Thought for December 29

 History:

• 1170: Thomas Becket assassinated
• 1640: George Boyle converted at 13 after a strong thunderstorm surrounded him. Afraid he would die unprepared for judgment, he accepted Christ at dawn. He became a great scientist [Boyle's Law of Gases], funded Bible translations, and wrote several religious books. 
• 1835: Treaty of New Echota begins the Trail of tears
• 1848: Gas lights installed at the White House during the Polk administration
• 1851: First American YMCA opens in Boston
• 1862: Bowling ball invented
• 1890: Massacre at Wounded Knee
• 1891: Edison patents radio
• 1899: Sidney Brooks is first victim of Boxer rebellion. Thousands of Christians will be killed the following year.
• 1902: Scott Joplin copyrights "The Entertainer"
• 1952:" First transistorized hearing aid offered for sale
• 1965: "Thunderball" premiers
• 1970: OSHA becomes law
• 1972: Eastern Airlines jet crashes in the Everglades killing 101
• 1982: Bear Bryant coaches his last game
• Born: Charles MacIntosh [invented waterproof fabric, British have their Macs], Charles Goodyear, Andrew Johnson, Pablo Casals, Billy Mitchell, Pete Dye, Ray Nieschke, Mary Tyler Moore, Jon Voight, Wayne Huizenga, Ted Danson, Jude Law, Theo Epstein [Moneyball]
• Died: Phillip Bliss ["Almost Persuaded," "The Light of the World is Jesus"], Thomas Welch [tried to create alcohol free communion drink; son created Welch's grape juice], Rasputin, William Henry Singer, Euell Gibbons [Grape Nuts], John Portman [architect]

Thought:

In Proverbs 22-24, we are given the instruction "Do not." As we close 2022 and look forward to 2023, these instructions both convict and challenge me. They cause me to look back and see where I have failed and look forward to a new opportunity to obey.

• 22:22--Do not rob the poor. Of their dignity. Of their opportunity. 
• 22:24--Do not associate with a man given to anger. WOW! great advice. Just as iron sharpens iron, angry people stir up anger. And Larry, are you sometimes that angry person that everyone should avoid. 
• 22:26--Do not be among those that give pledges or sureties for debts. Here the admonition is that we should not pledge what God has provided to get something else that we want, but perhaps He does not want us to have at this time. Let's put a second or third mortgage on our house to get a trip or do something else. I think this speaks to me about contentment. 
• 22:28; 23:10--Do not move the ancient boundary. Here they are talking about cheating a neighbor by moving property lines. But as I read this, I think about those that move other boundaries---movies and television boundaries are moved, sexual boundaries are moved. I read last week about the conflict within the Catholic church where younger priests are adhering to ancient truths while older priests seek conformity with the laity that is becoming more liberal. Larry beware of areas in your life where you are slowly moving the boundaries in the wrong direction. 
• 23:3--Do not desire the delicacies of the ruler. Daniel has the lesson here. Another area where temptation comes into my life--I want the luxuries the "riches" that do not last or satisfy.
• 23:4--Do not weary yourself to gain wealth. Here it is not the wealth that is evil, but wearing yourself out to gain wealth is the issue--chasing careers at the sacrifice of family and health just to gain wealth and position. 
• 23:6--Do not eat the bread of a selfish man. Read these verses--don't give complements to someone to get to eat with them. They really don't care anything about you. Teenagers experience this when they do anything to be in the "in crowd" and then find out those people really are not your friends. Then we age and compromise our values to be accepted, liked, included. 
• 23:9--Do not speak in the hearing of a fool. Today, this is hard to do, but maybe it just tells us to be less talkative. If someone always disagrees with you and refuses to accept wisdom or advice--stop talking.
• 23:13--Do not hold back discipline from a child. One of the major reasons for the condition of our society.
• 23:17; 24:1--Do not let your heart envy sinners. We want what they have and when we do, we deny the sufficiency of Christ and comparison destroys our contentment. 
• 24:15--Do not lie in wait. We do not ambush people physically, but do I do it with words---waiting for them to make an error and then try and embarrass them. Do I look for opportunities to attack or get even?
• 24:17--Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. We watch this in sports, forgetting that we too will have failures and loses. In the poem "If" we learn "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same." Jesus says pray for your enemies. 
• 24:19--Do not fret because of evil doers. Goes along with do not envy evil doers. Don't worry that they seem to get by with everything, have everything. Trust God's timing and provision.
• 24:21--Do not associate with those given to change. I read this like the moving of ancient boundaries. Truth does not change with time or circumstance. Jesus is Truth and He never changes. Beware of those that always need something changed to be content and beware that you are not the one needing to change for the sake of change or to conform with the changing times. 

These help me look back at the places where I failed this year and resolve to do better in 2023.

Blessings, 

Larry