This is Larry Jones. You are listening to the Grace and Glory Hour of the Dyer Baptist Church with our co-pastors David M. Atkinson and Dr. Lee Atkinson. We are coming to you from Dyer, Indiana. Our prayer is that you will be strengthened by the Word today. Now, here is our pastor. How many of you have ever had a horrible vacation experience. Can I see your hands? Okay. Somebody's like, well, maybe. So was it because something broke down? Something wasn't working? Was it because it was like too ultra planned? Like it was 801, wake up. 802, turn on the coffee machine. 803, or was it because it wasn't planned enough? Oh, well, let's just kind of head out of town and see what happens. All kinds of things can happen on vacation. But as I think about my own life, If vacation wasn't wonderful, if vacation was awful, it's not because of something that broke or something that was canceled or something that didn't work. It was because of something inside of me. Because we can experience disappointment and adverse circumstances and still have a good time. We can still have a good day when things don't go the way we wanted them to. So if I have a bad vacation, whose fault is it? It's mine. In our Sunday morning series, we're talking about being completely different from the world in a wide variety of subjects. And yes, we are going to talk this morning about a biblical worldview of vacations. how to be spotless, how to be completely different from the world in the way that we think about our vacation time. I am preaching it myself. Our family's going on vacation. So this is born out of self, I don't know. Preparation, trying to do this vacation the right way instead of the wrong way. I have sometimes done it. In fact, and I don't usually like to do this, but to meet certain scheduled needs on our vacation, we're going to leave this afternoon and hope to get as far as Nebraska, the exciting, inviting, thrilling state of Nebraska. We're going to try to get that far this afternoon. So Pastor McNeil is going to preach tonight. So bring those steel-toed boots. He just may step on them a little bit. Then Wednesday, of course, we'll go off. They don't use me on Wednesday nights anymore. I've been kicked out of Wednesday nights. Our teenagers done took over. And does anyone know which teenager is preaching this coming Wednesday? Does anyone know who that is? No? Ah, is it Nathan? He's shaking his head no, and everyone else is saying yes. That means it's him. All right, so be praying for Nathan as he gets ready to preach this Wednesday night, and the kids' video with the penny proverbs, because foolishness will cost you. That's going to be great. So Wednesday night will be good. And then next Sunday morning, we are letting Pastor Peter out of kids' church. And he's going to preach upstairs. How many of you have never heard Pastor Peter preach before? Yeah, well, it's about time. So we're going to have him preach Sunday morning and look forward to that. Dad, I think Pastor Emeritus David M. Atkinson is going to preach next Sunday night. So we've got some wonderful, I'm so thankful for the people in our church that just fill right in. So I'm taking six weeks of vacation this summer. Ahh. As we've gone through this series, spotless body, what's a typical worldview of thinking about the human body, or rest, or work, or any of these topics, we've thought, what is a typical unsaved person? We're not calling them, we're not degrading them, they're just unsaved, they're unregenerated, they are natural people. What do they think about that topic? What does an unsaved person think about vacation? What do they love about vacation? What are their affections that are intertwined with their concept of Vacay Well, I think the world tends to think I deserve this If you don't think that's what they think try taking it away and see what happens. I Think I'm saying people tend to believe on vacation. I can do whatever I Want there are no boundaries. It's just this is my time. I'll do whatever I feel like I'm not doing any work. That is for sure Now, some people do like to work, do home improvement projects and things like that, but they like doing them. They don't want to do anything that is like unpleasant work to them. I think sometimes there's the mentality of, when I'm on vacation, I expect everyone to cater to me. And so whether you can afford some kind of a bus tour around the Great Lakes, or a cruise, or you go to some resort where just everything is done for you. They peel your grapes for you, and they fan you as you stretch out. I want everything done for me. I just want to lie there and just Ah, I want everyone to do what I want. And since most of us can't afford those kind of vacations, we think that the family should peel our grapes for us and fan us. But the problem is, if they're peeling my grapes for me, who's peeling their grapes for them? That's where it gets sticky. Like, actually, it would. I think sometimes, too, that there's a mentality of, I can't vacation to make my life more worth living. You know, like, I can get through another year because I know I've got vacation coming. It's going to be okay. Life is worth living because I got some time off. What does the world love? What's the affection center of an average person when it comes to vacation? Well, I think it's what it is related to all issues. Self. More than anything else, human beings naturally love themselves. And that's manifested on vacation, isn't it? Have you ever seen somebody just manifesting self-love on vacation? Maybe they demonstrate that through a love of physical ease, comfort, and pleasure. A thing that concerns us, we've tried to talk about in all these issues, is that sometimes as Christians, we say, all right, we're going to