Thought for Today
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
Johsua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Luke 10:27 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Half full? Half empty? Twice as big as it needs to be? How do you view your life? How do you view the world around you? I have asked before; it is one of the fundamental questions for my own life! For what it’s worth, I think of myself as a situational optimist. My (indispensable) glasses are not rose colored; but, I prefer positive thinking, smiling and optimism as my ‘default setting’ for my life and for my mind.
Some days, however, I cannot help but regret the fact that I not only studied history, I also enjoyed history. There is that pesky line about “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana) I have no idea of whether or not he was thinking about the story of Cain and Abel. I have no idea whether he was thinking about our world wars or even about war itself. Irrespective of what might have generated that quote, I do believe it to be accurate and true. It doesn’t matter whether the lessons are global or individual and personal, we should make every effort to learn from life and from the world all around us. Whether on the school playground or the battlefield of war, our lives offer countless opportunities to learn.
There is a truism, “Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement.” (Mark Twain) Some days, as I read the newspaper or watch and listen to the television news, it seems like the entire world is in a race to attain good judgement through bad judgement. Do miscreants honestly believe they will never be found out? Do bullies (nations or individuals) honestly believe there will never be a comeuppance? Do terrorists convince themselves that destruction, torture and brutal murder will bring about peace? Do those advocating appeasement honestly believe they can ignore the lessons of history and deter those bent on dominating others by capitulation?
Wisdom and good judgement may well be the rarest commodities in humanity. Some years ago, the late singer Jim Croce sang the song You Don’t Mess Around with Jim, with the refrain,
“You don't tug on Superman's cape,
You don't spit into the wind,
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger,
And you don't mess around with Jim.”
I loved that song; I believe there is an underlying truth to the refrain; but, I also believe that all actions and all failures to act have consequences.
As a Christian, I must take the life and teachings of Jesus as my guiding principles. Thankfully, the rules and regulations are simple, if not always easy. Luke summarizes it in Jesus’ words above. Two simple principles, paraphrased as ‘love God with all you have and are,’ ‘love your neighbor.’ I deliberately always leave off the ‘as yourself,’ because most folks seem to go a tad overboard on that part.
The recent pandemic seems to have generated many people and groups responding to that verse from Hebrews. I am reminded of the words of the Epistle of James, “2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.”
Love God, love each other, advance on the path to attaining “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Some days it seems so easy . . . but so far away.
Stay safe, advance on God’s path, trust God,
Pastor Ray