Make time to love neighbors, disciple others
By Daniel Gillenwater
Pastor, The Church at Eastern Oaks Moderator, Montgomery Baptist Association
Are we making the best use of our time? This is a question we would do well to ask of ourselves, our families and our churches. Technology continues to bring about new time-saving devices yet we continue to overburden our schedules.
Being busy is not the same as making the best use of our time. If we are not careful we fall into the trap of living under the tyranny of the urgent. We allow work deadlines, sporting events and various other activities to compete for our limited amount of time. But what is most urgent is not always what is most important. Many of us in the church today would greatly benefit from reevaluating our schedules and time commitments.
If we were to do this what criteria would we use in our reevaluation? I would recommend this: Let us evaluate everything we do in relation to the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:35–40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19–20).
Are we loving God? Are we loving our neighbor? Are we making disciples? Everything else can wait.
In my family life, work life and church life, am I loving God? Am I loving my neighbor? Am I making disciples?
Join me this week in taking a prayerful look at our schedules.
Am I spending time every day in God’s word and prayer? Am I actively involved in a community of believers where I can love and be loved? Am I keeping my eyes open for opportunities to make disciples?
Fair warning: Some things may have to be eliminated from our schedule to make room for more important things so that we “make the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
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Global impact of legacy gift
In Central Asia, God is leading local Christians and refugees to open a wellness center to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of abused women. The center will be located in an area where life is hard and the infant mortality rate is almost four times that of the United States.
How are God-sized dreams like The Wellness Center possible? Because of intentional steps made through The Baptist Foundation of Alabama (TBFA) by generous believers like Miss Stella White.
White was a schoolteacher who lived simply, maintaining a modest home and lifestyle throughout her life.
By crafting a Legacy Plan through TBFA she chose to create perhaps her most significant Christian legacy — at her death a trust to benefit her church and ministries she supported during her lifetime.
Through her plan White was able to make the fulfillment of the Great Commission a core part of her legacy.
Legacy planning is for everyone, whether you have a lot or a little.
Let the example of Stella White inspire you to intentionally plan today so lives can continue to be transformed around the world even after you leave this earth.
—Barry Bledsoe
EDITOR’S NOTE — Barry Bledsoe is president of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama.
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Letters to the Editor
Illegal is not a race. It’s a legal term for a status of someone breaking American law. It is an American border security crisis. No sane country would give illegals citizenship.
I am a retired R.N. who cared for the sick and elderly of two counties in Alabama for several years. They needed help then and I’m sure they need help now.
We should not be housing, clothing, feeding or giving money to illegals and immigrants who disobey our laws and depend on our government for income and housing.
Only USA citizens should receive our government benefits, vote in USA elections and be counted in the USA census.
We don’t have any responsibility to protect a foreign citizen. They don’t have First Amendment rights. They have no rights under American constitutional law. Americans have rights and it’s our job to protect Americans.
Remember the 9/11 attacks? They said they would destroy us from within and it is happening.
I agree we should help people in need but we need to make sure our own country is taken care of first before other countries.
When I read about people and churches giving so much to immigrants it concerns me.
We have so many veterans, elderly, children, disabled United States citizens and homeless that aren’t being taken care of who are not breaking laws.
It is our responsibility to take care of our own family and country before taking care of other countries.
Before we ask what is fair to illegals and immigrants living in our country, we need first ask what is fair to American families, students, taxpayers and America’s job seekers.
It’s about putting Americans first.
Judy Sears
Woodland, Ala.
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I hope I had some influence with people. I hope they enjoyed my playing.
Joe Allen Turner, 88
Recently retired organist at FBC Wetumpka who played for 63 years
I wanted to express my appreciation for the new look of The Alabama Baptist.
I’m 91, so I’ve been in the Baptist church here at Jackson’s Gap since 1949 and most of these years have received your paper through Jackson’s Gap Baptist Church.
My first look is the front page then I turn to the puzzle to complete it. I like the Sunday School lesson comments and try to read all of the news the same day. The new format with larger print is helpful.
Coleen L. Davis
Jackson’s Gap, Ala.
The month of October is set aside as Pastor Appreciation Month. This is a great time to let your pastor know how much you do love him and his family. We hope you will get creative and think of ways to show your appreciation this year and not just in October but all through the year.
Kenneth Baggett
DOM, Salem-Troy Baptist Association
A life will manifest the wisdom one possesses before a word is ever spoken or ever written.
D. Jay Powell
Author, “Be Inspired: 101 Thoughts for Every Christian Writer”
The church needs to be aware that we are members of one another. We may be a nose, we may be a toe. But we are members of one another and when one member is hurting all of us should be hurting. That should motivate us to be actively involved in doing things that no one but a church can do. There are a lot of social organizations that can do things, but the church is unique as the body of Christ to do what no one else can.
Morris Murray
Minister and counselor
The roster of tasks demanding our attention is so lengthy that no human could ever really “do it all.” Sabbath is a means of surrendering to God and admitting we know this is the case. In our own strength we will never be able to accomplish all that we would like. Through the Sabbath we ask God to do what we could never do without Him.
Professor Jeffery M. Leonard
Samford University
My favorite story from years of reading TAB is the one about the lighthouse lady. She loved lighthouses and one issue of TAB had a lighthouse on the cover. She reported feeling particularly despondent at that moment and picked up the paper to read it. That one issue made a forever difference in her life (all God-ordained, of course). I love being part of a ministry that is so impactful to the lives of its readers.
Linda Harrison
TAB financial administrator
In a Word-centered faith, the ability to read well is central. As a “People of the Book,” Christians have a particular calling to preserve and promote the gift of deep reading from physical Bibles. Pastors can model, lead and teach the way.
Karen Swallow Prior
Author and professor
The best evidence of God’s power is your obedience. The beauty is not in signs and wonders but in the conviction that came upon you to act like Christ and operate in a supernatural strength to live accordingly. If you … are serving the Lord unashamedly with confidence and a sound spirit, stop stressing.
Dinuki Suraweera
Relevantmagazine.com
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From the Twitterverse
@GaryFenton07
Excelling at work is an offering to God for what he has done not a down payment on what you want him to do next.
@Slsellers7170
When you’re in the middle of a storm do not surrender to the storm but trust in the Lord who can give you peace in the middle of the storm.
@ERLC
The Church should be multigenerational: Young listening to old, old listening to young, all followers of Christ working out their salvation in fear and trembling. @dandarling
@bellevuepastor
“Nothing becomes a priority until we become intentional. We must be intentional about evangelism — verbally sharing the gospel of Jesus with lost people.” Excellent word from Allen Taylor this morning at “Who’s Your One” rally at Christ Place Church, Flowery Branch, Georgia.
@MarcHodges3
If you have not started reading the word of God daily, today’s a great day to start.
@mattheaglass
Have we boiled down the gospel to gain merely earthly treasures and in doing so have we lost all that is truly ours in Christ Jesus? #amthinking #amwriting
@micahfries
I fear that the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control) are not commonly held values for many Christians today. We like them in theory, we just don’t think they’re practical.
@DailyKeller
We see the Bible as a book of answers to our questions but if we let the text speak we find that we are not even asking the right questions.
@TrevinWax
The idea that we have unlimited freedom or the right to all the happiness we can imagine is simply unworkable. Reality doesn’t bow to our imagination.
@SEBTS
“Hypocrisy is wanting to be seen by others. Christianity is doing things in the secret places [of our hearts and lives] because God sees.” @jjoshsmith #SEchapel
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