differ from the world, we're going to be separated. And our view of vacation is different in some surface level, but there are some root things that are the same. And perhaps even as we talked about just a few ideas of what the world thinks or loves with regard to vacation, you're thinking, oh, that's kind of me too. I think it's kind of me too. And sometimes our differences may be surface differences. Like maybe there's just certain places we don't go. It's like I'm a Christian. I don't go to Las Vegas for vacation. And maybe as a Christian you do. I don't know. But I don't go to this casino. I don't go to this show. I don't do that on vacation. Well, okay, good. But there should be more that's Christian about your vacation than about the destination to which you don't go. It ought to be deeper than that. Maybe it's, well, I don't hang out at places that are grossly crowded with, you know, people that are just, you know, indulging in all kinds of sin, whether it's, you know, alcohol or just, you know, lurid immodesty or whatever. I just don't go to those places. Yeah, but your affections and your thoughts about vacation may still be the same. Maybe you think, well, I don't go into debt for vacation. I save up for it all year. So whatever I can afford because I saved up to, that means it's OK. But maybe it's not good stewardship. Maybe whatever things you don't do on vacation, maybe my vacation is still tainted with greed, gluttony, covetousness, selfishness, unkindness, and materialism. You know, you can avoid the casinos, the beach, and whatever other taboo place you want to mention, and you can still commit every one of those sins. And God's not real impressed. How many times do we go on vacation and say, well, we're going to do this nice thing. Oh, but look what the people with more money are doing. And I can't do that. Just be thankful you're on vacation. As I was thinking about land and places and travel, there's not a lot of examples of vacation in the Bible. Jesus did tell his disciples, come apart and rest a while, and for vacation they got to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. That was their little getaway, staff retreat. But, and this wasn't vacation, I understand that, but it's an interesting description. Turn to Genesis 13. I thought about the time when Abram and Lot were being blessed in the prosperity of their flocks and herds. And their cattle was just increasing and increasing. And Ecclesiastes makes it clear that if you have more stuff, you have more maintenance, and it's hard work. Getting rich ain't worth it. And so Abram and Lot have got lots and lots of stuff, and they're trying to feed and graze their animals, and their shepherds and their herdsmen are getting territorial and fighting over it. It's like, this is grass for our sheep, this is water for our cattle, or whatever. And they were fighting about it. And Abraham was the leader, and he said, you know what, we don't want this fighting and strife. And in verse 9, he's talking to his nephew Lot, Genesis 13, 9. He said, is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou will take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And here we find Lot's response in verse 10. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan that was well watered everywhere. This is before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot lifts up his eyes and says, wow, there's a water park. Wow, it's luxurious. Wow, that's the ideal place. And his eyes wanted to go to that place that was just so tempting. And if you're familiar with these chapters, you know that it was the beginning of the spiritual undoing of this man who was called righteous, this man, tormented man called Lot. So I know it's not vacation, it was more of a career change than anything, but it was allowing his perception of, hey, what's in this location is going to satisfy me and give me everything I want, I'm gonna go for it. I see it and I'm gonna go after it. I think sometimes we have that mentality in our vacations. How then should we as New Testament Christians be transformed in our mind and radically differ in our affections than the average person who views vacation? Romans 12 says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Colossians says, set your affection on things above, not on things in the earth. That's how we're gonna be unspotted from the world. We're gonna be different. How should we think about vacation? What should we love in our vacation? In one sentence, I'm gonna give you the outline. Don't worry, there's lots more to say, but here's the outline in one sentence. Our vacations should not change our purpose for living, our mode of operation, or our standard of conduct. I'm sure there's lots of other things we could discuss, but at least those three things I'd like us to think about this morning from the scripture. When we go on vacation, it should not change our purpose for living. When we go on vacation, it should not change our mode of operation, the way we go about doing things day to day. And it shouldn't change our standard of conduct, or our moral, or our lines that we've drawn of things we do and don't do. Let's consider the purpose for living. You're familiar, perhaps, with Revelation 411 that says that all things were created for God's pleasure. I'd like us to look for a moment at Isaiah 43. less familiar verse, a little more difficult context, but important truth, Isaiah 43 verse 7. Granted, in this context God would be talking most specifically about the nation of Israel, But he does use a phrase here that I think allows for us to at least borrow applications to ourselves as New Testament Christians. Isaiah 43, verse 7. God is comforting His people, He's promising them, He's going to