A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #40, March 1994 (Internet Edition) S O A R I N G I N T O G R E A T N E S S ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective 1 - The Call to be Broken Perspective 2 - Excellence Due Perspective 3 - The Greatest Will be the Servant Our "greatness" is not to be found in gold or silver or bronze, but in the gracious approval of a loving God. We rise into His eternal arms bearing the bronze of the angels' applause, the silver of a job well-done, and the gold of eternal life. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Every few years I marvel, and shake my head anew at the olympics. I marvel at these human beings who have committed practically their entire lives to the perfecting of one tightly focused skill. Let's take ski jumping as an example. Here the sport involves sitting on a narrow wooden bench, perched at nose-bleed height above a throng of one hundred-thousand strangers. The jump begins with a cruise down a practically perpendicular icy ramp, ending in a flip that sends the skier up into the wintery air--only to then begin a soaring descent down to a second ice-coated slope, on which the skier will attempt to land on only two narrow wooden slats strapped to his feet. To accomplish this feat, the skier will work and train for years--practicing over and over again on the wintery slopes. When summer arrives, he or she will practice even more by jumping into a trainer's arms or by diving into a lake or pond. Over and over again, practicing, constantly working, constantly improving, honing the skills, polishing until perfection is reached. And when perfection is reached . . . they will practice still more. And why? What is the skier's reward for the years and years of labor and practice? A small medallion worn about the neck. It could be bronze in color, silver or even golden. It will hang about the athlete's neck until people begin to snicker, then it will be mounted in a glass case and hung over the fireplace in their home. And the athlete will look upon it with pride and a sense of accomplishment--even fulfillment. "I did that! I earned that," they will tell anyone who cares to listen. Ten, fifteen, twenty years dedicated to the possible reward of a small, metal disk. One misstep at the wrong moment, and even that will be denied. _________________________ We applaud the successful athlete who dedicates him or herself to excellence--as well we should. It is a good and admirable thing to commit oneself to do something to the very best of one's ability. Why do we not honor this same dedication to excellence when it comes to serving and worshipping our God? If we admire this trait in athletes who pursue physical excellence for a medallion, why do we not pursue this same excellence as we serve our God for His eternal reward? Why are we so casual with the things of God? Is it because He is so gracious, so forgiving, that we can place Him at the bottom of our list of priorities? Why do we work harder at our golf game than we do at being a deacon or an usher? Why do we spend more time sitting in front of the TV than we do kneeling in prayer? Why do we place soccer and Little League before choir practice? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(1) Why is the demonstration of our faith so mediocre when, for us, Jesus Christ gave His very best? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 1: T H E C A L L T O B E B R O K E N ------------- While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me."(2) _________________________ "Christians file into church on a Sunday morning. One by one they march in like separate alabaster jars. Contained. Self-sufficient. Encased. Contents undisclosed. No perfume emitting at all. Mary broke her jar. Broke it?! How shocking. How controversial. Was everybody doing it? Was it a vase-breaking party? No, she just did it all by herself. What happened then? The obvious: all the contents were forever released. She could never hug her precious nard to herself again. Many bodies that file into church do so, no doubt, because they have Jesus inside them. Jesus!--precious, exciting, life giving. But most of them keep Him shut up, contained, enclosed all their lives. And the air is full of NOTHING. They come to church and sit--these long rows of cold, beautiful, alabaster jars! Then the cold, beautiful, alabaster jars get up and march out again, silently--or maybe talking their cold alabaster talk--to repeat the ritual week after week, year after year. The need for Christians everywhere is to be broken. The jar has to be smashed! Christians have to let the life out! It will fill the room with sweetness. And the congregation will all be broken shards, mingling together for the first time. Of course it's awkward and scary to be broken! Of course it's easier to keep up that cold alabaster front. It was costly for Mary, too."(3) _________________________ What are we afraid of? We say we follow Jesus and the teaching of God's word. All right then, let's do it. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.