Saturday Song: Weird Al, "Pancreas"

I've heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Therefore, The Beach Boys must really be pleased with this spoof of their mid-sixties style of music. In fact, any Beach Boys fan would be thrilled, or so I believe, with this playful homage to the group.

Listen to the song here:

The Apostle Paul likened each believer as part of the body of Christ. As he wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:22 and 23 (BBE), those parts of the body we don't see are necessary for the whole to run properly. "No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary; And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;"

And though only Weird Al would sing about his, diabetics know full well the problems caused by a non functioning or poorly-functioning pancreas.

How sad it is too that certain church people covet flashy gifts like working miracles and speaking in tongues. Romans 12:5-7 (BBE) says that all gifts are important. "So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another; And having different qualities by reason of the grace given to us, such as the quality of a prophet, let it be made use of in relation to the measure of our faith; Or the position of a Deacon of the church, let a man give himself to it; or he who has the power of teaching, let him make use of it;"

And isn't hospitality an important gift to have? We read about this in 1 Peter 4:9 and 10 (BBE). "Keep open house for all with a glad heart; Making distribution among one another of whatever has been given to you, like true servants of the unmeasured grace of God;"

Generosity also is a noble gift. We read how Paul was helped in Philippians 4:15 and 16 (BBE). "And you have knowledge, Philippians, that when the good news first came to you, when I went away from Macedonia, no church took part with me in the business of giving to the saints, but you only; Because even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to me in my need."

So if you feel your work for the Lord is insignificant, please consider what Scripture says. We're all important to Christ.

On Monday, if the Lord doesn't return before then, I hope to post about why we should accept death from even contracting COVID-19.

Saturday Song: The Beach Boys, "Till I Die"

The harmonies and instrumentation on this Beach Boys song are beautiful but the message is sad. Are we really just corks on the ocean? Are we merely rocks in a landslide? Are we really just fallen leaves in the wind? According to Holy Scripture, we're so much more.

Listen to this song here.

From the start, we see that this world was made for us. Genesis 1:31 (KJV) says, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

And as the Lord pointed out many times in the scriptures, he loved Israel. Deuteronomy 7:8 (KJV) reads, "But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

The Father also gave us a choice to love him or to turn away. Look at what Paul wrote in Romans 6:22 (KJV). "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Luke also showed us in Acts 1:3 (KJV) how Christ assured his disciples of the certainty of his resurrection. "To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:"

What abundant assurances we have that we follow no mere religious figure but the Son of God Almighty. And because he lives, we truly can face tomorrow like the hymn says.

On Monday, I'll post about the fact that certain writings about the life of Christ were frauds. Sad as it sounds, some scholars would rather believe lies than the unexceptional truth about our Lord's childhood.