Friday; December 14

For those of us who were alive during the 1970s there may have been no more compelling television than the hearings of “The Senate Select Committee On Presidential Campaign Activities” or better known as the Watergate Hearings.  Even though this show was live, it had more twists and turns than the best of the Daytime Dramas.  For weeks, the Senate Committee investigated the activities of the Nixon Administration and the Committee to Re-elect the President.  Most people are familiar with the outcome of the hearings, but the other day I came across an interesting quote by Senator Sam Ervin from the Final Report that condemned the activity by noting, “Their lust for political power blinded them to ethical considerations and legal requirements; to Aristotle's aphorism that the good of man must be the end of politics; and to Grover Cleveland's conviction that a public office is a public trust.”.  As I read this observation I was struck by Senator Ervin’s assessment of politics.  The purpose of politics is not to be powerful, not to get reelected, not to promote an agenda or even to “get stuff done” ... the goal of politics should be promote the good of man. 
As I thought about this observation, it got me to thinking about the purpose of religion.  What is the ultimate goal of religion:  to be socially involved ... to promote our own religious traditions ... to become politically active?  No, the goal of religion is the good of God!  Our religion should serve one basic purpose – to worship God.  Sure, there are collateral blessings that can come from it, but at the heart of religion is our adoration of and service to God.  When Jesus taught His earliest disciples He noted, “... seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).
Let’s make it a point to worship our God this weekend – and as we do let’s make sure to put first things first.  Come to think of it, that is a good way to live every day!
Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more