bless them in some ways. But look at what He says in verse 7 especially. Isaiah 43, 7. Even everyone that is called by My name, Are we called by God's name? We are Christians, right? Everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have formed him, yea, I have made him. God did not create you for your glory. God did not create you for your pleasure. And if we go about life thinking that I'm on this planet to get as much happiness and pleasure and comfort as possible, We're mistaken. We're trying to do the wrong thing. You ever try to do the wrong thing with the right tool? I mean, you ever use a chair for a ladder and fall off? You ever use a ladder for a chair and be not comfortable? Well, when you use your life to get glory and pleasure for yourself, it's not going to work. Because that's not what your life was designed for. God says, I formed you for my glory. That purpose doesn't change just because you go to Orlando or Wisconsin Dells or deep sea fishing or mountain climbing or whatever it is you like to do when you get away. Your purpose is the same all the time. Your purpose is to glorify God. Different ways we can do that. If you're the type that vacations out in nature, let me encourage you with Psalm 8. I have a number of psalms I want us to see this morning. Psalm 8. Appreciated Brother Freedom's remarks on the psalm, didn't you? Psalm 8 at this time. Our purpose is to glorify God, Psalm 8. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, who has set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars which thou hast ordained, I'll just be candid. I hope to be away from bright city lights on vacation, and I hope to consider the heavens and say, oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name. Look at that. God is amazing. Instead of, wow, look at all the lights that these people made. And then when you see how great God is, look at the next verse. He says, when I consider and think about and ponder the heavens, It occurs to me in verse four, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? Wow, God is amazing. Wow, I am nothing. Why does he even care? Why does he even acknowledge our existence? We are so worthless, we are such specks, and yet, as we heard from the special music, we are of more value than many sparrows. God loves you. He knows about the hair on your head. So our purpose for living doesn't change when we go on vacation. We should vacation to glorify God. We can do that by appreciating his creation, appreciating his condescension that he would think about us. We can do that by communing with his spirit. How often, when we have more spare time than any other time of the year, do we spend less time communing with God than any time of the year? You don't have to clock in. You don't have to punch out. You don't have to commute. And yet, oh yeah, God, I thought about Him a couple days ago. Oh, we said grace at our meals. Do you commune with God on vacation? Do you just let your soul soak in the Word or meditate on what He's done for you? I'm thinking of Psalm 46, 10. Be still and know that I'm God. But I'm especially thinking of Psalm 4. Turn back just a page, maybe, to Psalm 4, verse 4. I love this Psalm. I really do. Look at just verse 4, though. Stand in awe. and sin not. Consider those commands back to back. Stand in awe and sin not. Almost seems to imply that if you never ever stand in awe, you might be sinning. It's good for us to... Wow. Stand in awe and sin not. Commune with thine own heart upon your bed and be still. No lie, I'm looking forward to that. Being still on my bed and communing and just thinking deep thoughts about my eyelids. And I hope thinking deep thoughts about God and His love. When you're on vacation, take some time to commune with Him in spirit and in truth. Avoid, I picked some fun words here, avoid frenetic consumerism on vacation. Frenetic just means a fast, hurried, stressed out pace. Um, sometimes you go on vacation. Like, how are you? Shoots! We got five days to vacation! And we are gonna relax and have the most fun we've ever had. Now, first off, we're gonna go here, and we're gonna do this. And in order to make this happen, we have to plan and prepare and do this. Next, we're gonna do this for fun, and it's gonna be a lot of fun, and make sure that you're there and ready, everybody have your shoes tied, on time. On the following day, we will have more fun, exceeding abundant fun, because we're gonna do this. I have had so much fun, haven't you? It kind of reminds me, I got this image in my mind. I don't think they do this anymore. Maybe they do. It seems like a couple decades ago, they would have these crazy game shows on TV. And if you won, you would get a shopping spree. And the way the shopping spree was defined is you got your cart, and the clock would start. You would go into the store, and you would have a minute, or five minutes, or whatever. You would go up and down the aisle. and get past the finish line before the timer went off. And I don't know, I think if I would make it, I'd say, don't make it past the line, and lose everything. Just isn't really for me. Anyways, and so you'd see these people, they'd go running, they're grabbing stuff, you know, and they're freaking out about what to get off the shelf, and more stuff, more stuff, gotta get more stuff for me, so I can cross the line, and it's all mine. And I wonder if that's what communication looks like. Have this experience and have this fun. Do you think the person who won that shopping spree had their life transformed and filled with tranquility because of all the stuff that fit in their shopping cart? I don't think it fixed their life. I think if they had problems before the spree, they had problems after the spree. And if my