk about the spirit of giving, and it is important to do this. But rarely do we hear any talk about the spirit of receiving. Very few people know how to receive graciously and freely. Very often our pride and our arrogance get in the way. We don’t want to be “obligated” to the person who is giving. “Oh, you shouldn’t have done this,” we say. Or, on occasions when gifts are mutually exchanged, the thought flashes through our mind, “Oh, my goodness, that’s more expensive than the gift I gave him. How will I ever make up for it?” Consequently, while we are receiving the gift outwardly, inwardly we are rejecting it. And we turn off the flow of love that might have been present, by refusing to allow the other person to experience the joy of giving.

A certain husband was acutely aware for many years of his wife’s intense desire to own a fur coat. This caused him considerable distress because he could not afford to buy her the coat. He loved his wife dearly and he wanted to please her. Finally, he decided to launch a private “fur-coat-buying-project.” He scrimped on his lunch money, saved in every way that he could. Two years later, he bought a fur coat—not  one of the most expensive kind but a nice fur coat nevertheless. He gave it to his wife in an impressively wrapped box on her birthday. When she opened the box, she looked at the coat and, after a brief silence, said, “Oh Bill, how could you. You know how much we need a new living room sofa.” A little while later she said, “But it is nice, thank you,” But the damage already had been done. Two years of sacrificial love “frostbitten” by her insensitivity—her inability to accept a gift graciously.

Do we often act that way in our receiving? Are we sometimes too proud; or too arrogant; or too insensitive? Are we too practical to receive graciously and lovingly? Are we unwilling to be obligated? Or maybe we are too unwilling to be strong enough to let the other person do the giving.

Are you unwilling to allow the other person to experience the joy of giving? This lesson often comes hard and it often comes late.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Everyone

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Welcome to the official website for the 61st & Division Streets Church of Christ, San Diego, California. The site is currently under redevelopment. Please make sure to bookmark us and visit again soon.

Being Honest

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When  people say that a FOUR hour worship and study period (Sunday morning and evening) is too long and will spend FIVE hours or more watching movies and sports, etc., on television, WHO IS BEING HONEST?

When people say that the Lord’s Day is their ONE day of rest but spend it working around the house doing “odd” jobs, and satisfying personal responsibilities, WHO IS BEING HONEST?

When people say they cannot afford to give “much” but live in a comfortable house, wear fine clothing, eat well and drive a good car,  WHO IS BEING HONEST?

When people say they don’t have time for the church’s activities, but take and make time to go shopping, bowling, attend ball games and events related to their jobs, WHO IS BEING HONEST?

WHO IS BEING HONEST? CERTAINLY GOD KNOWS.

“If anyone would come after me let the person DENY himself/herself and take up the CROSS and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness….” Matthew 6:33) 

The only solution to personal deception is personal commitment to our Lord. Indeed, this personal commitment extends beyond worship and study but doesn’t omit it.

One who believes that faithfulness to Christ does not include being faithful to His Body, The Church, is not being honest. “Let the one who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (I Corinthians 10:16)

 

 

 

Perpetual Growth – “Pressing On”

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A college class was graduating on a hot and humid day. As graduates walked across the platform and received their diplomas from the college president, he smiled, shook their hands, and said loudly, “Congratulations!” Then, in a much lower voice that could be heard only by the graduates, he would say, “Keep Moving.”

The president was only trying to keep the line moving across the stage, but his words are good advice for a lifetime -  – “Keep Moving.” After every achievement -  – growing up, graduation, marriage, job promotion, even retirement -  – the best advice is, “Keep Moving,” Don’t stop. Don’t stagnate. There is more to life than you have found thus far.

In the matter of your Christian Service, God is saying to you: “This is not the end; it is only the beginning. Keep Moving, Keep praying, Keep worshipping, Keep learning, Keep working, Keep Being Thankful.”

The Apostle Paul reminds us—”Don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time” (Galatians 6:9).

 

 

The Importance of Words

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Like Apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Proverbs 25:11)

Words are powerful! They have the capacity to help. Our words can be used for our good and for blessing others.

We can talk to God for our benefit and for the concern of others as well. We can use words to share the truth about our Savior Jesus and also communicate the mission and ministry of the church. Our voices can be used to improve our family relationships and our congregational friendships.

But words can hurt! “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6). Failing to know HOW TO RESPOND in a given circumstance distorts a beautiful communicative picture of a question to elicit a negative response may encourage suspicion, doubt and criticism. Paul implies that words lacking edification (designed to help others) are unwholesome and should not be spokes (Ephesians 4:29).

Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to speak wholesome words in the right circumstances. Use your words to bless families, Christians, coworkers and eve yourself.

Pray this prayer –  ”Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14).

 

Christian to Christian

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In my older age, I can’t even imagine ever thinking that I am tougher than God or that He is my enemy.                                                                                                                  I’m an old Christian.                                                                                                             Ah, but in those younger years – years when I’d swear that I was the master of my own destiny – I was chugging down the devil’s Kool Aid.                                                     And I wasn’t quiet with an oft repeated personal rant: “God is always trying to stop somebody from doing stuff, but I ain’t afraid of Him. I’ll show Him He can’t stop me from doing whatever I set my mind to doing.”                                                                        For a long time, too, I never got a clue that the oily, slimy sounding character telling me, through a voice in my head, “I’m with you, you are a tough guy,” is my real enemy.            And because of him and ourselves, the rest of the world and I are, in truth, some of the most undone of God’s creations and we actually need His love and protection 24/7.                                                                                                                                         I often think of how absurdly foolish I was – and still can get - every time my studies take me to the Pharisees and one of their main reasons for wanting to kill Jesus the Christ.                                                                                                                                    From the words of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, in John 3:2 – “…Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” – it seems clear that at least some among the Jewish religious leaders actually believed that Jesus could be the Son of God.                                                          But as a group, they wanted Him done away with largely because they saw Him as a threat to their own power and status in the community.                                                    How absurd.                                                                                                                      Here they had among them, a man who, in some of their minds, might have been the second most powerful being in the universe.                                                                 He was telling them He was there to save the world and bring peace on earth. And one of their main concerns came down to protecting their status among men.                    I usually back away from trying to fathom how those Pharisees, who kind of believed in Jesus, thought mere mortals could kill, once and for all, the second most powerful being in the universe.                                                                                             With the help of the Holy Spirit, I just try to take lessons from the folly that we carnal beings can all, sometimes easily, fall into.                                                                 Pray hard for all of us.                                                                                                Jesus said: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) 

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