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| Volume 25 Number 4 April 2023 |
Page 6 |
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| Volume 25 Number 4 April 2023 |
Page 6 |
Gary C. Hampton
Carl Bard once said, “Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.” I appreciate what he said and think there is some merit to it. However, there is a spiritual sense in which he was wrong.
Jesus told Nicodemus, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NKJV). A man dead in sin is buried in a watery grave through baptism, like Christ was buried. He is then raised to live a new life (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 6:3-4).
Paul explained to Titus that all Christians once lived a life of disobedience. God showed His kindness to all men by sending Jesus to be the Savior. Salvation is gained “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:3-5).
Christians are united with Christ in the burial of baptism. We are also united in living a new life when raised from that watery grave. The old man of sin is buried in baptism. A slave who dies is no longer under the power of his master. One who dies to sin is similarly freed from the old master of sin (Romans 6:5-7).
We can join Paul in joyfully saying, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Each of us can spiritually make a brand-new start!
Just Don’t Judge Me by My Bags
Ralph Clevinger
I have a recycling problem. Sometimes, I allow the amount of cardboard and shopping bags to grow into a small mountain before I haul them off. The cardboard is not a huge embarrassment because I can just pull to a bin where everyone else with the same problem throws their stuff. We tend not to judge the amount of cardboard each person has hanging out of a car or a truck. However, plastic bags are a little different. You have to find a place where you can take your bags, generally a store. Then, you carry the whole load through the parking lot to a designated bin.
This past Monday, I found that Walmart still recycles plastic bags. It used to have a bin in the doorway where you could leave your bags. It has since been moved. I asked the greeter if Walmart still did recycling. She told me they did and that I could find the bin at customer service. I told her thank you and asked her not to judge me when I bring all these bags back into Walmart. She looked at me a little funny, but she did not know how many bags I was bringing.
When we come together as the Lord’s church, people bring their own embarrassments with them. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). We all continue to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all in need of a Savior because our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and bring us death (Romans 6:23). We should not judge our brothers and sisters over sins they have committed because we also need forgiveness. Instead, we should help them carry their load (Galatians 6:1-2). We should encourage them to continue in their faith and not to become disconnected from the body (Hebrews 12:12-13). All souls are precious to the Lord, both those who have it all together and also those who need help. Let us all be mindful to encourage each other in our walk with the Lord!