vacation is all about frenetic consumerism, all right, we're going to get tickets for this and we're going to go here and we're going to see this and we're going to hike that and we're going to parachute this and we're going to whatever. That leaves no time to just be still and know that He's God and commune with your own heart upon your bed and to stand in awe and sin not. We end up acting more like the sinners James described in the fourth chapter of his book. You ask and receive not because you ask it amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts. Feet in your face. Whether it's literally with food or experiences or shows or impressive sites. We saw this, we went there, we did that. Is it really gonna change your life if you get one more in? Your purpose for living is glorifying God. Appreciate his creation. Commune with him. Don't try to max out everything in that location. Rather, refresh your body and mind and spirit so that you can continue to serve him. You can rest to the glory of God so that you can serve to the glory of God. We just spent several weeks talking about our body is a tool for God's service. Well, most tools, or a lot of tools at least, need maintenance. If your body is God's tool and if you're busy in the service of the king, you need some maintenance sometimes. You need a little sharpening. You need a little tune-up. You need a little refreshing. So you're living for the glory of God even when you are sleeping in because you're restoring your body, soul, and spirit so that you can serve him more faithfully. And I'll just go ahead and add then, and this will transition to second point, we can glorify God by being kind to the people that he loves. You would think, let's pretend that we're some kind of alien race, like we're not human beings. And we discover planet Earth with all these people on it. And we see some of them working hard day after day. And then we find out there's this thing called vacation. And these hardworking people get to just go and not have to do that same kind of work. We would think, boy, I bet when they go on vacation, they will be super nice to each other. They won't get impatient. They won't call each other names. They won't get exasperated. I bet on their vacation, they'll be just sweeping high. Wouldn't you kind of expect that? But are we? You're like, I'm not saying yes or no. I already know, because I is part of us. And I know that I'm not, like, radically more kind on vacation, or day off, or whatever, than I am in the rest of the year. Hmm. Does that glorify and please God that I'm unkind? No. So that brings us to point number two. First of all, we need to remember our purpose for living on vacation is to glorify God. Secondly, our mode of operation we find patterned in Mark chapter 10. Would you turn to that place? Mark chapter 10. This is towards the end of Jesus' life, quickly approaching His death for our sins. Mark chapter 10. Mark 10, 43. Jesus talking to his disciples said, so shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister. And whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Remember, when you go on vacation, that you were designed for service. That's what you're engineered for. You were created, yes, to worship God, and you were created to serve, to serve Him, and to serve those whom He loves, which is everybody. You're created to serve. And when we try to go through life not serving anyone else, but just being served, we end up miserable. I think if you consider it just for a moment, whether it's wealthy people or dictators or sultans or whatever, people that have the financial and the power means to just and have things done for them, are they happy people? Are they peaceful and tranquil and they have all of life figured out? Often not. They're often pretty frustrated, mixed up individuals. Because they're living contrary to their design. We're designed to glorify God, we're also designed to serve. Jesus said, I came to serve, and you should do the same thing. We can't expect material things given to us to satisfy us. We're gonna be satisfied when we're doing what we were designed to do. Now, I'm not trying to ask you to be workaholics, but I'm saying have a servant's heart. Because if you go on vacation, your family goes out and out together, or you get together with some other relative, or whatever, and everybody in that unit is thinking that I'm not doing anything for anybody else, and they gotta do things for me. You think there's gonna be some conflicts? Yeah. Who's gonna make lunch? Who's going to walk the dog? Who's going to pack the suitcases? Who's going to load the car? I shouldn't have to do this. I'm on vacation. Guess what? Life is still work, even on vacation. And I get in trouble when I have the mentality of, why do I have to do this? This is so hard. This is fun. This is vacation. But if we look at vacation as an opportunity to serve those that we're vacationing with, how can I serve you? How can I help you have a nice time? How can I help you enjoy this vacation? That's gonna be a little more joyful. Because I'm doing what I was designed to do. And if they will have the same servant mentality, where are they? Yes. If they will have the same servant mentality, then I'll be happy too. I promise to serve you if you promise to serve me. Right? But if we're all sitting there with our arms folded, I'm not doing it. You do it. I don't care. I'll just sit here. Sometimes, in forgetting that we're servants, we think that this stuff is going to make us happy and we therefore create these expectations of, wow, when I see this mountain or when I climb this peak or when we've driven this high or when we've gone on a boat this fast or when we've been shopping for this many hours, I don't