Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links)

Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days"

By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.


Whether you are a Baby Boomer or beyond, God can redeem your past and give you a purposeful future.PHOTO: Whether you are a Baby Boomer or beyond, God can redeem your past and give you a purposeful future.
Fifty is the new forty! Sixty is the new fifty! People are living longer and healthier lives - and in the process, many strive desperately to stave off "middle age" let alone "maturity" or "old age." And yet the truth is that we are all getting older.
In Teach Us to Number Our Days, David Roper writes with understanding about the challenges of middle age and beyond, showing how God wastes nothing in our lives, not even our sins. He assures us that as we "come of age", we are not winding down, but taking the next sure step into a full and useful life. As we do, we can become ever more useful to God and to others.
"So enjoy!" he says. "Enjoy your journey to maturity as you gain perspective on the past and hope for the future. Make the most of every moment in life."

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
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From "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Copyright © 2008 by David Roper, ISBN 978-981-11-7184-0.

Hopefully some of the information, reflection and discussion obtained from the internet and the book by David Roper, "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 41 - 64 can be useful. Some of them are listed in the following.

Chapter 41 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Rejected, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-rejected.html [41]

Chapter 42 - Reflection - Number Our Days -The Yoke, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-yoke.html [42]

Chapter 43 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Learning to Listen, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-learning-to.html [43]

Chapter 44 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The World's Last Night, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-worlds-last.html [44]

Chapter 45 - Reflection - Number Our Days - On Yaks, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-on-yaks.html [45]

Chapter 46 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Fool's Gold, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-fools-gold.html [46]

Chapter 47 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Things I Can't Do Any Longer, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-things-i.html [47]

Chapter 48 - Reflection - Number Our Days -The Works of Our Hands, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-work-of-our.html [48]

Chapter 49 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Readiness, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-readiness.html [49]

Chapter 50 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Autumn Colors, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-readiness.html [50]

Chapter 51 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Nothing Left to Prove, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-nothing-left.html [51]

Chapter 52 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Highways to Zion, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-highways-to.html [52]

Chapter 53 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Ageless Delight, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-reflection.html [53]

Chapter 54 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Sour Grapes, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-sour-grapes.html [54]

Chapter 55 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Art of Correction, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-art-of.html [55]

Chapter 56 - Reflection - Number Our Days - His Story, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-his-story.html [56]

Chapter 57 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Asleep in Jesus, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-asleep-in.html [57]

Chapter 58 - Reflection - Number Our Days - What Good Am I?, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-what-good-am.html [58]

Chapter 59 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Bookworm, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-bookworm.html [59]

Chapter 60 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Little Birds of God, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-little-birds.html [60]

Chapter 61 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Loneliness, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-loneliness.html [61]

Chapter 62 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Retirement, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-retirement.html [62]

Chapter 63 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Scaret of Dying, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-scaret-of.html [63]

Chapter 64 - Reflection - Number Our Days - There is Rest, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-there-is-rest.html [64]



Chapter 41 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Rejected, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-rejected.html [41]

To seem the stranger lies my lot, my lifePHOTO: Among strangers. Father and Mother dear,
Brothers and sisters are in Christ not near
And he my peace my parting, sword and strife.
- Gerard Manley Hopkins

So now you're old and unwanted - secondhand, surplus, unasked for. It's easy to retreat into self-pity and think bad thoughts about yourself.

Many seniors do. They live with unexpressed depression that grows through the years because they feel cast off and uncared for. Disappointments mount as colleagues, friends, and family, involved in their own lives, families, activities, and interests, forget we're still around. No visits, no phone calls, no e-mails, no cards.

Our Lord understands. He was despised and rejected - "looked down on and passed over." (Isaiah 53:3) And his rejection, like ours, caused Him deep sorrow, for He was fully human (though fully God) and felt the entire range of human emotions, and thus is acquainted with our grief. But He knew what to do with rejection, as is revealed in a story that He told.

On one occasion, when Israel's leaders sought to kill Jesus, He spoke of a vineyard owner who sent his son to deal with some unruly workers. The workers rejected the son, killed him, and threw his body away. But the owner of the vineyard had the last word, said Jesus, because "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes." (Matthew 21:42)

Jesus was quoting a psalm that is oft-quoted (often-quoted) in the New Testament, (Psalm 118:22-23) and was foretelling His own rejection, suffering, and distress, as well as His future vindication.

Who was the stone? Jesus. Who were the builders? The power-elite of Jesus' day, who mocked Him and rejected His love. How did the stone become the capstone? God placed it there through the resurrection in which He raised His Son out of this world and its abuse and placed Him on high.

This, then, was Jesus' confidence: that He, though hated and rejected, scorned and crucified here on earth would eventually, eternally, be exalted to the right hand of His Father far above all betrayal and denial. This was His "marvelous" vindication.

This is our vindication as well. Someday we, too, will be raised out of our ungrateful world and given a home where we will be sheltered from all abuse by our Father's love. All this is done because, as the psalmist reminds us again and again, "God's love endures forever." We are loved now, but as yet we knew little of our inheritance. Someday we will be welcomed into our Father's house and will be loved beyond all imagination forever and ever! Is this not the infinite affection for which we have longed throughout our lives?

So this day we may say with the psalmist and with Jesus, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6)

I read somewhere that G. Campbell Morgan, who was known as "the prince of expositors" in the early twentieth century, at first failed his examinations for the Wesleyan pulpit. In deep disappointment he sent a one-word telegram to his father: "Rejected." His father wrote back: "Rejected on earth; accepted in heaven."

So it will always be.
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Our Lord understands.PHOTO: Our Lord understands. He was despised and rejected - "looked down on and passed over." (Isaiah 53:3) And his rejection, like ours, caused Him deep sorrow, for He was fully human (though fully God) and felt the entire range of human emotions, and thus is acquainted with our grief.
Picture posted by Posterazzi - The Crown Of Thorns By Gustave Dore (1832-1883)
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2016/05/reflection-godliness-and-persecution.html
 

Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, when we're old and unwanted - secondhand, surplus, unasked for, it's easy to retreat into self-pity and think bad thoughts about ourself.

Many seniors do. We live with unexpressed depression that grows through the years because we feel cast off and uncared for. Disappointments mount as colleagues, friends, and family, involved in their own lives, families, activities, and interests, forget we're still around. No visits, no phone calls, no e-mails, no cards.

Our Lord understands. He was despised and rejected – ‘looked down on and passed over.’ And his rejection, like ours, caused Him deep sorrow, for He was fully human (though fully God) and felt the entire range of human emotions, and thus is acquainted with our grief. But He knew what to do with rejection, as is revealed in a story that He told.

On one occasion, when Israel's leaders sought to kill Jesus, He spoke of a vineyard owner who sent his son to deal with some unruly workers. The workers rejected the son, killed him, and threw his body away. But the owner of the vineyard had the last word, said Jesus, because ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’

Jesus was foretelling His own rejection, suffering, and distress, as well as His future vindication. The stone in the story was Jesus and the builders were the power-elite of Jesus' day, who mocked Him and rejected His love. The stone become the capstone through the resurrection in which God raised His Son out of this world and its abuse and placed Him on high.

This, then, was Jesus' confidence: that He, though hated and rejected, scorned and crucified here on earth would eventually, eternally, be exalted to the right hand of His Father far above all betrayal and denial. This was His ‘marvellous’ vindication.

We pray that this is our vindication as well. Someday we, too, will be raised out of our ungrateful world and given a home where we will be sheltered from all abuse by our Father's love. All this is done because, as the psalmist reminds us again and again, ‘God's love endures forever.’ We are loved now, but as yet we knew little of our inheritance. Someday we will be welcomed into our Father's house and will be loved beyond all imagination forever and ever!

May we say with the psalmist and with Jesus, ‘The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’

Although we may be rejected on earth; we are accepted in heaven. May it always be.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Cultural Hall - Gethsemane Prayer
 
 
 
Chapter 42 - Reflection - Number Our Days -The Yoke, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-yoke.html [42]

Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.
PHOTO: Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.
- John Milton, "On His Blindness"

There was an occasion on which Judah's king, Zedekiah, and a number of dignitaries from surrounding nations gathered in Jerusalem to plot rebellion against Babylon. (Jeremiah 27:1-15)

Jeremiah the prophet, who was always unpredictable, crashed the party, bearing a heavy wooden yoke on his shoulders and offering this explanation: "'Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.'" (Jeremiah 27:12)

History proved him right. Those who patiently endured Babylon's yoke lived in Jerusalem in peace and safety; those who resisted lost their lives. (2 Kings 24:1-25:30)

Jeremiah elsewhere said of his own transgressions: "My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand." (Lamentations 1:14)

I think of those who have sinned recklessly in their youth and who now must bear the consequences - an alienated family, a ruined reputation, a sexually transmitted disease. Although the sin itself, if confessed and repented of, has been fully forgiven, the sad consequences of sins may linger on and on.

Have your sins been bound into a yoke that causes great grief? If so, "bow your neck under the yoke" and bear it patiently. Let God determine the time and the terms of the burden you bear and rely on His mercy, remembering that all things, even the dire consequences of your sins, flow out of His wisdom and love.

The yoke may cause great grief, but resistance only leads to greater discomfort. We must endure the hardship of discipline. (Hebrews 12:7) We must learn the lessons of faith and patience that are found in the burden. This, and not escape, leads to "an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)

God is not punitive. He disciplines us "for our good, that we may share in his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10) Pain and sorrow become the means by which He frees us from our preoccupation with earthly things and turns our hearts to unseen, eternal realities. He searches into our character and reveals its flaws so that His likeness may grow within us. And thus we come to the end of ourselves that we may share His glory.

Though chastened, we'll not be overwhelmed; though corrected and diminished, God will not "finish [us] off," for He has "more work left to do" on us. (Jeremiah 46:28) And in His time, when His holy work is done, He will lift the burden from our shoulders - in this world or in the next.

In the meantime, we must pray for those we've damaged by our sin, knowing that God can bring good even from the suffering we've inflicted on others.

Finally, we must not grow anxious about those whom God is using to chafe us. They may go beyond His boundaries, as Nebuchadnezzar did, but their time will come. (Jeremiah 27:7) There's no need to quarrel or contend with them, or to take their judgement into our hands. We must leave them to God, the judge of all, and be at peace.

He will judge the world in righteousness
and the people in his truth. (Psalm 96:13)
 

God is not punitive.
PHOTO: God is not punitive. He disciplines us "for our good, that we may share in his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10) Pain and sorrow become the means by which He frees us from our preoccupation with earthly things and turns our hearts to unseen, eternal realities. He searches into our character and reveals its flaws so that His likeness may grow within us. And thus we come to the end of ourselves that we may share His glory.
Artwork by Robert Theodore Barrett - “Walking on Water”
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Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, We learn from Jeremiah the prophet during an occasion on which Judah's king, Zedekiah, and a number of dignitaries from surrounding nations gathered in Jerusalem to plot rebellion against Babylon.

Jeremiah the prophet, who was always unpredictable, crashed the party, bearing a heavy wooden yoke on his shoulders and offering this explanation: 'Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.'

History proved him right. Those who patiently endured Babylon's yoke lived in Jerusalem in peace and safety; those who resisted lost their lives.

Jeremiah elsewhere said of his own transgressions: ‘My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.’

Lord, we pray for your help. We who have sinned recklessly in our youth are able to bear the consequences now - an alienated family, a ruined reputation, a sexually transmitted disease. Although the sin itself, if confessed and repented of, has been fully forgiven, the sad consequences of sins may linger on and on.

Lord, when our sins have been bound into a yoke that causes great grief, help us to ‘bow our neck under the yoke’ and bear it patiently. May God determine the time and the terms of the burden we bear and rely on His mercy, remembering that all things, even the dire consequences of our sins, flow out of His wisdom and love.

The yoke may cause great grief, but resistance only leads to greater discomfort. Help us to endure the hardship of discipline. Help us to learn the lessons of faith and patience that are found in the burden. Because this, and not escape, leads to ‘an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.’

We learn that God is not punitive. He disciplines us ‘for our good, that we may share in his holiness.’ Pain and sorrow become the means by which He frees us from our preoccupation with earthly things and turns our hearts to unseen, eternal realities. He searches into our character and reveals its flaws so that His likeness may grow within us. And thus we come to the end of ourselves that we may share His glory.

We learn too, that though chastened, we'll not be overwhelmed; though corrected and diminished, God will not ‘finish us off,’ for He has ‘more work left to do’ on us. And in His time, when His holy work is done, He will lift the burden from our shoulders - in this world or in the next.

In the meantime, help us to pray for those we've damaged by our sin, knowing that God can bring good even from the suffering we've inflicted on others.

We pray for help not to grow anxious about those whom God is using to chafe us. They may go beyond His boundaries, as Nebuchadnezzar did, but their time will come. There's no need to quarrel or contend with them, or to take their judgement into our hands. Help us to leave them to God, the judge of all, and be at peace.

He will judge the world in righteousness and the people in His truth.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 43 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Learning to Listen, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-learning-to.html [43]

A wise old owl sat in an oak
PHOTO: A wise old owl sat in an oak,
The more he heard, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard;
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?

Renè Descarte, the sixteenth-century philosopher, said, "I think, therefore I am." Sarah, our granddaughter, says, "You are, therefore I talk." Silence has never been golden to Sarah.

Some years ago I was sitting in our family room trying to read a Time magazine while, at the same time, Sarah was trying to carry on a conversation with me. To my shame I was paying little attention, responding to her comments with an occasional grunt.

Finally in exasperation she crawled into my lap and got in my face. "Papa," she shouted, "are you listening to me?"

"Sarah," I confessed, putting down my magazine, "I haven't been listening well. Forgive me. I'll listen to you now."

My commitment to Sarah is one that I want to keep on other occasions as well. It's one of the gifts "of what remains" that I can give to others - to talk less and listen better. As Frasier Crane would say, "I'm listening" - or, to be more honest, I'm trying to learn how to listen.

I want to listen well so that when I finish a conversation, others will walk away knowing there's at least one person in this care-less world who has some inkling of what they're doing, thinking, and feeling. I want to hear the hushed undertones of their hearts. I want them to know that I care.

