Trustworthy

For Tuesday, September 13, 2022

News:

As a young boy, I repeatedly heard two stories about Abraham Lincoln. In the first, during the Vicksburg campaign, a committee complained that General Grant was drinking a lot. Lincoln supposedly replied: "Then, I will send a barrel of his favorite brand to every general in the army." In the second story someone began to pick up a pen that had been left on a table. The story goes that Lincoln said: "If that doesn't have your name on it then keep your hands off of it."

I don't know if either story was actually true, but I like the gruffness of Lincoln's homespun ethics. In the first story, what seemed to be socially unacceptable behavior was part of a personality that yielded stunning results which no better behaved general officer had accomplished. The second story shows a strict code of personal honor. It's an interesting combination of utilitarian ethics and categorical imperative.

Jesus says we've been entrusted with something precious. It's a little thing but it has great impact. What are our ethics when it comes to handling the grace that has been entrusted to us?

Our scriptures this week all have something to do with ethics. They are: Psalm 113; Amos 8:4-7; Luke 16:1-13; 1Timothy 2:1-7.

Please note that our administrator, Kay Scott, will be out of the office next week. I will be in and out of the office. Please call me (239-207-0249) if you wish to come into the church to make sure that someone will be here.

See you Sunday,

Allen