Maineville Lighthouse Church

 

I was thinking…Pastor Steve

 

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart,

whether or not you would keep his commands."   Deuteronomy 8: 2  (NIV)

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   I was thinking about this month.  In a few days, it will be the twentieth anniversary of 9-11.  It still seems so fresh in my mind, and probably all of yours, too.  It’s difficult to imagine that my oldest granddaughter, Kendal, was only 2 years old.  She most likely doesn’t have any actual memories of that day, and the other grandkids weren’t even born.  It doesn’t seem that long ago, yet there is now another generation who didn’t live through that terrible day.

 

   We’ve spent millions, if not billions, of dollars in military, education, infrastructure, and all in Afghanistan and Iraq since that day, and we have to ask ourselves…was it worth it?  Was it worth the cost of men’s and women’s lives, of children caught in the cross-fire, of buildings, roads, bridges, and airfields destroyed?  I would like to think that in the long run it may have been, but with the turmoil going on now in Afghanistan…well, I have to shake my head.

 

   Then, I look at this Scripture above.  For forty years, God left the Hebrews out in the Wilderness, unable to enter into the Promised Land that He had promised.  God did this to test His people.  Do you ever wonder if this is a test for us?  Doesn’t He want to know what is in our hearts?  Are we still faithful in keeping His commands?

 

   Well, maybe I am and you are, but what about the people in our community?  Our County?  Our State or Country?  Even our church or denomination?  We can get so frustrated watching leaders, locally and nationally, who seem to have forgotten the Truth of God’s Words.  What we need to keep reminding ourselves is that we are only responsible for ourselves.  We pray that everyone would become a follower of Jesus, but the truth is, it may not happen.  That doesn’t negate our responsibility as Christians and as a Church to witness to those same people, but, regardless, we have to remain faithful to the end.

 

   I don’t know how to commemorate this twentieth anniversary of 9-11.  I’ll probably watch some sort of documentary.  To me, it’s like Pearl Harbor Day and D-Day.  They go by and you count how many years ago it happened, but we don’t Remember the Maine or very many other momentous days of tragedy and victory.  In fifty years, 9-11 will probably be just another day marked on the calendar of eventful days.  It will, however, be very close to our hearts.  And we pray that nothing like this will ever happen here in America again.  Not during our time, nor our children’s or grandchildren’s lifetime…but like they say, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”

 

   As we enter this next season of Autumn, may we be found faithful in all that we say and do.  For many of us, we are entering into the Autumn of our lives.  We are starting to slow down a bit.  Let’s be in concerted prayer for the next generation of Believers to step up and start taking on the task of being the Church and, if we may be so bold, pray that Maineville UMC will have an influx of fresh families and children.  Our faith is only a generation away.  God doesn’t have any grandchildren, only His children.  May this church remain faithful for the next generation.  God bless.