Listening, however, doesn't come easy for me. For years I was paid to talk; I was a "word monger" to borrow Augustine of Hippo's apt description of a teacher. It comes as a revelation to me that I can do more with my ears now that I can with my mouth.

In her book Listening to Others, Joyce Huggett relates her experiences of listening to suffering people. She says they often talk about all she's done for them. "On many occasions," she writes, "I have not 'done' anything. I have 'just listened.' I quickly came to the conclusion that 'just listening' was indeed an effective way of helping others."

This was the help Job's wordy, would-be friends failed to give him. They were "miserable comforters," he complained. "'Oh, that I had someone to hear me!'''

Job is not alone in his longing. All human beings want to be heard, and listening is one of the best ways in the world to love others. Listening says, "You matter to me." (Job 16:2; 31:35)

Kenneth Grahame's Badger in The Wind in the Willows knew how to do it.

He sat in his arm-chair at the head of the table,
and nodded gravely at intervals as the animals
told their story; and he did not seem surprised
or shocked at anything, and he never said, "I
told you so," or, "Just what I always said," or
remarked that they ought to have done so-and-
so, or ought to have done something else. The
Mole began to feel very friendly towards him.

Listening is a lost art these days. We don't listen well and we aren't used to being listened to. Most of our words simply disappear into the air.

I have a friend who, when he goes to noisy parties and people ask how he's doing, on occasion has replied quietly, "My business went belly-up this week, the bank foreclosed on my house, my wife left me, and I have terminal cancer." "Wonderful!" one man murmured, as he pumped my friend's hand and moved on. I keep wondering if I've done something similar to others.

Some years ago I came across the following advice about listening - which I'm still in the process of learning and applying:
  • When I'm thinking about an answer while others are talking - I'm not listening.
  • When I give unsolicited advice - I'm not listening. (Unsolicited advice always sounds like criticism.)
  • When I suggest they shouldn't feel the way they do - I'm not listening.
  • When I apply a quick fix to their problems - I'm not listening.
  • When I fail to acknowledge their feelings - I'm not listening.
  • When I fidget, glance at my watch, and appear to be rushed - I'm not listening.
  • When I fail to maintain eye contact - I'm not listening.
  • When I don't ask follow-up questions - I'm not listening.
  • When I top their story with a bigger, better story of my own - I'm not listening.
  • When they share a difficult experience and I counter with one of my own - I'm not listening.
Listening is hard work, and most of us are unwilling to put in the time - and time is the operative word. Listening means setting aside our own timetable and tendency to hurry on to our next destination. It means settling into a relaxed, unhurried, leisurely pace. "Only in the ambiance of leisure," Eugene Peterson writes, "do persons know they are listened to with absolute seriousness, treated with dignity and importance."

In leisure we regard other's interest as more important than ours. (Philippians 2:3) In leisure we say, "You are more significant than anything I have to do right now. You are the only one who counts, the one for whom I am willing to forgo my other obligations, appointments, and meetings. I have time for you." In leisure, we listen long enough to hear the other person's true heart so that if we do speak, we speak with wisdom.

A leisurely pace, a listening ear, a loving heart. May you and I, by God's grace, acquire them.
 

Kenneth Grahame's Badger in The Wind in the Willows
PHOTO: Kenneth Grahame's Badger in The Wind in the Willows
He never said, "I told you so," or, "Just what I always said," or remarked that they ought to have done so-and-so, or ought to have done something else. He nodded gravely at intervals as the animals told their story; and he did not seem surprised or shocked at anything.
Picture posted by Maïté Chatadieu - Chris Dunn Illustration, The Wind in the Willows
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Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that we are not like the wise old owl which sat in an oak. The more he heard, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard.

For most of us, silence has never been golden. We are paying little attention and not responding well to other comments. These leads to exasperation in others because we haven't been listening well.

Lord, we pray for help to talk less and listen better. We want to listen well so that when we finish a conversation, others will walk away knowing there's at least one person in this care-less world who has some inkling of what they're doing, thinking, and feeling We want to hear the hushed undertones of their hearts. We want them to know that we care.

Lord, listening doesn't come easy for us. We are mostly ‘word monger’. Help us do more with our ears that we can with our mouths. Let our 'just listening' be an effective way of helping others. We do not want to be miserable comforter’ instead of becoming someone who can hear others.

We learn too, that all human beings want to be heard, and listening is one of the best ways in the world to love others. Listening implies to others that they are important and matter to us. Lord, we pray that listening is not a lost art these days. Because we don't listen well and we aren't used to being listened to. Most of our words simply disappear into the air.

Help us Lord. Listening is hard work, and most of us are unwilling to put in the time - and time is the operative word. Help us to understand that listening means setting aside our own timetable and tendency to hurry on to our next destination. It means settling into a relaxed, unhurried, leisurely pace. Help us to learn that only in the ambiance of leisure do we listen with absolute seriousness, treat others with dignity and importance.

May in leisure we regard other's interest as more important than ours. May we in leisure say, ‘You are more significant than anything I have to do right now. You are the only one who counts, the one for whom I am willing to forgo my other obligations, appointments, and meetings. I have time for you.’ May we in leisure, listen long enough to hear the other person's true heart so that if we do speak, we speak with wisdom.

Lord, by Your grace may we acquire a leisurely pace, a listening ear, a loving heart.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Chris Dunn@ChrisDunnIllos, Illustrator & Fine Artist on 10 July 2019 at 06:42 pm
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Chapter 44 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The World's Last Night, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-worlds-last.html [44]

The doctrine of the Second Coming has failed
PHOTO: The doctrine of the Second Coming has failed,
so far as we are concerned, if it does not make
us realize that at every moment of every year in
our lives Donne's question "What if this present
were the world's last night?" is equally relevant.
- C. S. Lewis

I love to read old newspapers from the days of the Idaho frontier. One such paper is The Owyhee Avalanche, a chronicle that covered events in and around Owyhee Country (the country to the south of us) in the mid to late nineteenth century.

On May 4, 1867, the paper carried this report: "James Fraser was shot and killed by Indians last Friday evening between sunset and dark." Fraser was a prospector working a gulch below Wagontown in the Owyhee Mountains of Idaho, closing in on pay dirt. He didn't plan to die that day . . . but he died. You just never know.

Death meets us everywhere . . . and enters in
at many doors. [It enters by the fall of a chariot
and the stumbling at a stone, by a full meal or
an empty stomach, by watching at the wine
or by watching at prayers, by the sun or the
moon, by a heat or a cold, by sleepless nights or
sleeping days, by water frozen into hardness
and sharpness of a dagger, or water thawed
into the floods of a river, by a hair or a raisin,
by violent motion or sitting still, by severity or
dissolution, by everything in nature and every
thing in chance.]

The apostle Peter agrees. "The end of all things is near." (1 Peter 4:7-11) This night - tonight - may be "the world's last night" - at least for me. I may go to God this day, or He may come for me. This could be the last hour of my life.

So, I ask myself: How should I invest my time? What activities and attitudes should fill my final hours? Is there some magnificent gesture, some grand and glorious act to mark the end of my days?

First, I must pray: "Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray," Peter writes. Prayer is my access to God, the way I can stay in touch with Him. It's not so much that prayer moves God, but that it moves me. It aligns me more closely with what He is doing, and conforms me to His will.

I must bring sobriety to prayer, Peter says. It's not that prayer must be joyless, for it can be whimsical (fanciful), light-hearted, musical, full of mirth (cheerfulness). No, what Peter inveighs (protest) against is superficiality (not serious thought). I must take seriously my need to fill my days with prayer because that is the secret of a useful, God-filled life - the means by which God can use me for the highest good. Without prayer I will accomplish exactly nothing.

And then I must love deeply - with great care and determination, "because love covers over a multitude of sins." Love and forgiveness mark me as God's child and remind others of His love. "No one can see God," John said, but they can see me.

Perhaps I can do nothing for a difficult neighbor, a struggling brother, a suffering friend. But I can love them. A smile, a note, a kind word, a brief touch can be the greatest thing in the world when I offer it in love. And even when my journey leads into illness, weakness, and infirmed (feeble) old age, my work can be in loving, which in the end will be my greatest gift to God and to others.

In addition, I must offer hospitality to others without complaining. I can open my home and my heart to those in need; I can be available to anyone who happens to come my way. "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers: the next needy person you meet. I must keep my heart open to others and welcome all comers.

Then, I must use whatever gifts God has given me to serve others, "faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." The gifts I have been given and the work I am called to do are from one mind. The God who made me made my path. For whatever days God gives me, I must put into practice His special design and purpose for me so I may live in loving service to Him and to others.

And finally, I must do all these things "with the strength God provides." God must put into me all that He wants to take out of me. I am nothing; He is everything. To Him be the glory (not me).

Prayer, love, hospitality, and humble service. How simple and how satisfying to do these things as though they are the last things I will do on earth. To do them lovingly, faithfully, patiently this day and the next day and the next day . . . If so, the last day will take care of itself.

It's never too late to get started; we're never too old to begin. "I must begin today!"
 

I must offer hospitality to others without complaining.
PHOTO: I must offer hospitality to others without complaining. I can open my home and my heart to those in need; I can be available to anyone who happens to come my way.  I must keep my heart open to others and welcome all comers.
Painting by Jacob Jordaens (c. 1593–1678) - Jupiter And Mercury Visiting Philemon And Baucis
Picture from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
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Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that if we do not realise that at every moment of every year in our lives could be the last, the doctrine of the Second Coming has failed. Death meets us everywhere . . . and enters in at many doors. By everything in nature and everything in chance.

The apostle Peter had warned us that ‘The end of all things is near.’ This night - tonight - may be ‘the world's last night’. We may go to God this day, or He may come for us. This could be the last hour of our life.

Lord, we pray for help with the activities and attitudes that should fill our final hours.

Help us to pray. May we have clear mind and self-control so that we can pray. May prayer be the access to God, the way we can stay in touch with Him. It's not so much that prayer moves God, but that it moves us. May it align us more closely with what He is doing, and conforms us to His will.

May we bring sobriety to prayer. According to Peter, prayer need bot be joyless, for it can be whimsical, light-hearted, musical, full of mirth. Peter also inveighs against our superficiality. Help us to take seriously our need to fill our days with prayer because that is the secret of a useful, God-filled life - the means by which God can use us for the highest good. Without prayer we will accomplish exactly nothing.

Help us too, to love deeply - with great care and determination, ‘because love covers over a multitude of sins.’ Love and forgiveness mark us as God's children and remind others of His love. No one can see God but they can see us.

Perhaps we can do nothing for a difficult neighbour, a struggling brother, a suffering friend. But we can love them. May our smile, a note, a kind word, a brief touch can be the greatest thing in the world when we offer it in love. And even when our journey leads into illness, weakness, and infirmed old age, may our work be in loving, which in the end will be our greatest gift to God and to others.

Lord, in addition, help us to offer hospitality to others without complaining. May we open our home and our heart to those in need; may we be available to anyone who happens to come our way. Jesus once said the next needy person we meet is our neighbour. Help us to keep our heart open to others and welcome all comers.

May we use whatever gifts God has given us to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. The gifts we have been given and the work we are called to do are from one mind. The God who made us made our path. For whatever days God gives us, may we put into practice His special design and purpose for us so that we may live in loving service to Him and to others.

And finally, Lord, may we do all these things ‘with the strength God provides.’ God must put into us all that He wants to take out of us. We are nothing; He is everything. To Him be the glory (not us).

Prayer, love, hospitality, and humble service. May we do these things as though they are the last things we will do on earth. To do them lovingly, faithfully, patiently this day and the next day and the next day . . . If so, may the last day take care of itself.

Lord, we learn that it's never too late to get started; we're never too old to begin. May we begin today!

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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https://astuvisa.netlify.app/img/Images/15.jpg
https://astuvisa.netlify.app/bioenergetines-konsultacijos.html
 
 
 
Chapter 45 - Reflection - Number Our Days - On Yaks, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-on-yaks.html [45]

We have been talking about faith ever since the Lord came.
PHOTO: We have been talking about faith ever since the
Lord came. It is not exhausted yet, and God
forbid that I should think that I know yet what
faith is; although I know a little what it is.
- George MacDonald

There's a yak (long-haired domesticated cattle)," Carolyn said nonchalantly (casually) as we sped down the highway last summer. "Yeah, sure," I replied, with more irony in my voice than I intended.

"It was a yak!" Carolyn harrumphed (expressed dissatisfaction). "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Then she lapsed into ominous (threatening) silence.

"Well, there's one way to settle this matter," I muttered, and turned the car around and drove back to the place where she claimed to have seen the beast.

"There," she pointed, and exclaimed as the animal came into sight, "See? Now do you believe me?"

It was indeed a yak. I was chastened (humbled) in my unbelief.

This exchange set me to thinking about faith and its properties. Like George MacDonald, I do not think that I know yet what faith is, but I learned a little what it is through that exchange. It occurs to me now that faith means believing something. But it is more. Faith is believing someone. Let me explain.

Faith, by biblical definition, is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. "It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes."

But that conviction is based on "things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical (seen), first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. When we have seen something for ourselves, we no longer believe; we "know." A "believer," then, in the strictest sense of the word, accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else.

I know, for example, that there was a yak on the road that day because I saw it with my own eyes. But if Carolyn tells me these days that she has seen another yak, while I may not know it, I will believe it (the fact of a yak); or, more exactly, I will believe her, for she has proved herself to be a credible witness.

Which brings me to the point of this chapter: I believe the stories about Jesus because I believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; I believe that their firsthand reports are true. As the apostle John put it: "That . . . which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched . . . [we] proclaim to you." (1 John 1:1-3)

I believe something (the words and works of Jesus), but I also believe someone (those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' words and works). John concludes his gospel on this note: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." (John 20:30-31) This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.

