The Power
of Memorizing Scripture
Just a Meadow Minute
Let me tell you about one of my heroes, Colonel Bobby Bagley. As a young boy, Bagley came to know the Lord at Sharon Baptist Church near the very small farming community of Cumming, Georgia.
On 16 September 1967, USAF Major (at the time) Bagley was flying an RF-101 Voodoo over North Viet Nam when he was shot down by an air-to-air missile from a Soviet-built MIG-21 just a few miles from the Laotian border. As he parachuted into the jungle, Bagley was captured almost immediately by a young boy who broke Bagley’s jaw with a single blow from the butt of a rifle.
Along with many other Allied prisoners, Major Bagley would endure beatings, starvation, isolation, and other tortures at the hands of the enemy in several POW camps including the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” In all, he suffered a shattered jaw, a broken back, a busted eardrum, almost constant dysentery, and partial paralysis in one hand and leg during nearly six years of interrogation and torture before finally being released on 14 March 1973. He was reunited with his wife, Sandy, and (by then) teenage daughter, Vickie. Colonel Bagley’s short biography by Rod Gragg is worth the read.
More than anything, Bagley missed God’s Word. Even with the threat of reprisals, he took part in creating, hiding, smuggling, and suffering for what became known as the POW Bible. Many copies were developed at different camps over the years among the men held captive. Every time a Bible was discovered and destroyed, another would spring up, and many men suffered terribly for being found with one. The Bibles were created using brown toilet paper for pages, and ink made from crushed roof tile mixed with spittle and hoarded cigarette ashes. A verse might take an hour to write, and a page could take as long as two weeks.
These crude collections of Scripture contained only the passages the captives could remember—sometimes a verse, sometimes complete chapters. But the contents grew over time as God brought back into focus the faded memories of His love letter to the minds of these men. Reading Scripture brought hope and comfort in the filth and despair of their desperate situation.
Every copy of the POW Bible contained John 3:16, but parts of the fifty-sixth Psalm was usually there. Philippians 4:6-7 made it into most copies that Major Bagley had a part in scribing. God forbid it ever becomes necessary, but here in Meadow, what would our copy of, say, the Bronco Bible, look like? What precious pearl might you dredge up from memory to be added to its pages?
I have a challenge for you…and for myself. This new year let’s make the memorization of God’s Word a priority. Let’s ask Him for the lamp and light of His Bible to strengthen us during those times without a Bible when we’re confronted by the filth and despair and suffering in our culture. Oh God, grant that we might recall a passage of hope and comfort in our own lives or to share with someone we care about. God will give us the memory for the things that matter! In each of the newsletters for 2026, you can find verses of Scripture to hide in your heart.
Say the God-breathed words out loud. Write them out longhand if that helps. We all can quote lines from films and books and songs immediately after being introduced to them. We can name the characters in those instances, and we can many times recall the titles and themes. Usually, we’ve found a way to apply the quote in our routines and in our conversations.
Surely, we who claim the Name of Christ can do the same with the Greatest Story Ever Told. We Proclaim Him!
Grace,
Tom
(Originally printed January 2023)
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Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie?
I knew that would get your attention. The debate over this question shows up on Facebook every year about this time, and the “Negative Nellies” are hilarious. Of course, it is – all the music is Christmas music!
If you disagree, you probably think “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a terrible Christmas movie. I’ll pray for you.
And what about the narrated classic, “Christmas Story.” Like Ralphie, I too almost shot my eye out with a BB gun. How about “The Santa Clause?” Yes, I spelled that correctly!
And let’s face it, life just isn’t as complete without seeing “Elf” at least twice. Can anyone really burp that long? You might even have seen “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever.” Bathrobes and flipflops make great costumes in telling the true meaning of Christmas.
So many people have made it part of the season’s traditions to take in most if not every Christmas film out there. New ones have come out again this year, but it would be a stretch to call any of them potential classics. We just might be raising an entire generation who, like Charlie Brown, will one day call out, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” If that happens, I pray there’s a Linus around to set them straight.
