"The Old English Puritan was such an one, that honored God above all..." from The Character of an Old English Puritan or Non-Conformist, by Master John Geree.

I would like to see Southern Baptists be more like the Puritans, honoring God over programs, politics and posterity. Living to please him in the conduct of our lives. Whatever might be said of us, it would be said "they do everything to honor God and not themselves".

At the end of his essay, Geree wrote "He (the Puritan) was a man of tender heart, not only in regard of his own sin, but others misery, not counting mercy arbitrary, but a necessary duty..."

There is a lot of misery around us. Some are miserably unemployed. Some are miserably divorced, or miserably married, or miserably single. Some are miserably sick. Some are miserably poor.

I love the Puritans. You know this if you know me. I love them because they sought to live all of life for Christ, to the glory of God. They examined life. They thought about what they did and how it should be done to the glory of God. They examined the Bible to see what it said about everything, then applied it.

Just as the Old Testament tells us not to have a closed hand toward the poor, we need an open heart, a tender heart in Geree's words.

Saturday, you can donate food to the poor by setting it out by your mailbox. Mail carriers will pick it up and deliver it. You cannot get easier than that.

Be tender hearted. Alleviate someone's misery. Demonstrate the love of Christ.

Honor God above all.

Godspeed.