A minister was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn't say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the lad would leave. But he didn't. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the preacher finally said,, "Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?" "No," he replied. "I'm just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."

If a preacher hits his thumb with a hammer, is he permitted to let fly vulgar expletives? As a child, when something was extremely irritating, someone would say, "That's enough to make a preacher cuss!"

The thinking behind the statement is that one is not responsible for their action if provoked by an extremely irritating circumstance. They plead, "I couldn't help myself!" The implication is, "Don't blame me,, it isn't my fault!" Can mature intelligent human beings excuse themselves from guilt because the circumstance tempted them to sin?

Consider Adam's temptation and sin. Paul tells us that "... Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression: (I Timothy 2:14) Paul is teaching us that Adam knew he was violating God's law but Eve was deceived into believing the lie of the devil. This explains why Adam said, "... The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12) While Adam's declaration to God was true, he could not use it to excuse himself from having committed sin. Therefore, God pronounced punishment upon him as He did upon the woman and the serpent.

Another example we should consider is that of king Saul. God gave him mission to perform and he disobeyed. When Samuel the prophet/judge over Israel, confronted Saul, he first said "I have performed the commandment of Jehovah And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought there from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. " (I Samuel 15:13-15) Notice, king Saul said, "the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen," hence, placing the blame upon them. He continued to blame the people by saying, " ... I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of Jehovah, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. " (I Samuel 15:24) Even when confessing his sin, he attempted to excuse himself by saying his disobedience was because he feared the people. God would have none of it. "And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. " (I Samuel 15:26)

There will, no doubt, be circumstances that will make it difficult to continue to obey God. By engaging in sin, a loved one may tempt us to sin. Those who have authority over us may tempt us to sin by threats of retribution. However it makes no difference, whether motivated by love or fear, there is no excuse for sin. God will judge us based upon whether or not we have sinned, not upon whether the circumstance was difficult.

When we sin, we need to be willing to accept personal., responsibility for our action. We don't need to try to excuse ourselves by blaming others or the circumstance that produced our sin. We must simply admit to our sin and ask for forgiveness.

May Calendar

PM Fellowship
All are invited to meet with us in the annex, after the PM worship service, for a time of fellowship and snacks. We will be honoring the April birthdays and anniversaries.

Ladies Work Group
The Ladies’ Work Group is scheduled to meet tomorrow (Monday) evening at 7:00 pm in the ladies’ work room. All of the ladies of the congregation are invited to attend and participate.

We normally don't think of many of the bible characters as being human just as ourselves but they really were. Moses considered himself grossly incapable of filling the leadership role that God intended for him to fill, but God used him. God can really use you, just allow it to happen.

As a man grows wiser,
he talks less and says more.

Don’t forget the weekly prayer session in classroom #3, each Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m.