John Bunyan’s classic story, Pilgrim’s Progress, is generally regarded as the 2nd-most widely read book of all time outside the Bible. In it he tells the allegorical story of “Pilgrim”, who leaves “The City of Destruction” where he lives, on a journey to the Celestial City. Along the way he enters through the narrow gate, his burden falls off at the empty tomb, and he is given a book to guide him on his journey. Unfortunately, at a resting place, Pilgrim accidentally leaves the little book behind, and when he discovers that he doesn’t have it, he rushes back to his former resting place to get it. He cannot go on in this journey, without the Book that is so indispensable to Him in his pilgrimage. Of course, that “book” in Bunyan’s story represents the Bible, and it IS indeed the “indispensable book” for a person who is on their way to heaven.
In the first part of The Sermon On The Mount, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He describes in the Beatitudes what the character of His disciples is to look like, and then as we saw last week, He tells us what the role of His disciples is to be in the world: to be salt & light to those around us. Now here in :17-19 He reminds us of the indispensable book He gave His disciples for our journey to heaven: the word of God, the Bible. Continue reading
Lexington and Concord, through the little town of Menotony, British troops were vandalizing the home of an American deacon in his absence. The British ordered the man’s wife and baby from the house, and proceeded to ransack it, unaware that five more children were still under the bed. One boy, age nine, peeked out for a better look and was ordered by a soldier to come out.
Uncle Sam DOES need you: our country is in desperate need of you today. NOT necessarily to sign up for the military — though we do always need good men to do that, and we should all be thankful for those who have. But even though not all of us can serve in the military, all of us CAN be what our country needs the most right now: and that is to be the salt & the light that Jesus said we need to be to impact our country.
shawnethomas 