Vol. 53, No.2                               SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                            March 12, 2010

 

The Bulletin Board

Southside Youth Rally - Our annual spring youth rally will be March 26 - 28 with Wiley Lowe of Florida as the featured speaker. Housing for young people from other congregations is needed. Check the lists of needs that are posted on the bulletin board in the foyer for ways you can help.

 

Praise and Palate will be at 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Bring casseroles for the food.

 

New Sunday Morning Adult Bible Classes:

Hearing God's Voice (How to read the Bible) - Jeff Hill, teacher

The Other World (A study of angels and spiritual forces) - Daryl Miller, teacher

The Book of Deuteronomy - Wayne Alexander, teacher

 

Daylight savings time begins March 14th. Come to worship and hour earlier.

 

Care packages for college students - We are currently collecting care packages for our college students who are out of town. Recipients currently are Adam Nichols and Alex Van Handel. See the list of needs in the foyer.

 

The sick -- Alla Shuster, mother of Michael, is still seriously ill.... Elfriede Wandsnider fell recently while undergoing rehab following her surgery. She is improved, out of the hospital and back in rehab at Manor Park.....Pat Young is scheduled for leg surgery this Friday....Barb Dawson is recovering at home following her recent hip replacement....Martha Sepulveda is in St. Francis Hospital. ...Sue Elias, mother of Aline Sturomski, is seriously ill at home.

 

ATTENDANCE RECORD

	Two years ago	Last year	Last week	Goal
Bible classes	121	no count	129	170
Morning worship	218	196	* 239	250
Evening worship	55	48	35	80
Contribution	$5365.62	$4718.95	$4940.65	$5300.00

                                       (*)first service, 150, second service, 89

 

Calendar of Events

March 14 - Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.

March 16 - Christian Workers' Meeting, 9:30 a.m.

March 26 - 28 - Southside Youth Rally

April 4 - First Sunday First Fruits food donation

April 13 - Monthly men's fellowship and study

May 7 - Mother-daughter banquet, 6:00 p.m.

 

Does It Really Matter?

An Old Testament king faced a dilemma.  He was about to take his people into battle against the Philistines. The prophet/priest Samuel had not yet arrived to offer a sacrifice to ensure God's blessings before they engaged the enemy. What was Saul to do? He couldn't fight the Philistines without first making a sacrifice to God. Yet, as he was not a priest, he was forbidden to do it himself.  He convinced himself that it was all right to disobey God in light of the greater good of winning the battle. He offered the sacrifice. Saul soon learned that he was wrong when Samuel arrived as he was completing his offering. He had deeply offended God (1 Samuel 13).

 

Saul was guilty of rationalization. That is the thought process we go through when we try to convince ourselves that it is sometimes right to do wrong. All of us are sometimes guilty of rationalizing. Typically, as we wrestle with our consciences, we view the end result, and then seek to justify the means that we take to achieve it. A politician accepts favors from special interest groups in exchange for supporting their agendas. He reasons that a little wrong is outweighed by the greater good he can accomplish if he takes the payoff.

 

A Christian may struggle with taking a questionable job. He looks at the personal benefit that he will receive and then seeks a reason to justify his action when he accepts the employment. One may absent himself from the worship of God because he needs the time off. He minimizes the importance of worshipping with other believers because the Lord will understand that he is between a rock and hard place. Or one may make a religious decision, not on the basis of what is right or wrong, but for personal factors. He tells himself that it doesn't make much difference to the Lord.

 

Jesus faced a critical choice when Satan offered to abdicate himself from the earth if once, just once, Jesus would fall down and worship him (Matthew 4:8,9). Don't think Jesus wasn't tempted! He could have reasoned that the greater good would be the elimination of sin from the world if the devil were gone. He could have discovered a way to avoid the suffering of the cross.   But he didn't!   That choice would have defeated the very reason for his coming to earth. It is never right to do wrong in order to accomplish a worthwhile objective.   So the next time you face a critical choice, be honest with yourself and ask if you are not rationalizing.

                                                                                                           Monroe E. Hawley