And therein lies the difficulty, because most of us are for Missouri (owners of big canoes); you have to show us. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. (John 20:24-29) We feel the rebuke of Jesus' words: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." (John 20:29) And we hear ourselves say, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 NKJV)

First, let me say that our Lord is not angry with us because we find it hard to believe. He shared our human limitations and struggles when He was made flesh. Jesus himself had moments of uncertainty and doubt and needed His Father's reassurance. (Mark 15:34)

Angry? No. But He does want us to believe, for our faith pleases Him more than anything else we can do. How, then, can we know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true?

By obeying Him. Jesus made this clear: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." He also said, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." (John 14:21; 7:16-17)

How does Jesus show himself to us (make himself real)? How do we know that He is real? By acting on His word. George MacDonald writes: "I ask you, have you been trying the things not seen? Have you been proving them? This is what God puts in your hands. He says, "I tell you I Am, you act upon that; for I knew that your conscience moves you to it; you act upon that and you will find whether I Am or not, and what I Am."

Do you see? Faith in its true sense does not belong to the intellect alone, nor to the intellect first, but to the conscience and to the will. The faithful person says, "I cannot prove that there is a God, but, O God, if you hear me anywhere, help me do your will."

Faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is "the proving of things not seen" and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that you suppose to be the will of God.

So whatever your uncertainties, act upon what Jesus is asking you to do today. Don't wait for assurance. Just do it. Has He asked you to love a difficult and demanding child or spouse, to bear patiently with a painful disability, to be brave in the face of harsh criticism and misunderstanding? Do it! "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step," C. S. Lewis said.

You will not be able to obey perfectly, of course - that is something only One has been able to do. But if you choose the right thing and try to do it, God will give you all the help you need to carry on. Then, in time (I cannot say how or when) you will "see" and you will "know" for yourself. Then, your whole being will be caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.

And this is that for which we were made.
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-on-yaks.html
 
 

Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that we do not think that we know yet what faith is, but we learned a little what it is. It occurs to us that faith means believing something. But it is more. Faith is believing someone.

Faith, by biblical definition, is ‘being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. ‘It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes.’

We learn that faith is based on things not seen. Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical, first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. A ‘believer’ accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else. We believe that someone else who has proved himself to be a credible witness.

We believe the stories about Jesus because we believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; we believe that their first-hand reports are true. They have heard, seen with their eyes, and their hand have touched what they proclaim to us. This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.

However we have difficulty, we need to be shown what the apostles said. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. We feel the rebuke of Jesus' words: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’ And we hear ourselves say, ‘Lord, I believe; help our unbelief!’

Lord, thank You for not been angry with us while we find it hard to believe. Because Jesus shared our human limitations and struggles when He was made flesh. Jesus himself had moments of uncertainty and doubt and needed His Father's reassurance. Help us to believe, for our faith pleases Him more than anything else we can do.

Lord, help us to obey Him so that we can know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true. Jesus made this clear: ‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.’ He also said, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God.’

Help us too, to act on His word. May we try the things not seen. May we prove them. May our conscience move us to it. May we act upon that and find whether ‘I Am or not, and what I Am’.

Since faith in its true sense does not belong to the intellect alone, nor to the intellect first, but to the conscience and to the will. May we follow the faithful and say ‘I cannot prove that there is a God, but, O God, if you hear me anywhere, help me do your will.’

May we learn that faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is ‘he proving of things not seen’ and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that we supposed to be the will of God.

Lord, help us to act upon what Jesus is asking us to do today without waiting for assurance, but to just do it. May we be able to love a difficult and demanding child or spouse, to bear patiently with a painful disability, to be brave in the face of harsh criticism and misunderstanding. Help us to take a step, and then another step, and be saved.

Lord, we will not be able to obey perfectly because that is something only One has been able to do. May we choose the right thing and try to do it. We pray for all the help we need to carry on. May we in time able to ‘see’ and ‘know’ for ourselves. May we wholly being caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.

For this is that for which we were made.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 46 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Fool's Gold, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-fools-gold.html [46]

All that is gold does not glitter.
PHOTO: All that is gold does not glitter.
- J. R. R. Tolkien

There was a television show many years ago about an invisible man. He could go anywhere and do anything and no one knew he was there. I have become that man.

I go to check-out counters and perky young clerks look right through me, unaware that a human being stands before them. I sit in discussions with bright young theologians and no one acknowledges my presence or asks if I have an opinion. It's good to remember, on those occasions, J. R. R. Tolkien's wise proverb: "All that is gold does not glitter."

Back in the 1860s a prospector named Captain Tom Morgan filed a claim on a hard-to-find drainage in the mountains northeast of Boise, Idaho, and rode into town claiming he had discovered over ＄50,000 worth of gold. After a legendary spending spree, his "gold" was discovered to be chemically enhanced from pyrite - also known as "fool's gold."

Captain Morgan was never caught, nor was he ever seen again, but his skulduggery (swindling) is memorialized in the name the site bears to this day, Bogus Basin, and proves again that William Shakespeare was right: "All that glitters is not gold."

Most of us, at one time or another, have been fooled by those who shimmer and shine, but whose hearts are dark and deceitful. We're learned that outward beauty can be a façade (false appearance), an affectation that conceals evil, self-serving motives. Be wary of those who look too good to be true, for too often they are.

Tolkien, however, turns the proverb upside down and finds an equal and opposite truth: "All that is golds does not glitter." In other words, as ugliness can be cloaked in beauty, so beauty can be hidden in an off-putting presence.

Early in the story of The Lord of the Rings, the hobbit Frodo and his halfling friends have arrived at the village of Bree and have taken a room at the inn of The Prancing Pony. Riders had come from the south the day before - strange, suspicious-looking men who are also lodged at the inn. But the strangest of all is a tall dark man who sits in a shadowy corner, wrapped in a cloak with a hood that hides his face.

He is a Ranger, the innkeeper Mr. Butterbur says, a solitary wanderer who comes and goes at will and whose business is shrouded in mystery. His presence is grim and forbidding.

Then Butterbur remembers that three months earlier the wizard Gandalf had left a letter with him that he was supposed to deliver to Mr. Frodo Baggins. In the letter Gandalf writes: "You may meet a friend of mine on the Road: a Man, lean, dark, tall, by some called Strider. He knows our business and will help you."

In a postscript to the letter, Gandalf offers this warning, information, and prophecy:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken;
The crownless again shall be king.

Who could have guessed that the dark rider is, in fact, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, a "crownless" king, an ancient warrior with deep wisdom who will become a fast friend, faithful guide, and guardian to Frodo and his friends - which, of course, is Tolkien's point: an unappealing presence can conceal a heart of gold. We're fools not to know it.

The media and other elements of our culture have taught folks to court the buff (attractive or well-toned), the best-dressed, and the beautiful and attribute worth to them. The dull, the dowdy, the homely (unattractive), the elderly are discounted.

But wisdom teaches otherwise: "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) Wisdom leads us to go beyond appearance and look within our souls for virtue and the beauty of holiness, for authentic worth lies just there.

Remember the Lord: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised . . . and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:2-3) Yet his heart was pure gold.

Our lord is building into us pure gold, silver, and precious stones, and what matters in the end is not what has happened to the outer person, but what's going on inside. We may be nothing much to look at - no glitter or glamour - but our souls can shimmer and shine. On that basis, and that basis alone, we must assign value to ourselves.

But then, having written all that, I have to ask myself, "On what basis do I evaluate others? What kind of fool am I?" (Psalm 101:6-7)
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https://fanart.tv/movie/8676/fools-gold/
 
 
 
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that in certain occasion, it is good to remember J. R. R. Tolkien's wise proverb: ‘All that is gold does not glitter.’ Especially so, when we became invisible with people looking right through us, unaware that a human being stands before them.

The story of the legendary Captain Morgan whose skulduggery proves that ‘All that glitters is not gold.’ Most of us, at one time or another, have been fooled by those who shimmer and shine, but whose hearts are dark and deceitful. We're learned that outward beauty can be a façade, an affectation that conceals evil, self-serving motives.  Lord, help us to be wary of those who look too good to be true, for too often they are.

Help us too, to remember the proverb ‘All that is golds does not glitter.’ Because as ugliness can be cloaked in beauty, so beauty can be hidden in an off-putting presence. A Man, lean, dark and tall could be a warrior with deep wisdom who will become our fast friend, faithful guide, and guardian. An unappealing presence can conceal a heart of gold. We're fools not to know it.

Unfortunately, our media and other elements of our culture have taught folks to court the buff, the best-dressed, and the beautiful and attribute worth to them. The dull, the dowdy, the homely, the elderly are discounted.

Lord, help us to learn from Your wisdom. It teaches otherwise: ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Wisdom leads us to go beyond appearance and look within our souls for virtue and the beauty of holiness, for authentic worth lies just there.

May we remember too, that the Lord, ‘had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised . . . and we esteemed him not.’ Yet his heart was pure gold.

Lord, we pray that You continue building into us pure gold, silver, and precious stones. Because what matters in the end is not what has happened to the outer person, but what's going on inside. Although we may be nothing much to look at - no glitter or glamour - but may our souls shimmer and shine. On this basis, and this basis alone, may we assign value to ourselves.

However, Lord, on what basis do we evaluate others? What kind of fool are we?

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Painting by Ernst Klimt, and after his death, his brother Gustav Klimt completed the painting - Pan and Psyche (1892)
Picture posted by tumblr
 
 

Chapter 47 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Things I Can't Do Any Longer, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-things-i.html [47]

You are no longer equal to the tasks which once
PHOTO: You are no longer equal to the tasks which once
you undertook with ease. The eye may be dim, the
ear dull, the breath short, the heart faint, the hand
unsteady, and the golden bowl of life almost broken.
And because these things are in contrast with the
long day of usefulness which you once enjoyed, you
are inclined to be despondent; you feel that you are
a burden to others, and that you are in their way.
- Henry Durbanville, The Best Is Yet To Be

Carolyn will tell you that I'm an impossibly optimistic person who rarely sees the difficulties in life that others see. I awaken most mornings full of lively enthusiasm, an attitude reminiscent (remind something) of Mad magazine's mascot, Alfred E. Neuman: "What, me worry?"

Lately, however, when I allow my thoughts to dwell on the fact that I'm well past prime, I find myself somewhat deflated. Yet these pensive (reflective) moments can be good for the heart, because they make me think long and earnestly about my motives, intentions, enthusiasms, and real interests. (Ecclesiastes 7:3)

My melancholy, as I'm beginning to understand it, comes mostly from losses and consequent disappointment, from the realization that certain activities I've enjoyed must now be curtailed. There are some things - activities from which I formerly derived great satisfaction - that I can no longer enjoy. They're much too difficult for an older man to do. I'm no longer equal to the tasks that once I undertook with ease.

Such brooding only leads to deeper discouragement, however. So I'm learning to ask myself, "Can I be content with these losses, knowing that losses are part of aging and as such are the will of God?"

Dr. Robert Horton, a Bible scholar and teacher, who, in the zenith of his career, could hold congregations spellbound by his eloquence, in his last years struggled from the feeling that he had been set aside. Churches no longer wanted his services, publishers no longer sought his manuscripts, people didn't ask for his counsel.

"A man discovers one day that his mind has lost its old elasticity," he wrote, "that it is no longer equal to the tasks laid upon it; and that those who came after him are being preferred before him. Fretful (miserable) impatience cannot alter the facts, although it may murder his own peace of mind. Let him accept them as the will of God for him; then all the bitterness goes."

So, with this encouragement I say to myself, "If I accept my lot with a quiet patience, not chafing (rubbing) against it, I will find that it's not without its compensations." Indeed, "in acceptance lieth peace."

God's will is a soft pillow for my head and a place of peace and comfort for my heart.

Thou sweet beloved will of God.
My anchor ground, my fortress hill,
My spirit's silent, fair abode,
in Thee I hide me, and am still.

Within this place of certain good,
Love evermore expands her wings,
Or nestling in Thy perfect choice,
Abides content with what it brings.

O lightest burden, sweetest yoke,
It lifts, it bears my happy soul,
It giveth wings to this poor heart;
My freedom is Thy grand control.

Upon God's will I lay me down,
As child upon its mother's breast;
No silken couch, nor softest bed,
Could ever give me such deep rest.

Thy wonderful, grand will my God,
With triumph now I make it mine;
And faith shall cry a joyous "Yes"
To every dear command of Thine.
- Madam Guyon
 

When I allow my thoughts to dwell on the fact that I'm well past prime, I find myself somewhat deflated.PHOTO: When I allow my thoughts to dwell on the fact that I'm well past prime, I find myself somewhat deflated. Yet these pensive (reflective) moments can be good for the heart, because they make me think long and earnestly about my motives, intentions, enthusiasms, and real interests. (Ecclesiastes 7:3)
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 Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, when we are well past prime, we feel deflated.  We learn that these pensive moments can be good for the heart, because they make us think long and earnestly about our motives, intentions, enthusiasms, and real interests.

Our melancholy, comes mostly from losses and consequent disappointment, from the realization that certain activities we've enjoyed must now be curtailed. There are some things - activities from which we formerly derived great satisfaction - that we can no longer enjoy. They're much too difficult for an older man to do. We’re no longer equal to the tasks that once we undertook with ease.

Such brooding only leads to deeper discouragement. And we learn to ask ourselves whether we can be content with these losses, knowing that losses are part of aging and as such are the will of God.

We learn of a Bible scholar and teacher, who, in the zenith of his career, could hold congregations spellbound by his eloquence, in his last years struggled from the feeling that he had been set aside. Churches no longer wanted his services, publishers no longer sought his manuscripts, people didn't ask for his counsel.

‘A man discovers one day that his mind has lost its old elasticity,’ he wrote ‘that it is no longer equal to the tasks laid upon it; and that those who came after him are being preferred before him. Fretful impatience cannot alter the facts, although it may murder his own peace of mind. Let him accept them as the will of God for him; then all the bitterness goes.’

Lord, help us with this encouragement and say to ourselves, ‘If we accept our lot with a quiet patience, not chafing against it, we will find that it's not without its compensations, because in acceptance lieth peace.’

