Treasure Digest

• The Dash and How Will They Really Remember You?
• Change Your View of the Sunset
• Truth in Advertising
• Turning the Hearts . . .Showing Respect to Others
• Children's Corner - Winter Weather [See PDF version]
• Share Your Treasures!

The Dash and How Will They Really Remember You?

Have you seen the forwarded e-mail that talks about your tombstone? It says it doesn’t matter what day you were born or died, but all that matters is the dash in between. The dash is symbolic of your life and how you lived it.

I am sometimes a little amused when I read obituaries in the newspaper or hear what is said at some people’s funerals. Whoever the deceased was, it seems he or she was the greatest person who ever lived. There was never a person more compassionate, more loving or more caring. This is because when someone dies, we want to say the best about him or her.

But what if all the truth were told at all the funerals? What if someone stood up and said, this person was selfish, stubborn and argumentative? He squandered his life. More than a few of us were taken advantage of by him. He didn’t care about others. For the most part, he cared more about himself and was self-centered—he always had to be right and was a know-it-all about everything.

Of course, we would never say that. Instead, we might be tempted to stretch the truth about how wonderful the person was.

If someone were to sum up your life, what would he or she say you lived for? What will others remember you for? That will be your legacy. Wouldn’t you like it to be honestly said of you, “This person loved God. He [or she] cared about the things of God. He really cared about other people. This person really lived for his Lord, and served unselfishly his family and the body of Christ.”

None of us wants to participate in the ultimate waste! That waste is to squander your life. Yet we know that many people do. One day, we will breathe our last breath. One day, we will make our last statement. What will we be remembered for?

God’s Word counsels us from cover to cover to live a life that matters. Live a life that makes a difference. Live a life for Him, and you will never regret it.

—Stuart Segall
Pastor of the Crescent City, Eureka and Red Bluff, California, congregations

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Change Your View of the Sunset

While going through the final phase of a very difficult trial, God opened up a new concept of weekly gratitude to me. As we all know, the rush of hard work, heavy emotions and long days while wallowing in the deep swamp of a trial can be a very difficult burden on us.

But that Friday night I was stopped in my tracks and started counting the abundant blessings that God had surrounded my family with. Considering and meditating on these blessings, I soon realized that this abundance I was pondering included items from only a couple of days. Wow!

I had been giving God credit, but not nearly the praise that I should have (Psalm 63:3; Philippians 4:8). I scrambled for a piece of paper and started listing these true blessings one by one. I started with that Friday evening, the beginning of the Sabbath. As I worked backward through the week, viewing each day to the previous Sabbath, I had a lengthy list of many blessings and answered prayers that occurred during one short week of my physical life.

My focus and my vision quickly changed. I had definitely known before making “the list of blessings” that God was with us through the opportunity of growth that we were in. But now my swampy walk had changed to a walk of very deep gratitude and appreciation to my Father in heaven. An attitude of humble, loving gratitude, while rejoicing for my surroundings and His deep loving-kindness and wisdom, quickly overcame the mire of the deep swamp (Philippians 4:11).

Since that first list was completed, I have now begun many Sabbaths by writing down my list. I relax, ponder and meditate on God’s very goodness while stepping into the beginning of a Sabbath. Viewing His weekly blessings has been a very peaceful and wonderful beginning to the Holy Day of the week (Philippians 4:7, 19). I have found that these weekly lists have completely changed my perspective and my focus (Proverbs 10:22).

I hope that this small thought can help you out in your swampy walk as much as it has me. Enjoy a most beautiful sunset, while stepping into the Sabbath and counting the many treasured blessings of one short week of your life.

—Tina Rupp
Youngstown, Ohio, congregation

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Truth in Advertising

Human nature loves the quick fix and the easy path. God loves truth, and He is completely honest with us. He tells us that His way is best; He tells us how hard it will be; and He tells us to count the cost (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 55:9-10; Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 14:26-33).

Satan and his world don’t feel any obligation to truth in advertising. They will say whatever they have to in order to lure us in. The only way to make us think that something is better or easier or quicker than God’s way is to lie about it. Buy now, pay later.

This has been Satan’s approach from the very beginning. He did not tell Eve what the full cost of taking the forbidden fruit would be. Any time someone offers you something that is presented as being better or easier than God’s way—you can be sure that it is a lie.

The perfect law of liberty only restricts the things that lead to suffering and death. There is no greater freedom than that (James 1:22-25; Galatians 5:13). God wants us to enjoy freedom from the tragic consequences of sin (Galatians 6:7-8).

The world offers freedom from the strictures of God’s law—but without mentioning that this type of liberty is short-lived and comes with a crushing burden of consequences (2 Peter 2:18-19). We must have our senses exercised to discern good and evil—we have to learn to trust God and to see through the lies.

—Jay Turner
San Jose, California, congregation

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Turning the Hearts . . .Showing Respect to Others

“I don’t get no respect” was one of comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s famous lines. Respect is hard to come by these days. Everyone is in for insults and defamation by others, whether deserved or undeserved.

God inspired Peter to write, “Honor all” (1 Peter 2:17). Respect involves honoring or showing deference to another person. Literally it means to take a look again or to look back upon. Someone you want to see a second time is a person you hold in an honorable position.

It is important to help raise others’ morale and confidence by showing them respect. Humans of all races, ages, economic backgrounds and social status appreciate being respected.

While we may have issues with others’ behaviors, we may learn to respect the person but not his or her actions. In some cases parents have acted dishonorably toward their children. In such cases children can respect the office or position of the parent without honoring the evil actions of that parent.

I knew a man who, when he was growing up, heard disparaging remarks about other races. This sent a message to him that those other races were not desirable. But he determined not to pass this prejudice and lack of respect on to his children. His children had the advantage of not looking at the color of others’ skin in order to determine their respectability. What a blessing that his children did not put a person down before they ever knew him or her.

In our own lives and with our family members, we need to show respect and honor. To have respect we need to:

• Realize we all are made in the image of God, regardless of our skin color and ethnic origin.

• Look for the good in others, instead of focusing on faults.

• Listen with our ears, eyes and heart.

• Speak uplifting words.

• Be courteous and mannerly.

• Think of others’ incredible human potential.

• Do good things for others.

• Pray to have the graciousness of God toward others.

Respect or regard may also be extended to animals. In Proverbs we read, “A righteous man regards the life of his animal” (Proverbs 12:10). Jesus cared enough for oxen and donkeys that He said it would be allowable to rescue them from a ditch even on the holy Sabbath day (Luke 14:5).

As I write this, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is upon us in the United States, reminding us of this civil rights leader’s call for peace and mutual respect between the races. Hopefully we as Christians will practice respect and honor for all of any race or creed. Remember, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” for each of us (John 3:16). Now that is the highest honor that He can give for all humanity.

Let’s be like our Heavenly Father and show respect and honor for others.

—Gary E. Antion

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Share Your Treasures!

Do you have any short items of biblical wisdom, humor or practical information that you would like to share in this section? Or if you have any suggestions, please contact United News, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027 or mike_bennett@ucg.org.

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