Thought for December 5

 History:

  • 771: Charlemagne becomes sole King of the Franks
  • 1349: 500 Jews in Nuremberg massacred during Black Death riots
  • 1496: Jews expelled from Portugal
  • 1776: Phi Beta Kappa formed at William & Mary [honored to be a member]
  • 1839: Berlioz' "Symphony Fantastique" premiers
  • 1848: James K Polk announces discovery of gold in California--Gold Rush of 1849
  • 1908: First use of numerals on football uniforms
  • 1933: Prohibition ends
  • 1945: Flight 19, the "Lost Squadron of 5 Torpedo bombers, lost in the Bermuda Triangle
  • 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott begins
  • 1988: Jim Bakker indicted
  • 2007: 8 people killed in Omaha Mall massacre
  • 2018: State Funeral for George HW Bush
  • 2017: Russia banned from Olympics in South Korea
  • Born: Martin Van Buren, George Armstrong Custer, Walt Disney, Little Richard, Werner Heisenberg [uncertainty principle-Nobel], Strom Thurmond, Jim Messina [Loggins & Messina], Lanny Wadkins, 
  • Died: Mozart, Alexander Dumas, Claude Monet, Gerardus Mercator [cartographer], Chief Gall [Sioux Chief at Battle of the Little Bighorn], Richard Speck [killed 8 nurses], Roone Arledge [Monday Night Football], Nelson Mandela, Bob Dole
Thought:
Psalm 73 always speaks to me and I have a lot of red underlined words in this passage. This psalm is a reality check--what is real and what is mere transient illusion. What has eternal value and what is dust? 

The problem: I looked around with my human eyes and my human senses and what did I find? Look at the wicked:
  • They seem to prosper [73:3]
  • They have no pain [73:4]
  • They are fat and never in want [73:4]
  • They don't have a trouble in the world [73:5]
  • They walk with arrogance and pride, nothing bothers them. [73:3, 6]
  • They let their imaginations run wild--and whatever they imagine, they somehow get. [73:7]
  • They look down on the oppressed and mock and make fun of them [73:8]
  • They say whatever they please and hurt others with their biting tongues. [73:9]
My initial response: I envied them. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be them. Fat and happy, no cares, have everything, and above everyone. Why do I try and do the right things? They get all the rewards. [73:3, 12-13] This really bothered me. [73:16] I was ignorant and senseless, wanting all the wrong things. [73:22]. I was bitter and discontent. [73:21]

What changed: I came into the presence of God [73:17] Then:
  • I understood their ultimate destiny. [73:17]
  • And I realized that having a relationship with God was better than anything on this earth. [73:25]
  • I grasped that He is my everlasting strength and eternal friend. [73:26]
  • So I take refuge in knowing that God is my good---nothing else on this earth compares. 
If only I could keep that lesson in my heart and mind all the time--my peace and joy would be undisturbed. 

Blessings
Larry

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