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying, in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
When our two girls were very small, we began a tradition in our household of reading the Christmas Story out of Luke 2 on Christmas Eve night just before everyone went to bed. At first, Diane and I would take turns doing it. Then came the day when our oldest got into the rotation, and then our youngest. As our daughters got older, sometimes we had to do it over speaker phones long distance, but still we found each other and stopped what we were doing to remind ourselves of “the Reason for the Season.”
It has been a blessing to hear our grandkids read the story now, even though a couple of times, that has been over the phone. We cannot guarantee this tradition of our family will continue after we’re gone, but there is hope that it will. Maybe you do something similar with those you love. Scripture is meant to be heard out loud. Don’t be a Grinch. Enjoy the season. Decorate the house, and whisper secrets, and make as many parties as you can. But tell the true story of Christmas at least once every year to your family
And speaking of Christmas movies, Diane and I recently watched “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas”. As always there’s a bit of poetic license taken, but we enjoyed it just the same. Visually, it is really good.
“Go, tell it...Jesus Christ is born!” Merry Christmas,
Grace,
Tom
I will admit wrapping presents is not my favorite part of Christmas. I’m pretty good at it, and through Diane’s prodding I help every year. I enjoy all the mess that happens within a few minutes on Christmas morning, but wrapping is low on my “to do” list.
It wasn’t always like that. When I was a little kid, Dad taught my two brothers and me how much fun it could be trying to trick others as to what was in a package by how it was wrapped. Let’s face it. Kids today can spot a boring new shirt or an ugly sweater from across the room without even touching the box!
Once, when I bought my brother Eddie two large tubes of Daisy BB’s, Dad had me write fragile on it. If Eddie had shaken the little box, he would have known immediately what was in it. The way Dad had me do it, Eddie could feel it was heavy for its size, but he was too afraid to even hold it very long until Christmas.
For my other brother, Barry, Dad had me include some useless gravel in the box with a pocketknife. Once Barry shook it and heard the rattle, Dad told him it sounded like Barry had broken the gift inside. That story held up all the way to Christmas morning.
Dad cut a corner out of a thick flat chunk of wood as large as a record album (vinyl albums are making a comeback, so maybe you know what I’m talking about) and taped a jewelry box in the corner before wrapping the whole thing. Mom had no idea she was getting opal earrings, but she loved them and wore them often.
Now days, Diane and I shop together, telling each other what we want and then acting surprised when we open it on Christmas morning…don’t judge us! At least we never have anything to exchange.
What a surprise the whole world got when Jesus was born. Most missed His coming all together, and still today this time of year has been made into “Happy Holidays.” That is something totally foreign to the coming of the Promised Christ-Child, the Messiah, the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
In the 1977 Christmas Cantata, Specially for Shepherds, Ralph Carmichael included a great song entitled, “Come and See the Five Little Fingers of God!” This Christmas, if you crept up to the nativity scene and peeked in the manger, would all you see be flashing colored lights, jingle bells, and a new Red-Rider BB Gun? Even worse, is the Jesus you know still a baby born in Bethlehem? Guess what. That Baby grew into a man. He taught us how to love and live in a way that honors the One who made us. And He came to die…for you and for me…on the cross of Calvary. Jesus took your sins and mine to that cross as the perfect sacrifice to redeem us. And after three days, our Savior rose from the grave, conquering death forever.
Let’s not disguise the greatest Gift ever given. We all like to say, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Make it so! Be the witness Christ called you to be.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put It under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Grace,
Tom
What do you do when the pastor stretches the message too long? Set your watch alarm to go off? Sneak out the back, hopefully unnoticed? Pinch your child or rattle papers to get some interruption going? Well, Elvina Hall wrote a hymn. Seated in the choir loft at the Monument Street Methodist Church of Baltimore, she had no paper to write on—only the flyleaf of the church hymnal. There, she wrote these stanzas.
