LIKE A BRICK WALL

LIKE A BRICK WALL

Monday, March 27, 2017

Psalm [MKJV] 90:11-12  Who knows the power of Your anger? And as Your fear is, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, so that we may bring a heart of wisdom.

Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to recognize the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and uprightness; to give sense to the simple, knowledge and judgment to the young man; the wise hears and increases learning; and understanding ones get wisdom; to understand a proverb and its meaning; the words of the wise, and their acute sayings. The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Matthew chapter 5, Jesus sermon on the mount  .. Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. … Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

  Patty, a wonderful lady and our fine church musician, did the Children’s Moment Sunday morning. (I always benefit from the lessons and confess to sometimes remembering them but not pastors’ sermons.) She told the story of Zacchaeus encounter with Jesus. (Lk.19:1-10) After lunch I caved in to my impish side and had some of my kind of fun with friend Sharon, lifelong educator and sometimes grammar nazi.

  “Did, as Patty said, Zacchaeus become a Christian?”

  Sharon responded that yes, he did.

  I then pointed out that he became a follower of Christ. There was no “Christians” until years later. (Lk.19:1-10)

  In my salad days when this hair-splitting was done to me I felt duped, stuped, and angry. Little did I understand that those events were teaching moments, not at all meant to embarrass me but designed to tear down my being like a brick wall; the old saw being “You can’t teach anything to a brick wall.”

  How thankful and appreciative I am for those that did trowel and chisel me, they desiring truth in my innermost being (Ps.51:6) and they reminding that brick and mortar are still always available near at hand . . . and that apart from the attribute of being teachable I could expect no ultimately worthwhile “perfect” maturation.

EBB4