Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 March 2003 — Page 43

The Muncie Times • March 6, 2003 • Page 43

RELIGION

continued from page 39. SELF-SUFFICIENCY We must not ignore this seventh cruel arm of the satanic octopus. Peter’s selfsufficiency made him stubbornly affirm to the Lord that he would lay down his life for His sake. But when his faith was tried, he failed and became a coward. He denied his Lord thrice which humbled him for the rest of his life (John 13:37,38). Read in Revelation 3:15-17 of the Laodicean church. The members of

this church were filled with the spirit of selfsufficiency. They felt that they needed nothing, because they were rich in material things. This caused them to become blind, wretched, poor, miserable and naked, ready to be spued out of God’s mouth. The five foolish virgins (Matthew 25) missed the wedding feast, and lost heaven because they, in their selfsufficiency, saw no need for an extra supply of oil. Self-sufficiency also caused the miracleworking preachers of

Matthew 7:22 to be lost. The self-sufficient Pharisee went to the temple to tell the Lord how good he was, and how he was not like other men. He lost the blessing of God because he did not realize his need. What a picture this is of those who go to church feeling sufficient within themselves, and leave the place of worship, almost angry because the meeting did not tally with their selfish ideas and expectations. Oh, my friends, this sin also is a hideous one that will destroy us at

the end if we do not humble ourselves, and learn to see our own ipsufficiency. Let us cry to God, “Here am I; speak my Lord.” We must learn to be meek and lowly in heart. When one boasts of his spiritual achievements, and criticizes others, he is conceited and selfsufficient. When one stops seeking the Lord daily and diligently, he will join the lukewarm group-those who think that they are rich and need nothing more than they already have.

Paul wrote to Timothy some very stirring words about selfishness. He said, “This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves .... (2 Timothy 3;1, 2 ). These are dangerous days. And at the root of all todayis perils lies selfishness-the loving of self. Read the things which Paul lists in verses 2-5. The human family has always been selfish, but God showed Paul that men would be extremely selfish in the last days.

Lets Pray For PEACE!

INDIANA ACADEMY STUDENTS BUILD COMPETITION ROBOT

With a crate full of parts and a seemingly endless supply of expertise, a team from the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities, at Ball State University, has built its inaugural entry for the FIRST Robotics Competition. The NASA/Delaware Machinery and Tool Co. Inc./Ball State University and the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities team consists of 16 students and six adults acting as sponsors and mentors. The nickname for their team and their robot is “Prank Monkey.” “iThe

students obtained a $6,000 grant from NASA and persuaded Delaware Machinery to be a sponsor,” said Susie Sechrest, computer science instructor and one of the team sponsors. “The cooperation between students and the engineers at Delaware Machinery has been great. The students not only learned how to build a robot, but they also learned about team building, problem solving and how to market themselves.” The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science . and Technology) Robotics Event will be held March

8 in St. Louis. Top teams from this regional competition will advance to the nationals held April 10 in Houston, Texas. Last year, more than 650 teams competed nationwide. The goal is to build a robot that can complete a simple task and contribute to an overall game strategy. The game could involve dropping a ball through a hoop and working with another team to block other teams from scoring. Students like Brandon Mensing and Shrutish Dawande have been preparing for the competition for more than

a year. The first had to form the team. Once they received their crate of parts and extensive rules manual, the same issued to all teams, they had 6 weeks to design, build and test their entry. Some academy students have logged more than 35 hours a week on the project. As the academy students delved deeper into the project, they learned that there was no time for monkeying around. Students had to deal with budget restraints, facility limitations and overworked project members.

Preparing for the competition gave students a taste of real-world experience. “Our goal for the first year was to have a first year” Mensing said. “We just hope to make it to the competition with something that moves. I think we’ll accomplish that.” The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities is Indiana’s only residential high school offering challenging classes for 300 academically gifted juniors and seniors.