Previous Contents NextMarch 31,1997
Dear Br. Jackson:
Has the Lord blessed you today? You don’t know! Are you alive, do you have eye sight, does the car operate, do you have a house to live in, are you healthy, do you have food to eat, then the Lord has blessed you? Seldom do people appreciate or even realize the blessings of the Lord or our obligation to share then with others. God does not bless us that we may keep his gifts to ourselves but that we may brighten the lives of others.
I would like to share with you an interesting observation on human
behavior. Approximately ten years ago, a group of twenty older,
prominent, wealthy people assembled in a small town, not from
this area, and decided to build a church. They pooled their assets,
hired an architect and contractor and set about building a very
pretty little church on main street in the center of town. It
was beautiful, nicely situated, with ample capacity, and it could
seat a hundred people. The church was finished, a minister was
hired and the twenty folks started worshiping there. That was
nearly ten years ago. The same twenty people, who built the church,
are still worshiping there, the only ones who do so.
While conversing with the pastor of this church, he made some
interesting remarks about his church and its parishioners or worshipers.
He noted, with some curiosity, that they had refused to hold evangelist
services in the church. While they welcomed, with genuine warmth
and friendship, all who choose to worship there every Sabbath,
they refused to advertise in a denominational journal for people
to move into this retirement community and begin worshiping with
them. It did not take any great wisdom to understand the problem
and why the church remained small. These folks were displaying
incredible selfishness by refusing to share their blessings with
others. They built a lovely church, perfectly suited to the small
town needs, yet they refused to encourage others to join their
fellowship.
Why would they do this? Consider the problem. They built the church,
they maintained the upkeep, and they enjoyed its blessings. Should
fifty or eighty people join the church, either through an evangelistic
crusade or because they moved into the community and needed a
place of worship, the power and influence of the original twenty
would be broken and the church would be carried in a direction,
perhaps not to the liking of the builders, for the newcomers would
assert their majority vote and the original twenty would attain
unto a minority status in their own church. To prevent loss of
power and control, they refused to share their church with others
for fear of loosing their investment. Forgotten was the reason
for a church and its real owner. Forgotten were the many blessings
God had showered upon these people, enabling them to build a lovely
house for the Lord. Fear and selfishness motivated these dear
Christian brothers and sisters.
Let us each be mindful to share with others the blessings from
the Lord. These blessings may be the ability to drive a car, to
grow a garden, to encourage others, to chop fire wood, but whatever
they are, we are under solum obligation form the Lord not to hoard
them unto ourselves. If these Christians persist in their selfish
ways, the Lord, in mercy to them, may reveal their selfishness
by allowing their church to be destroyed. Perhaps fire, or a storm,
or heavy snow may damage it beyond repair. Christ often allows
misfortune to occur in mercy to the sinner in order to reveal
our selfishness. Only through severe loss, may some people be
lead to see the error of their selfishness.
May the Lord bless you and may you use these blessings to bless
others. We are never freed from the obligation to share our blessings
unless we desire to be freed from receiving them. Your brother
in Christ.
Allen A. Benson
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