Sabbath Thought: Gravity

     This past Thursday marked the fifty-fourth anniversary of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, becoming the first man to walk on the moon. After taking those first steps on the lunar surface, Armstrong uttered a phrase that perfectly captured the magnitude of this extraordinary event. Those words were, “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”

     As I thought about this achievement, I couldn’t help but think of the effort it took to get to that very moment. I’m not talking about the money, the trial and error, or construction of the space craft, but the shear amount of thrust it took to break the powerful pull of earth’s gravity.

     Those early pioneers of the Space Program (NASA) knew that if they were to stand a chance against the law of gravity and achieve their mission of reaching the moon, they would need the assistance of a strong outside force to break that downward pull or else everything on that launch pad would remain under gravities control.

     They were also aware that to harness a power strong enough to reverse the pull of gravity would just be the beginning. They would need a continual controlled application of that outside force. They knew that if anything went wrong, gravity wins the fight and the rocket and its crew would come crashing back down. This process had to be highly respected because life and death would be held in the balance at all times. So, with all that coming together, it was as Neil Armstrong stated, a monumental step for himself and all mankind.

     All of this reminded me of a statement Mr. Armstrong made many years ago. He said, “Human nature is like gravity, it’s always pulling us down.” In Romans 8:6-7, the apostle Paul defines why that statement is so true. Our carnal mind, human nature, is enmity against God. In its natural state, it’s hostile toward God and His laws. It’s a powerful force pulling us away from the presence of our Holy and Righteous God. It’s a law of itself that’s constantly at work seeking to hold us down, (Romans 7:14-25).

      When we heard that voice, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at Hand” (Matthew 4:17), our senses were open to see just how powerful the pull of sin and our human nature had on us. Our calling can be compared to that rocket, a prisoner of that downward pull until something breaks it free. It became clear that without help from an outside force, we would not experience that vision our eyes had been open to see, becoming a glorified son and daughter in His family (Hebrews 2:10).

      Not only did we acknowledge the need to repent and seek a converted life at that point, we understood the value of that precious sacrifice that was made on our behalf and that gift of God’s Holy Spirit. We clearly entered into this covenant with God by committing ourselves to a life based upon repentance and conversion. We knew this was a continual process that was to be highly respected, because what God was offering was an incredible once in a lifetime opportunity. It would be worth everything that we had to endure, (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

    July 20, 1969, stands as a reminder that mankind did experienced a giant step in its history. However, on, place your baptism date into the sentence, we experienced an even greater step in our own personal journey, not to a physical destination, but of a way of life. One defined by Holiness and one that is preparing us for a Kingdom far greater and far more captivating that the beautiful silvery moon.

     That’s why we can never forget that moment and the commitment to continually engage in that powerful pull against of our human nature. I’ll end with these words found in Philippians 3:7-14, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Have a wonderful and Spiritually enriching Sabbath,
Ryan Hall

For the Youth - Bible Trivia:

1. Who is the oldest man mentioned in the Bible and what was his age?
*Hint: Genesis 5:21-27

2. What was Peter’s Mother-in-Law healed of by Jesus?
*Hint: Matthew 8:14-15

3. What son of Isaac was a skilled a skillful hunter?
* Hint: Genesis 25:20-28

North Canton Announcements:

Sabbath Service Time (July 22nd): 2:00 PM – Potluck to follow services

1. Next Sabbath – (July 29th): 2:00 PM
2. Monthly Bible Study: The next Monthly Bible Study will be Thursday, August 17th at 7:30. Zoom link will be sent out the week of the Bible Study.
3. Men’s Club/Women’s Bible Study: The next Men’s Club and Women’s Bible Study will be on the Sabbath of August 26th.
4. Festival Assistance: For those who will need festival to attend the Feast of Tabernacles this year. Please let myself, John, or the festival advisor know so that we can get the request in asap.
5. Columbus Young Adult Weekend: All adults 18-23, married or single are welcome along with your kids to come join us for an uplifting weekend centered on becoming men & women of God. The weekend will kick off with a Bible Study and Dessert Social. On Sabbath there will be an interactive apologetics discussion, Sabbath Services, dinner, and a 50’s themed Sock-Hop after sunset. On Sunday a group service project is planned followed by a grill out with fun, food, and games. Please register for event, note there is a $20.00 registration fee to help cover the cost of the activities and the dinner Saturday evening. For more information see flyer.

DATE: Friday Evening August 25 – Sunday, August 27th

LOCATION: Columbus Church Hall – 251 Hillview Dr SW Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Link for Registration: https://forms.gle/dCR4c1Jdeb1rYEtXA

If I’ve overlooked anything, Please let me know ASAP.