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From The Pastor
April 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Psalm 128:3-4
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
Within your house;
Your children will be like olive shoots
Around your table.
Thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
Psalm 128 speaks of our relationships, both with God and with people. People are important in our lives. Often we fail to honor the loved ones around us. We love them and we want the best for them, but we just cannot find the time to be with them. Being with them is more than a phone call or a card at holidays. Being with them is sitting together over a meal or just spending time talking together. That means we have to listen at least as much as we speak.
Death serves as a sobering reminder of the important things in life. When a loved one passes, we ask ourselves, did I spend enough time with mom or dad or my spouse or even that good friend? What was so important that I could not make time for them? It seems that we find the time to do the things we really want to do and we have wonderful excuses as to why we do not do the things we really do not want to do. It is a painful experience sitting with a loved one who is at the last stages of this life. It is also painful to sit with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease or any other debilitating disease that might linger on for a time. The point is that once they have passed, we will not see them again in this world. Life’s true meaning is found in those relationships. Do not allow anything to stand in the way of just being together.
Michael Slaughter, in his book, “Momentum For Life,” Says, “When the object of our devotion is right, our work and relationships unite as an honorable, excellent offering to God. Our work and our relationships are not separate from our relationship with God, but are the primary expression of this relationship.”
Let us always bring an honorable and excellent offering to God. May we live our lives in love with God and with the people around us. May we never say we wish we had spent more time with God or with a loved one. One of the saddest experiences I have ever had as a pastor is to stand next to a casket with someone and hear them say, “I wish I had told him/her how much I loved them.” Tell them today and then spend your time with God and with the people of your life.
In Love,
Rev. Jerry D. Martin