What Are You Pursuing?

By Victor Osorio

Samuel Truett Cathy, the founder of Chic-Fil-A, passed away in 2014 at the age of 93.  At the time, I told my wife, Terra, that Cathy’s longevity is proof that a Chic-Fil-A diet will not kill me prematurely.

Of course, S. Truett Cathy was known for his company and its awesome chicken sandwiches.  But more importantly, he was known for his character, morals, love of family, and for being religious.

A Wall Street Journal advertisement in memorial to him had Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.”  How true.  And how nice in a business world that often uses “Greed is good” as a motto.

Mr. Cathy was also an author.  One of his books was “Wealth: Is it Worth It?”  In it, Cathy concluded that wealth is only worth it if you earn it honestly, spend it wisely, save it reasonably, and give generously.  That is wise counsel, but I will add that wealth is only worth it if it doesn’t keep you from God.

In Matthew 6:19-20 we read, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Luke 12:15-21 adds “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.  The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’  But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

These passages remind me of recently when I was cleaning out the garage.  I came across trophies and awards I had collected over the years.  They were broken, tattered, faded, and scratched.  They didn’t fare well being stored in attics and garages through our family’s various moves.

As I threw most of them away, I remembered back in elementary school wanting a trophy so bad.  I used to draw them in art class.  I remembered in junior high and high school seeking to win district championships and MVP awards.  It drove me constantly.  And there the fruits lay…meaningless.

So, I ask, especially our young people, what are you pursuing?  But adults too, what are we pursuing?

Wealth is okay.  Seeking to be your best at a sport or instrument, or any other talent, is okay, perhaps even noble.  After all, Proverbs 10:4 says, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”  And Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.”  But what are we pursuing?

Parents, what are you allowing, even enabling your children to pursue more - their soul or scholarship?  Spirituality or sports?  It’s an important question.

Let’s let our attitude be that of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Because in the end, as Proverbs 11:4 warns, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

Jesus Commends Nathaniel

By Paul Earnhart

When Jesus left Judaea after His baptism, He left with at least five disciples.  At first, only two had followed Him: Andrew and an unnamed disciple who was probably John, the author of the gospel.  But Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus.  And in John 1:43 we see Jesus inviting yet another man to go with Him.  “The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip, and Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me.’”

Philip did follow Jesus, but before they left Judaea, Philip did exactly what Andrew had done: he went and found someone else to bring to Jesus.  John 1:45 reports that “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’”  Nathanael was at first skeptical, asking, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  But Philip did not argue with Nathanael; he simply said, “Come and see.” (John 1:46)  If WE can only get people to COME and SEE Jesus, Jesus will convince them.  He is His own best witness.

When Nathanael met Jesus, Jesus did not show resentment because of Nathanael’s reference to Nazareth; and He certainly did not begin an argument with him about His hometown.  Rather, Jesus complimented Nathanael by saying, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” (John 1:47)

We can learn much about the rearing of children from the manner in which Jesus trained His disciples.  To Simon, Jesus gave a name which he did not deserve at the time, but one that would challenge him to become what he could become.  And to Nathanael He gave a compliment.

Children should never be told that they are bad, even when their conduct is bad.  They are basically good, and they need to be constantly reminded of that.  Bad conduct is simply inconsistent with the good children they are.  And children need to be commended for every good quality they demonstrate and for every good deed they do.

Jesus Increased in Favor with Men

By Paul Earnhart

The Bible says very little about the early childhood of Jesus.  It does inform us in Luke 2:52 that He increased in favor with man.  This tells us that Jesus was the kind of child that adults admired.  Every parent desires to have such a child.

How did Jesus grow in favor with good men.  Certainly not by being a smart-alecky spoiled little brat.  No adult likes to be around that kind of child.  Rather, as we are told in the other parts of this verse, Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God.  Good people admire that.  In addition, they appreciate children who are respectful of adults, obedient to their parents, careful with property and considerate in their relations with other children.  Growing in favor with God would require all of this, and what we see of Jesus in His teen years (and later) clearly indicates that this was the kind of child he was.

If you are a child, let me remind you that if you want to be like Jesus, this is the kind of boy or girl you must be.  It is not time yet for you to be travelling over the country preaching as Jesus did.  But it is time for you to be applying yourself to getting a good education, to developing a strong body and to being right with God.  One way to determine whether you are succeeding in this is to watch how good adults feel about you.  If they admire you and speak of you as a good child, then you must be doing as you should.  If they dread being around you and clearly do not like you, then you probably need to make some changes in your behavior and attitude to be like Jesus.

If you are a parent, let me remind you that you are responsible for the development of your child.  If your child is a terror to others, you need to be making some changes in your method of handling the child.  As the child grows older, the problems will only increase.  Perhaps you should begin with yourself.  Disciplined children must have disciplined parents…it’s the only way.

Jesus Increased in Favor with God

By Paul Earnhart

Luke 2:52 tells us that as Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, He also increased in favor with God. This is the most important increase of all. All other progress in the development of a child is of temporary value. The wisdom he learns will someday be forgotten. His physical body, regardless of how strong, will someday weaken and die. And the favor of men can vanish in a moment of time. But favor with God prepares us for eternity.

Favor with God is obtained by godly living. In 1 Peter 3, beginning with verse 10, there is a quotation from the Psalms which is true for all times: "Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. And let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears attend to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Pet. 3:10-12)

Children do not grow in the favor of God by accident. This is especially true in our own day when so much ungodliness is being fed to children on television, in school, and through their companions. If children are to increase in the favor of God, they desperately need parents who have spiritual goals for them and rear them “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

What of your children? Do you feel that God is increasingly pleased with them as they grow older? What are you doing to help them in that direction? Do you read the Bible and pray with them? Do you take them to Bible classes? Do you give them an example of a god-fearing parent? What your children become is largely up to you. But you must act now!

Jesus Increased in Stature

By Paul Earnhart

Luke 2:52 tells us that in the years before Jesus was 12-years old, He increased in stature.  This tells us something about both Jesus and His mother, Mary.

To say that Jesus increased in stature is to say that he grew normally, that he was healthy and strong in body. We know well what is required for such growth. It requires good wholesome food, exercise, proper rest and clean habits.

Many young people want a good strong body for appearance or for success in sports.  But Jesus had a greater reason for taking care of His body.  His body was given to Him by God, and it was God 's intention that He should use it for the years that He was on earth.  So, Jesus cared for it and did what was necessary to increase in strength.

All of us can say that our bodies are a gift of God. They are to be used for His service.  This gives us special reason to care for them, to observe the rules of good health and to avoid tobacco, intoxicating drinks and other drugs that weaken our bodies, scramble our brains, and shorten our lives.

Mary is also to be praised for her part in the physical growth of Jesus.  Doubtless she was the one who prepared his good meals, encouraged him in exercise and taught him good habits of cleanliness. Mothers have a special responsibility along these lines.  It is sad to see Mothers today who are too busy or too occupied with social affairs or pleasure to take proper care of their children.  Solomon said, "A chiId left to himself is the shame of his mother" (Proverbs 29:15).  That is still true.  If you are a mother reading this message, what kind of mother are you?  Are you the kind in whose hands God would have entrusted His Son? He has entrusted a child or children to your care.  Be sure you help them grow in stature as Jesus did.