We pray that Your will is a soft pillow for our head and a place of peace and comfort for our heart.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Reverse Gif file is generated from the link - (http://freegifmaker.me/reverse-gif/)
 

 
Chapter 48 - Reflection - Number Our Days -The Works of Our Hands, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-work-of-our.html [48]

Life is a vapor, but that is long
PHOTO: Life is a vapor, but that is long
enough to do the right thing.
- Richard Swenson

A few years ago Carolyn and I were vacationing in a friend's condo on the Oregon coast. One morning I got up early to take a walk on the beach, access to which was gained by a winding path through thick bushes that overarched and completely enclosed it. The bushes hadn't been trimmed in some time, and they were crowding into the path making it difficult in some places to push through. Even with daylight it was a dark and gloomy place.

At the bottom of the walk there was a gate that was locked to prevent access to the condo from the beach. As I got out my key to unlock the gate, I heard a noise behind me and turned to face a large, bearded, unkempt, sinister-looking man bearing down on me through the bushes. He had a sickle in his hand.

I've been told that your entire life passes through your mind at the moment of death, but the only thought that went through my mind was that I had just bought the farm.

As it turned out, however, my "assailant" was merely the gardener making his way down the path to trim the bushes. He was a rather pleasant fellow, and after I realized that he didn't intend to murder me, we had an amiable chat.

As I moved through the gate and out onto the beach, I began to think about the tenuous (fragile) nature of life. I've already used up most of my allotted time - exceeded my three-score and ten. Life is too uncertain, too fragile, to treat it carelessly. So I frequently ask myself, "Have I left anything behind of significance? Will there be any enduring evidence that I've been here?"

Augustine of Hippo said, "Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being." Enduring greatness stems from what we are, not from what we do. Through we may seem to be doing nothing worthwhile, we can be doing everything worthwhile if our lives are being styled by God's wonderful grace. Set aside through sickness or seclusion, we can still be productive. Bedridden or housebound, our holiness can still bear fruit. "Being" is what matters.

The other lasting thing we can do is to touch as many people as possible with God's love through the kindness and compassion we show. "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man . . . a righteous man will be remembered forever." (Psalm 112:4, 6)

"We are immortal until our work on earth is done," said George Whitefield. I often think of that maxim when I see a friend languishing, bedridden and helpless, burdened with an active mind in a useless body. "Why doesn't God take him home?" I ask.

I'm reminded then that the time of our death is not determined by anyone or anything here on earth - not physicians, not actuarial tables, not the average life span of a human being. That decision is made in the councils of heaven. When we have done all God has in mind for us to do, then and only then will He take us home. As Paul put it, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep" - and not one moment before. (Acts 13:36)

In the meantime, until God takes us home, there's plenty to do. "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who send me," Jesus said. "Night is coming, when no one can work." (John 9:4) Night is coming when we will close our eyes on this world, or our Lord will bring this world to a close. Each day brings one of those two conclusions a little bit closer.

As long as we have the light of day, we must work - not to conquer, acquire, accumulate, and retire, but to make visible the invisible Christ and to touch men and women, boys and girls with His love. If we have done these things, we will have done all we can do and we can rest easy. No matter what else we've done or have not done, we will not have labored in vain.

So "let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

While there is still time, while we are still in the
body and are able to fulfill all these things by the
light of this life, we must hasten to do now what
will profit us for eternity.
- St. Benedict
Picture posted by aggroed on 31 October 2016 at 12:39 pm
Picture posted by Maria Nesa
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Augustine of Hippo saidPHOTO: Augustine of Hippo said, "Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being." Enduring greatness stems from what we are, not from what we do.
Touch as many people as possible with God's love through the kindness and compassion we show. "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man . . . a righteous man will be remembered forever." (Psalm 112:4, 6)
Picture posted by Broke my heart on 13 November 2016
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Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that life is of tenuous nature.  We may already use up most of our allotted time. But life is still too uncertain, too fragile, to treat it carelessly. It is questionable whether we have left anything behind of significance. And Will there be any enduring evidence that we've been here.

We may question ourselves whether we wish to be great. We learn that enduring greatness stems from what we are, not from what we do. Through we may seem to be doing nothing worthwhile, we can be doing everything worthwhile if our lives are being styled by God's wonderful grace. Our holiness can still bear fruit. ‘Being’ is what matters.

Lord, help us to do the other lasting thing; to touch as many people as possible with God's love through the kindness and compassion we show. Because ‘Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man . . . a righteous man will be remembered forever.’

We learn that ‘we are immortal until our work on earth is done.’ We are reminded that the time of our death is not determined by anyone or anything here on earth - not physicians, not actuarial tables, not the average life span of a human being. That decision is made in the councils of heaven. When we have done all God has in mind for us to do, then and only then will He take us home.

In the meantime, until God takes us home, help us, as long as it is day, to do the work of him who send us. Night is coming when we will close our eyes on this world, or our Lord will bring this world to a close. Each day brings one of those two conclusions a little bit closer.

May we work as long as we have the light of day - not to conquer, acquire, accumulate, and retire, but to make visible the invisible Christ and to touch men and women, boys and girls with His love. May we do these things, so that we will have done all we can do and we can rest easy. No matter what else we've done or have not done, we will not have laboured in vain.

We pray that we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

We pray that while there is still time, while we are still in the body and are able to fulfill all these things by the light of this life, may we hasten to do now what will profit us for eternity.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Wallpapertip
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https://www.wallpapertip.com/wmimgs/91-911023_cross-wallpaper-jesus.jpg
https://www.wallpapertip.com/wpic/ooJJwm_cross-wallpaper-jesus/
 
 
 
Chapter 49 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Readiness, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-readiness.html [49]

If you know the enemy and know yourself, the victory is not at risk.
PHOTO: If you know the enemy and know yourself, the victory is not at risk.
- Sun Tzu, The Art Of War (c. 400 BC)

Our son Randy, whose business is to know such things, told me about the OODA Loop the other day.

The OODA Loop comes from Colonel John Boyd and his concept of decision making in battlefield conditions. OODA is an acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. In its simplest form it describes the process by which combatants react to an enemy threat: (1) they observe the threat as it occurs; (2) they orient themselves to the threat; (3) they decide what action they will take, and (4) they act. All of which takes a certain amount of time.

Boyd's theory claims that the key to success in an encounter is to shorten a combatant's reaction time by formulating a strategy ahead of time for dealing with specific threats. In other words, one thinks through the Loop before an encounter.

Success, therefore, depends on mental preparation: anticipating every strategy an opponent might use and deciding in advance what one's response will be so that when an attack occurs the appropriate action becomes instinctual and automatic.

This theory has an elegant simplicity that lends itself to many applications, not the least of which is our ongoing conflict with evil - within and without. It offers what the wise person needs, according to Proverbs: guidance for waging war and wise counsel for victory. (Proverbs 24:5-6)

It seems to me that Peter had something like Boyd's promise in mind when he enjoined us to "be self-controlled [think it through] and alert [in readiness], [for] your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) In other words, we must be mentally prepared and know what to do when under attack.

This readiness is what early Christians called solertia, a Latin word that means a process of deliberation by which an individual envisions an impending circumstance and prepares for it by deciding beforehand what she or he will do. Thus, when the crisis arrives the person is not driven by emotion and passion, but by calm. reasoned resolution. This is providentia (another word the early Christians used) or "seeing before" - envisioning what needs to be done before one has to do it and giving thought to what has to be done and how to do it.

Solertia means, among other things, taking time each morning to think through the day and anticipate difficult and dangerous situations so that our response to spiritual threats is immediate and instinctual. (Do I have a meeting with someone "unfriendly" today? What do I think he or she will say? How can I respond in truth and love? Am I facing sexual temptation for which I must be forearmed? What steps must I take to guard my thoughts and actions? Do I anticipate a challenge in my business in which I'll be tempted to bargain away my integrity? What will I do if I am told to lie and my job is on the line?) Having deliberated in advance, I can respond to moral crisis with calm convictions, for the decision has already been made.

It's not mere forethought that saves us, however, Jesus instructs us to "watch and pray" lest we fall into temptation, for we may be willing and resolute, but the flesh (our unaided humanity) is weak (Mark 14:38) It's not by decision and determination alone, but by prayer - utter dependence on God - that we prevail.

Before you go forth of your closet, after your
prayers are done, sit yourself down a little while,
and consider what you are to do that day, what
matter of business is like to employ you, or to
tempt you; and take particular resolution against
that, whether it be matter of wrangling, or anger,
or covetousness, or vain courtship, or feasting:
and when you enter upon it, remember, upon
what you resolved in your closet. If you are likely
to have nothing extraordinary that day, a general
recommendation of the affairs of that day to God
in your prayers will be sufficient, but if there be
anything foreseen that is not usual, be sure to be
armed for it, by a hearty, though a short prayer,
and an earnest, prudent resolution beforehand:
and then watch when the thing comes.

Jesus said to His disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come . . . So watch yourselves." (Luke 17:1, 3)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-readiness.html
 

Boyd's theory has an elegant simplicity that lends itself to many applications, not the least of which is our ongoing conflict with evil - within and without.
PHOTO: Boyd's theory has an elegant simplicity that lends itself to many applications, not the least of which is our ongoing conflict with evil - within and without. We must be mentally prepared and know what to do when under attack.
Picture posted and illustration by Emanu
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https://www.emanu.se/
 

Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, according to Colonel John Boyd’s OODA Loop theory, success depends on mental preparation: anticipating every strategy an opponent might use and deciding in advance what one's response will be so that when an attack occurs the appropriate action becomes instinctual and automatic.

This theory elegant simplicity applies to our ongoing conflict with evil - within and without. It offers what the wise person needs, according to Proverbs: guidance for waging war and wise counsel for victory.

Peter had something like Boyd's promise in mind when he enjoined us to ‘be self-controlled [think it through] and alert [in readiness], [for] your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ We must be mentally prepared and know what to do when under attack.

Lord, help us to have this readiness, a process of deliberation by which an individual envisions an impending circumstance and prepares for it by deciding beforehand what she or he will do. When crisis arrives may we be not driven by emotion and passion, but by calm. reasoned resolution. Help us to be able to ‘see before’. May we envision what needs to be done before one has to do it and giving thought to what has to be done and how to do it.

We pray for your help to take time each morning to think through the day and anticipate difficult and dangerous situations so that our response to spiritual threats is immediate and instinctual. Help us to deliberate in advance, and be able to respond to moral crisis with calm convictions, for the decision has already been made.

Jesus had said to His disciples: ‘Things that cause people to sin are bound to come . . . So watch yourselves.’
Help us to follow Jesus instruction to ‘watch and pray’ in case we fall into temptation, for we may be willing and resolute, but the flesh, our unaided humanity, is weak.

It's not by decision and determination alone, but by prayer – utter dependence on God - that we prevail.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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 Chapter 50 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Autumn Colors, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-readiness.html [50]

Nature is ever singing to a child a more exquisite
PHOTO: Nature is ever singing to a child a more exquisite
song, and telling a more wonderful tale.
- William Wordsworth

I notice more things these days. This year it's the colors of autumn. Why, I ask myself, do trees turn into this collage (combination) of radiant maroon, red, orange, and yellow?

There's a perfectly natural explanation, of course. Trees are shades of green in the summer because chlorophyll, a green pigment in the leaves, absorbs red and blue light from the sun. The light reflected from the leaves, diminished in red and blue, appears green to our eyes.

Chlorophyll is an unstable substance, and bright sunlight causes it to decompose rapidly so plants must continuously synthesize and regenerate it. The shortening days and cool nights of autumn, however, interfere with this process, and as chlorophyll breaks down, the green colors of the leaves begin to fade.

The leaves of some trees - birches and "quakies" (aspens) for example - contain carotene, a yellow pigment, and thus change from green to bright yellow as the chlorophyll degrades. In other trees the action of sugar in the leaves creates anthocyanin, a red pigment, causing the yellowing leaves to turn maroon, purple, and bright red as the chlorophyll fades.

As I said before, there's a natural explanation.

But, I ask you, why all this just for color? Color serves no practical purpose, at least none that scientists have been able to discover. And why are there photoreceptors in our eyes that enable us to see it? Who can explain this?

John Calvin, that's who: "If it be asked what cause induced [God] to create all things at first, and now inclines him to preserve them, we shall find that there could be no other cause than his own goodness."

No other cause than God's goodness? Indeed, Goodness is the point of all creation. God created and colored the world and exuded over what He had made: "Ah, that's beautiful!" He exclaimed, "My children will love it!"

I would never for a moment denigrate the labors and discoveries of scientists, but their explanations are never enough, for they cannot tell us why things ultimately exist - that is, for what purposes. For that insight we need revelation and disclosure, not discovery.

It is through God's Word, not scientific analysis, that we enter into nature's deepest secrets and understand God's "why." There "we understand in a moment things that no man of science, prosecuting his investigations from the surface with all the aids that keenest human intellect can supply, would reach in the longest lifetime." There we understand that God is love and made the whole world for our good!

Dante Alighieri, in the very last line of his Divine Comedy, sums up his argument on the mystery of God's eternal affection by stating that his love for us is the motive and the means "whereby the sun doth move / And all the stars."

Why, then, autumn colors? Our heavenly Father does it on purpose to make the world more beautiful for our childlike delight - and for no other reason. He's like that, you know.
Picture posted by Annie Botticelli, Cozy by Sweet Starlight on 21 October 2021 - Astrology for Wellness
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Whereby the sun doth move / And all the stars.PHOTO: "Whereby the sun doth move / And all the stars. We understand in a moment things that no man of science, prosecuting his investigations from the surface with all the aids that keenest human intellect can supply, would reach in the longest lifetime."
God is love and made the whole world for our good!
Picture posted by Animanimes
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Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that Goodness is the point of all creation. God created and coloured the world and exuded over what He had made: ‘Ah, that's beautiful!’ He exclaimed, ‘My children will love it!’

The labours and discoveries of scientists are never enough to explain why things ultimately exist - that is, for what purposes. For that insight we need revelation and disclosure, not discovery.