(4) For many people, this somehow gets short-circuited. They accept Christ, gratefully receiving His forgiveness. They pat themselves on the back for having the good sense to guarantee their admission into heaven. Then they happily go on their way. Ladies and gentlemen, we have been bought--bought and paid for. What in the world would lead us to think we can portion out our service and worship in dribs and drabs? Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. [7] If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; [8] if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.(5) What in the world would lead us to think God deserves anything less than our best? What does this mean in practical terms? It means that when you are called to do anything--especially as a part of the Body--do it with all your heart, to the very best of your abilities. If you are to attend a committee meeting, show up early and make the coffee; if you are to work in the nursery, show up early to relieve the previous shift; if the Pastor asks you to read Scripture in the service, be prepared, review it thoroughly, read it with feeling and conviction; and if you are in the choir, attend all the rehearsals, learn your music well, and sing as if Jesus Himself were standing before you. Because He is. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.(6) Into the Word ------------- Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. -Romans 12:1 Genesis 49:3-4 ______________________________ Psalm 45:2 ______________________________ Mark 14:1-9 ______________________________ Romans 12:1-8 ______________________________ 1 Cor 12:31 ______________________________ 1 Cor 14:12 ______________________________ 1 Cor 15:56-58 ______________________________ 1 Cor 16:13 ______________________________ 2 Cor 8:7 ______________________________ Phil 4:8 ______________________________ Col 3:22-24 ______________________________ 1 Tim 3:13 ______________________________ Titus 3:8 ______________________________ Hebrews 12:28 ______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- My Gracious Lord, I Own Thy Right My gracious Lord, I own Thy right to every service I can pay, And call it my supreme delight to hear Thy dictates, and obey. What is my being but for Thee, its sure support its noblest end? Thy ever smiling face to see and serve the cause of such a friend. I would not breathe for worldly joy, or to increase my worldly good; Nor future days or powers employ to spread a sounding name abroad. 'Tis to my Saviour I would live, to Him who for my ransom died; Nor could untainted Eden give such bliss as blossoms at His side. His work my hoary age should bless, when youthful vigour is no more; And my last hour of life confess His love hath animating power.(7) Making it Personal ------------------ Make a list of your responsibilities in the church body? These might include being an usher, serving on a committee, singing in the choir, helping with a Wednesday night dinner or calling on people. How do you think about these responsibilities? What is in your heart when you are doing any one of them? When someone asks you to do something in the church, what other activities do you check before you give your consent? In other words, where does serving the Lord fall on your list of priorities? Does "serving the Lord" take place only within the church body or on the church property? How does knowing that, as a believer, you no longer own yourself affect your list of priorities? How does knowing that Jesus Christ is your Master affect the way in which you carry out your responsibilities? Into the Word ------------- Compare the following two stories from the New Testament. Ananias and Sapphira Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. [2] With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. [3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? [4] Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." [5] When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. [6] Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. [7] About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. [8] Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." [9] Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." [10] At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. -Acts 5:1-10 The Poor Widow Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. [42] But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. [43] Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. [44] They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." -Mark 12:41-44 What do these stories say to you about how and with what you serve your Lord? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 2: E X C E L L E N C E D U E ------------- "Where can you taste the joys of obeying unless He bids you do something for which His bidding is the only reason?"(8) "A perfect man would never act from sense of duty; he'd always want the right thing more than the wrong one. Duty is only a substitute for love like a crutch which is a substitute for a leg. Most of us need the crutch at times; but of course it is idiotic to use the crutch when our own legs can do the journey on their own."