Bathing
Monday, December 30, 2019 at 4:09PM Deuteronomy 17:19 ESV
“And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statues, and doing them, …”
The atmosphere was typical of the bar and grills often attended by white color employees when the company is paying the bill. Darker, just enough ambience to allow conversation with out to many people hearing, and obviously the bar portion of the establishment was taken advantage of. My employer was very understanding of my family’s needs and as such I did not travel extensively but I quickly understood the normal pattern of traveling on the company’s dime for the few times I was required to go. Conversation with one of the company’s new salesmen was of some value as discussion gravitated towards his faith and why he wasn’t very consistent in his church attendance, even though his large mainstream church came with all the bells and whistles. In the midst of our discussion, to justify his opinions, he asserted that he had read the bible once. After a few more minutes of discussion he joined other conversations that were going on around the table and I did as well.
I walked into our local Library and was struck by reality. Reading is no longer about becoming educated. Not about learning or developing strong ideas built upon data, research, and thought. Reading is about entertainment. I came to this conclusion when I looked at the floor space devoted to Fiction and that devoted to non-Fiction. I then come back to the church and notice our Library and was not encouraged by what I found. The shaping of a mind is a lifelong battle against sin and death. I say this because sin is ever the denial of reality and right thinking. I say this because many of us have noticed that our minds no longer function as they once did, deteriorating and showing our frailty.
What tools and weapons has God given to us to fight this battle against sin and death in our mind? What defenses are given with the helmet of Salvation? How can we discern right and wrong, judging the good of society and forsaking the bad? To help a king accomplish all this. To help him rule well and know what course of action to take, he gave the book of Deuteronomy, told him to transcribe it himself and then reread it constantly.
Reading for wisdom and knowledge has come on hard times. Reading for self-fulfillment and entertainment have won the moment. Yet, on the eve of an election year let us not forsake our need for constantly being washed in the word of God. Having it shape and mold our thoughts and judgments that we might rule well, for that is what we do in our democracy. We the People are the ruling class. We the People are the nobility without titles. We the people must then take our masters council and conform our thoughts to it. Let us not cast off our opportunity to conform no longer to this world with its fantasy and self-centeredness, let us use the year God has given to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Take time to be holy. The maxim is true “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Find a bible reading plan and start it, then when you fail in a few weeks, get up and start where you left off. My Kids need bathed often and the more dirt they play in the more often they need washed. Ours is a foul generation we need to bathe in God’s word!
CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO
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