Chapy's Corner
Do not forget God
By Dr. Eric Anthony Joseph
Issue date: 12/2/09 Section: Opinion
As Christmas gets closer, you may be trying to cross the last names off your shopping list. You do not want to get to Christmas Day and discover that you have forgotten someone important. Yet, oftentimes we forget one of the most important names in our daily life. My dear Langstonites, this 251st edition of Chapy's Corner is written to teach us to not mistake what it means to forget God.
I concur with Rev. Gerald Whetstone, an ordained elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene, of the fact that there are subtle ways of forgetting God that sneak into our lives if we are not careful. We forget God when we live as if He does not exist. We claim His Name and do our religious duties, but our daily lives are lived as if He is not even there. We speak His Name but our praise and worship is not exclusively His. Other gods grab our attention and distract us as well; other gods such as Santa Claus, Christmas myths, materialism, relationships, humanism, work, family, education, self, singing, partying, to name a few.
As an educator and theologian, I am aware of how history vividly records the destruction and devastation that forgetting God has done to those who once walked this planet. The Holy Scripture reveals the plight of those who have forgotten God, as well as warns those who would even begin to think about forgetting Him (Deuteronomy 6:12; 8:11; 2 Kings 17:38; Psalm 50:22; 2 Peter 3:4-5).
I am reminded of the Biblical New Testament case study found in the apostle Paul's first epistle written to the brothers and sisters living in the City of Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24). This city was formerly the metropolis of Macedonia; it is now called Salonichi, and is one of the best peopled; and one of the best town for commerce, in the Levant.
It is here in the former hometown of Alexander the Great that the apostle Paul reminds and exhorts the Thessalonians of four (4) things that are of great importance in the life of the believer and in the life of the church, so that they do not forget God. I truly pray and hope that these four items will not be forgotten by you, as you reflect upon the true reason behind for advent and Christmas season.
I concur with Rev. Gerald Whetstone, an ordained elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene, of the fact that there are subtle ways of forgetting God that sneak into our lives if we are not careful. We forget God when we live as if He does not exist. We claim His Name and do our religious duties, but our daily lives are lived as if He is not even there. We speak His Name but our praise and worship is not exclusively His. Other gods grab our attention and distract us as well; other gods such as Santa Claus, Christmas myths, materialism, relationships, humanism, work, family, education, self, singing, partying, to name a few.
As an educator and theologian, I am aware of how history vividly records the destruction and devastation that forgetting God has done to those who once walked this planet. The Holy Scripture reveals the plight of those who have forgotten God, as well as warns those who would even begin to think about forgetting Him (Deuteronomy 6:12; 8:11; 2 Kings 17:38; Psalm 50:22; 2 Peter 3:4-5).
I am reminded of the Biblical New Testament case study found in the apostle Paul's first epistle written to the brothers and sisters living in the City of Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24). This city was formerly the metropolis of Macedonia; it is now called Salonichi, and is one of the best peopled; and one of the best town for commerce, in the Levant.
It is here in the former hometown of Alexander the Great that the apostle Paul reminds and exhorts the Thessalonians of four (4) things that are of great importance in the life of the believer and in the life of the church, so that they do not forget God. I truly pray and hope that these four items will not be forgotten by you, as you reflect upon the true reason behind for advent and Christmas season.
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Saul
posted 12/03/09 @ 4:21 AM CST
The city is still called Thessaloniki (etymology from Greek : Thessalian (a place in Greece) - nike (victory)). There isn't such name as Salonichi. Only the apostle changed his name from Saul to Paul, not the city. (Continued…)
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