Thought for November 20, 2024

•  303: Because prisons are full, Diocletian offers amnesty to Chrisians who will sacrifice to Roman gods
• 1789: New Jersey is first state to ratify Bill of Rights
• 1850: Fanny Crosby accepts Christ at a Methodist revival service after a dream in which a friend makes her promise to meet him in heaven. Leaping at the altar, she shouts "Hallelujah"
• 1866: Howard University founded
• 1902: Tour de France created
• 1914: Photographs first required for passports
• 1917: First successful use of a tank in combat
• 1945: Nuremberg Trials begin
• 1962: Russia agrees to remove rockets from Cuba
• 1984: SETI formed [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] Seems like we need STI--Search for Terrestrial Intelligence
• Born: William Painter [invented crown cork bottle cap and opener], Kennesaw Mountain Landis [1st MLB commissioner], Edwin Hubble, Alistair Cooke, Robert Kennedy, Estelle Parsons, Kenneth Schermerhorn, Richard Dawson, Dick Smothers, Joe Biden, Duane Allman, Judy Woodruff, John Bolton, Dierks Bentley, Dominique Dawes, Josh Turner
• Died: Issac Backus [Baptist preacher and advocate for religious freedom], Leo Tolstoy, Clyde Cessna, Francisco Franco, Robert Altman [MASH, Nashville]

Thought:

Reading the last words of Paul's letter to the Romans this morning. "to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever." Think about those words for a moment today. 

All wisdom comes from God, so He is the only wise God. All other gods are not wise, not true, not trustworthy. Lawyers are sometimes called counselors. People come for advice, hopefully wise advice. Many of us seek counsel from those we think are wise or knowledgeable. But reading this verse this morning reminds me that only God is wise. He alone gives wisdom to men and women. So when I seek wisdom, where should I be going? To God in prayer or to a believer who communicates with God and may receive a word of wisdom from God intended for me. This makes me ask where do I look for advice and counsel--is it always to God or do I look to the wisdom of this world. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. 

When God shares wisdom, it is for His glory. Many have recognized this. Bach and Handel often signed their works, SDG--Soli Deo Gloria---all glory to God alone. I may have written this music, but it is God and His kingdom that are to receive glory. On the top of the Washington monument are inscribed these words--Laus Deo---Praise be to God. Washington turned down being king and his monument reflects that all glory and honor belong to God alone. When Jan and I were honored with a building at Belmont, we asked that these same words be placed over the door because our hope and prayer is that anything we might have done whould be for His glory and praise alone. 

This morning this makes me ask myself again is my life an anthem of praise to Him; does my life point people to the only wise God. And this makes me go to the computer and listen to Andrae Crouch sing "My Tribute." for "the voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude. All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee. To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory for the things He has done. With His blood He has saved me, with His power, He has raised me, to God be the glory for the things He has done."

Blessings

Larry