know, probably somebody thinks that, then I will be so happy and fulfilled when I've caught this big a fish. Whatever. And we think that material thing will satisfy us. We're confused. We need to not anticipate that all of those things are going to happen. And we need to hold those expectations loosely. So you may think that you're going to go fishing for a week, and you'll get at least one big one. Well, what if the boat gets a hole in it? What if the bait's the wrong bait? What if you just don't get any fish at all? You may think you're going to go see 12 monuments in Washington DC and your car breaks down and you see 12 mechanics in Washington DC. If we have these expectations of this is my vacation and this is what will happen, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment. I won't ask for a show of hands, but I imagine most of us have had a vacation where things didn't go according to plan. We thought it was going to be A, and it was actually Z. So go into vacation. Go ahead and plan if you're those kind of people that have to plan. But write those plans in pencil. Say, we're going to try to do something like this. And we think it will look like this. And well, this isn't a vacation passage either. But turn to James chapter 4 this time. Again, actually, we were already in James 4. When it comes to vacation, have a servant mentality, not a, I'm gonna have everything go my way mentality. Don't expect material things to satisfy you. You're gonna get your joy from loving God and from serving others, even your own family members. So, lower those expectations. James 4, Verse 13, he rebukes another group of people, not just the ones trying to consume everything upon their lust, but listen to these guys. James 4.13, go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow, we will go into, I don't know, San Antonio, and we will do the river walk, and then we will shop on Main Street, and have a fancy dinner. Go to now ye that say, let us go to our family cottage and play in the lake and nothing will break and it will be great. Go to now ye that say, tomorrow we will, whatever, just fill in your dream vacation. We will buy and sell and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. I don't care how good a planner you are, you don't know what's happening tomorrow. You don't. Even your entire life is a vapor and it can like that. So if your whole life can like that, what can happen to tomorrow? It can even faster. So verse 15, you ought to say, if the Lord live, or if the Lord will, we shall live and do this and this. Hey, if God allows us to, tomorrow I'm hoping we can go and do this thing. You know, if it's all right with God, this is what I'm thinking we're gonna try to do. Don't be so driven for what it has to be. Lower your expectations and hold them loosely. It's a world lane that says, this is what I'm going to do and it's going to be me and I'm going to make it happen. Surrender to the Lord. That's part of a servant mentality that says, you know, it's not all about me and getting to do what I want and making it happen. I'm going to try to do this. And meanwhile, I'm going to serve my family and leave it up to the Lord. We were talking in a Wednesday night Bible study recently, and I forget what brought us to this illustration, but I think it resonated with a lot of us. So maybe those of you who weren't here will as well. Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant where the employees clearly did not want to be there and obviously did not care about their job or their company? It's like, I'm only going to make fries because they will fire me if I don't. I'm going to move as slowly as possible from my cash register to the drink machine. And I will come comfortably back. And I will stop and take a break because I'm 17 and I'm out of breath. And they've got this look on their face. Are they having a good day at work? Are they interested in serving you? You see those two answers are the same, aren't they? They're not interested in serving you and they are having a miserable day at work. Have you ever been to a restaurant where it seemed like the employee truly felt, it is my pleasure to bring you this poultry. It is my pleasure to refill your drink. Like, I got up this morning thinking, I hope a customer needs a refill. That will make my day. But they almost look like they mean it. Like, they want to do it. Now, I saw what the starting salary is, and that may have something to do with it. But anyways, they want to serve you. They want you to have a pleasant experience at the restaurant. And are they having a better time than the grumpy, frumpy one? They're having a better time. And I bet you this, I bet you their shift goes by faster too. When you're there, how can I help? What can I do to serve? Let me, it's like, whoa, already time to clock out. Cool. But when you're like, oh, how much longer do I have to help these people? Oh, can't someone else do it? Is it break time yet? Why do I have to do that job? You are not having fun. Your time is dragging. Because you're not serving. You were designed to serve. And if you have a servant mentality on vacation, you'll have a good time. I've experienced this in work. I work fast food. And there were times when I did not want to be there. And I was like, welcome. Can I take your order? And I was like, all right, I'm just going to fake it. And I'm going to, oh, yeah, I'd be delighted to have it. Extra ketchup, no pickle, half onion, and no salt on the fries. Yes, I would be so glad to do that for you. Thank you for your order. We're glad that you came. But in faking, oh, I'm so glad to do this for you, I found that I kind of almost ended up enjoying it. Like, you know what? This is a tall order, but I'm going to pull