Transformer - 09/27/2020
The Message of God
The great poet and king of Israel, King David, wrote many poems of praise to his god. One of those psalms (Psalm 19) records his feelings about the message of God revealed to mankind.
This psalm is divided into two parts. The first part (verses 1-6) describes how the things created by God in the sky speak so much about Him. The second part (verses 7-14) speaks about the various parts of this message and the value a person should place on this message of God.
David says the message of God contains laws, testimonies, precepts, and commandments. They will restore the soul, make one wise, rejoice the heart and enlighten the eyes. This message of God will also produce a fear (or respect) of the Lord within the person because they will see His magnificence, majesty and power. People are not fearful from the standpoint of God doing harm to them, because they have the knowledge and confidence that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous, all the time.
This passage speaks to the modern man from the standpoint of how we should feel about this message from God, the Bible. King David says he considers the message of God as more precious than gold and “sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” A question for ourselves and our society needs to be, “How precious is the message of God to us?” Is the Bible “more precious than gold” to us? Is it “sweeter” than our most favorite dessert?
There might be some indicators as to what we really think about this message of God, the Bible. Do we leave it on the pew so it will be there the next time we come to church? If we bring it home, is it opened during the time between the various church services? Is it something which we must consult, read, think about every day?
This message of God provides warnings to us about life. It tells us of pitfalls, not only in dealing with God, but also in dealing with our fellow citizen. This message of God will help us to be blameless before God, because we will not commit even the presumptuous sins. We will avoid many mistakes in our life if we only consult this message of God.
For the faithful Christian, this message of God will be something they will cherish. They will be consulting it daily. They will want to know more about their Lord who is their “rock and redeemer.” This message of God will become words which they will speak and thoughts on which they will meditate daily as they are living God’s way. - cgm
Thinking on the Word…
Making Plans
We all make plans—plans for the job that we want, plans for a vacation, plans for the weekend. Making plans is a normal part of life.
Some people say that they never make any plans. The truth of the matter is that they make plans all the time, they just do not tell anyone about their “scheme” until they are ready to announce it to the world.
A lot of people are this but in different ways. Some might say, “Well I probably will not get to do this, but I sure would like to.” Others might say, “I know there is only a small chance of me doing this, but I am going to try anyway.” Still others might say, “If nothing don’t happen, I’m going to go do so and so.”
The New Testament writer James gives some advice on making plans. He says that we should say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that” (James 4:15). Based on the next verse, apparently this type of person is boasting about what they are going to do and James says this type of boasting is arrogance and is evil (James 4:16).
Making plans is not what is evil. Making plans without acknowledging that God has the final say in the matter is what we need to really think about.
Do we really know if we are going to be alive tomorrow? Do we really know if we are going to be able to take that vacation trip three years from now? Do we really even know if the world is going to still be in existence two hours from now? The answer to all of the above questions is, No!
So, what should be our attitude about making plans? We should make our plans as if we are in complete control of making those plans come to pass. However, we should equally recognize that God may have other plans, not only for our life but for the whole world. Plan with confidence, but be ready to be flexible with your plans. - cgm
Words of Wisdom
“Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool; and so is wisdom to a man of understanding.” - Proverbs 10:23
The word “sport” carries the meaning of doing something for “the fun of it.” Doing things that bring pleasure to our life; doing something we enjoy.
Solomon warns his sons that the fool has pleasure in doing wickedness while a man of understanding, the wise man, enjoys having wisdom. By having wisdom, he knows how to do things properly. As to his actions, he will take great pleasure in knowing that through wisdom he is acting righteously.
It has been observed that when the wicked or the fool does something he most often laughs and expects those with him to laugh also. It seems probable that he wants to convey the idea that it was fun, whether it was or not. He wants his peers to believe it was enjoyable.
When “the man of understanding,” does something, he has an expression of joy or pleasure too. Likewise, he wants his friends to share in his “sport.”
We might conclude that when we do things we know are “wicked” or “evil,” we are looking for approval from those around us. The only way that the “fool” can have the same pleasure as the “wise” is for his friends to give their approval.
All of us want to have fun. We want to do things that are pleasurable. We want to have a good time. “What gives us pleasure?” Do we get our pleasure or our “sport” from doing evil or doing good? From doing “foolish” or “wise” things? Do we get our enjoyment from being wicked or being righteous?
Give up the pleasure of sin and really enjoy life by being wise! Enjoy your “sport” for a long time! - cgm