David Richardson

This week I was thumbing through a devotion book I picked up while in Arkansas a while back.  I came across a few lines written by an anonymous author.  It’s all about the power of God’s Word.  If you ever wonder just how valuable scripture is, read these words aloud:

“It contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the fate of sinners, and the happiness of believers.  It is a light to direct you, food to nourish you, and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveller’s road map, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s weapon, and the player’s game plan.  It’s a mine of incredible wealth, and a river of genuine joy.  Its docrtines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.  Christ is its grand subject, your good is its design, and the glory of God its end.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be spiritually healthy.  Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.  Let it fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your steps.  It is given to you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and judge those who trifle with its sacred contents.”

To that I say, “Amen.”

May we all pick up God’s Word and read it for ourselves.

It is too powerful and valuable for us to ignore.

Mr. President,

Greetings from Florida.

I wish to take a few moments and respond to your recent comments on same-sex marriage.  This week you said, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” You are the President of the United States, and can freely speak your mind pretty much whenever you want.  That’s your right and privilege.  Fortunately for me, however, I too am an American citizen, and I have the right to express my opinion on the matter.  Sir, with all due respect, I disagree 100% with you.  Totally.  Without hesitation.

Since the beginning of our American culture, marriage has been about one man and one woman making a commitment to one another for life.  Men and women complement each other physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Men and women are wired uniquely, and need each other.  That is why God designed marriage the way He did.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ.  Part of that means I accept the Bible as the Word of God.  You have said that you are a Christian.  Then I am sure you have read these words of Jesus from Matthew 19:4-6:  “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For the cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh’?  Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Sir, I am sure you noticed the wording in that passage.  “Man” and “wife.”  That is the natural way.  That is God’s way.

Children benefit from the traditional form of marriage.  They need a mother and a father.  Not two mothers, and not two fathers.  There are unique qualities that women bring to parent-child relationship, and the same can be said for men.  A child who is raised in a household that has two mothers or two fathers is missing out on meaningful connections and important experiences that other children have in a traditional homelife with a father and a mother.

I could go on and on about the dangerous ripple effect that would result from same-sex marriage becoming the norm in this great country.  It grieves me to think of what young, impressionable children will be taught in our public schools.  A lifestyle that many Americans do not agree with will be upheld as normal.  And it bothers me to think of how religious freedom will be stripped away.  It will not surprise me when we pastors face threats of fine or imprisonment one day when we get in our pulpits and preach against the homosexual lifestyle.  You and I both know that day is coming.

Mr. President, you also said this week, “…when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing Himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, treat others the way you would want to be treated.” Sir, I agree with you about our faith being grounded in the idea of “Christ sacrificing Himself on our behalf.”  And, yes, the Golden Rule is a wonderful truth to live by.  But the Golden Rule has nothing whatsoever to do with same-sex marriage.  You are making a flawed biblical stretch when you sit in front a camera and try to connect the two.

What I am trying to say, Mr. President, is this.  I disagree with you.  With respect.  But also with passion.  And I will continue to disagree with you.  Why?  Because my God and His Word say the opposite of what you are saying about marriage.

I will preach that marriage is for a man and a woman.

I will only do marriage ceremonies for men and women.

And I will not change.

How will I treat homosexual people?  The same way I have for years.  With love and prayer.  I feel no hatred or fear towards homosexuals.  But I do disagree with their lifestyle, and I will not accept it.

Mr. President, I will close with this:  There are many, many Americans who think and feel the same way I do about this.  And we will not go away.  We will respect you, pray for you, and wish you well.  But we also will stand strongly againt same-sex marriage, and uphold passionately the traditional marriage of one man and one woman.

Just wanted you to know where this citizen stands.

David Richardson

Sebring, Florida

 

 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers”  Hebrews 13:2

I read a neat article in the sports section of the April 29, 2012 edition of The Tampa Tribune.  Chris Gilmenez, a professional baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays, talked about the hospitality his team shows in their clubhouse when new players join the team.  Appearantly, the Rays make sure to introduce themselves to new guys when they go to their locker for the first time.  Gilmenez said, “You have plenty of guys coming up talking to him, welcoming him to the club.  ‘Hey man, good to have you here.’  It may not sound big, but that’s huge for a guy.”

Churches can learn a valuable lesson from the Rays!  It’s not easy entering a professional baseball clubhouse for the first time, and it’s also not easy entering a church as a visitor.  When people show up at our churches for the first time, they often don’t know what to expect.  One of the best things we can do is show them hospitality and make them feel welcome.

Here are some tips for church people to consider on Sunday mornings:

[1] Look for visitors when you enter your worship area and introduce yourself to them.

[2] Ask them if they need anything.

[3] Thank them for attending the worship service when everyone is dismissed, and invite them to come back next week.

I love it when visitors at First Baptist Sebring tell me they felt welcome and comfortable at one of our services.  That means we connected with them in a good way.  And that means we are becoming more and more of what God wants us to be.

What can the church learn from the Rays?  Make people feel welcome when they visit!  God expects it.  Visitors need it.  And we are blessed by doing it.

 

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God.”  Psalm 42:1

When it comes to dealing with GOD, let’s never be content with a shallow relationship or a weak connection.

Let’s hunger for more.  Thirst for more.  Long for more.

Here is what Anne Graham Lotz has to say in her book My Heart’s Cry.

I long for…

More of His voice in my ear,

More of His tears on my face,

More of His praise on my lips,

More of His death in my life,

More of His dirt on my hands,

More of His hope in my grief,

More of His fruit in my service,

More of His love in my home,

More of His courage in my convictions,

More of His nearness in my loneliness,

More of His answers to my prayers,

More of His glory on my knees!