Trenton Bulletin 18 February 2001

They Did That On Purpose (Kent Heaton)

The insurance agent was writing a policy for a cowboy. "Have you ever had any accidents?" the agent asked. "No, not really," replied the cowboy. "A horse kicked in a few of my ribs once. I got bit a couple of times by a rattlesnake, but that's about it." "Don't you call those accidents?" demanded the agent. "Oh, no," came the answer, "they did that on purpose."

It is easy to blame someone else for our problems or short-sidedness. Even when we are guilty of committing the wrong, we simply dismiss it as a mistake or accident. Viewing sin sometimes can be more like an "OOP's" or a "goof." The whole idea is to lessen the impact of sin and to blame someone or something for it. Adam, after he had eaten the forbidden fruit and stood face to face with God for his sin said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." (Genesis 3:12) He blamed the woman (whom God had given to him - he seemed to be putting the blame on God too) for causing him to sin.

The real truth was that Adam was responsible for what Adam did - not Eve, nor God nor even Satan. When the final analysis is given, Adam stood alone with his guilt. Who could he blame? Even Eve could not blame Satan for Satan only tempted her - he did not force her.

When a child is caught with a cookie from the cookie jar - who does he blame? Maybe his sister, his brother, the dog, the cat or even the cookie will be blamed. But who put the hand in the cookie jar and took out the forbidden cookie - the child did. We try to teach this to our children. We must learn the harder lesson about sin. Sin is a transgression of the law of God, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4) When we stand before God in judgment, we will have no one to answer for our lives but ourselves. With all the nations of the earth gathered and the legions upon legions of souls past presenting themselves before the Holy God, we will stand alone.

The good or the evil that we stand before God with will be only our own. "For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then EACH OF US shall give account of HIMSELF to God." (Romans 14:11) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10) The key in these passages is to realize that we must receive the rewards of our lives based upon what we do - not what someone else does or expects us to do.

Who can we blame? When David was approached by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12, David realized that he bore the full responsibility for what had happened. He did not try to blame Bathsheba, God, Uriah or the pressures of being a king. He said in verse 13, "I have sinned against the Lord." David said, "I" and accepted responsibility. It was not accident - what he had done he had done with purpose and he confessed his sin.

Christ died to take away our sins. He died that we may be whole. When we confess our sins and recognize that we are responsible for our lives - then truly can we come to the Cross and seek forgiveness. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) is the admonition for us to serve a God who has done so much for us by sending His Son - we must do our part.

Helping To Grow Up (Robert Turner)

While waiting to see a doctor I overheard two teen-age boys talking about blood tests. One wondered aloud (and pointedly) if the nurse would detect the alcohol in his blood; and the other boasted that there was more alcohol than blood in his veins on a recent Saturday night. He made certain all in the room could hear his remarks and wished repeatedly that he were in that condition now.

The boys, "playing like" they were men, were deceiving only themselves. Their very concept of manly conduct was so distorted it was ridiculous and further emphasized their immaturity.

Then the nurse brought a wheelchair patient into the office for examination and X-ray. He was another teenager, broken and bloody as the result of an accident. He also had a companion. When the first two boys began to kid the injured boy about being unable to hold his liquor, the fourth boy was very serious.

"There is nothing funny about acting foolish," he said, "and a lot less funny to pull injured children from a wreck you have caused. It isn't funny to break your ribs or to destroy a car you worked hard to buy. Man, you've got a real strange sense of humor."

That did it! The first two laughed nervously, then grew quiet as the injured boy was wheeled from the room. But the punch is yet to come. When the room had settled back to normal I could hear the first two boys resume their conversation - but softly now, speaking only to one another.

"Is Dick some kind of a religious nut or something?" one asked. "Naw, he's just kinda shook up by that wreck," the second replied. "I told that kid (evidently the injured boy) he had no business driving home. A guy is crazy to get full of beer and go burning down the road."

I lost several minutes of the conversation here, but when it picked up again the boys were telling one another how some kids never would grow up - and how some just tried to show off - and how they knew better!

And I got a warm feeling for the unknown young man who had spoken up at a critical time, against odds, to effect changes in his fellows.

He Died A Prairie Chicken (Ted Engstrom)

An American Indian tells about a brave who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the changeling eagle, thinking he was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did.

He scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. He clucked and cackled. And he flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that's how prairie chickens are supposed to fly. Years passed. And the changeling eagle grew very old. One day, he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. "What a beautiful bird!" said the changeling eagle to his neighbor. "What is it?"

"That's an eagle - the chief of birds," the neighbor clucked. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him." So the changeling eagle never gave it another thought. And it died thinking it was a prairie chicken. (The Pursuit Of Excellence, James S. Hewett, Ed. Illustrations Unlimited, Tyndale p. 344)

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30