The composer of the tune, John T. Grape, was the organist and choir director of the church. He was a successful coal merchant, but he “dabbled in music,” as he liked to say. While the church building was being remodeled, Grape took the organ home, and came up with this tune, which he called, “All to Christ I Owe.”
It was the pastor, George Schrick, who put the words and tune together (I wonder what Pastor Schrick thought about Elvina Hall writing the verses while he was preaching. Maybe she was inspired by his message.) Hall’s stanzas fit part of Grape’s tune, and she added the chorus to include his tune’s title. Three years later, in 1868, the song first appeared in a hymnal.
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain—
He washed it white as snow.
Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim—
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’rys Lamb.
And when before Thy throne I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
My lips shall still repeat.
Dear members of FBC Meadow, don’t get any ideas while reading this Meadow Minute! I’ll do my best not to hold you too long. But should I get a bet windy with the sermon, I suppose if the Spirit of God leads you to compose one of the Great Hymns of all Christendom, I give you leave.
Like so many other hymns that many believe are outdated and stale, Jesus Paid It All preaches the gospel message clearly and without apology. Nothing in our power, in our ability, in our efforts can ever lead to the blessing of heaven. My “strength indeed is small.” I find myself again and again addressing my Savior. “Nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim…” What more can any of us say except, “Jesus died my soul to save.”
I may be aging myself, but I recall meeting Ken Medema and helping with the set-up during a concert he put on in San Angelo during my college days at Angelo State. So much of his music was awe-inspiring, but my favorite was when Ken put Isaiah 1:18 to music. “’Come, let us reason together, that’s what God says. Come, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Come, let us reason together, that’s what God says. Come, let us reason together, says the Lord.
“Sin had left a crimson stain—He washed it white as snow.” My Lord and Savior paid it all!
Grace,
Tom
During this season of Thanksgiving, consider the story found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John involving Mary’s costly gift to Jesus as she broke open a flask of perfume to anoint Him. It is a testament to how different people respond differently to the blessings of God.
In gratitude, Simon, apparently a healed leper, had invited Jesus to a dinner at his home. But then Simon, thinking only of himself, failed to recognize Mary’s act for what it truly was…a humble yet lavish, selfless, and extravagant display of gratitude. And even after being with Jesus for three years, the disciples failed to see Mary’s gift as anything but wasteful. Jesus saw it differently.
The Lord says in Matthew 26:13, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Living a life of gratitude involves recognizing daily just how much attention the Father gives to us and being thankful for every good thing that comes from His hand. Are you a positive and thankful person in everything, or an old sorehead that cannot find the good in anything? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle.
Recently, I read a story of true gratitude.
There once was an elderly woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only three hairs on her head. “Great,” she said. “I think I’ll braid my hair today.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmmm,” she said. “I’ll part my hair down the middle.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only one hair left on her head.
“Wow,” she said. “Today, I get to wear my hair in a ponytail.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Thank You, Father!” she exclaimed. “I was running out of things to do with my hair!”
Okay, that’s a silly example, but the principle rings true. Gratitude is great for the attitude.
Let’s be grateful for the things God has given us. Let’s shower Him with lavish praise and extravagant worship. And let’s see and seek the good in and for others. And of course…have a wonderful day.
Grace,
Tom
To start her Sunday School lesson one morning, the teacher wanted to see if her students knew God’s Word enough to connect Scripture to real-life events in their lives. She decided to show some pictures of different circumstances and see what memory verse a student might relate to it.
The first picture was of a father sitting in his chair with his young children around his feet while he read the Bible to them. A girl in the front row said, “Children obey your parents in the Lord...”
“Very good,” the teacher said.
The second picture was of a small boy helping a girl in the hall at school who had dropped her books and papers and was being teased by other children. A different child answered, “Be ye kind, one to another…”
“That will do just fine,” the impressed lady answered.
