Thought for May 6, 2024

•  1541: Henry VIII orders that a Bible in English be placed in every church-previously in Latin
• 1794: Haiti revolts against France
• 1837: John Deere creates the first steel plough
• 1851: Linus Yale patents the Yale lock
• 1861: Tennessee and Arkansas secede from the Union
• 1889: Paris World's Fair opens with Eiffel Tower as entrance arch
• 1915: Babe Ruth hits his first mjor league home run while pitching 12 innings
• 1937: Hindenburg disaster--"Oh, the humanity."
• 1940: Steinbeck wins Pulitzer for "The Grapes of Wrath."
• 1941: Bob Hope's first USO Show
• 1954: Roger Bannister runs first sub 4 minute mile
• 1957: Last broadcast of "I Love Lucy" on CBS
• 1994: Channel Tunnel opens
• 2002: Elon Musk founds Space X
• 2004: Finale of "Friends"
• 2020: Irish organizations sends $2 million to Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation, remembering $170 sent to Ireland by the Choctaw Nation during the potato famine
• Born: Robespierre, Robert Peary, Sigmund Freud, Amadeo Giannini [founded Bank of America], Rudolph Valentino, Daniel Gerber, Orson Welles, Willie Mays, Tony Blair, George Clooney, Roma Downey, Chris Paul
• Died: Henry David Thoreau, Frank Baum ["The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'], Maria Montessori, Marlene Dietrich, George Lindsey

Thought:

We are studying James in Sunday School. A few weeks ago, we talked about James 1:12--blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. At the time I mentioned the blessing recorded in the Sermon on the Mount in the Beatitudes. Thinking about that called me back to Psalms 1. This psalm begins, "How blessed is the man." This causes me to think about how blessed I am, we are. Of course we used to sing that hymn, "Count Your Blessings." Johnson Oatman wrote this song along with 5,000 others. The song reminds us that when we are discouraged, think we are defeated, carrying a heavy burden, we should stop and count our blessings. The chorus tells us that when we count our blessings--doubt will fly away, we will be amazed at how God has blessed us, comfort and help will be ours, and we will be singing, not whining. 

Martin Luther said, "the greater God's gifts and works, the less they are regarded." I have read that a hungry person is so grateful for the blessing of a morsel, while the wealthy never think about the blessing of the food on our tables. Maybe I get so use to God blessing me that I think it is deserved or my right--forgive me Lord for taking for granted all the ways You bless me.

Now, look with me at the rest of Psalm 1:1--who is the person who is truly blessed, whose blessings cannot be counted or measured? The psalmist addresses three things we do every day---walking, standing and sitting. So, if I am looking for the abundance of God's blessing , 

• Don't walk in the counsel of the wicked. The picture is calling me to think about who I walk with in life. Are my companions, those I walk in step with, good or wicked. I guess we walk through life with both, but here we are told to be careful which of our companions we listen to, keep pace with, walk in their direction. Our parents would say we are known by the company we keep. But we also tend to conform to the company we keep. Walking with some raise our spirits, encourage our day, lighten our load. Walking with others bring us down spiritually, lead us to think about the wrong things. Lord, help me walk with the right companions.
• Don't stand in the path of sinners. We have heard sermons about this progression. We are walking the right direction, someone comes along side and starts "counseling" with us. They get us interested in what they are saying, so we stop to deepen the conversation. What happens? Our progress on the path God was leading has been interrupted, our mind has become distracted, and we are now listening to bad counsel or maybe stopping to argue. 
• Don't sit in the seat of scoffers. The enemy's plan is complete. We have stopped walking with God and are now sitting with a scoffer, someone who belittles God, makes fun of Christians has a better idea than God. I can almost see Eve in the garden--hey Eve, what you doing? Mind if I walk with you? Did God say? Did God mean? Look at what you could have. 

Lord, I want to be that person who is blessed. Help me walk, stand and sit with the right people, in the right places for the right reasons--and show me when I am off track. 

Blessings

Larry