Lord, we learn that it is through God's Word, not scientific analysis, that we enter into nature's deepest secrets and understand God's ‘why.’ There ‘we understand in a moment, things that no man of science, prosecuting his investigations from the surface with all the aids that keenest human intellect can supply, would reach in the longest lifetime.’ There we understand that God is love and made the whole world for our good!

Lord, thank You for making the world more beautiful for our childlike delight - and for no other reason.

We have Your eternal affection, and love is the motive. May we be penetrated by the light of truth and understands that God's love is at the center of the universe, setting everything else into motion.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Gabby / Gypsy*Diaries at 9:30 AM - Autumn Leaves are Falling
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyvrguHaBDmhPtDr34M8lhvxa0emnhxFbtjWCrmwZ5l3hxHBYp2Ofvd06xSlBcxRiUBEh0IdLNYYYwMY90NDtj9FUJLk25lSoMzPESFMQTf4vLiV0A5zxOhw8soktlDrNSMgdePkMdLCOkBlr_WLSnH7agL1XxFwviESDRmjFCUvRRo7wPVvwp4h8t=s1600
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http://gypsy-diaries.blogspot.com/2010/10/photoshoot-autumn-leaves-are-falling.html
 
 
 
Chapter 51 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Nothing Left to Prove, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-nothing-left.html [51]

The Low Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. Please use the back door.
PHOTO: The Low Esteem Support Group will meet
Thursday at 7 p.m. Please use the back door.
- Church Bulletin Announcement

A few fortunate individuals never seem to struggle with self-esteem. I remember hearing an interview with the great Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach on ESPN some years ago in which he was asked about his early athletic career. He said that when he played Little League baseball as a boy, in tense bases-loaded, one-run-ahead situations, he would say to himself, "Hit the ball to me! Hit it to me."

When I was a kid playing baseball, I was always praying under my breath: "Please don't hit the ball to me! Please don't hit the ball to me! Hit it to anyone but me." Many of you can probably identify with that point of view.

One way the world tries to deal with lack of self-esteem is to suggest that we itemize our assets and liabilities. That's not entirely wrong. It's good to be objective about oneself. Paul says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement." (Romans 12:3) In other words, we need to know who we are.

Obviously, I shouldn't feel bad about myself because I'm not playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. God has not gifted me to play that role. But there are things I can do and can do reasonably well. So it's a good exercise from time to time to remind ourselves that we are gifted in certain ways and that all of us have something of significance to give to the world and to the church.

Another secular solution to self-esteem is to do something about your liabilities: Go back to school. Join a gym and get in shape. Buy clothes. Create "a new you" - more self-assured version of yourself.

Again, there's nothing wrong with trying to make the most of what we have. But if we're not careful, the whole exercise will degenerate into narcissism and constant attention to our bodies, muscles, or clothing. And when all the objectifying and re-doing is over, most of us will still have one anguish: low self-esteem.

There's only one way to deal with that issue: We must learn to see ourselves as God sees us and know that He highly values us.

In the stock market there is concept called "value transfer." Certain stocks take on value because credible brokers believe in them. That principle operates in almost every realm of life: A thing is given worth when valuable people ascribe (assign) value to it.

Suppose, for example, you're a fledgling artist exhibiting your first efforts at Arts in the Park. No one is interested in your work. Those who do stop gaze for a moment and then look bored and move on. But then, along comes Rembrandt, the great Dutch painter - the master of light and shadow. He stops to peruse your paintings. "Pure genius!" he exclaims. "Marvellous talent! Great potential. I'll give you a million dollars (guilders?) for this work!"

God feels the same way about you. You are of infinite worth in His eyes. Imagine! The Creator of the universe thinks you're someone very special, even if you're very old. It's been said that "faith is the courage to accept acceptance." How can I not value what God values?

I think of Bow Wow. Thirty years ago, one of our sons adopted a rag dog he called Bow Wow. Bow Wow was the most precious thing that boy possessed. He had toys with more intrinsic value, but none did he love or value more. Bow Wow was Linus's blanket, Radar's teddy bear, the Velveteen Rabbit - all rolled up in one. Bow Wow got dragged everywhere, and in time became incredibly dirty and ragged. But my, how he was loved!

We are God's rag dogs - precious beyond all measure because we are loved by the One who is Love itself.

It's that perspective that enables us to be chivalrous and magnanimous to others. Once we understand how deeply we're loved, we don't need to win all the time. We can set aside our envy and jealousy; We don't have to put others down or score a string of petty victories to feel good about ourselves. We don't have to prove anything. We have nothing left to prove. We're loved by Infinite Love.
Picture posted by Jyoti Singh on 19 November 2021


You are of infinite worth in His eyes. Imagine!
PHOTO: You are of infinite worth in His eyes. Imagine! The Creator of the universe thinks you're someone very special, even if you're very old. It's been said that "faith is the courage to accept acceptance." How can I not value what God values?
Picture posted by Ebenism, riptideprint
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https://riptideprints.com/collections/ebenism


Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we are reminded by Paul not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but rather think of ourselves with sober judgement. One way the world tries to deal with lack of self-esteem is to suggest that we itemize our assets and liabilities. It's good to be objective about oneself, because we need to know who we are.

We learn that it's a good exercise from time to time to remind ourselves that we are gifted in certain ways and that all of us have something of significance to give to the world and to the church.

We learn another secular solution to self-esteem is to do something about our liabilities – by going back to school. Join a gym and get in shape. Buy clothes. Create ‘a new you’ - more self-assured version of ourselves.

Lord, help us to be careful. Although there's nothing wrong with trying to make the most of what we have. But if we're not careful, the whole exercise will degenerate into narcissism and constant attention to our bodies, muscles, or clothing. And when all the objectifying and re-doing is over, most of us will still have one anguish: low self-esteem.

We pray that we learn to see ourselves as God sees us and know that He highly values us.

Just as in the stock market there is concept called ‘value transfer.’ Certain stocks take on value because credible brokers believe in them. That principle operates in almost every realm of life: A thing is given worth when valuable people ascribe value to it.

Lord, thank You for having loving feeling for us. In Your eyes we are of infinite worth. We are very privileged to have the Creator of the universe thinks we're someone very special, even if we're very old. We take on value because You believe in us. It's been said that ‘faith is the courage to accept acceptance.’ How can we not value what God values?

Lord, we are God's rag dogs - precious beyond all measure because we are loved by the One who is Love itself.

May that perspective enable us to be chivalrous and magnanimous to others. Help us to understand how deeply we're loved, so that we don't need to win all the time, and set aside our envy and jealousy. Because we don't have to put others down or score a string of petty victories to feel good about ourselves. We don't have to prove anything. We have nothing left to prove. We're loved by Infinite Love.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by khoitibet Jeison on 10 May 2012 - Leo Zodiac
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCAubaCuW0DIkE4elJTan_ILl7DImHJTaBGr0Dpp2mvaqNnLLDKlnktbyb3BuTm8hbZeTOFOSufRqDBi34xlN0w_58NBmBGGffVdtQxO_jyu4cTN6KIiTSXKruYfpEovKkZa6abLBCA6w5Usb8uBi4kLlKhAbTB0xL6ogpOI3xq3haF7tHu828209Z=s795
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/78da60ad-5041-4353-9382-51dd4e374787/d4zarg9-87ef6baa-1135-455b-a7aa-0d806bea07f4.jpg/v1/fill/w_900,h_965,q_75,strp/leo_zodiac_by_khoitibet_d4zarg9-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9OTY1IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNzhkYTYwYWQtNTA0MS00MzUzLTkzODItNTFkZDRlMzc0Nzg3XC9kNHphcmc5LTg3ZWY2YmFhLTExMzUtNDU1Yi1hN2FhLTBkODA2YmVhMDdmNC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9OTAwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.of0ko3PGpMK80-fjyo_grLEBLBl3AZmfOEnl8XjXueM
https://www.deviantart.com/khoitibet/art/Leo-Zodiac-301153401



Chapter 52 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Highways to Zion, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-highways-to.html [52]

This world is not my home;
PHOTO: This world is not my home;
I'm just a-passin' through.
- Spiritual

"Blessed are those . . . who have set their hearts on pilgrimage," writes the psalmist. (Psalm 84:5) I'm fond of that verse, 'cause I'm a traveling man, drawn by a picnicker's hankering for "a better place," and I suspect you may too.

We wend (slowly make our way) our way through this world, sampling its pleasures, but we can never settle down. We find our place, or so we think, but then our feet get to itching, or maybe it's our hearts, for as the poet tells us, it's in our hearts that we long to go on pilgrimage.

It's not that we find what we're longing for by looking into our hearts, as some would have us believe, but that our hearts may lead us to our final destination if we listen to what they have to say. If we pay attention, we'll hear them murmur their discontent with this world and their desire for a better place.

And, believe me, there is a better place: our Father's house. Though we may not know it, our soul "yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord." We "cry out for the living God." (Psalm 84:2) We're mostly homesick, yearning for our Father and our eternal home. Everything else leaves an empty void.

Many years ago, a young philosophy student told me about a tutorial in which he and his professor were discussing Thomas Aquinas's proofs for the existence of God. At one point the professor, who was not a Christian, looked wistfully out of the window and murmured, "There must be a God because I miss Him so." It occurs to me thus that we may find God's presence by first noting its absence.

All through our lives God has been drawing us toward His love and away from other affections. The journey begins at birth, continues through adolescence into middle age, and intensifies as we get closer to our eternal home. His wooing is the source of our dissatisfaction on earth and our yearning for that elusive "something more."

He is also our satisfaction. When we come to Him, we find a companion who, unlike others, will never forsake us. He is a strong, wise, and gentle guide to our destination. His presence makes the present journey lighter, less wearing, despite its peril and pain. "Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter," said Izaac Walton.

Now that I'm getting closer to the end of my journey, I'm thinking more like a transient. I suppose it's natural. I note that Abraham first described himself as a pilgrim when he was buying a burial plot for Sarah. (Genesis 23:4) Time and death make you think about such thing.

Most of God's elderly children say the same thing: There's no home for us this side of heaven. Like John Bunyan's Pilgrim, once we've caught sight of the Celestial City we can never be content with anything less. We've found our home in God alone. Happiness is trusting in Him. (Psalm 86:12)

"Home is behind, the world ahead," the hobbits sing as they trudge away from the Shire in The Lord of the Rings. For us, it's the other way around: "The world is behind, our home ahead." There are no valleys of weeping there, for He will wipe every tear from our eyes. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain," for the world as we know it will have passed away. (Revelation 21:4) That makes the present journey lighter, easier on old hearts and knees.

Put another way, it's the hope of going home that keeps me going. I can hardly wait to get there.


There is a better place: our Father's house.PHOTO: There is a better place: our Father's house. Though we may not know it, our soul "yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord." We "cry out for the living God." (Psalm 84:2) We're mostly homesick, yearning for our Father and our eternal home. Everything else leaves an empty void.
Original drawing in pencil of Christ by Heinrich Hofmann - The last supper
Picture posted by Phillip Medhurst in Art, Bible, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Life of Christ, Prints
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPKnapcyNxaOLQUFsrz6s22wKEdGDIB8uWUXhHeBdjttPrjFcZ5CSp2SfCV8w_dEvzHc9dJu9WE1EgfN8yJsiAINocsmNgW50yXzuRFiqG-NZRmFzqW1xaMf3jN-HBBPqjKXyWOFYi3CO3IB_0girS4XyAO12m15cZ6bzuIyeegYKohnaqP5W2iDdf=s1094
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https://thebowyerbiblegospels.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/phillip-medhurst-presents-drawings-of-christ-by-heinrich-hofmann-colourised-11-the-last-supper/


Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from the psalmist that ‘Blessed are those . . . who have set their hearts on pilgrimage’ because we’re traveling people, drawn by picnicker's hankering for ‘a better place.’

We wend our way through this world, sampling its pleasures, but we can never settle down. We find our place, or so we think, but then our feet get to itching, or maybe it's our hearts, for as the poet tells us, it's in our hearts that we long to go on pilgrimage.

We learn too, that our hearts may lead us to our final destination if we listen to what they have to say. If we pay attention, we'll hear them murmur their discontent with this world and their desire for a better place.

Thank You Lord, there is a better place: our Father's house. Though we may not know it, our soul ‘yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord.’ We ‘cry out for the living God.’ We're mostly homesick, yearning for our Father and our eternal home. Everything else leaves an empty void.

Even non-Christian may murmur that ‘There must be a God because I miss Him so.’ It occurs to us that we may find God's presence by first noting its absence.

Lord, we learn that all through our lives You have been drawing us toward Your love and away from other affections. The journey begins at birth, continues through adolescence int middle age, and intensifies as we get closer to our eternal home. Your wooing is the source of our dissatisfaction on earth and our yearning for that elusive ‘something more.’

Lord, You are also our satisfaction. When we come to You, we find a companion who, unlike others, will never forsake us. You are a strong, wise, and gentle guide to our destination. Your presence makes the present journey lighter, less wearing, despite its peril and pain. For ‘Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.’

Now that we’re getting closer to the end of our journey, we’re thinking more like a transient. We suppose that is natural. We note that Abraham first described himself as a pilgrim when he was buying a burial plot for Sarah. Time and death make us think about such thing.

Most of Your elderly children say the same thing: There's no home for us this side of heaven. Like John Bunyan's Pilgrim, once we've caught sight of the Celestial City we can never be content with anything less. We've found our home in You alone. Happiness is trusting in You.

May we be able to say ‘The world is behind, our home ahead.’ There are no valleys of weeping there, for You will wipe every tear from our eyes. ‘There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,’ for the world as we know it will have passed away. That makes the present journey lighter, easier on old hearts and knees.

