How Shall a Young Man Clean His Way?

Psa 119:9
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed [thereto] according to thy word.

I really enjoyed this verse when we talked about it last Sunday. I meant to post about this a little earlier, but such is life.

So, a young man definitely needs to clean his way up. That's believable. So how does the great 119th Psalm recommend he do it? 119 is the Psalm most completely dedicated to the law of God, to His statutes, so what does it recommend.

It recommends that young man take heed to "his way."

I don't know why, but I loved that. It doesn't recommend that he pour over the law every waking second. It recommends he love and learn that law, but take heed to his own way.

I know I'm fighting a rare enemy here, but some of us spent too much time on theology and not enough figuring out our way through life. It's cool when God's inspired word does not make the mistakes of young men.

So Young to be so Wise

My boy said, describing our most annoying cat, "He wants so little, but he wants it so much."

Priceless

The Miracle of Kindness

You know the story. John and Peter are a little short on silver and gold, so they heal the lame man at the beautiful gate of the temple. They give credit to the Messiah, which aggravates the local Jews, spend a little time in prison, and come out
swinging. The church's ranks swell as a direct result of this miracle, and of the decision to keep doing miracles like this far and wide to publicize the gospel.

Acts 4 tells us this was part of a conscious strategy. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit all agreed and did His part with the apostles for the purpose of conquering the world for the kingdom. They did miracles to extend the message of the kingdom.

Peter and John did not give the lame man the greater, spiritual treasure of the gospel. No, instead they settled for the pedestrian application of a little healing. They left his spirit withered and useless while they restored his dying legs to fleeting life.

We are much wiser than this. We give people the true riches of the gospel. We give them words, 4 spiritual laws, the law and sin, redemption, the bridge analogy, the Romans Road. Is it our fault if they are all too hard-hearted to know a good thing when they receive it? Besides, God doesn't seem to pass out free healings with every trip to the temple like He used to.

But what if we're dead wrong?

What if we are supposed to be doing greater works than healing lame beggars? What if we are supposed to be doing great works of love instead of just healing for the beggars in our neighborhoods? What if love, given freely to the normal people who mow their lawns right next door to us, is as great a miracle as healing the lame, and able to bring the power of an invisible kingdom to Earth? What if giving money, time and attention to the people all around us is the work of evangelism in our time?

Acts 4:29 & 30
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

Calvinism is Like Long Division

Most people don't like, but it's not like it's calculus or anything. It's just kind of hard to grasp, harder to work through, and prone to error if you're not careful. And really, as you go through all the higher math, higher education, and real life that the world can throw at you, how often do you use long division? Most people can get by fine without it.

But when you need it, nothing else will do.

Money is Worthless

To chimpanzees anyway.

But maybe the chimps are right?

I found this study fascinating. You can teach a chimp to trade an apple for grapes. And you can teach a chimp to trade "coins" for food. But you absolutely cannot teach a chimp to trade food for any number of coins.

Michael Kruse again.

Why don't chimpanzees like to barter commodities?

I Will Be Thy King

I'm reading Francis Ridley Havergal every night. She selected the phrase in bold, but the whole thing is wonderful.

Hosea 13:8 - 10
I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?

How many leaders do we try to find? How many hopes beside Him Who stands beside us always?

Identity

Michael Kruse has again posted economic brilliance. He posts substance about the candidates' positions on health care. It tells why McCain's position might actually mean the end of company subsidized health insurance, and why that might be a good thing.

But it made me think. If you read a snippet of each of the candidates' positions, would you know who was who? How many Americans would?

And of course, that made me think theologically. If you read the positions on anything but raw predestination of Calvin as stated by real Calvinists, and of Arminius by real Arminians, would you know which was which?

Trifles

On the most excellent advice of KB, I bring you the first of my snippets.

From Elizabeth Prentiss's, "Aunt Jane", p 264, as an older lady shares a look back on her life with a young lady.

Life looks very strange and impressive as one casts on it a backward glance. Perhaps you fancy that it looks insignificant. But it does not. On the contrary, even its little details have an importance of their own; just as moments make hours, so trifles make life; not one can be spared out of the great whole, each has it's own account to give to God.


Trifles make life.

Amen.