The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1957-02-28
One Man Looks
AT God
by Charles w. Carlson. Pastor,
St Marks Evangelical Lutheran
Church, Oakland Maryland.)

slider This week his words recorded
in Matthew 7:24-27:
Every one then who hears these
words Of mine and does them win
be like the wise man who built his
house on the rock: and the rain
fell and the floods came. and the
winds blew and beat upon that
house, but ii did not fall. because
II had been founded on the rock.
And every one who hears these
words of mine and does not do
them will be like the foolish man
who built his house upon the sand;
and the rain fell, and the floods
came. and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and ii fell: and
great was the fall of it.
As those of you who know your
Bibles will already realize. this is
the final statement in whole
series of ethical teachings of
Christ, commonly referred to as
The Sermon on the Mount This
then, was the summation of just
how important he himself held the
teachings of God for man
As we look into these words with
Christian insight, it is easy for us
also to realize just how important
these words and teachings of
Christ are. But the sad thing is,
that most people of the world do
not want to accept what God clear
ly reveals for them, in the way
they should carry on their lives.
Most men are not so stupid as to
build their homes on a sand pile.
they normally look for a good
solid shelf on which to build their
foundations But how different is
their attitude when it comes to
preparing themselves for an eter-
nal life. The house will stand only
for a time. how long, nobody
knows, perhaps two hundred wears.
perhaps more, perhaps less, but
mans life is intended for eternity
time without end-yet man seems
TO be 50 enSconced in the care of
his earthly possessions that he
cares little for the eternal health
of his soul. He will go to great
pains to make sure that his bust
ness is run on good sound basis,
that il makes money, but he Will
allow the least excuse to keep him
from checking on the progress of
a much more important business,
the business of the everlasting life
the free gift of God in Christ.
free only to those who are willing
to hear these words of CChrist's)
and keep them
The responsibility for this prob
lem lies in two basic areas: the
Church itself, and the individual
who is either in or out of the
church. Many times the church
sells itself short. being satisfied in
its ministry, its property, its
program for the community. and
all other areas of its activity, being
satisfied with second best, or per-
hapS third, fourth or fifth best!
The church in many areas just has
not met its responsibility, and other
secular organizations have taken
over, as in the case of the excel
lent organization, Alcoholics Anon
ymous. This is an area where the
church has failed to meet its
obligations, just one of many. Too
many churches are willing to let
Sunday be the only day for any
activity, as if this is the only day
that belongs to God.
Then as for the second area of
responsibility, the individual either
in or out of the churchill is
mainly matter OF Il can't be
bothered" The church member is
all too often a person who attends
some congregation, even every
Sunday; just why, he does not
know-it's just the acceptable
thing to do, and when he is asked
to prove his Christianity, by being
a good steward for Christ, by wit
Messing, with his time, money,
talent, to the world that there is
something important about Chris
tianity-he just can not be both
cred, he does not have enough
time, in other words, he does not
think that it is important enough.
And if he does not think it is i'm
portant enough, how can he con-
vince the world that Christ is i'm
portant?
The sad thing is, that the man
who is unwilling to follow where
Christ leads, and falls with the
crash of house built OH sand all
too often brings others down in his
fall. Consider the adulterous man
who seeks a divorce, so that he
can follow the pleasures that he
has found outside his home--he
does not only destroy himself, what
of his wife, his children, and in
many cases the children and hus-
band Of his partner in sin" are in