Marching Forth!

Yesterday I read a meme which contained a quote I have seen attributed to the stoic Seneca:  " The wise man is neither raised up by prosperity nor cast down by adversity; for always he has striven to rely predominantly on himself, and to derive all joy from himself ."  What was intended to be a "mic-drop" quote fell flat with a whimper, for this reeks of the wisdom of man which is foolishness with God.  Words are not true or insightful because they were recorded from ancient times but because they agree with God who is our Wisdom and words God has spoken.  This empty philosophy is completely without footing, a humanist ideal which fails entirely because it depends upon the strength of mortal, flawed men. A careful read of this statement reveals it to be self-defeating and contradictory.  Because men are continually raised up by prosperity and cast down by adversity it could be truly said there is not a wise man among us.  " The fear of the LORD is the begin...

As king Solomon wrapped up his discourse, he wrote in  Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 :  " The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12  And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh ."  The words we speak make a difference in the lives of others for good when we are led by the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ who is wisdom for us.  Many people who will not consider listening to a sermon or reading a book by a Christian author (much less the Bible itself!) can be impacted by godly, wise speech.  At times it seems pastors or professors are not seen to be worth their salt unless they have written at least one acclaimed book, but Solomon pointed out how there is no end to making books.  The implication is books, however insightful and useful, have a limit of effect and impact which demands another.  There will nev...

" The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law ." Deuteronomy 29:29 This verse ministered to my heart this morning as I considered it.  The first thing to be observed is there are secret things only God knows.  I can often be troubled by what I do not know, and it is possible the thing I desire to know will remain secret and unknown to me because it is only God's to know.  Since the LORD knows all things, nothing is hidden or a secret to Him.  Because He is the almighty, supreme God and is good, I can rest comfortably though secrets are kept from me. The second point which struck me is my LORD and Creator has chosen to reveal Himself and His wisdom to me.  God delights to reveal Himself to the soul who seeks and trusts Him, and the revelations of God are to be passed on to our children.  God directed His people to teach their children o...

The start of a new year is an exciting time of looking gladly towards the future.  Perhaps of all the years of my life I have never seen a "year" cop more hate than 2020.  I have seen countless memes and references of 2020 that paint those 365 days in a negative light.  I am reminded of a song I sang often growing up taken from  Psalm 118:24 :  " This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it ."  If we acknowledge each day we are given on earth is a gift received from our good God, how can we say 365 of them in a row are bad?  2020 was an awesome year because we have an awesome God, and should we live to see one day in 2021 we have been granted a blessing beyond what we deserve. What I love about the song taken from Psalm 118 is the context of the Messiah God would send who would suffer and die for sinners.  Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.  Jesus re...