May the hope of going home keeps us going. May we can hardly wait to get there.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by pixy.org
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https://pixy.org/5924590/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/01/reflection-health-and-frailties_24.html



Chapter 53 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Ageless Delight, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-reflection.html [53]

It is against reason to be burdensome to others,
PHOTO: It is against reason to be burdensome to others,
showing no amusement and acting as a wet blanket.
Those without a sense of fun, who never say anything
ridiculous, and are cantankerous (bad-tempered) with those who do,
these are vicious, and are called grumpy and rude.
- Thomas Aquinas

A few fortunate senior citizens go on pretty much as usual with few parts out of order. But for the majority of us, aging exacts its toll. Solomon's description of the process sums things up well:

In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joint stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. (Ecclesiastes 12:3-5)

The odd thing, however, is that most of us don't feel old. Oh, there are days when we feel every one of our years; but in general there's a vast disparity between the sight that confronts us in the mirror each morning and the young person that resides within. One of my favorite quotations from Frederick Buechner's Godric hangs in a place of honor over my desk and expresses my heartfelt sentiment: "Deep inside this wrecked and ravished hull there sails a young man still." I'd like to keep that positive outlook to the end.

To think of all the things we used to do in the "good old days" and can't do any more only makes a body feel worse. It's much better to poke fun at oneself rather than grumble and complain. Arthritic joints, hearing and memory loss, and failing eyesight are no fun, but we can survive them by managing to see them, among other things and despite all, as desperately funny.

There's something delightful about old folks who keep their sense of humor. They're a joy to be around. Like the eighty-year-old gardener who, when asked how old he was, replied, "I'm an octogeranium." You gotta love it! An old man with a young mind and puckish wit, the kind of person you love to be around. So much better than being a "grumpa," as one little girl described her gloomy grandfather.

Some years ago I came across a printed message by Dr. W. H. Lax, a Methodist minister who worked among the poor of London in the nineteenth century. In this message he gives wise counsel to those in their sunset years.

The age of the body, apart from actual disease,
depends upon the vital organs: the heart, lungs,
and the like. These are "set" for a certain period.
They may get worn out, either by fair wear and
tear, or, much sooner, by unfair wear and tear.
You cannot help that.

But you can control the age of your mind.
You can, if you face life in the right spirit,
keep the mind young almost indefinitely. And
remember that the mind controls the activities
and energies of all the rest of the body. It is the
supreme organ. If you let the mind grow old, the
body will grow old also.

How are you to keep the mind young? The
most important thing is to cultivate a cheerful
spirit, never allowing pessimism to gain the
upper hand. Make up your mind to maintain a
buoyant outlook on life. When the sun shines,
let it shine on you. Grey days will come, but
always think of the sunny days which must
assuredly follow. Hang on to your sense of
humor with both hands. The older you grow,
the more you will need it. Most of the neurotic
wrecks one sees, and some of the mental ones,
are the natural result of a morbid outlook
on life.

And keep an open, active mind. You cannot
keep the mind young if you persist in looking at
the gloomy side, or in closing it to new ideas,
muffling it up in prejudices and stifling its
enthusiasms. It is losing the thrill and zest of
life that makes a man old. He doesn't lose the
thrill because he is old; he becomes old because
he has lost the thrill. The moment a person loses
his sense of wonder at the beauty of a sunset,
or the glory of heroism and self-sacrifice, or the
intricate markings on a butterfly's wing, or the
marvels of science, he becomes old.

Humor is also a component of joy, which G. K. Chesterton called "the gigantic secret of the Christian . . . the dominant theme of Christian faith." Christianity, he said, "satisfies suddenly and perfectly . . . in this; that by its creed joy becomes something gigantic and sadness something special and small."

In other words, faith leads us to holy humor.

Faith puts its trust in God's wise providence, His compassionate, kindhearted care, His unfailing love, His promise that someday He will take us to be with Him forever. These are the infallible truths that sustain us, that enable us to rise joyfully each morning, whatever we have to face throughout the day.

Israel's prophet Habakkuk, put it this way:
Though the cherry trees don't blossom
and the strawberries don't ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
and the wheat fields stunted,
Through the sheep are sheepless
and the cattle barns empty,
I'm singing joyful praise to God
I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my
Savior God. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Picture posted by Public Group
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-reflection.html


And keep an open, active mind. You cannot keep the mind young if you persist in looking at the gloomy side, or in closing it to new ideas, muffling it up in prejudices and stifling its enthusiasms.
PHOTO: And keep an open, active mind. You cannot keep the mind young if you persist in looking at the gloomy side, or in closing it to new ideas, muffling it up in prejudices and stifling its enthusiasms. It is losing the thrill and zest of life that makes a man old. He doesn't lose the thrill because he is old; he becomes old because he has lost the thrill.
Picture posted by iStock - Smiling young woman potting garden
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwRAJN8gaWD0EDFkhI-c1Ncv-l7RjrW8DLj7SBY3hzcTGNqwJZmJvhf1N_VpS0-BW5iAuqfgZ3oSVm9TzISg1U0AA7lzT7dI4ADSBOCLw7OEGnsUbOEOCi1kci2psnxGCUBBmZ6tJC2qxpb3yKGpIV_63pg7QEjnwjsGVQarMJQEae0-636tN6JRtO=s2048
https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/smiling-young-woman-potting-in-garden-picture-id183026774?s=2048x2048
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/smiling-young-woman-potting-in-garden-gm183026774-14321387


Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that it is against reason to be burdensome to others, showing no amusement and acting as a wet blanket. Those without a sense of fun, who never say anything ridiculous, and are cantankerous with those who do, these are vicious, and are called grumpy and rude.

Lord, we pray for help. With the exception of a few fortunate senior citizen, the majority of us, aging exacts its toll.

Our body no longer serves you so well. Our muscles slacken, grip weakens, joint stiffen. We have eyesight, hearing, and mobility problems. Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Our hair drops away, or turns apple-blossom white. We adorn a fragile and impotent matchstick body.

Most or us may not feel old, but in general there's a vast disparity between the sight that confronts us in the mirror each morning and the young person that resides within. Frederick Buechner said that ‘Deep inside this wrecked and ravished hull there sails a young man still.’ May we are able to keep that positive outlook to the end.

Lord, our body feel worse when we think of all the things we used to do in the ‘good old days’ but can't do any more. We learn that it's much better to poke fun at oneself rather than grumble and complain. Arthritic joints, hearing and memory loss, and failing eyesight are no fun, but we can survive them by managing to see them, among other things and despite all, as desperately funny.

We pray that we keep our sense of humour. In this way may we be the delightful old folks who are a joy to be around. May we be the old man with a young mind and puckish wit, the kind of person which people love to be around. And be so much better than being a ‘grumpa,’ as one little girl described her gloomy grandfather.

Lord, we learn that we can’t control the deterioration of our vital organs, but we can control the age of our mind. May we face life in the right spirit, keep the mind young almost indefinitely. Help us to remember that the mind controls the activities and energies of all the rest of the body. It is the supreme organ. If we let the mind grow old, the body will grow old also.

Lord, we pray that we keep our mind young by cultivating a cheerful spirit, never allowing pessimism to gain the upper hand.

May we maintain a buoyant outlook on life. When the sun shines, let it shine on us. Grey days will come, but may we always think of the sunny days which must assuredly follow.

Lord, we pray that we can hang on to our sense of humour with both hands. The older we grow, the more we will need it. Because most of the neurotic wrecks one sees, and some of the mental ones, are the natural result of a morbid outlook on life.

Help us to keep an open, active mind. We cannot keep the mind young if we persist in looking at the gloomy side, or in closing it to new ideas, muffling it up in prejudices and stifling its enthusiasms.

Lord, losing the thrill and zest of life makes a man old. May we not lose the thrill of life and get old. May we have the sense of wonder at the beauty of a sunset, or the glory of heroism and self-sacrifice, or the intricate markings on a butterfly's wing, or the marvels of science, so that we do not become old.

We learn that humour is also a component of joy which is ‘the gigantic secret of the Christian . . . the dominant theme of Christian faith.’ May we be satisfied suddenly and perfectly by its creed joy which is something gigantic. and sadness is something special and small. May we have this faith which leads us to holy humour.

May we have the Faith puts our trust in God's wise providence, His compassionate, kind-hearted care, His unfailing love, His promise that someday He will take us to be with Him forever. May these be the infallible truths that sustain us, that enable us to rise joyfully each morning, and whatever we have to face throughout the day.

May we be like Israel’s prophet Habakkuk, who even with things against him is able to ‘turn cartwheels of joy to my Saviour God’.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Shutterstock
 


Chapter 54 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Sour Grapes, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-sour-grapes.html [54]

Your vanity and greed and lust
PHOTO: Your vanity and greed and lust
Are each your portion from the dust
Of those that died, and from the tomb
Made you what you must needs become.
- William Dean Howells, "Heredity"

Some of us may reach old age saddled with sinful dispositions (arrangement) we've carried with us through the years. No matter what we do, we can't seem to shake them. Studies in the behavioral sciences do suggest that there may be negative psychological traits that are genetically influenced. Some individuals appear to be born with dispositions toward alcoholism, sexual aggression, erratic work habits, and other personality disorders, and may carry those dispositions with them.

The apostle Paul would agree: "Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners." (Romans 5:19) Whether we go back to Adam or some other relative, whether we talk about major perversions or sins we think of as peccadilloes (a relatively minor fault), every one of us has been cursed by an ancestor, handicapped by his wrongdoing, saddled with insecurities and sinful behaviors. Wrongdoing resides in our DNA, without our consent, demanding compliance.

It's common these days to assume that wrongdoing includes only those behaviors that are voluntary and unforced. If it can be shown that some orientation is caused rather than chosen, we render human choice irrelevant and remove that behavior from the realm of moral argument. Our ancestors made us what we have become. Our fathers have eaten sour grapes and our teeth have been set on edge.

"No," the prophet Jeremiah would say. "Whoever eats sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge (Irritate)." Regardless of the roots of my behavior I am morally responsible for the wrong that I do. (Jeremiah 31:29-30)

But here's the good news. We're not stuck. The laws of heredity are not the highest laws. There is one higher - the law of God.

It does no good to excuse our sin, or even our inherited predispositions. The only way to rid ourselves of an evil trait is to call what God calls it - sin - and bring it to Him for His forgiveness. He can then begin to bring about a cure.

No matter what the origin of our sin may be, it is fully forgiven. Our sin may be awful - so shameful we cannot bear to think about it. But I ask you, can any sin be so terrible that it's not included in the atonement Jesus made? John tells us that Jesus' sacrifice was not for our sins alone, but for the sins of the entire world! (1 John 2:2) Think of the sins committed in the world this past year and add to them the sins of everyone who ever lived in every generation. All those sins have been forgiven. Is yours excluded? No because the atonement was an infinite sacrifice for sin, even sins we inherited from some corrupt, depraved ancestor.

And so we must bring our failed and flawed temperaments to Jesus, even though our choice to do so is nothing more than the end product of a lifetime of failure and our last resort. We may have struggled so long with our compulsions that we've given up, or given in to them. But God does not despair of us, even when we despair of ourselves. He assures us: "I will forgive [your] iniquity, and [your] sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:34 NASB)

Some of us are difficult cases. Flawed by environment and indulgence, as well as heredity, our personalities resist change. We have "a hard machine to drive," C. S. Lewis would say. Yet God can take the most difficult and damaged life and gradually turn it into good. He does not leave us in ruins. He is watching over us "to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 31:28)

For me that progress has been neither swift nor painless, but chaotic and subject to agonizing delay. I've made no quantum leaps, only tentative steps mingled with many hard falls. It's been a gradual thing, better seen in retrospect (hindsight) than in prospect. Yet for reasons only God knows, some of us may glorify Him for a time through flawed temperaments. We're so damaged that total healing awaits heaven.

If you're one of His children so afflicted, you can be assured of His promise: there will be progress. The God who started His great work in you will "keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears." (Philippians 1:6)

I'm often drawn to John Donne's sonnets, for he too struggled mightily with heredity sin. He writes,

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it t'wards hell doth weigh.
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour myself I can sustain;
Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart.
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-sour-grapes.html
 

Some of us may reach old age saddled with sinful dispositions (arrangement) we've carried with us through the years.
PHOTO: Some of us may reach old age saddled with sinful dispositions (arrangement) we've carried with us through the years. No matter what we do, we can't seem to shake them.
The apostle Paul would agree: "Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners." (Romans 5:19)
Picture posted by iStock - Vintage engraving showing a scene from the works of John Milton. Eve is tempted by the serpent in the garden of eden.
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-sour-grapes.html
 

Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that some of us may reach old age saddled with sinful dispositions we've carried with us through the years. No matter what we do, we can't seem to shake them. Studies in the behavioural sciences do suggest that there may be negative psychological traits that are genetically influenced. Some individuals appear to be born with dispositions toward alcoholism, sexual aggression, erratic work habits, and other personality disorders, and may carry those dispositions with them.

The apostle Paul said: ‘Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners.’ Since the time of Adam and Eve, every one of us has been cursed by an ancestor, handicapped by his wrongdoing, saddled with insecurities and sinful behaviours. Wrongdoing resides in our DNA, without our consent, demanding compliance. Our ancestors made us what we have become. Our fathers have eaten sour grapes and our teeth have been set on edge.

However, the prophet Jeremiah said: ‘No, whoever eats sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.’

Lord, thank You that there’s good news. We're not stuck. The laws of heredity are not the highest laws. There is one higher - the law of God. Although it does no good to excuse our sin, or even our inherited predispositions. We can rid ourselves of an evil trait is to call what God calls it - sin - and bring it to Him for His forgiveness. He can then begin to bring about a cure.

Lord, thank You, for no matter what the origin of our sin may be, it is fully forgiven. Our sin may be awful - so shameful we cannot bear to think about it. No sin can be so terrible that it's not included in the atonement Jesus made. John tells us that Jesus' sacrifice was not for our sins alone, but for the sins of the entire world. All sins committed in the world this past year and add to them the sins of everyone who ever lived in every generation have been forgiven. The atonement was an infinite sacrifice for sin, even sins we inherited from some corrupt, depraved ancestor.

Lord, we pray for Your forgiveness when we bring our failed and flawed temperaments to Jesus, even though our choice to do so is nothing more than the end product of a lifetime of failure and our last resort. We may have struggled so long with our compulsions that we've given up, or given in to them. Thank You for not despair of us, even when we despair of ourselves. We pray for forgiveness for our iniquity, and not to remember them anymore.

