September 24, 2000
Volume 10, Number 39

The Surrendered Life

Jesus made it very clear that sacrifice and surrender would be component parts of living for God. We must deny self and exalt the will of Heaven if success would abound in our pursuit of righteousness. Strange as it may sound, however, in Christianity we surrender and win! We are more than conquerors through the One who died that we might live (Romans 8:31-39). The road to glory involves sacrificial conduct and deep commitment to a cause of monumental and eternal consequences. Such serious matters demand loyalty beyond the normal standards of mankind. Christians are challenged to sacrificially give our whole being into absolute commitment to the Redeemer:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

When worshiping in song, we sing:

Thou art the Way: to Thee alone
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek,
Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.

We live in an age of disregard, rebellion and laziness. Dependability is a forgotten virtue and indifference toward responsibility is the order of the day. The concept of subjugating our will to God's way is mocked on every hand. As a result of such shallowness, our world is filled with soft and spoiled people who run from zealous endeavor. Putting spiritual matters first is far from the hearts of millions who inherit a chaotic world of their own making. We can only be happy when we love a cause so deeply that we are willing to sacrifice for it! Young people find it difficult, if not impossible, to follow a way of life that is proper if parents or those older ones never show them the way. A little boy, while talking to his Bible teacher, asked a profound question: "Why do you constantly say that the Bible teaches so many times that the children of Israel did this and that? Did the grownups ever do anything?"

It has been well-stated that when it comes to helping others, some people stop at nothing! In Acts 9:16 Saul was informed that as a Christian he would suffer many things for the sake of Jesus. Persecution attended the surrendered life of disciples of Jesus (Acts 14:22). Few in our day have such dedication and fervor. Not many heroes can be found in the arena of faith. Some will sacrifice luxury to lose a few pounds, but never sacrifice at all to win a few souls. Our priorities are surely unbalanced and our views perverted. Divine emphasis is foreign to millions who run greedily after mundane benefits, as did Esau, Demas and the prodigal boy. To sacriflce for Jesus may be difficult, but it is certainly worth it as Luke 6:22 informs us: "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake." Christ laid down His life for us at Golgotha. We must be willing to present ourselves as living sacrifices for him. It is an honor to walk hand in hand with Jesus. Such effort is well worth it.

When we walk with the Lord we have to say farewell to worldly friends and sensual habits that never were good for us in the ftrst place. I read the story recently of a drunk talking to his open can of beer. He said: "You have cost me my wife, my home and my job. Now, I am going to give you one more chance." Our pleasure-mad society is reeling on the brink of ruin but seems to love to have it so (Jeremiah 5:31). When will we come to our senses and seek divine counsel? Those who vainly hope for help from friends of shallow disposition, need to realize they search without hope from such people who cannot even guide themselves. When we honestly and thoroughly surrender our life to Christ, the hilltops of glory rise above the petty values of carnality and beckon us home to a city of gold. When we sing the song Hand in Hand with Jesus, we sing:

From the strait and narrow way,
Praise the Lord, I must not stray,
For I am walking every day
Hand in hand with Jesus.

The Christian must live the surrendered life. Any sacrifice a Christian makes for the cause of the Lord will be as nothing when we get to the end of the way.

Johnny Ramsey

A Special Welcome to our Visitors

Please fill out a blue visitor card so that we might have a record of your visit. If needed, there is a nursery available at the rear of the auditorium. Bible classes for all ages are available Sundays at 10:00 am and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. We hope that you will join us for these studies. Please come and worship with us again soon.

Youth - News & Notes

Cayo Costa State Park - October 13-16, 2000

Remember in Prayers:

Everette Riggenbach - Jim Treece - Cathy Jenson - Naomi Morton

Andrew Seaman - Leslie Johnson - Bill & Jeanne Sherman - Virginia Law

Lonny Dickerson - Viola Morinier

Web-Site ... Moving Next Week to... www.venicechurchofchrist.com

News:

 

Building Program: Southwest Florida Water Management District and teh Department of Transportation are working on the permits.
Click here for a preview of some of the work that is being done.

Ladies Class: Mondays at 11:00 am.
Song Service : Sunday evening.
Sunday Adult Bible Class: "A Visual Study of the Missionary Journeys of Paul" (10:00 am)

Wednesday Adult Bible Class: "Jeremiah", chapter 24. (6:30 PM)

Sunday’s Lessons:

"Mending Nets" (Mark 1:16-20)

"Song Service" ()

Don't spend the last half of your life ...
regretting the first half.

Service Opportunities

Time of Services

Announcements:

Wayne Vowell

Sunday

Ushers:

Walt Thompson

Bible Study:

10:00 am

Morning Services

Worship:

11:00 am

Bible Reading:

Clarence Riggenbach

Evening Worship:

6:00 pm

Songs:

Dale Graham

Monday

Sermon:

Ted Wheeler

Ladies Bible Class:

11:00 am.

Closing Prayer:

James Bowman

Wednesday

Evening Services

Bible Study:

6:30 pm

Opening Prayer:

Kerry Keathley

Songs:

Dale Graham

Our Record - Last Week

Sermon:

Song Service

Closing Prayer:

Don Douglas

Attendance:
58

Communion

Contribution:
$ 1015.01
Jim Dougan
Weekly Budget:
$ 1500.00
Kerry Keathley
Delbert Leavens
Weekly Average (yr):
TBA

Larry Jenson

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