Finally, to throw them a curve, the teacher showed a picture of two boys pulling with all their might on opposite ends of a very distressed stray cat – one boy holding the head, and the other holding the tail. No child said a word. Silence hung heavy over the small class room. Even the children who had previously answered could not think of a verse. Finally, a young man in back spoke out loudly, “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder!”
So much for the question and answer time. Just knowing Scripture is not KNOWING Scripture.
Do you have a storehouse of passages from God’s Word that you can draw from when faced with different circumstances in life? Are the true and applicable promises of God what you are strengthened by in times of trouble and strife?
Maybe verses like these come to mind:
* “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes…,” Psalm 101:3
* “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee,” Psalm 119:11
* “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16
It is true that Jesus answered each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture, but it is also true that Satan used Scripture in tempting our Lord. Just knowing Scripture is not KNOWING Scripture.
Reading and studying the Bible is a great place to mine the treasures of God that do speak of day-to-day circumstances in our day-to-day lives. We won’t be yanking on any stray cats, but at FBC, there is a Bible Study class just for you and every member of your family at 9:45 each Sunday morning. Small groups are a great place to develop lasting godly friendships while absorbing the truths of God’s Word. We would love to have you join us every Sunday morning.
Worship at FBC is very special, and I can’t pass up the chance to invite you to be a part of that as well at 11:00.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Grace,
Tom
Diane calls me the “singing preacher” because of those times when I can’t take it anymore and I break out in song during the morning message. I make no apology for it. Actually, I kinda like that name. When there’s a song in my heart, I have to let it out. I do love the great hymns, and they often preach better than I ever could. But I also love Christian music on the whole. So, I offer this from Paul Smith. I hope you have heard it before. If not, give it a listen. It's called “Unimportant Things.”
Feelings for the moment, they come and then they’re gone
Time shows signs of frailty in the face that once was strong
Diamonds don’t shine bright enough to satisfy your soul
Foolish are the ones who seek treasure wrapped in gold
Why do we waste one day in search of things that slip away
When all that really matters is You? All that really matters is You.
It’s so easy to live for unimportant things
To lose sight of heaven
As we chase our manmade dreams.
Lord, free us to focus on what life really means
And teach us to look past unimportant things
There’s so much love to find here if we take Your point of view
So much hope to live for when we fix our eyes on You
You give comfort beyond any reason, compassion for our pain
Mercy that is strong enough to cleanse our guilty stain
Why do we waste one day in search of things that slip away
When all that really matters is You? All that really matters is You.
It’s so easy to live for unimportant things
To lose sight of heaven
As we chase our manmade dreams
Lord, free us to focus on what life really means
And teach us to look past unimportant things
If you began listing the priorities of your life, where would you start? Certainly your spouse, your children, other family, your work, and your health and finances would all fall in line somewhere near the top. Where would Jesus fit in? Oh, I suppose everyone reading this Meadow Minute would say He’s definitely number one, but are we pursuing knowing Him better, living for Him more to the same extent as we care about our kids making the team or getting the next promotion or acquiring the next great whatever?
It is my prayer for you and for myself that Christ is and will remain the number one priority of our lives. He is to be the example for our marriage. He is to be above, our careers, our families, our “stuff.”
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you,” John 6:33.
All that really matters is Jesus.
Grace,
Tom
At sixty-eight years of age, I’ve not recently been into climbing trees anymore, but I’m thinking it would be rewarding to give it a go.
Now, just hear me out…
I spent a fair share of my younger years in trees, especially in my parents’ neck of the woods – the hills of North Carolina – picking fruit or building treehouses or hunting or whatever. Being forty or fifty feet up in a Blue Ridge pine tree is something you won’t soon forget. (I was definitely a “tree hugger” that day!) Some time ago, before Diane and I moved to Meadow, my grandson Ethan and I made a double-decker squirrel condo together and put it in my backyard shade tree in Lubbock. Trust me. I held the ladder, and Ethan did the climbing!
