Walk Carefully; Spend Wisely

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” ESV Ephesians 5:15-16

Time. Where does it go? The older I get, the faster time seems to move and the harder it is to harness. Time is indeed a precious possession. As a matter of fact, time and money are probably two of the most precious resources that we have under our control. Are you making good use of them?

On two occasions lately I’ve posed the question: ‘If I handed you $150, what could you do with it?’ Both times, the groups were fairly large but the answers were very similar and predictable. Someone is always charitably inclined, but much more common are responses like I’d buy groceries, shoes, clothes, etc. In America, $150 just doesn’t buy much today.

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to get acquainted with the story of a missionary in India. This is an area of the world located in what has become known as the “10/40 window;” an area with the highest concentration of non-Christians in the world. This missionary lives in a border town next to a “closed country” that is hostile towards Christianity. The country’s primary religion is a form of Buddhism; Christianity is outlawed and those who practice it are severely persecuted.

The personal testimony of this missionary is chilling. The missionary’s eyes were opened through the question (and subsequent conversation) Nicodemus posed to Jesus: “How can a man be born when he is old?” Meditating on this scripture, the missionary finally realized that salvation is a spiritual birth into the kingdom of God and not a physical one. The missionary goes on to express great joy at the realization that God had indeed worked a spiritual birth in their own life. Being a born again child of God is indeed a joyous realization!

Since that time, this missionary has pursued formal biblical studies and made a lifetime commitment to carrying the gospel to women and children both at home and to the closed country next door.

The obstacles to such a commitment are many. The cost of living is relatively high for the region; transportation is difficult; the culture and established religious tradition is working against any and every effort to share Christianity. Additionally, missionaries have to provide for their own families and commit time and money to ministry expenses at the same time. In this sense, the culture is not that different from our own; time and money are precious resources to be used wisely because “the days are evil.”

There is however one glaring difference between our cultures. This particular missionary has a financial need (for living expenses and ministry expenses) of $150…$150 per month…total. Does that send chills down your spine?

Think about it. For the price of a pair of shoes, for the price of a trip grocery shopping, for the price of a coat, this missionary can be fully supported in for an entire month. For the price of a pair of shoes you and I can put “feet” to the gospel by supporting and equipping a missionary abroad.

When I think of how wasteful and flippant we are in this country with our time and money my stomach begins to churn. Are you making good use of the time? Are you making good use of your money? Are you a good steward? The days are evil. Walk carefully and spend wisely. The late Jim Elliot, a missionary and Christian martyr himself, once said: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.”

-Ken Askew

His Greatness is Unsearchable

“A SONG OF PRAISE. OF DAVID. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” ESV Psalm 145:1-3

Of all the characters in the Bible, David is surely the most transparent. He readily reveals his struggles, his triumphs, his grief and remorse. The Psalms that are attributed to David are particularly transparent. Because of his openness, we should all be able to readily identify with him.

David, though anointed King, dealt with everyday issues just like you and me. His predecessor, Saul, hunted him like an animal and attempted to pin him to the wall with a spear once. David’s best friend, Jonathan, was from the household of the enemy; Saul’s son. Talk about a sticky friendship!

Temptation and failure were certainly no strangers to David. He sinned in a particularly grievous manner with Bathsheba. He had to bury the infant son that resulted from his transgression. Pride and arrogance led him to arrange for Bathsheba’s husband to be killed in battle. And later in life, he had an adult son try to deceitfully wrestle the kingdom from him.

Have I mentioned that David had issues? David’s life was far from perfect and filled with problems just like you and I face every day. Yet this same man penned some of the most touching words in all of Scripture; some Psalms of repentance, some of remorse and others of praise. Our text for today was a “song of praise” to God from David.

Note in the first verse that David directs his praise to God. Not the gods, but to the one and only God; Creator of heaven and earth. David also addresses God as King and thereby acknowledges His Lordship and authority over all creation. Finally, he concludes verse one by vowing to bless the name of God forever and ever.

In verse two, David almost emphatically proclaims that He will praise God every day. Did you get it? David declares that he will praise God EVERY DAY! Not just at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Not just on those days when David felt victorious. Not just on those days when David felt full of the Holy Spirit. No. David pledged to praise God every day. David recognized that every day is a gift from God. David also knew that all of creation exists for God’s glory and good pleasure. David recognized that every day is a good day and that God is always worthy of our praise; every single day.

Verse three reads like an adjective amplifying what he has just said. David proclaims that God is great and worthy of an equally great praise. Like Moses, David just couldn’t get enough of God. Can you say the same? Do you desire God more every day? David desired God more every day and his quest brings the realization that God’s greatness is simply unsearchable; beyond what the imagination can comprehend; incomprehensible. How great is our God!

As you pause this week for our official time of Thanksgiving, pause for a moment and consider how great God is. Praise God as Creator, King, and Lord of all whose greatness is simply unsearchable.

God bless you and may your desire for God grow daily.