Lord, we need help especially when we are the difficult cases. Flawed by environment and indulgence, as well as heredity, our personalities resist change. We learn that You can take the most difficult and damaged life and gradually turn it into good. May You continue watching over us ‘to build and to plant’ and not to leave us in ruins.

Our progress has been neither swift nor painless, but chaotic and subject to agonizing delay. We've made no quantum leaps, only tentative steps mingled with many hard falls. It's been a gradual thing. You know some of us may glorify You for a time through flawed temperaments. We're so damaged that total healing awaits heaven.

Lord, thank You that as Your children so afflicted, we can be assured of Your promise: there will be progress. We learn that what You have started in us, You will ‘keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 55 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Art of Correction, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-art-of.html [55]

We are often unable to tell people what they need to
PHOTO: We are often unable to tell people what they need to know because they want to know something else. - George MacDonald

Every old person thinks the world is going to the dogs, I suppose, and I'm one among them; although G. K. Chesterton, I think it was, informed us that each time the world has been in crisis in the past it wasn't the world that died but the dog.

Most of our anxieties are overrated. Furthermore, I have to remind myself that it's not my job to set the world straight, even though I think I know what's wrong with it. I'm reminded of one of Flannery O'Connor's characters, Sarah Ruth, who "in addition to her other bad qualities, . . . was forever sniffing up sin." I don't want to gather that reputation.

Yet every once in a while it comes to me that I ought to say something to my friends about the way they're conducting their lives. A word here or a word there might help.

Correction is "a kindness," Israel's King David insisted, (Psalm 141:5) a word that suggests an act of living loyalty. Loyal friends will correct one another, even when it's painful and disruptive of relationships to do so. It's one of the ways we help one another grow stronger. As the proverb states, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted." (Proverbs 27:6)

David felt indebted to those who corrected him and realized how much he owed them. "Let a righteous an strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it." (Psalm 141:5)

Not everyone appreciates correction, however. It takes grace to receive correction. Unlike David, most folks are inclined to refuse it. But if they do accept the reproof, they will find, as David did, that it does become a fragrant oil on their heads, an anointing that makes their lives a sweet aroma wherever they go. Growth in grace does not always come through rapturous moments of biblical insight and spiritual delight. Sometimes it comes through the unpleasant chiding of a friend.

it occurs to me. however, that it also takes grace to give correction. We can be too severe. As Job said of the verbal blows his would-be friend Elihu gave him, his "arrow inflicts an incurable wound." (Job 34:6) Sometimes our efforts to heal result in harm.

Lucian of Samosata, the Greek rhetorician, wrote of his mentor, Demonax: "[He] was never known to shout or be overly vehement or angry, even when he had to correct someone. He touched on offenses, but pardoned offenders, saying that one should model one's self after doctors, who treat sickness, but are not angry with the sick. He thought that to err was human, but to put the error right was divine." (Here's another example of Jesus' axiom (saying) that the sons of this age are sometimes wiser than the sons of light. Demonax anticipated by two hundred years the biblical idea that we should condemn the sin while forgiving the sinner.)

Note that Demonax did not say, "to forgive is divine," as Alexander Pope turned the phrase, but rather, 'to put the error right" is divine. It's one thing to forgive an offense; it's quite another to help an offender heal. When we do so, we have aligned ourselves with God and His divine work of sanctification and have become fellow-workers with Him.

And remember, the first step in helping others is to take heed to ourselves. We're inclined to be so preoccupied with other people's faults that we fail to do justice to our own. (Galatians 6:1) As Jesus put it, we have to take the beam out of our own eye before we consider the mote that obscures our brother's sight.

The only wisdom we can hope to acquire
Is the wisdom of humility (a low or modest estimate of one's own importance): humility is endless.
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It also takes grace to give correction.PHOTO: It also takes grace to give correction. We can be too severe. As Job said of the verbal blows his would-be friend Elihu gave him, his "arrow inflicts an incurable wound." (Job 34:6) Sometimes our efforts to heal result in harm.
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Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that most of our anxieties are overrated. In addition to our other bad qualities, we are forever sniffing up sin.

Help us to remind ourselves that it's not our job to set the world straight, even though we think we know what's wrong with it. Every old person thinks the world is going to the dogs. But each time the world has been in crisis in the past it wasn't the world that died but the dog.

May we learn that we are often unable to tell people what they need to know because they want to know something else. Yet every once in a we feel that we ought to say something to others about the way they're conducting their lives.

Israel's King David insisted that correction is ‘a kindness.’ Loyal friends will correct one another, even when it's painful and disruptive of relationships to do so. It's one of the ways we help one another grow stronger. May we be like David, who felt indebted to those who corrected him and realized how much he owed them.

Lord, we learn that not everyone appreciates correction because it takes grace to receive correction. Unlike David, most people are inclined to refuse it. But if they do accept the reproof, they will find, as David did, that it does become a fragrant oil on their heads, an anointing that makes their lives a sweet aroma wherever they go. Growth in grace does not always come through rapturous moments of biblical insight and spiritual delight. Sometimes it comes through the unpleasant chiding of a friend. We pray that we have the grace to receive correction.

Lord, we learn too that it also takes grace to give correction. We can be too severe. And our ‘arrows inflict incurable wound’. Sometimes our efforts to heal result in harm.

May we learn not to shout or be overly vehement or angry, even when we had to correct someone. May we touch on offenses, but pardoned offenders. Like doctors, who treat sickness, but are not angry with the sick.

May we learn from our Lord Jesus that to err was human, but to put the error right is divine. But to remember that the sons of this age are sometimes wiser than the sons of light. May we remember to condemn the sin while forgiving the sinner.

We learn that it's one thing to forgive an offense; it's quite another to help an offender heal. When we do so, we have aligned ourselves with God and His divine work of sanctification and have become fellow-workers with Him.

We pray that we remember that the first step in helping others is to take heed to ourselves. We're inclined to be so preoccupied with other people's faults that we fail to do justice to our own. As Jesus put it, we have to take the beam out of our own eye before we consider the mote that obscures our brother's sight.

May we acquire the only wisdom we can hope to acquire, which is the wisdom of humility, and humility is endless.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 56 - Reflection - Number Our Days - His Story, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-his-story.html [56]

Aslan seems to be at the back of all the stories.
PHOTO: Aslan seems to be at the back of all the stories.
- C. S. Lewis

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes about meeting the apostle Peter for the first time. Paul says he went up to Jerusalem to "get acquainted with" Peter "and stayed with him fifteen days." (Galatians 1:11-20) Paul's word, here translated "get acquainted," is the Greek word historeo, which means "to visit and to learn about someone."

Paul makes it clear that he and Peter did not discuss the gospel on that occasion, for Paul's perception of the good news came through direct revelation from Christ himself, and not from any of His apostles. I can't help but wonder, then, what these two men did talk about. We can't be sure, of course, but the text suggests that Paul asked about Peter's "history" - the story of his life.

As we age, it makes a lot of sense to reflect on our own story and, while we're about it, to look back and recall God's faithfulness, even in the midst of our troubles. It's important to think about our experiences and view them in the light of the whole of life's journey. We may then see that some event that caused us great pain also brought great blessings to us and to others.

As we reflect on the past, we can become aware of "and rely on the love God has for us." (1 John 4:16) We'll see that our history has been a story of that love coming upon us in stages, from birth to the present. Birth itself is a gift of the Father's love, as was the gift of new birth when we entered fully into God's love. These are but two of the many good things God has given us, sprinkled throughout our years. For all these gifts we can sing in gratitude: "Blessed is the Lord who has shown me the wonders of His Love."

Thinking about the past doesn't remove the reality of our suffering or disappointments, but it can change the way we look at them. Younger people cannot fully understand why we older folks returns to the distant past, but such reflection has its place. And when it is done in prayer and thanksgiving, it can be a source of wonderment and deep healing.

I find that sleepless nights are a good time to accumulate those memories. David wrote:

On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you [have been] my help. (Psalm 63:6-7)

In this way we turn our memories into holy memoirs.

As I write that, I realize that the word "memoirs" has exactly the right sound to it, because it suggests a written account of life's accumulated memories. It's good, I think, not only to tell our story to others, but to write it down for the next generation. And perhaps someday someone will read our story and, by God's grace, make something of themselves that we could not make of ourselves, for those who come behind ought always to go beyond us.

"Don't adventures ever have an end?" asks the hobbit Bilbo. "I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story."
 

The word 'memoirs' suggests a written account of life's accumulated memories.
PHOTO: The word "memoirs" suggests a written account of life's accumulated memories. It's not only to tell our story to others, but to write it down for the next generation. And perhaps someday someone will read our story and, by God's grace, make something of themselves that we could not make of ourselves, for those who come behind ought always to go beyond us.
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Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that as we age, it makes a lot of sense to reflect on our own story and, to look back and recall God's faithfulness, even in the midst of our troubles.

Lord, may we reflect on the past and become aware of ‘and rely on the love God has for us.’ Our history has been a story of that love coming upon us in stages, from birth to the present. Birth itself is a gift of the Father's love, as was the gift of new birth when we entered fully into God's love. These are but two of the many good things God has given us, sprinkled throughout our years.

Although thinking about the past doesn't remove the reality of our suffering or disappointments, but it can change the way we look at them. May we return to the distant past in prayer and thanksgiving, so that it can be a source of wonderment and deep healing.

We pray to turn our memories into holy memoirs. May the word ‘memoirs’ be a written account of our life's accumulated memories. May it not only be good to tell our story to others, but to write it down for the next generation. May someday someone read our story and, by God's grace, make something of themselves that we could not make of ourselves, for those who come behind ought always to go beyond us.

We pray that we realise the importance to think about our experiences and view them in the light of the whole of life's journey. We may then see that some event that caused us great pain also brought great blessings to us and to others.

Adventures may not have an end because someone else always has to carry on the story.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Artwork by Yongsung Kim
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Chapter 57 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Asleep in Jesus, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-asleep-in.html [57]

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
PHOTO: One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
- John Donne

I have treasured memory of family gatherings with friends when our boys were small. The children would play while the adults talked into the night. Then, weary with play, the children would curl up on couch, or in a chair, and fall asleep.

When it was time to leave, I would gather them in my arms, carry them to the car, lay them in the back seat, and take them home. When we arrived, I would pick them up again in my arms, take them to their beds, tuck them in, kiss them goodnight, turn out the lights, and close the door. In the morning they would awaken, secure and sheltered, at home.

This has become now, in my latter years, a parable for me of the night on which we "sleep in Jesus," as Paul would say, and awaken in our eternal home - the home that will at last heal the weariness and homesickness that has marked our days. "One short sleep past," poet John Donne wrote, and then, "we wake eternally."

Sleep is an ancient metaphor for death. Poets, prophets, philosophers, and playwrights have equated sleep and death. In sleep our eyes are closed, our bodies still, our respiration so slight that we seem not to be breathing at all.

Ancient writers, in fact, referred to sleep as "a little death." The Greek poet Homer referred to sleep and death (hypnos and thanatos) as "twin brothers." Cicero, the great Roman orator, said there is "nothing so like death as sleep."

While non-Christian writers referred to death as "perpetual sleep" or "everlasting sleep," however, the sacred text speaks of a "sleep" that leads to a great awakening.

The idea of death as mere sleep is alluded (suggested) to in the Old Testament. Daniel promised that Yahweh will raise up those who sleep in the dust of the earth, and David refers to the same idea when he writes, "in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." (Daniel 12:2; Psalm 17:14-15)

The New Testament writers give the symbol its full meaning. When Lazarus died, Jesus said to His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." Sleep was Luke's symbol for the martyrdom of Stephen, who, when he was stoned to death, dropped to his knees and "fell asleep." Paul writes, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him (those who have lived according to God's will)." And Jesus made this same reference to a grieving couple on the occasion of their little girl's death: "The child is not dead but asleep." (John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; Mark 5:39)

Early Christians seized on the symbol of sleep as death. The catacombs (an underground cemetery) in Rome, which were first constructed and used by the early Christians for burial sites, were called koimeteria (from which we get our word "cemetery") or "sleeping places," suggesting that the bodies of these believers were merely resting until the resurrection, a belief reflected in numerous inscriptions on sarcophagi (stone coffin): "He/She sleeps in Jesus."

These early Christians could extract the full meaning of the metaphor because they understood that in Christ, death is exactly like sleep. We slumber and awaken soon after. (We're not conscious of time when we fall asleep.) Thus sleep is good and nothing to fear. Death, in fact, is heaven's cure for all of earth's ailments - "good for what ails (troubles) us," as my mother used to say. Thus there is a fine irony in the disciples' comment to Jesus: "Lord, if he [Lazarus] sleeps, he will get better." (John 11:12)

But what is it that sleeps? Is it the soul? No, the symbol refers to the body, not the soul. The soul does not slumber until the resurrection of the body, for in eternity there is neither time nor space. This is why Paul can write with such assurance: "To be absent from the body and [in the same instant] to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

The Greek verb on which the noun "sleep" is based is koimeo, which means "to lie down." Correspondingly, the Greek word for resurrection is anastasis, which means "to stand up." We "lie down" in the sleep of death and "stand up" in a resurrection to life eternal.

Paul speaks of "sleeping in Jesus," as though that's the key to everything. And as it turns out, it is. It's through our Lord's death and resurrection that we are delivered from fear of death, the dread with which Satan has enslaved the world.

There is great fear of dying here on earth, as evidenced by the effort expended to ignore it, avert it, or stave it off as long as possible. Think of all the industries directed to that end. But nothing works very well or for very long. Sooner or later we all perish, and that prospect can worry us a good deal, even those of us who know Jesus.

I was walking in our park some weeks ago and happened on an old fellow making his way around the track. "How's it going?" I asked in greeting. "Well," he replied, "pretty good, I guess. I'm still looking down at the grass." His point, of course, is that looking down is better than looking up at the grass, or "pushing up daisies," as we say.

The apostle Paul would disagree. He insisted that death was better than life.

