The Better Part, week #34

 

This week's FB posts.

The Better Part, Day #178:

 

From Charles H Spurgeon:

 

"Do you believe that your sins are forgiven and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luther said, “Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if You have forgiven me, smite as hard as You will.” And in a similar spirit you may say, “Send sickness, poverty, losses, crosses, persecution, what You will. You have forgiven me, and my soul is glad.”

 

It takes a powerful Christian to pray that prayer. I hope one day to be up to it...

 

 

 

The Better Part Day #179:

 

Pro 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. 

 

When this verse catches your eye first thing in the morning, and you think to yourself, "Hmmm... this kinda sounds like it's sinful for me to get upset when I have a good, efficient plan to follow at work, and something makes it derail..." You know this is going to be a derailing kind of day. God gives you a chance to pray about things beforehand, so you can handle them.

 

 

The Better Part, Day #180:

 

Words to the wise I heard a couple days ago, during a sermon on David's lack of actual response to Amnon's crime: Absalom at first did what was right- he went through channels, to the king. The king did not give justice. When you don't get justice from man, go to the King. After all, who ever had a more unfair trial than Jesus?

 

 

The Better Part, Day # 181:

 

 

Some time back, we got a new "motivational sign" in the restroom at work, reading, "If you want it, work for it." My initial- and unchanged until today- reaction was, "If only I could stick a paper saying, 'What are my other alternatives?' onto it!" But today, it struck me that this applies not just to work but to SEVERAL areas of my spiritual walk. So now, I'm reading it a bit different...

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #182:

 

Psa 33:13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;

Psa 33:14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

Psa 33:15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 

 

My Paper Bible translated that last verse with the word, "individually", which struck a cord with me. But none of my e-Bible versions did likewise; so I went to the commentators for insight.

 

 

"...and it may be the difference there appears to be between them afterwards, nay be owing to the make and constitution of their bodies, to their education, and different situation, circumstances, and advantages in life, whereby the hearts of some may be more opened and enlarged than others. Some render it "together", or "altogether"; which must not be understood of time, as if they were all made at once, but of equality; the one was made by him as well as the other; he is the fashioner of one and all of them, every whit of them; they are wholly fashioned by him, and all that is in them, all the powers and faculties of the soul; and by him only, and not by the instrumentality of another; for souls are created, not generated; they are produced out of nothing, and not out of pre-existent matter, as bodies; parents contribute somewhat to the bodies of their children, but not anything to their souls. "

 

 

So we all start with the same spiritual opportunity, it's what we individually make of it that matters.