Volume LXI Number 12 - Church of God (7th Day)

More documents

Recommendations

Info

THE SIGNS OFTHE TIMESIf you have any items of interest that you would like to submit tothis segment, please send them to The Church of God PublishingHouse, PO Box 328, Salem, WV 26426-0328.Thoughts About WorkI would like to share with you a portion of an articlewritten by Elder Carlo Rasmussen, now deceased, in theFebruary 23, 1987 issue of The Advocate of truth whichspeaks of works.My Faith By My WorksThe Apostle James wrote these words in his letter tothe twelve tribes of Israel, who were scattered abroad.His thoughts are found in chapter two and verse eighteen,where he writes, "...Thou hast faith, and I have works:shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shewthee my faith by my works.” James is telling us thatfaith by itself without any proof (which is works) is useless.He even mentions how “the devils also believe, andtremble” in verse nineteen. The child of God understandsthat faith and works go hand in hand in a kind of balance.Through our works will come a better witness for Christthan merely words.For a few moments, let us focus our attention to ourexpression of faith in the place where we perform ourdaily labors. Sometimes in this area of our lives we mayforget to let our lights shine. It is a truth that by doing ourbest in the work place we are letting our lights shine inmany ways. There is a special atmosphere surroundingthe true believer when he labors daily unto the Lord ratherthan unto man.Today, much of the tranquility that used to be in thework place cannot be found. Men and women used tobe more contented in their work, and it showed in theresults of that work. A desire to do the best a personcould was prevalent, and a good feeling that went withthe knowledge of a job well done was felt. The placewhere one labored was a joy to come to, and everyoneenjoyed doing their part.This tranquil time seems to have disappeared from mostplaces. The attitude of most workers is one of strife anddiscontentment. The easy way is the only way and cutcorners wherever possible. A song, which became quitepopular, expressed a feeling of “Blue Monday” as its titleimplied. The thought of work was drudgery. Friday andthe weekend prevailed in many minds. It was a joke tomany. However, through the many avenues to the mindthis thought was promoted, and the infection spread.The person who would try to do his best at workbecame the butt of jokes by others and was consideredto be the buttering-up with the boss. This wicked infectionhas spread like a cancer into every part of our society.(End of article portion)Today the same attitude about work of which BrotherCarlo’s article expresses seems to still prevail. As a matterof fact, this attitude about work may be even stronger.For a moment, let us leave the thought mentioned in James2:18 about faith and works and just concentrate on secularwork which everyone must do to earn a living.I have seen first hand the wrong attitude of sometoward work. There were those with whom I workedback in the 70’s who were always complaining about thework they were to do and their lunch schedules. SomePAGE FOURTEENTHE ADVOCATE OF TRUTH
would come to work late and begin to make excuses andbad-mouth the supervisor. After an employee was firedfor not doing his job, sometimes the replacement employeewould be just as bad or even worse than the one whomhe replaced. Yes, those who did good work were calledcompany men and some said that they were collectingbrownie points to please the boss.My wife used to work as a cashier at a motel restaurant.There was one man who came for breakfast everyweekday morning. He would shout out “Hurry up Friday”in a loud voice so that everyone in the coffee shop wouldhear him.Now, why do I believe that the same attitude aboutwork still prevails these days? My family is involved inthree different businesses. Good employees must be foundto work for these businesses. That is easier said thandone! There is sometimes the problem of those who drink.They call in sick for the next day. Then there is the problemof those who just do not show up for work. Some do notlike it because they cannot use their cell phones whenworking.In the store, which my wife is the authorized agent, noperson seems to want to work overtime, although theyneed to have all the new signs in order. It is difficult to getanyone to be at the store at 6 am to unload a truck thatcomes at that time on Fridays. Sometimes the associatesbecome jealous of each other because one is able to sellmore than another. The list just keeps going on and on.Some make the excuse that they have family problemswhich interferes with their work habits. I was always toldto leave all problems at home when going to work.Let us now consider James 2:18. Brother Carlo’sarticle is right on. The person who does sloppy work hasa sloppy faith!B.T.The Middle EastThere is trouble in every segment of our society whichincludes the social, financial, political, and ecclesiastical.This is a sign of the times in which we live. There is arebellion in the world toward the dictatorial regimes thathave shown their powers and privileges while denying theircitizens of the most basic human rights and refusing tohear their complaints.This is especially true in the Middle East. Thedangerous situation in Syria threatens the peace of thewhole area. The Middle East covers about two dozencountries which include a wide area of North Africa andWestern Asia. It boasts of multitudes of races, religions,cultures, and subcultures.For many years, this area has been, and continues tobe, the center of historical changes. Recently we havewitnessed the beginning of a disintegration in the cultureof the Middle East which may have a profound influencethroughout the world. No one really knows how thingswill turn out.During the last fifty years, the United States and otherwestern powers invested large sums of money andresources in order to control the predictability and stabilityof the area. They wished to influence the outcome ofevents.Thinking it was a good thing, the United States andother western powers helped install puppet regimes inmany countries of the Middle East. However, there waslittle concern considered about whether these rulers wereaccountable to their own people. There was no concernthat these regimes were spending their country’s resourcemoney on themselves and for their lavish lifestyles. Therewas little or no attention paid to the needs of the peoplewho were being abused, exploited, or oppressed.Now, besides the Middle East, the Western nationshave other problems such as guaranteeing the flow ofuninterrupted oil supplies and maintaining control of thecritical Suez Canal.Role Of Modern TechnologyThe rapid advance of modern technology whichincludes satellite television, computers, mobile phones, andthe Internet has caused the younger generation, and someof the older generation, to become better informed andconnected. With the use of new technology, many areable to communicate with each other and to gather hugecrowds to air their grievances.Young people and modern technology have played ahuge role in removing from power some of the dictatorialregimes that have controlled their people for many years.Many people are being made aware of the inequities thatexisted in these puppet regimes.THE ADVOCATE OF TRUTHPAGE FIFTEEN
Page 1 and 2: The Advocate of TruthA Good FatherW
Page 3 and 4: Three Needs AGood Father MustProvid
Page 5 and 6: Life, Wealth,Health, SicknessAnd De
Page 7 and 8: the people” (verse 14).As childre
Page 9 and 10: the afterlife. However, when her ow
Page 11 and 12: informs us that the Lord healed kin
Page 13: water. And I brought him to thy dis
Page 17 and 18: QUESTION: Why do the wicked seem to
Page 19 and 20: THE ADVOCATE OF TRUTHPAGE NINETEEN
Page 21 and 22: The Children's PageI Samuel 1:1-2.N
Page 23 and 24: The Children's PageGames and Puzzle

Volume LXI Number 12 - Church of God (7th Day)

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?