Cornerstone

I Kings 18:30‑39 (39)

As wonderful as it may seem, Israel’s choice to follow God in this scriptural account was tarnished due to the fact that He was their second choice.  God had to go to great lengths to prove to them that the non-god Baal was a powerless hunk of material.  We can make a right choice and yet not experience the joy of the decision.

Luciano Pavarotti the Italian operatic tenor said, “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teacher’s college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’

“‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ “

Pavarotti chose what he loved most.  He loved to sing more than he loved to tell others how to sing.  When we chose to obey and follow God freely because we desire Him foremost then we can truly enjoy the joy of relationship and the joy of service.

by Dr. Gayle Woods

Acts 2:41-47

“Now and Long Ago” by Glen Lough, recounts the history of Marion County, West Virginia. In that account the reader is told of Frederick Ice who was an early settler on the South Branch of the Potomac River in Frederick County, Virginia. In 1752 Indians raided his cabin. They killed Frederick’s wife Mary and kidnapped three of his children.

Frederick’s son William lived with the Indians for several years before he finally escaped. He was reunited with his father. Frederick’s daughters, Christina and Marguerite were never to return. Some Indian traders tried to rescue them but that they refused the offer. They both later married Indians and became willing members of the Indian community.

This account parallels the human predicament. We have been kidnapped and enslaved in sin. A rescue has been offered. It is up to each person, however, whether or not the offer will be accepted. We can easily escape the clutches of sin by humbling ourselves and asking for God’s forgiveness. On the other hand, if we insist we can be married to the life of sin and refuse the grace of God.

Dr. Gayle Woods