(9) _________________________ The essential question is always "Why?" Why should we expend the energy and time to reach toward excellence? After all, we live in a state of grace: we don't earn our way into heaven. Isn't all this talk of excellence and hard work just an attempt to make us into something we're not? After all, God isn't impressed with flash and glitter--and we're certainly not supposed to be trying to impress each other. The Lord will bless whatever we do, right? Just for fun, let's turn this around. Let's assume for a moment, simply for illustration, that God Himself had the attitude described in the previous paragraph. How would things be different? What if God acted like some of us . . . The Time: Eternity past The Place: Heaven God the Father and Jesus are having a last-minute discussion prior to Jesus' leaving for Bethlehem. FATHER: You have everything you need? JESUS: I think so. Don't really need much. FATHER: Right. Well, here's just a few last-minute notes before you leave. Listen, I like these people, I really do. But I don't see any reason to break a sweat for them. They'll probably go along with our plan no matter what, so let's just take it easy. Now, about your disciples . . . JESUS: Right. Twelve of them. FATHER: Well, I've been giving that some thought. We really don't need all twelve. Ten would do just as well. I think we could get the point across just fine if we left these names off. (hands Jesus a list of names) JESUS (reading the list): Matthew and John? FATHER: Right. Who needs four different versions of your story? Two will do. Now, about this crucifixion business. JESUS: You wanted me to die on a cross, didn't you? FATHER: I've been re-thinking that, too. That's really going to a lot of bother--I mean, all that blood and pain and death . . . and then there'd be the business of the resurrection. What a hassle! Wouldn't it be a lot easier if we just had you scourged, then run out of town? A lot cleaner, don't you think? I think being whipped will say a lot about your love for the people. After all, we know none of them would voluntarily go through that for you. JESUS: Well, if you say so. But I'm willing to die if you want me to. FATHER: Hey, why bother . . . _________________________ Ludicrous, isn't it. Thank God that isn't what really happened. What really happened was that the triune Godhead loved us so unspeakably much that they willingly suffered separation and a tortuous death on our behalf. For us. They gave their very best--the very best thing that has ever existed in all of time and before: Jesus--just to save our wretched souls. Isn't that enough to answer the question "why?" Isn't that enough reason right there to give 100% effort in His service. His blood ran out of His body and down the splintered wood of the cross for you. He voluntarily died a horrible death because He loved you. How can the bother of choir practice compare to that? How can the inconvenience of fixing meals for the home-bound compare to that? A righteous person serves God with excellence and commitment out of the gratitude of a forgiven heart. Into the Word ------------- And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. -Col 1:17-18 Matthew 6:31-33 ______________________________ Matthew 16:24 ______________________________ Mark 8:34 ______________________________ Luke 9:23 ______________________________ Luke 14:25-33 ______________________________ Acts 20:28 ______________________________ 1 Cor 6:19-20 ______________________________ 1 Cor 7:23 ______________________________ Col 1:13-18 ______________________________ Hebrews 12:28 ______________________________ 2 Peter 2:1 ______________________________ Rev 5:6-14 ______________________________ Rev 14:4 ______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Give of Your Best to the Master Give of your best to the master; give of the strength of your youth; Throw your soul's fresh, glowing ardor into the battle for truth. Jesus has set the example; dauntless was He, young and brave; Give Him your loyal devotion, give Him the best that you have. Give of your best to the master; give Him first place in your heart; Give Him first place in your service, consecrate every part. Give, and to you shall be given; God His beloved Son gave; Gratefully seeking to serve Him, give Him the best that you have. Give of your best to the master; naught else is worthy His love; He gave Himself for your ransom, gave up His glory above: Laid down His life without murmur, you from sin's ruin to save; Give Him your heart's adoration, give Him the best that you have.(10) Making it Personal ------------------ How do we determine what we should or should not be doing in the Lord's service? (Find the answer in Scripture.) Why do you think some people are so lazy with their service to the Lord? Why do you think some people only do it conditionally--requiring some form of earthly glory before they'll serve? Perhaps you already give 100%. Perhaps you already perform your service with a commitment to excellence. Perhaps it is not physically possible for you to do more or better. Then it's time to examine your motives. It's not enough to strive for excellence; you must do it for the right reasons. Into the Word ------------- Read and spend time meditating upon the following passage from the Gospel of Mark. Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. (11) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 3: T H E G R E A T E S T W I L L B E ------------- A S E R V A N T "A life which soars is one that doesn't get caught in the trap of the temporal. People of excellence are those that see through the clutching greed of our times--people who have declared their undivided allegiance to Christ's message, a message that praises and exalts and honors the King of heaven, knowing He is able to humble those who walk in pride. Such a commitment represents authentic excellence, leaving no excuse for mediocrity. People who soar--that is, soar like God intended--are people who have humbled themselves to Christ's sovereign authority. They are citizens of His invisible kingdom."(12) _________________________ Okay, let's have a show of hands. How many of you out there have been a member of a bell choir? (For the uninformed, that's a choir in which the members ring bells--from tiny to huge--instead of sing with their voices.) Anyone who has been a member of a bell choir knows that there is a certain amount of labor involved in participating. To begin with, the bells are stored in large fabric-lined cases; for each rehearsal the bells must be removed from their cases and arranged atop a padded table. Then, when the rehearsal is over, each bell must be wiped off with a special polishing rag and returned to its protective case. In some choirs the tables and pads must be erected and dismantled for each rehearsal. The director of every bell choir in which I have played expected all the members to assist in this process. It was just part of being in the choir. But, invariably, there were those who just happened to arrive too late to help set things up--and, curiously enough, it would usually be these same individuals who would suddenly remember a pressing engagement as soon as the last note was struck, and flee the premises only to leave the disposition of the equipment to the rest. Let's all say it together: These people were s-e-l-f-i-s-h and r-u-d-e. In addition, they were not serving their Lord with excellence--in fact, I'm not sure who it was they were serving. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; [31] but those who hope(13) in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.(14) That's the answer, isn't it. The only way to truly soar in the work of the Lord is to commit ourselves to a close relationship with Him. The word translated "hope" in the NIV and "wait" in the NASB and KJV is a root word meaning, literally, to bind together, as one would a sheaf of wheat. It is used in the Old Testament to describe a strong, confident hope--not just thinking something might happen, but hope with an expectation that it will happen. Soaring does not happen accidently. Excellence is not something that just springs from us unattended. We serve our Lord with excellence because we intend to, because we love Him so much that we are compelled to serve Him to the very best of our ability. _________________________ Let me just come right out and say it: The Lord has gifted you with certain abilities; it is your responsibility to identify those abilities and place them in His service. He has not entrusted those abilities to you for them to be squandered or spent lazily. He has entrusted them to you for their quality investment in the work of His Kingdom. True Biblical excellence is not flash and glitter--it is not "trying to impress people." True excellence springs from a heart devoted to a God who loved us enough to spend His excellence at the cross. How can we withold anything less from Him? Into the Word ------------- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. -Isaiah 41:10 Psalm 90:1-17 ______________________________ Isaiah 40:30-31 ______________________________ Isaiah 41:9-10 ______________________________ Jer 14:22 ______________________________ Lam 3:25 ______________________________ Matthew 7:7-8 ______________________________ Matthew 25:14-30 ______________________________ Luke 14:28-32 ______________________________ Romans 12:1-8 ______________________________ 1 Cor 7:22 ______________________________ 1 Cor 15:56-58 ______________________________ 2 Cor 2:14 ______________________________ 2 Cor 8:1-5 ______________________________ Phil 4:13 ______________________________ 1 John 5:3-5 ______________________________ Rev 5:6-14 ______________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Fill All My Vision Fill all my vision, Saviour, I pray, let me see only Jesus today; Though thro' the valley Thou leadest me, Thy fadeless glory encompasseth me. Refrain Fill all my vision, Saviour divine, till with Thy glory my spirit shall shine. Fill all my vision, that all may see Thy holy Image reflected in me. Fill all my vision, every desire keep for Thy glory; my soul inspire With Thy perfection, Thy holy love flooding my pathway with light from above. Fill all my vision, let naught of sin shadow the brightness shining within. Let me see only Thy blessed face, feasting my soul on Thy infinite grace.