Thought for April 26, 2024

  •  1654: Jews expelled from Brazil
  • 1835: Chopin's "Grand Polonaise Brillante" premiers
  • 1859: First successful use of temporary insanity defense in the U.S. 
  • 1865: Army of Tennessee surrenders at Durham NC
  • 1877: Minnesota Governor calls for a day of prayer for deliverance from a locust plague. For 2 days warm weather continues to cause grasshoppers to hatch and scoffers laugh; on the 4th day a late freeze kills them all. A Chapel at Cold Spring commemorates the answered prayers.
  • 1920: Debut of ice hockey in the Olympics
  • 1941: First organ at a baseball stadium--Cubs
  • 1954: First mass inoculations with the Salk vaccine
  • 1986: Reactor explodes at Chernobyl
  • 2018: Bill Cosby found guilty of sexual assault
  • 2019: Survey response--No religion--23.1%; Catholic, 23%; evangelical  22.5%
  • Born: Marcus Aurelius, John James Audubon, Frederick Law Olmstead, Charles Richter, I.M. Pei, Carol Burnett, Donna de Varona, Jet Li, Melania Trump
  • Died: John Wilkes Booth, Gypsy Rose Lee, Count Basie, Broderick Crawford, George Jones
Thought:
In preparing a lesson for my Class for this past Sunday, I quoted a couple of Proverbs. This drew my attention back to that Book. So, this morning I am reading chapter 2 and particularly 2:1-6. Here is one of those "if" "then" passages. God tells us that if we will do certain things, then He will respond in a certain way. I am looking at this passage in reverse order--what is it that I seek from the Lord?

If I want to discern/understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God, what does God ask of me? If I want to learn how to truly awe and worship God and understand what that really means and requires and if I want to know God, not know about God, but really know God, here is what God requires. Before looking at the "ifs", I have to ask myself, do I really want to understand what it means to truly worship God and to really know God, His heart, His will, His purpose, His plan, His power? I mentioned yesterday the two commandments from Jesus--love God and love your neighbor. If I am really in love with someone, I want to understand how to please them and in order to please them, I have to really know them. Have you tried to pick out a gift for someone you didn't know or try to plan a trip or a special event for someone you did not know? Hard to do. So Solomon asks, do you really want to know God and understand how you can best worship Him? If so, then here is what to do:
  • Receive God's commandments. [2:1] The first step in really knowing God is to receive His commandments, read His word, understand His character. His commandments tell us how to please Him and serve Him. Receiving them is not just hearing them or grasping them intellectually--receiving means to accept as authoritative God's commandments. They are truth.
  • Internalize God's commandments [2:1] We don't just know the commandments and accept them as the truth, we must love them, treasure them. I know the speed limit may be 45 MPH and I may accept that it is the law and authoritative. But, unless I treasure that the speed limit is there for my good and God's glory, I obey out of pure fear or I obey reluctantly, begrudgingly, rebelliously. Maybe here I should read Psalm 19 and 119 about all the benefits and blessings of God's law.
  • Listen to God. Listen to His Spirit guide, remind, convict, encourage. [2:2]
  • Seek understanding with all my heart. [2:3-4] Ask the Lord for wisdom. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we ask and God gives. God's truth is a treasure so I must seek it like a gold hunt, a search for silver or a treasure. Think about the woman who lost her coin and searched until she found it [Luke 13]. Seeking God must be my first priority. 
So, if I want to know God and know how to please Him, I receive, accept and treasure His word. I listen as the Spirit teaches, reminds, guides and convicts. And I seek God as a first priority. Then, He will reveal Himself  to me. Interesting that the love chapter ends by saying that we now see dimly as through a mirror, but then face to face. When I fully love, then I shall know Him as He knows me. [1 Corinthians 13:12]

Lord, teach us how to seek you  with a pure heart.

Blessings
Larry

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