Email Us
Find a
Congregation Near You!
The Cornerstone
This is the Stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the Chief Conerstone." Acts 4:11
Pulbished to Support the Work of the West End Church of Christ, Richmond, Virginia
Volume 9 * Number 19* May 13, 2007
Weaknesses of the Flesh
Our mortal bodies are subject to injury whether physical, emotional or both. On Monday my brother suffered a bad ankle injury playing softball. He will have surgery and numerous weeks of physical recovery. Emotionally he will have to work through the agonies of pain, and even overcome the frustration of being incapacitated during his recovery. How one handles the frailties of the flesh, illness, and even harm, speaks volumes to their understanding of the limitations of the flesh. Do I desire to curse God? Do I stop living my life, wallow in misery and just wait to die?
The flesh of man is not eternal, therefore we are all subject to the weaknesses of the flesh. Job’s wife encouraged Job to curse God and die as she saw him covered with boils from head to toe. Listen to what Job said while suffering through the great physical pain inflicted upon him.
“Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2:10
How did Job endure such pain and suffering? He must have understood the realities of living in a fleshly body. He understood his physical body is not eternal but is perishing and subject to the distresses of this life.
Job also appreciated and acknowledged the blessings of God as they occurred. This no doubt had equipped him to accept and endure the unpleasant times of his life as well. Our bodies may not always be fit; our bodies may not always be well, but we can learn to be thankful when it is, and we can learn to be thankful when it is not.
We must also understand the differences between that which is corruptible and that which is not.
Our flesh is not made to last. The eyes fail, the hearing dulls, the skin wrinkles, the hair grays, the bones become brittle, the reflexes slow and the teeth fall out. The faithful of God recognize this to be true and long for their new body which shall never fail, realizing that they will one day put off the flesh, and will be clothed in that which cannot decay.
Perhaps another reason the weaknesses of the flesh bring us down is because we are looking at that which is temporal and fail to see that which is eternal. Maybe we are worried more about the outward man more than the inward. If so there will always be a troubling struggle found within.
The truth is at any moment of time we may experience the realities of being made of flesh and blood. The actor Christopher Reeves injured his spine and never would accept the limitations of his flesh. He always sought to beat it. I recall him saying that shortly after his injury how he did not pray to God before it and he would not pray to God after it. The fact is he is going to meet the Lord in his new body. A body he apparently thought very little about as he strove to fix his flesh. The Bible says
Yet another man, the apostle Paul, longed to be clothed with his new body.
George Duffield, Jr. wrote the song Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, which has the line “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus, Stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you; Ye dare not trust your own:” So true the words to his song would be in his own life. You see in a farming accident his arm was severed from his body. A few hours later he would die. “The arm of flesh will fail you; ye dare not trust your own:” The weakness of the flesh.
Stacy Crim
&
Least Objectionable Option?
by Greg Gwin
At an assembly of the Presbyterian Church the delegates approved a "compromise policy statement" on the subject of abortion. It says: "The Presbyterian Church (USA) does not advocate abortion, but instead acknowledges circumstances in a sinful world that may make abortion the least objectionable of difficult options."
Analyze the statement for a moment. It is one of the finest examples of "situation ethics" mentality that you may ever see. These folks admit that abortion is wrong, but then argue that in some situations there may be no acceptable alternative. In other words, there are simply some instances when a person cannot do right. There are times when you must chose between the "lesser of two evils".
God's word denies this concept completely. There is never a justifiable reason to do wrong. 1 Corinthian 10:13 says: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." If you need more proof, consider all the faithful servants of God throughout the centuries of time. Think of Noah, Noses, Elijah, and others who endured difficult and trying times, yet remained loyal to God. Early Christians suffered intense persecution but were steadfast in their service to the Lord. The ultimate example is Jesus who "did no sin" and "left us an example that ye should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21,22).
And so, the Presbyterians have missed it. But, be careful about judging them without first looking at your own life. Too many Christians too often excuse their spiritual neglect by using similar reasoning. ("I know I should be more faithful in attendance, but I've been so busy at work...", or "I know what I did was wrong, but I just couldn't help it under the circumstances.. .") Wrong is always wrong. Faithfulness to God requires making right choices - and it is never a matter of choosing "the least objectionable option".
Electronic Beacon
Back to Current Year Bulletins