Category: Mindful

No truer word spoken than this, by Ed M., in his devotional for today in Plow New Ground:

Most of us do not face a brief hour of martyrdom but years of frustration.

See why he says this at the link above.

Focus question: What long-term frustrations do I deal with? How am I dealing with them? Are they causing my love for God to grow or diminish?

This entry is from the dictionary of the 1947 Dickson Bible, my grandmother’s copy, and it reminded me of a friend:

Bee. Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, would denote that bees were numerous (Ex. 3.8; Ezek. 27.7). They lived in rocks and woods (Ps. 81.16; 1 Sam. 24.25; Ezek. 27.17). Their activities are described (Deut. 1.44; Ps. 118.12; Isa. 7.18).

Others will put forth their ideas about how to accomplish the divine mission. We will do our best, also. We are glad for the efforts of each one. In the end, God will judge the work of all and he will approve or find us lacking. Whatever of our work may survive the test, we look forward to salvation.

I am not interested in building up an institution, but only the church of God. My investments will go into the hearts and lives of men and women, for eternal life, and not into the creation or strengthening of a human organization.

  1. Lunch with Missus and Mom at a local taco place in small hometown, good food, tacos 69¢ apiece, far superior to Mexican fastfood down the road.
  2. Seen at lunch: city police officer in uniform, sitting at table with two women, giving thanks for food.
  3. Mom recognized the guy in line in front of us: son of former neighbors from across her house—small town, as I said.
  4. My cousin works next door to the taco place, owner, I think, of the beauty shop.
  5. Plans and routines are necessary to move us toward positive actions that bless—we need them.
  6. An original verse: How do I, later, want to be remembered? / My present actions must be well measured.
  7. A Bible verse: “Drive out the scorner and contention will leave; strife and insults will cease” Proverbs 22.10.

The closer you are to the people of God, the closer you will be to God. Arms-length faith is a dying faith. Punch-card religion knows nothing of the Lord. Those who would walk closely and continually with the Lord must often be in the presence of of Christ’s church. To love in deed and action is to seek out opportunities to serve and encourage one’s spiritual family.

So it would appear there’s a chiasmus in 1 Pet 3.8, with similar ideas mirrored in the five elements:

Finally, all of you, have
A. unity of mind,
B. sympathy,
X. brotherly love,
B’. a tender heart, and
A’. a humble mind.

The ESV quote above appears to reflect in the translation of the terms in A/A’ the –phron ending of the Greek words.

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  1. Enjoyed time with the Pinson TN congregation, singing night tonight, snacks afterwards. DD attending there with boyfriend. They’ve been gracious to her.
  2. Also enjoyed lunch with Ron and Brenda Estes, he an elder with the West End congregation in St Charles MO, a supporter. We go there the 23rd.
  3. They’re having an area-wide lectureship Sep 20-22, so we plan to go for that as well, as participants, not speakers.
  4. First week here has been spent with family, so shortly things will pick up and we’ll be traveling more.
  5. Going to NLR Sep 16 to be with Somers Ave congregation for time with them.
  6. A verse, couplet: ‘Tis sugar that kills, and not the fat of pig, / But we prefer the sweets, and growing big.
  7. A verse, biblical: “… our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 1.14.

Don’t know who John Bell is, but this quote of his is a good statement of divine purpose:

You keep us waiting. You, the God of all time, want us to wait. For the right time in which to discover Who we are, where we are to go, Who will be with us, and what we must do. So thank you … for the waiting time.

Except perhaps for the last part, about what we must do. That has been fully revealed in Scripture.