Don't Forget.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"—Ecclesiastes 12:1

There is a joke about a father and son who go to a football game. Once there, the father can’t find the tickets. “Go home,” he tells his son. “I think I left them on the kitchen table.” The son gets in the car and drives home. 35 minutes later he comes back, runs up to his father and says: “You’re absolutely right, they are on the kitchen table!” While we are actively pursuing our goals in life, we as Christians must not forget to keep God at the center of our lives.

The 12th and final chapter of Ecclesiastes is stunning in its language and imagery. It is a brilliantly constructed picture of the end of our productive lives.” “The keepers of the house tremble.” “The grinders cease because they are few.” “…men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs go faint” “Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets” Inevitably and inexorably one day our time on earth will be over. But today we are here. We’ll eat breakfast and run out of the house. We will eat a snack. We’ll watch TV. We will read a magazine. We will talk to our friends. We will go to work and do our jobs and take care of the children. But will we remember God? Will we involve him in our days activities through prayer, reflection, consideration, obedience and reverence?

My prayer today is that we not forget God by our actions today, tomorrow or for as long as we have the chance.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Razor Thin.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

In the 100 Meter butterfly finals of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Michael Phelps touched the wall one hundredth of a second before Milorad Cavic to win his seventh gold medal of those games. A hundredth of a second is the smallest measurement in swimming so there is no smaller margin of victory possible in that sport. The butterfly stroke is considered the most difficult in swimming because it requires flawless technique. The videotape of the event shows that Cavic, coming to the wall is actually swimming faster than Phelps, but at the last minute, perhaps in an attempt to exert extra effort, lifts his head slightly breaking form and inadvertently slowing himself down. Phelps, with his head still down in perfect form, reaches for the wall and wins. As Christians, we need to be sure we follow God’s will and do not revert to our own plans.

Even the brightest and most prepared of us, in a sense, wander through life. We don’t know what is going to happen and we don’t know what obstacles we will have to face. Only God does. Only he can prepare us perfectly and lead us directly. Just as Moses smote the rock when God tells him to speak to it, we sometimes walk when we are to run and wait when we need to act because it seems right to us. You might be confronting a difficult decision today. Perhaps you have options in front of you and feel you need to act now. Make sure you spend some serious time in prayer asking for God’s guidance to make the decision that establishes his desire, not the one that fulfills your plan.

My prayer for you today is that you keep your head down and reach for the wall you know is there.

Deacon Larry Woodard

True Cost.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Most people when purchasing a vehicle ultimately consider the sticker price as the key consideration. Certain models are not even looked at because of their price ranges. Many consumer groups advocate looking not just at the price of the vehicle but also at its actual ownership cost. They argue when you look at the cost of maintenance and repair, insurance, fuel cost, depreciation, insurance and interest; the ranking of automobiles changes. For instance a Toyota SUV costs more than a Ford SUV but over a five year period the Ford will cost you almost twice the original difference when taking into consideration the items listed above. As Christians, we understand that if you compare salvation with its opposite, the ultimate cost is just too high.

Many of us believe there to be a significant “cost” to practice Christianity. Christianity involves self control and self examination. Christianity requires a brand of humility which the world neither respects nor appreciates. Christianity requires submission and obedience. Christianity requires service without the expectation of compensation. In a world where success is measured by the accumulation of power, wealth and status; the cost of becoming a follower of Christ may seem to be too high. That is until you consider the bonus (gift) that comes with salvation is eternal life and the wages are associated with sin is death and eternal damnation.

My prayer for you today is that you measure the true cost of everything you intend to pursue.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Junk Food.

O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

When I’m on the road one of my biggest temptations is junk food. Traveling disrupts my routine and makes it easier to select from the wide range of fast food and pre-packaged options available anywhere you look. In order to find a good salad while traveling in Georgia, I went to a Publix grocery store. The volume of food available, the number of prepared food options and the way the food was displayed let me know that Southerners take their food seriously. If eating were an Olympic sport this certainly would be where you would scout for talent. I made a small but complete salad at the salad bar while an older gentleman watched me. When I finished and started to make my way to a check-out lane he said to me: “I tried to eat like that. Eating that just makes you hungry!” As Christians, we need to be aware of the dangers of a steady diet of empty entertainment, conversation and activities that can leave us lazy, uninvolved and ineffective.
David had just been delivered from a difficult situation and he began to praise God. As he begins to praise him he starts to meditate on the fact that there is no want in those that put their trust in the Lord. “The young lions,” he says in verse 10, “do want and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” We have a seemingly insatiable appetite for the things that are of no spiritual value to us and very little time for prayer and Bible study. We like the drive-through, fast food version of the gospel, but want a 3 course meal version of everything else. In our busy schedules we need to find time for serious and complete focus on God.
My prayer for you today is that you find a significant block of time this week to focus on the goodness of the Lord.
Deacon Larry Woodard

