Text Box: Thoughts on Graduation Text Box: Fort Lee Gospel Church 1625 Palisade Ave. Fort Lee, NJ 07024 (201)947-1465 Pastor: Rev. Rick Spenst Web site: www.fortleegospel.org E-mail: fortleegospel@juno.com

Schedule Notes

2

Youth Events

2

Men’s Retreat

2

Faith & Reason

2

July Events

3

Helping the Needy

3

Independence Day

4
Text Box: Text Box: July 2008 Text Box: Text Box: Gospel News Text Box: Yesterday both of my children finished their schools and are moving to the next level of education—Middle School and High School. Their last day at their school included graduation exercises where they sang patriotic and humanitarian songs. Speeches were made about lessons learned and wisdom for the next level. Teachers were thanked and parents told how important they are. Happy parents, grandparents and siblings snapped pictures and took video of the special occasion. The boys wore ties and the girls all looked their best. As joyous as it is to mark accomplishments in education with the rite of graduation, adulthood rarely has the same sort of completion. More often than not, the end of a job is marked with a resignation or firing. Marriages come to a conclusion through a judge’s decision or at a funeral parlor. People move to a different city with only a few neighbors noticing the moving truck. There is wisdom in reflecting on what we have gone through in life. As graduates looks back at what they have learnt, so we need to pause and reflect on what God has taught us in life. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God;        I will be exalted among the nations,        I will be exalted in the earth." I encourage you to take time this summer to reflect on the past year and lessons learnt. A sampling of questions to ask yourself are as follows: Are you taking time to be a lifetime Text Box: learner? Are you investing in the lives of your loved ones and people you care about? Are you working too hard? Are you not ambitious enough? How is you time with the Lord? Do you give adequate time to Bible reading and prayer? Do you have trusted and wise Christian friends? Have you been able to point non-believers toward the blessing of faith in Jesus? Do you take a Sabbath rest? Do you support God’s work through prayer and giving? Is there a place where you use your spiritual gifts to bless others? Socrates famously stated, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I encourage you to take time this summer to examine your life before your Creator. God loves us and desires what is best for us. The world tempts us to trivialize our time with reality shows and the stories of the unfortunate lives of our celebrities. We can waste out time in a multitude of ways. I have too often visited the sick in hospitals to see people near the end of life watching a soap opera or other program of no eternal benefit. Should we not be crying out to God in out time of sickness? In closing, I remind us that there is one final graduation coming for all of us. One day Jesus will return to earth, or we will meet Him through our own deaths. Will we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” or will there be the tragic words, “I never knew you.”? Jesus died on a cross so we might have hope for that final graduation. I trust that you are ready. If you harbor doubts, myself and others would love to speak with you more on this topic. May God bless you this summer!