WHY NOT
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WHY NOT
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Riverside Church Bulletin--120207--"WHY NOT?""WHY NOT?"
"Hey, you can't go in there!" "Why not?" "Because
there's a 'no admittance to unauthorized personnel' sign on the
door, dummy!" Have you ever seen people wanting to go in where they
were not permitted? It is said that "fools rush in where angels
fear to tread." To some people "Road Closed" or "No Entry"
signs seem to bring out the devil in them. They are going to try the
rule no matter what the consequences. Sometimes they have been violently
ejected. We had a Bassett hound named Yankee Doodle who had the
unsavory habit of following us into the supermarket near our house. No
amount of ordering, "Yankee, go home" ever had any noticeable effect on
the lovable little scoundrel. One day he entered the forbidden premises
and, to our horror, exited with a half grilled T-bone in his mouth and
with ears just a flapping. We tried our hardest to disown
the mutt by saying, "Whose dog is that?" or "There ought to be a law.
. . ." No, seriously, we had to humbly apologize for our wayward
canine. Fortunately, we were able to replace the stolen "loot" with a
T-bone from our own deep freeze. Yankee was fast wearing out his
welcome. In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu, the priestly sons of Aaron,
were no smarter than an unruly dog. They showed no respect for God's
altar ceremony. They offered "unauthorized
fire before the Lord which He had not commanded." They trifled with the
eternal, holy God of heaven. They did it "their way" instead of His way.
Perhaps Nabad suggested that it would spruce up the worship services and
Abihu replied, "Why not?" What hit them was worse than Agent Orange.
Be careful of that "why not?" expression. It is laden with potential
disaster.
When it comes to smoking marijuana, "why not?" may
get the victim to have a fire on one end and to be the fool on the
other. Showing off to a handful of peers how fast your Mustang can reach
100 mph, may be the resultant challenge of the "why not?" syndrome. But
a mechanical failure or a blowout renders that vehicle a misguided
missile. It takes you or me where it wants to go, guided only by the
laws of physics. Often the destination that is quickly reached is a pine
box in the local cemetery with mourners shaking their heads in disbelief
and sorrow. Adam and Eve, Genesis 3, and Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5,
may just have fallen prey to the illusive effect of "why not?"
On the other hand, "why not?" is not always bad.
Sometimes it can be a challenge to a higher level of commitment or
service. When the Ethiopian, Acts 8, learned for the first time the
significance of baptism in Jesus' scheme of redemption, he said, "Here
is water. What prevents me from being baptized?" Perhaps Philip, the
evangelist, enthusiastically replied, "Why not?"
Should I have a bash at trying to convert a lost soul
to Jesus? "Why not?" Shall I invite someone to the assembly services?
"Why not?" Should I tell my spouse how precious he/she is to me? "Why
not?" Should I guide my children in the Christian faith? "Why not?"
Should I read through the Bible in 2008? "Why not?" Should I give a
financial gift to the Riverside building fund or to the
operational expenses of the
Southern Africa Bible College? "Why
not?" May I humbly suggest that we include these two entities on our
gift-giving list this Christmas season. Riverside members need their own
"roof over their heads" and SABC desperately needs funds for students
and on going operations. Could you personally help with these needs? Did
I hear you say, "Why not?"
"Why not?" is tantalizing because it can be both
terrible or terrific. It all depends on what it does in our lives. Be
true to Christ. Be kind to your fellow man. Live with an eye on
eternity. Be all that you can be without fear or favor. Make the church
truly the Kingdom of God in your life. "Why not?"
Love to all of you who share the heart of Jesus,
("Why not?")
Al--"the Horne of Africa"
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