(15) Making it Personal ------------------ Make any changes to your original list of responsibilities from above. Add anything that should have been, but maybe wasn't included. Now with each area of service, what steps can you take to do your work with greater excellence and a heightened sense of Kingdom commitment? Volunteers? ----------- Churches today are infected with a philosophy of "volunteerism." This is played out in remarks such as "Well, they're only volunteers," or "You can't really expect much from volunteers." >From the lips of committee chairpersons to music directors these words are repeatedly used to alibi the shoddy performance of people under their direction. No matter how you approach it, we are anything but volunteers. You could approach it from the servanthood angle, understanding that we were purchased by a Master whom we now must serve. We don't "volunteer" to serve Him; we serve out of obediance--no less an obediance than that that caused Abraham to lift the knife over the head of his only son. But you could also approach it from the angle of return for our efforts. Volunteers work for free; they put nothing in the bank from their labors. Ladies and gentlemen, the faithful, humble, committed servant of God has a bank account filled with daily deposits. Whether washing dishes in the church kitchen, sweeping the front steps, balancing the church's books, reading Scripture in the Sunday morning service or singing the biggest solo in the Christmas musical the believer who serves His God with excellence is the best-paid person around. Volunteers? Not a one of us. A Final Thought --------------- "It's possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple; to be a camp-follower without being a soldier of the king; to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one's weight. Once someone was talking to a great scholar about a younger man. He said, "So and so tells me that he was one of your students." The teacher answered devastatingly, "He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students." There is a world of difference between attending lectures and being a student. It is one of the supreme handicaps of the Church that in the Church there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples."(16) ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1 1 Cor 15:56-58. 2 Mark 14:3-6. 3 From Up With Worship (p22-24) by Anne Ortlund. Copyright c 1975, Regal Books, Ventura, CA 93006. As quoted in Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (WORD, 1987), by Charles R. Swindoll. 4 1 Cor 6:19-20. 5 Romans 12:1,6-8. 6 Col 3:23. 7 Philip Doddridge (1702-1751). 8 C.S. Lewis, Perelandra, Chapter 9. As quoted in A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis (HBJ, 1980), p.140. 9 C.S. Lewis, Letters (18 July 1957). Ibid. 10 Howard B. Grose (1851-1939). 11 Mark 15:1-20,22-37. 12 Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (WORD, 1987), p.37f. 13 STRONG'S 6960. qavah, kaw-vaw'; a prim. root; to bind together (perh. by twisting), i.e. collect; (fig.) to expect:-gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). 14 Isaiah 40:30-31. 15 Avis B. Christiansen (b.1895). 16 William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, The Daily Study Bible, p203. As quoted in Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (WORD, 1987), by Charles R. Swindoll, p122. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly. There are two preferred methods of receiving it on a regular basis: 1) You may subscribe to the laser-printed (hard copy) edition, which is sent out via regular mail. This edition is different from this file you are reading in the following ways: - a "typeset" look, with italics, larger titles and headings, etc. - Scripture text and quotations are more obviously set apart - lines printed for your notes after each question - arrives pre-punched for a 3-ring binder - generally looks better 2) You may subscribe to the e-mail edition, which will be "mailed" to you directly each month. This edition will be formatted just like this file you are now reading--which still contains all the text of the printed edition. There is no charge for either option. For a free subscription to Aspects, send a note to "dlampel@dlampel.com" Please specify the method by which you wish to receive Aspects. Be sure to include your postal mailing address if you choose the printed edition. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aspects is distributed free-of-charge, without obligation, in service to our Lord and to His glory. Reader opinions are always welcome, as are insights into the published material. Send all comments to the above address. We always appreciate hearing when someone has been edified by this work. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes on the "online" Format ---------------------------- Certain adaptations to the text are necessary for distribution of this ASCII edition of Aspects. Endnote reference numbers are enclosed in parentheses (); quotations are enclosed by quotation marks " ", and are further set apart from original text by indentation and the presence of a following endnote reference; Scripture references are indented and cite the reference in the first line. If you would prefer reading Aspects in its more native, printed form, we would encourage you to subscribe to the edition that is mailed out every month. ---------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/aspects: asp-040.txt