it off. I'm going to make it happen. I'm going to wow them. And as a 16-year-old working at McDonald's, I learned that my attitude made the difference. So why is it that as a husband and a father, I forget that lesson sometimes? Serve your family. Minister to the people that are out there on your vacation. Because that's another trap. Like, look, we're paying for this, so you got to, you know, take care of me. Because I'm... Right? And you're not nice to them. You don't make it easy for them when they make a mistake. In Genesis 32, Jacob is scared to death because he's about to see his brother Esau, who last he heard wanted to kill him. Meanwhile God has blessed Jacob financially he has huge fortune, but he's still scared because he saw remember he was the hunter and Jacob was not Probably any kind of wrestling Jacob lost So Jacob is heading towards a reunion with Esau, and he's scared, and he's crying out to God, asking for his help, his blessing and protection, and he prayed a phrase that I think is so helpful for us to remember when we head towards something that we've been looking forward to for months. Genesis 32, verse 10, he said, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands." Jacob recognized. He says, I'm not worthy of everything that I have. All these blessings are undeserved. Walked in the office a couple Sundays ago. Brother Van Buren was there. I said, hi, how you doing? Better than I deserve was his answer. I was like, it's Jim Lewis again. Wow. It's a great answer to the question. How are you doing? Better than I deserve. But when you go to vacation thinking, I deserve it to be this and this, and I deserve to pay this for it, and I deserve this kind of service, and I deserve everything to go right, guess what? You're going to be disappointed with whatever you get, because you think you deserve. But when you remember that what you actually deserve is hell, a crummy vacation is pretty good, actually. Car breaking down on vacation? Not too bad. Could be a lot worse, right? What do you really think you deserve? Do you recognize that anything good you have is better than what you deserve to get? When we're on vacation, remember our purpose for living, remember our mode of operation, and remember our code of conduct. Another psalm that I'd like you to turn to is 139. It's a very comforting psalm if you're doing right. It's a very scary psalm. if you're not. Did you ever hear the expression, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? What is that supposed to mean? It means that, okay, you may be a respectable good boy when you're, you know, living in Cherville, Indiana, but when you go to Vegas, you can do all kinds of ungodly, worldly, sinful stuff that even unsaved people know is not right, But you can do it because you're in Las Vegas. And then when you come back, nobody's ever going to talk about it. It's like it never happened. So there's two codes of morality. There's a set of standards for when you're in your normal sphere. And there's a different set of morality for when you're traveling. And so what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, may be an extreme. But I would suggest that there's a lot of people who have never stepped into a casino that still think that when I travel, there's a different set of morality than when I'm at home. So when I'm showing up to Dyer Baptist Church on Sunday morning, of course I would never do these things, I would never do that. But when you're out on vacation, hey, you know, it's a little different, I'm not around anybody, and why not? Psalm 139, verse seven. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both a light to thee. Again, tremendous comfort. If you're afraid and feeling alone and you're wanting to walk with God, this is comforting, isn't it? He's there with you. But if you're away from home and trying to get away with something because nobody's watching, this verse is very convicting. Whither shall I go from thy presence? God is always with you. You don't take a vacation away from God. So let me just encourage you. I think all of us have that kind of natural tendency that, hey, when I'm away, you know, I can indulge in some vices just a little bit more than when I'm at home. You know, normally I wouldn't do this kind of thing, but I'm out of town, so I'm a little freer. Are you doing it for the people that live around you, or are you doing it for God? What's the center of your code of conduct? If you're just doing it for the people around you, God's not impressed with that either. But if you're doing it for God, you should do it for God no matter where you are and whether you're clocking in to work or not. Don't change your morals. Don't change your definition of right and wrong just because you traveled. Or even if you had a staycation, you're at home, you can't travel or you don't want to travel. These things still apply. Don't change your morality, your standards of conduct. God's expectations haven't changed just because you traveled or just because you're not going into work. Remember to be a servant. Have that mentality of what can I give to other people, not how can I get people to help me. Remember why you live anyways. You are alive to glorify God. Reflect on His greatness, how He's condescended to us, and love Him, and refresh yourself so you can serve Him better. That's a few ways that we can try to have a spotless vacation, one that's not tainted by the world. Thank you for joining us today. We'd love to hear from you. Our email address is GraceGlory7 at Juno.com. GraceGlory, the number 7, at Juno.com. Pastor David M. Atkinson also has a ministry on Facebook and invites you to connect with him there. Now, until the next time, remember to walk softly with the Lord. you