-Ken Askew

Gray Haired Splendor

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
ESV Proverbs 20:29

My goodness where does the time go? By my calculation, this column has appeared almost weekly here in the Franklin Free Press for a year now. It is supposed to be weekly, but I’ve missed a few along the way.

Over this past year many of you have offered words of encouragement to me regarding the column and I am most grateful. Sometimes I trip over my tongue in response to your kindness. Please forgive me and understand that it is because words simply escape me. The goal of this column hasn’t changed. It is for God’s glory, not mine. May he bless it as He sees fit for his good pleasure.

A couple of incidents recently have reminded me that the years are ticking by and I’m not getting any younger. I was at a social dinner one evening when one of the folks at my table had a “senior moment.” I admitted to having them more frequently myself than I cared to mention. Then, thinking out loud I suppose, I added that “but the older I get, the less it bothers me to have them.” Everyone could relate.

A lot of folks get really wound up when they turn 40; I didn’t. Turning 30 bothered me because it meant that I wasn’t a kid anymore. But at 40 I paused just long enough to observe that 40 was halfway between 20 and 60 and decided I’d better be moving along. No time to waste you know.

This year I turned 44. (The guy on the billboard bearing my resemblance is a touched up 38 year old I believe; he’s coming down next spring). Anyway, I’m glad God has gifted me with a good sense of humor about it all. Just last week I had an opportunity to laugh at myself.

Late one evening I pulled into a McDonald’s to grab a cup of coffee. Now, after having worked all day and driven for several hours, I must have been looking a bit crumpled; especially to the child behind the counter. There used to be laws governing children working past eight o’clock I think.

Anyway, I asked “how much for a small coffee? The young lady replied forty three cents. I chuckled and asked to see the cup because “I might want more than forty three cents worth of coffee.” The cup passed muster so I placed my order. Tired, but still sharp enough to know something wasn’t right, I grabbed my ticket for a closer inspection. There it was in black and white. Unsolicited and without provocation she had sold me a “senior coffee.” I laughed out loud; membership has its privileges.
As I relayed this story to one of my friends, who is both older and sporting less hair than me, he surmised that it must have been attributable to the color of my hair and not the quantity since he has never received nor been offered such a discount.

But I digress. Both young and old have a place and purpose in God’s kingdom. The young are gifted with strength and vigor that fades with age and older folks should appreciate those gifts. On the other hand, older folks can very many times say “been there/done that” and offer wise counsel that only comes with the passage of time and younger folks would do well to remember that as well.

Both young and old would do well to act in accord with Paul’s charge to the Corinthians: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

God bless you. Have a great week.

-Ken Askew

Friends

“[Timothy,] do your best to come to me soon. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.”
ESV 2 Timothy 4:9, 13

Come to me soon…The words ring in my mind as an urgent plea of sorts. Paul was sitting in a Roman jail and presumably facing a death sentence that would no doubt soon be fulfilled. The fuller passage notes several other people. Some who had deserted him, some who had gone on to other ministry endeavors, and the beloved physician (Luke), who was still by his side. Yet Paul writes specifically here to his friend and partner in the ministry of the gospel; Timothy.

It has become obvious to me over the years that ministry is seldom effective as a one man show. There’s no place in ministry for a Lone Ranger mentality. No, the work of ministry is best carried out in and through people; friends and partners in the gospel if you will. It sounds like a definition of the local church doesn’t it?

Paul used friendships in his ministry. He had some friends that would stay by his side through thick and thin; Luke for instance. Others would prove to be an encouragement, trustworthy and dependable in times of need; people like Timothy. Some would be called to other ministries and sadly, some would help for a season and then abandon him completely. But Paul would continue to preach Christ and labor in the ministry with complete faith that all things were ultimately working to God’s glory.

Back to Timothy…Paul entrusted him with some of his most prized possessions. Notice the things that Paul has asked Timothy to bring. Paul has requested his cloak; no doubt a heavy outer garment of utmost importance as winter approached and an item that satisfied a physical need. He has asked for books; perhaps he was referring to manuscripts that would be useful in his study and good for his spiritual health. Finally, he requested parchments which could have been used for his writing tablets and useful in his ministry. All these things, Paul readily and confidently requested of Timothy his trusted friend.

I’ve spent this time discussing friends because a trusted friend of mine is leaving our community. Dave Kinney and his wife Teresa are moving to North Carolina as this article goes to print. Just as Dave was called to serve in Russellville several years ago, this move is in response to a ministry calling to another field.

I’ve called on Dave more than once this past year to submit a Truth Matters article in my place when the pressures of the week made it seemingly impossible for me to type one out. He always accepted and always did an outstanding job. I’ve called on him to pray for me on more than a few occasions and we’ve bounced countless theological notions back and forth. By the way, his wife Teresa is one of the most talented folks with a needle and thread that I’ve ever encountered; not to mention that she makes an outstanding apple dessert!

Dave and Teresa have been friends in the ministry; folks to be counted on whenever a need arose and I’ll miss having them close by. On the other hand, I’m excited for them and wish them well as they head to a different ministry field. May it be for God’s glory.

-Ken Askew