The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Trust
A word is a wonderful thing. Words are often aptly defined as vehicles of thought. Technically, they are a speech sound which has meaning attached to it. So strong is the word attached to the thing it represents that we cannot separate the two. Some have called words signs of ideas—and so they are. They represent something. They are not actually that thing, but they represent it so closely you cannot think of the thing without using the sign that represents it.
If there is any proof that the plans we make for ourselves can be thwarted, it has been these last two years. Plans I had went awry, and I am certain yours did, too. Intended travel was canceled or postponed, some jobs were lost, loved ones were lost as well. Something as disruptive as the pandemic is proof that none of us are in control of the circumstances of our lives, and we are not in control of most things.
April 27th will be the 10 year anniversary of the Super Tornado Outbreak, one of the largest, costliest and deadliest tornadic events historically recorded and certainly the case in our lifetime. It was a significant event for many of us to live through, affecting us all adversely in some way. In total, at least 362 tornadoes were confirmed, contributing to a loss of 348 precious lives. One of those tornadoes, which cut a swath across Limestone and Madison counties, was later identified as an EF5 with over 200 mph winds, the highest rating possible. Many of us knew someone personally that succumbed to this horrific event.
If you do not stay up to date on pop-culture slang, you may be unfamiliar with the terms woke and cancel culture. Though definitions vary, the primary meaning of woke involves maintaining social awareness and the primary idea behind cancel culture is to silence anyone whose opinions are not considered woke; thus, they are deemed unfit for public consumption or consideration. Recent months have seen a plethora of people in the public eye scorned and mocked for having opinions at variance with the woke crowd. While this may seem a rather new concept to a nation whose Constitution enshrines the idea of freedom of speech, it is a concept well-known to those who seek to follow the New Testament as their model for both church and individual decisions and behavior. Primitivists, just as their 1st-century Christian counterparts, are aware of what it means to be canceled.
Following the captivity of Israel by Assyria in 722 BC, Judah remained intact for several years. Unfortunately, during those years, Judah did not view the plight of their northern neighbor as a lesson from which to learn. Instead of recognizing the connection of Israel’s sinfulness with Israel’s ultimate demise, Judah continued to forsake the Lord and follow their own desires.
We are immensely blessed, but blessings are not guaranteed. It’s a fearful thing to realize the stability of our time could end.
Simply put, God is in control! At times this may be difficult to see; however, His faithful know that how things appear on the surface does not bespeak spiritual reality. Eternally speaking, right will reign victorious because God is its Champion.
We have had those troubles, various and difficult, that leave us lying awake at night. When we try to think, it only makes us moan. When we try to put it to words, we fail. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ felt similarly when he cried out on the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?”
Things that seemed so important in the early years of life take on a different perspective as one grows older. One soon realizes that “life” is not the things that held sway over thoughts in the early years; instead, it is primarily the little things that can seem so mundane at the time.
