Are We Having Fun Yet?

An ad in today’s newspaper appealed to readers who want to lose weight. The weight-loss company said the best thing about its program is the fun readers would have if they joined. If trying to lose weight is so much fun, why are so many people overweight? Overweight people might argue that eating generous helpings of pecan pie topped with ice cream is fun, but dieting is torture.

Having fun seems to be a key factor in almost every modern venture. It isn’t uncommon for job recruiters to talk about Company X as a fun place to work. We are encouraged to exercise for fun, and our children or grandchildren are supposed to have fun in the classroom. The schools I attended were so wrong. My classmates and I had to work hard in class. Our teachers were so uniformed that they thought only recess was supposed to be fun.

A growing number of Christians look for a church home on the basis of how much fun a church provides. Entertainment and social life seem to be more important to them than edification and service. “Rock on” seems to be gaining acceptance while devotion to the Rock of Ages seems to be shrinking.

Just a reminder: Jesus summoned His disciples to take up a cross and follow Him. He assured them they would have tribulation, but He also told them to be of good cheer. Are good cheer and fun synonymous? I don’t think so. But good cheer and joy are. Having fun depends upon exposure to entertaining circumstances; whereas joy depends upon exposure to the Scriptures and a close relationship with Christ. James instructed us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:4). How long do you think James would last in a modern-day church with a calendar crammed with fun-filled activities?

It isn’t wrong to have fun, but it is wrong to evaluate the worth of a church or Christianity on the basis of fun. Maybe the weight-loss company can produce lighter participants in a fun-filled way. And maybe churches can produce lighter Christians in a fun-filled way.

Saved by Grace Alone

The apostle Paul wrote Galatians to call his readers back to the doctrine of grace. They had drifted to legalism, the teaching that insists salvation must be earned. Early in his first chapter he drew the Galatians to the cross. Salvation, after all, is all about what Jesus did for us there.

Read Galatians 1:4 and 5 and ponder these aspects of Jesus’ death on the cross.

• His death was substitutionary. He “gave himself for our sins.”

• His death was expiatory. He “died for our sins.”

• His death was voluntary. He “gave himself for our sins.”

• His death was efficacious. It was “to deliver us.”

• His death was redemptive. “To deliver us from this present evil age.”

• His death was foreordained. “According to the will of God and our Father.”

• His death is praiseworthy: “To whom be glory forever and ever.”

As we approach Good Friday, let’s offer heartfelt thanks and praise that Jesus purchased our redemption at Calvary. Salvation does not depend upon what we do but upon what He has done.

Canada's Women's Hockey Team

Although I wasn’t born in Canada, I grew up there. Every school day my classmates and I sang “O Canada” with a great deal of pride. At the Olympic women’s hockey gold medal ceremony Canada’s female heroines and the Canadian spectators sang the national anthem proudly and loudly. I understood the pride and joy of the moment. The team of fantastic female hockey players had sent waves of both emotions across Canada, from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.

My emotions turned upside down when I learned this morning that the gold medalists returned to the ice about 30 minutes after the ceremony for a beer, champagne, and cigar party. Their behavior saddened and disappointed me. I would have felt the same way if male hockey players had behaved like that. Thousands of Canadian youngsters love hockey, and they had found in the Canadian women’s hockey team heroes to emulate. On a personal note, my Canadian brother’s 13-year-old granddaughter plays on a hockey team. I regret that her role models projected a poor image.

Some may call me a prude, but I think how champion athletes behave influences the behavior of their young, impressionable fans. Jesus warned us not to influence the children to do wrong (Matthew 18:6).

Think and Thank

If we want to know God’s will, we must know His Word. In the Bible God tells us clearly what our attitudes, motives, and actions should be. In other words, we can learn from Scripture how to think right and behave right. But how well do we conform our lives to the teachings of Scripture?

For example, Psalm 100:4 instructs us to be thankful to the Lord. That’s clear enough, isn’t it? But how thankful are we? Most Christians in the Western World have full closets and full stomachs, but our mouths are often filled with complaints—about the government, the economy, our jobs, our finances, our neighbors, our relatives, our health issues, the utility bills, and the high cost of filling the gas tank. We often are so busy complaining that we leave little or no time for thanksgiving. But we should spend so much time thanking God for His blessings that we leave no time for complaining.

I know, Thanksgiving is nine months away, but why not make today a thanksgiving day? You don’t have to run out and buy a turkey and pumpkin pie; simply think about how good God is and how abundantly He has blessed you.

Our word “thankful” derives from an Anglo-Saxon word for “thinkful.” Let’s think about God’s goodness and be thankful.

Hockey:Canada's National Sport

What a hockey game last night! The rivalry between the USA and CANADA was intense, and the hockey was fast paced and hard hitting. I must confess I cheered for the losing team. Although I have been a US citizen since 1966, I grew up in Canada (born in Scotland) and strapped on hockey skates at a young age. It was what every Canadian boy did. After all, hockey was and still is Canada’s national sport.

Televised hockey in the USA used to be rare, but it is frequent now. Hockey teams are not limited to the NHL; you can find them in America’s high schools, community leagues, and colleges. Canada’s passion for hockey has spread to the USA and to many other nations. Canadians have surely done a good job of persuading many nations to adopt the sport.

Before ascending to heaven Jesus instructed His followers to disciple all nations. The mission was to begin in Jerusalem, spread to Judea, penetrate Samaria, and reach to the far corners of the globe (Acts 1:8). How passionate are you and I about this mission. Can we share the gospel as successfully as Canada has shared hockey?