But I’m thinking we all might need to “branch out” and climb an occasional tree, spiritually speaking of course.
“(Zacchaeus) wanted to see who Jesus was…so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way.” His story was a part of my quiet time Bible reading this week.
Short in stature but with great curiosity, Zacchaeus risked life and limb (pun intended) for the chance to get a better look at Jesus. What extra effort, what risk would you or I take in front of a watching, judgmental world to be identified with our Savior, the One who loves us like no other ever could. What would it take to toss caution to the wind and be like the wee-little tree-climbing cheat turned champion in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel?
Is it too much for our Lord to ask that we not forsake gathering with other believers in worship? Are you thinking, “Everyone knows me around here, and it’s been so long since I was in any church that people might judge me down there and wonder where I’ve been,” or are you willing to imagine, “People there might greet me, and welcome me, and include me at a time when I am so very isolated and lonely?”
Would you ever consider braving a Bible Study class? Would it be too difficult, too embarrassing to be a part of a weekly group of people wishing to know their Savior better? Are you thinking, “I heard all that when I was a kid,” or are you willing to consider, “Maybe there is yet something in God’s love letter for me?” How about considering dusting off your copy of His Word and joining a class?
How satisfied are any of us in our relationship with Jesus? Have we seen all there is to see of Him? Have we heard everything we need to hear from Him? Have we done all that He could possibly expect…not to gain His favor…to show our trust and dependence on Him? There is more, much more, available to us all who are willing to “go out on a limb” for a new, fresher, better look at the Savior.
Job 42:5 says, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee.”
“Open my eyes, Lord
I want to see Jesus!”
Grace,
Tom
There are many in our church who claim this hymn as one of their favorites. It is another of Fanny Crosby’s many composures where she added the words to a melody provided to her by another hymn writer, in this instance, William Doane. When others would bring her a melody, Crosby was known for saying, “That tune says to me…,” and then she would write a stirring text.
The subject here is nearness. And like many other of her hymns, Fanny Crosby’s focus is the cross of Christ. Without the cross, there is no salvation, no eternal life, no hope. At the time Crosby wrote this hymn, many scholars and preachers were beginning to drift off toward “explaining” the moral teachings of Jesus, the virtue and goodness that He modeled for us, as the themes of their teachings and a twisted interpretation of the Gospel. They were seriously downplaying each individual’s sin and Jesus’ sacrificial crucifixion. (Sounds a bit like the Health and Wealth Charlatans and those re-defining what sin is of our day.)
Fanny Crosby echoed the Apostle Paul as found in Galatians 6:14: “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
The sweet melody rings in my ears even as I write out the words.
Jesus, keep me near the cross—
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
‘Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star
Sheds its beams around me.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o’er me.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
‘Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
So many people today try to use the teachings of Jesus about God’s love and mercy and forgiveness to justify their continuing to live a twisted version of morality, their version of acceptable behavior. It is not OUR definition of sin and righteousness that matters. We do not have the privilege of our own truth. It’s God’s truth. And it has not changed since before time began. What was sin, still is. And while our Lord did teach us to love each other and care for each other, He also made clear that He came that we might have life through His sacrificial death on the cross for our sin. We must never cheapen the message of the cross, and may God ever keep us within its shadow.
Grace,
Tom
Other than the small solitaire on Mom’s wedding band, I do not recall her owning another diamond.
Dad brought her Tiger’s Eye from Thailand, and she wore a birthstone ring for her three sons. She had a very limited number of gold and silver necklaces and lots of costume jewelry, including many sets of clip-on earrings (her ears were never pierced). Mom had at least one pin for every occasion that could possibly come along. Her favorite was the US flag.
Mom’s one and only extravagance was opal. Much of it was brought back by my dad from overseas. She had opal clip-on earrings and an opal pendant. I remember her beautiful bracelet of opal and of course she occasionally wore an opal ring. Now, God has shown me meaning in these memories of my mother.