Beautiful Baby.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

“You must have been a beautiful baby, ‘Cause baby won’t you look at you now” are lyrics from a popular standard written by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer and performed by many artists including Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and others. The song postulates the woman must have been a beautiful child because of how beautiful she is as an adult. As Christians, we must understand the importance good instruction from the beginning plays in the development of mature Christians.

As a manager I assure you that many times the employee problems I deal with spring from issues the employee has carried throughout his or her life. Issues with tardiness, attention to detail, truthfulness, laziness, anger and many other traits that lead to censure or termination, started way before they accepted my offer of employment and they began working at my firm. Proverbs instructs parents to train a child so that they develop good and godly habits which they will surely continue as they grow older. Christian parents would do well to resist the urge to provide their children with too many material things and instead teach them traits that will last them a lifetime and help them be adults of great character. I can’t remember many of the things I surely must have asked for from my father; but I can remember virtually every life lesson he taught that pertain to character and moral values.

My prayer for you today is for the wisdom and patience to teach your children life’s most valuable lessons.

Deacon Larry Woodard

General Audiences

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the trade association of the American film industry. It advocates for the film industry by working to protect copyrights and film theft and deals with other issues of the industry. Its most recognized activity is role in rating films by content with a system that helps parents and general movie goers make informed decisions about the suitability of the film for viewing. The ratings range from “G” or “General Audiences” which signifies the film is suitable for all ages to “NC-17” which means no one under 17 is admitted. As Christians, it is important to remember that the gospel is intended for all audiences.

In the 19th Chapter of Matthew, the disciples are dealing with a large crowd situation. The situation must have been chaotic. Throngs of crowds trying to see or hear Jesus; some seeking salvation, some seeking healing and others like the Pharisees seeking to evaluate Jesus and prove him to be a fraud. The situation was serious and most likely tense. The Pharisees were questioning Jesus about the very adult topic of Divorce when a group reached Jesus with children they wanted to be blessed. The disciples tried to turn them away. Jesus stopped them and asked for the children to be brought to him. We too are guilty of segregating out the group we believe suitable for worship. By our unofficial dress codes, rules, traditions, decorum, content, topics, outreach, schedules and prejudices; we both unintentionally and sometimes even overtly decide who should and can participate. Jesus looked at the children and proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven belonged to such as these. We need to get comfortable casting a wider net when we worship and encounter people. We should be careful not to exclude young, old or just different. I’ll bet we will be surprised at just how broad the kingdom of heaven actually is.

My prayer for you today is that you broaden your view of worship.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Be Diligent

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Proverbs 6:6 (New Living Translation [NLT])

There is a joke about a man who goes to the doctor and tells him that he can’t do all the things around the house that he use to. After the exam the man asks the doctor to give it to him straight. “In plain English,” said the doctor, “you’re just lazy.” “Okay,” the man says, “Now give me a medical term so I can tell my wife.” As Christians, we need to recognize that because we are humans, sometimes what we are suffering is not spiritual, it’s just us!

Proverbs is a great book to read. You can read a little or a lot. It is packed with wisdom. Proverbs 6: 6-11 is a lesson learned from the ant. The ant, without a boss or anyone urging it on, works hard all summer preparing for the inevitable onset of winter. Solomon writes that laziness will cause poverty to “pounce on you like a bandit”. No one was able to predict the current economic downturn coming a few years ago when it seemed like the Dow Jones Industrial Average was setting new highs every week. No one thinks about preparing for storms when it is sunny outside. Yet, this is the wise instruction of today’s passage. Don’t be lazy. Be diligent. In your work, your savings, your investment, in relationships, your prayer life and planning. Don’t wait. When you know something should be done, now is a good time. Today is a perfect day to do it.

My prayer for you today starts right now…

Deacon Larry Woodard