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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 6, NUMBER 37, SEPTEMBER 17, 2006 SITTING IN MY OFFICE LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW We had quite a bit of rain last week. Officially at the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati Airport we had over two inches on Tuesday alone. That rain was all it took to turn the grass green and to get it growing again. I knew it was wishful thinking, but I was hoping that maybe I had used my lawnmower for the last time this year. The rain took care of that idea. It’s funny how little things get you to thinking. As I looked out of my office window, enjoying the brighter green of the grass and trees, my mind went to Isaiah 55:8-11. In that passage the Lord said, through the prophet, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Just think about the rain and the snow. They come down from heaven and nourish the earth and sustain the life upon it. Because of the rain and snow, vegetation flourishes, seed is provided to the sower and bread as a result for food. The water, in its various forms, does not return until it has accomplished it purpose; then it returns in the form of vapor to begin the cycle again. God compares the rain and the snow to His word. It will accomplish its purpose in the hearts of those who draw near to hear, to give heed, and it will bring about changes in the thoughts and actions of those who allow it to touch them. God has given us the “water of His word,” our job is to “cause it to rain.” Let’s each of us determine right now that in our little corner of the world, we are going to cause it to rain. God has repeatedly taught us that our job is to plant and water; He will take care of the increase. There hasn’t been a lot of increase lately, but if you are like me, there hasn’t been a lot of planting and watering going on either. The circumstances have changed. LET’S GO DO SOME RAINING! *********** While I was sitting in my office looking out the window, trying to prepare this bulletin, Taylor and Elise dropped by – they brought Debbie with them too. As I heard them out in the hallway with their mom preparing for Wednesday night bible class, I did some counting. If I got it correct, and I probably missed some, there are at least 50 kids, including teen-agers, who attend here. Brethren, I have preached in congregations that did not have 50 people altogether. What a glorious opportunity God has provided us, and what a tremendous responsibility. The primary responsibility for bringing the children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” rests upon the shoulders of each child’s parents. The well-known passage found in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 bears this out. The passage says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” In addition to the instruction in righteousness given every day at home to our children, the organized bible classes provided here at Northern, and upon which the teachers and others work so very hard, provide an excellent supplement. Take advantage of them! “My kids miss their friends who don’t attend here anymore.” Don’t we all! However, recognizing the different levels of maturity of each child, even the recent events that have taken place here can be an excellent opportunity to teach. An opportunity to teach what? How about the fact that the Lord Jesus comes before everything and everybody? Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “He that loveth father or more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” While it is a difficult lesson to learn, and many adults refuse to learn it, truth and right are not determined by friendship. The littlest children cannot appreciate or understand that truth, but some of the older ones can. Recent events can even be used, for some of the older children, to teach that no matter what happens there is never a reason to be mean or unkind. There is never a reason to tell anything less than the truth and the ultimate concern that all us should have toward each other is that we go to heaven when the Lord returns. No matter what happens, we can always act in a proper fashion, we can always do what is right. That is such an important lesson to learn. *********** As Paul was bringing his second letter to Timothy to a close, fully aware that his life was rapidly approaching its end, he wrote in 2 Tim. 4:13, “The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.” We are not exactly sure what these “books” and “parchments” were. Some have suggested that they were writing material for Paul himself; others that they were copies of Old Testament books. In our library we have many books for our use. As is the case with anything written by man, we must be very careful as we use them. There is only one infallible book and that is the Bible. That being said, the elders are planning to create a section of the library dealing exclusively with evangelism- complete with books that explore the subject, materials to be used in personal evangelism, and a host of other things. It is in the planning stage, more information will be coming.
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