There is something amazing about the finest quality opal gemstones. If left untouched for a long period of time, opal will become bland and lusterless. But if you hold the opal in your hand for a few minutes, it again becomes flawless in brilliant color. Many opal gemstones can have the splendor of the rainbow. It is known as the “sympathetic jewel” because it only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its amazing beauty. Just a touch. Just a simple touch.
In our world today, we are often afraid to touch each other or even get too close. I’ll say it out right—we need human touch today more than ever. I fear our children may be permanently scarred from all the isolation they endured during the COVID scare. It is strange to me that we called such separation social distancing. And society now calls communications social media although there’s nothing social about either as they hinder getting together and socializing!
We live in a world where so much beauty is hidden under pain, sin, and suffering. How many lives do we come into contact with on a daily basis that only need the warm touch of human sympathy, love, and compassion to make them gleam with splendor?
One of the more under-used resources at FBC Meadow is our Instant Church Directory. There are some in our congregation who have never taken the time to sign up, though it really is a great tool in keeping us all connected. If you’re not in the digital directory, I encourage you to reconsider. Some folks pray for their fellow Christians by going through the directory on a regular basis. It lists birthdays and anniversaries, and it’s a simple matter to update contact information or to change the picture. It's a wonderful way to reach out and touch someone for His glory even if only with a kind word, or a card, or a call!
Jesus was constantly touching people. He touched the sick and those with leprosy. He gathered children in His arms. He washed His disciples feet. The power of touch was proven when the multitudes found themselves crowding in to be near Him—even to just touch the hem of His garment.
John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Share the love of God. Reach out and touch someone in His name, and not only will others receive a glimmer of joy, but you just might find yourself gleaming with His radiance too!
Grace,
Tom
“It is better to receive a rose from a casual friend than a can of succotash from a hoodlum.”
That sentence is probably true, but let’s face it, it doesn’t measure up to the teaching the Father offers in the Wisdom Literature of the Bible. In His Word, all true wisdom is seen as flowing from the One True God, rather than being a mere accumulation of human observations and experience.
Throughout my life, just about every birthday card, Father’s Day card or Christmas card I got from my mom included in her own handwriting, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
In books Mom would give me, the same verse always showed up in the front where she would sign her name as having given it to me. Always. I will admit I can be a bit thick sometimes, but after a while I started thinking maybe she was trying to tell me something.
As I, as we, get older and experience more, we should be reminded again and again where true wisdom comes from. Recently, Artificial intelligence finds itself in the news every day. Many people praise its virtues, while others shout that it is the anti-Christ. I can personally see many positive aspects to the use of AI and do use it on occasion, but human nature being what it is, the entire concept is also set up for unbelievable abuse. There is no telling where artificial intelligence will eventually take us. But if you have asked Siri a question, or to find a channel, or to set a timer for when dinner will be ready, you have used AI. Be careful what you criticize. Still, true wisdom does not come from human observation and experience but from God. We might look at a young, engaged couple or even newly-weds and think to ourselves, “they don’t have a clue.” Same thing with new parents and their first baby. We think, “just you both wait…”
But it is our own self-superiority and arrogance that would make us think like that. We think that with our own life experiences and all that we’ve lived through, we have the better answers to things than someone else “less experienced.” We can give advice. We should be open to helping others where we can, but we must avoid thinking too highly of ourselves and our own wisdom.
I believe the “trust” proverbs are good advice for us all. Here’s just a couple:
* Proverbs 3:7-8 – “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones.”
* Proverbs 16:20 – “He who gives attention to the word shall find good; and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.”
* Proverbs 26:12 says, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Wherever we are in our life, whatever we have filed away in our memory as knowledge or wisdom should always line up with God’s wisdom and expectation.
Thanks, Mom…I get it.
Grace,
Tom