For to me, to live in Christ and to die is gain. If
I am to go on living in the body, this will mean
fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose?
I do not know! I am torn between the two: I
desire to depart and be with Christ, which is
better by far. (Philippians 1:21-23)

Paul was certain that death was the best thing for him. He had no fear of what lay ahead. But occasionally even those of us in Christ give way to dread. We may be free from fear of death itself, but the process of dying is another matter entirely. "Heaven is a wonderful place, full of glory and grace," we sing, but the passage to it is fraught (likely to result in) with uncertainty. What will our journey to the other side be like?

Some years ago I read a story about an elderly British woman who, though she lived in the Cotswold, near London, had never been to the city. The train she would have to take passed through a long, dark tunnel, and she was afraid to make that passage. One day, however, she was forced by poor health to visit a medical specialist whose office was in the city. The poor soul boarded the train and worried herself into such exhaustion that she fell asleep - and slept through the entire ordeal. When she awoke she found herself undamaged, unharmed in the city of London.

And so it is: we sleep and awaken to eternal life in our Father's house.

This is why, in the end, we have hope for our loved ones. We may grieve for our loss, but we do not grieve "like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (1 Thessalonians 4:13) We no more fear their absence than we fear their sleep in the evening because we know they will awaken rested, full of glorious vigor and well-being.

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away," George MacDonald said, "but the Lord will give again better than ever before." We're all getting closer to that great day.

In the book of Deuteronomy we read this simple statement about the death of Moses: " Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said." (Deuteronomy 34:5) But the Hebrew text reads: "Moses died . . . with the mouth of the Lord." And ancient rabbis translated the phrase: "with the kiss of the Lord." When I read this, I envision God stooping over His children, tucking them in and kissing them goodnight - to awaken in His presence to His love.

John Donne has a wonderful commentary on death as sleep in one of his sonnets (a type of poem that is comprised of fourteen lines of verse that follow a specific rhyme scheme). He begins with his oft-quoted phrase:

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so.

"Really?" we ask. "Death not dreadful?"

Donne answers that death cannot boast because it cannot kill us. Death is mere "rest and sleep," and there is a great pleasure in sleep because "much more must flow," a place to rest our weary bones.
Picture posted by Gerg Isil
 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-asleep-in.html
 

Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from Paul that death is like we ‘sleep in Jesus,’ and awaken in our eternal home - the home that will at last heal the weariness and homesickness that has marked our days.

Sleep is an ancient metaphor for death. Poets, prophets, philosophers, and playwrights have equated sleep and death. In sleep our eyes are closed, our bodies still, our respiration so slight that we seem not to be breathing at all.

Ancient writers, referred to sleep as ‘a little death.’ The Greek poet Homer referred to sleep and death (hypnos and thanatos) as ‘twin brothers.’ Cicero, the great Roman orator, said there is ‘nothing so like death as sleep.’

While non-Christian writers referred to death as ‘perpetual sleep’ or ‘everlasting sleep,’ however, the sacred text speaks of a ‘sleep’ that leads to a great awakening.

The Old Testament suggested death as mere sleep. Daniel promised that Yahweh will raise up those who sleep in the dust of the earth, and David refers to the same idea.

The New Testament writers give the symbol its full meaning. When Lazarus died, Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ Sleep was Luke's symbol for the martyrdom of Stephen, who, when he was stoned to death, dropped to his knees and ‘fell asleep.’ Paul writes, ‘Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in.’ And Jesus made this same reference to a grieving couple on the occasion of their little girl's death: ‘The child is not dead but asleep.’

Early Christians seized on the symbol of sleep as death. The catacombs in Rome, which were used by the early Christians for burial sites, were called ‘sleeping places,’ suggesting that the bodies of these believers were merely resting until the resurrection, a belief reflected in numerous inscriptions on sarcophagi: ‘He/She sleeps in Jesus.’

These early Christians understood that in Christ, death is exactly like sleep. We slumber and awaken soon after. We pray that sleep is good and nothing to fear. May Death be heaven's cure for all of earth's ailments. Just as the disciple of Jesus commented to Jesus: ‘Lord, if he [Lazarus] sleeps, he will get better.’

Lord, we learn that symbol of death refers to the body, not the soul. The soul does not slumber until the resurrection of the body, for in eternity there is neither time nor space. Paul had written with such assurance: ‘To be absent from the body and [in the same instant] to be present with the Lord.’ We ‘lie down’ in the sleep of death and ‘stand up’ in a resurrection to life eternal.

We learn from Paul that ‘sleeping in Jesus,’ as the key to everything. It's through our Lord's death and resurrection that we are delivered from fear of death, the dread with which Satan has enslaved the world.

Lord, sooner or later we all perish, and that prospect can worry us a good deal, even those of us who know Jesus. Paul was certain that death was the best thing for him. He had no fear of what lay ahead. But occasionally even those of us in Christ give way to dread. We may be free from fear of death itself, but the process of dying is another matter entirely. ‘Heaven is a wonderful place, full of glory and grace,’ we sing, but the passage to it is fraught with uncertainty.

We pray that we sleep and awaken to eternal life in our Father's house.

May we have hope for our loved ones. We may grieve for our loss, but may we not grieve ‘like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.’ May we no more fear their absence than we fear their sleep in the evening because we know they will awaken rested, full of glorious vigour and well-being.

We learn that ‘The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but the Lord will give again better than ever before.’ May it be so, as we are all getting closer to that great day.

Lord, thank You that death cannot boast because it cannot kill us. Death is mere ‘rest and sleep,’ and there is a great pleasure in sleep because ‘much more must flow,’ a place to rest our weary bones.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by J. jesus songs on 24 January 2022
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsSearqZjhM
 

 
Chapter 58 - Reflection - Number Our Days - What Good Am I?, 

What good is he? Who else will harbour him
PHOTO: "What good is he? Who else will harbour him
At his age for the little he can do?
What help he is there's no depending on."
- Robert Frost, "The Death Of The Hired Man"

French essayist Simone De Beauvoir, in her study of aging, writes, "The vast majority of mankind look upon the coming of old age with sorrow or dismay. It fills them with more aversion (strong dislike) than death itself."

King David expressed his own perspective on this when he said in his old age, "Those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten," like a piece of broken and discarded pottery. (Psalm 31:11, 12) He was "like a portent" - an ominous, unsettling sign - for aging foreshadows human loss, decline, and death. (Psalm 71:7)

In a culture that celebrates strength and beauty more than character and wisdom, old folks are "creepy." Younger folks don't want them around. Perhaps because they are reminded that someday they too will be old and will die.

But David rejected these sentiments. His security and sense of well-being were well-grounded, not in human opinion, but in the firm foundation of God's love.

[You are] my rock and refuge,
to which I can always go . . .
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever [always] praise you. (Psalm 71:3, 6)

God had been faithful in the past, and He would be faithful in David's old age. Thus David continued to pray: "Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone." He knew that his prayer would be answered, for God had already promised His people that He would never leave them, that He would never forsake them. Even when they were "old and gray," David assured, God would be true. (Psalm 71:9, 18; Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5)
 
Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds . . .
My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I knew not its measure . . .
Even when I an old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:17, 15, 18)

David had come to know God well. He had seen God's marvelous deeds, His righteousness, His power and ability to save. This was David's legacy, his gift to the next generation.

This is our legacy as well. We have essential work to do: to draw from the reservoir of wisdom we've gathered from God through the years and pass it on to the "next generation . . . to those who are to come."

I'm not talking about biblical knowledge, as such, as useful as that can be, but about a deep spiritual wisdom and discernment gained from years of friendship with God. This is the grace and beauty of spirit with which we face chemotherapy or dialysis. It is the quiet, trustful manner in which we surmount the loss of a spouse, a child, or a grandchild. It is the patience and joyful endurance, the courage and hope in God with which we deal with the impairments of old age and the ever-approaching departure from this life. This is the wisdom we can bequeath to the next generation - the wisdom that God has imparted to us.

But, you say, "I've not known God from my youth. I'm a late starter." Not to worry. Just get started. Give yourself to worship and prayer. Put your roots down into God's Word and grow up. "Sit down alone with God's Word and in His presence open His book," John Wesley said, "and what you learn there, speak." You can learn as long as you live and thus you will always have something to say. Old dogs and old folks can learn new tricks after all.

"I create the fruit of the lips," God says. (Isaiah 57:19 NKJV) Our words are like fruit, the final reason for a tree's existence. It's why we are being cultivated. Good words come from within, the final product of God's Word hidden away in our hearts. From that reservoir He will cause us to bear fruit to the end of our days.

"We're immortal," Augustine of Hippo said, "until our work is done." But when that work is over, our Lord will bring us home. This was David's firm confidence:

You will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again. (Psalm 71:20-21)

The one who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up to ever-expanding eternal life. There, in our Father's house, we will be welcomed with open arms, celebrated and encircled with affirming love. There, we will hear our Master announce before assembled heaven and earth: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things!" (Matthew 25:21)

And thus our work will go on . . .


We're immortal,
PHOTO: "We're immortal," Augustine of Hippo said, "until our work is done." But when that work is over, our Lord will bring us home. This was David's firm confidence:
You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. (Psalm 71:20-21)
Picture posted by Wafukuya


Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from French essayist Simone De Beauvoir, in her study of aging, writes, ‘The vast majority of mankind look upon the coming of old age with sorrow or dismay. It fills them with more aversion than death itself.’

And people would say: "What good is he? Who else will harbour him at his age for the little he can do? What help he is? There's no need depending on him.’

We learn from King David who expressed his own perspective on this when he said in his old age, ‘Those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten,’ like a piece of broken and discarded pottery. He was ‘like a portent’ - an ominous, unsettling sign - for aging foreshadows human loss, decline, and death.

Lord we learn from this world which has a culture that celebrates strength and beauty more than character and wisdom, old folks are ‘creepy.’ Younger folks don't want them around. Perhaps because they are reminded that someday they too will be old and will die.

But David rejected these sentiments. His security and sense of well-being were well-grounded, not in human opinion, but in the firm foundation of God's love. He would say ‘[You are] my rock and refuge, to which I can always go . . . From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever [always] praise you.’

Lord, You had been faithful in the past, and would be faithful in David's old age. Thus David continued to pray: Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. He knew that his prayer would be answered, for You had already promised Your people that You would never leave them, that You would never forsake them. Even when they were ‘old and gray,’

Lord, may we be like David who had come to know God well. He had seen Your marvellous deeds, Your righteousness, Your power and ability to save. This was David's legacy, his gift to the next generation.

May this be our legacy as well. We have essential work to do: to draw from the reservoir of wisdom we've gathered from You through the years and pass it on to the ‘next generation . . . to those who are to come.’

Lord, we pray that we have the deep spiritual wisdom and discernment gained from years of friendship with You. This is the grace and beauty of spirit with which we face chemotherapy or dialysis. It is the quiet, trustful manner in which we surmount the loss of a spouse, a child, or a grandchild. It is the patience and joyful endurance, the courage and hope in You with which we deal with the impairments of old age and the ever-approaching departure from this life. This is the wisdom we can bequeath to the next generation - the wisdom that God has imparted to us.

Lord, we may not know You from our youth. We’re late starter. May we give ourself to worship and prayer. Put our roots down into Your Word and grow up. May we ‘Sit down alone with Your Word and in Your presence open Your book.’ May we speak what we have learn. May we learn as long as we live and thus we will always have something to say.

Lord, You create the fruit of the lips. May our words be like fruit, the final reason for our existence. We pray that we are cultivated and good words come from within, the final product of Your Word hidden away in our hearts. From that reservoir You will cause us to bear fruit to the end of our days.

We learn that we're immortal, until our work is done. When that work is over, You will bring us home. This was David's firm confidence:

May You, the one who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up to ever-expanding eternal life. There, in our Father's house, we will be welcomed with open arms, celebrated and encircled with affirming love. There, we will hear our Master announce before assembled heaven and earth: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things!’

Meanwhile may our work will go on.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by ⭐Espritt AG⭐ - ❤️ Pray for the World 🙏
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Chapter 59 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Bookworm, 
PHOTO: There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears the human soul.
- Emily Dickinson

I've been a bookworm ever since I learned how to read. My two strongest memories as a child are pick-up baseball games at the part and sitting under a gigantic willow tree in our backyard and reading until it was dark. My parents once gave me a set of bookplates that portrayed a smiling worm sticking his head out of an apple, licking his lips and saying, "As for me, give me a book!" Books were my "frigates" (warships) that took me lands away.

And I'm still a bookworm. It's almost impossible for me to sit down without picking up something to read. Among my favorite days are Saturdays when Carolyn and I haunt our local library.

Some years ago I read a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges entitled "The Library of Babylon," in which he describes a library that contains all the books that were written, or will ever be written, with all editions and all possible variations of every volume. Oh, how I'd love to have a library card for such a place!

Carolyn and I love books, and we give away or loan out most of our books after we've read them; otherwise our libraries would take up most of the house. (C. S. Lewis once commented that those books we've loaned out are the only books we'll have in heaven. We'll have space enough there.) The exceptions are those we cherish and want to read again and again.

My reading tastes have always been more eclectic (wide-ranging) than refined, I suppose. When it comes to books, I read widely - poetry, history, theology, philosophy, mysteries and other who done-its - although I don't read many contemporary writers (only a few to keep up with my friends). Most of all, I like authors from the past. To read these men and women is to sit in conversation with some of the greatest minds of history.

Reading engages the mind and ignites the imagination. And mental stimulation is important as we age, for our minds, like our muscles, atrophy (deteriorate) if we don't use them. Reading can help us keep our mind nimble, flexible, and strong. Certainly there is some cognitive (the mental process of thinking and understanding) loss as we age, but we can learn and our minds can expand to the end of our lives. George MacDonald wrote in his last years:

So, like bees round the flower by which they thrive,
My thoughts are busy with the informing truth,
And as I build, I feed, and grow in youth. [307]

Above all, I read the Bible. As John Wesley said, "God himself has condescended (descended) to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the book of God! I have it; here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri [a man of one book]." This is my prayer as well.

I've approached the Bible in a number of ways over the years, and all have served me well at one time or another. My current method is based on a scheme as old as Jeremiah and John: I eat it.

I take small bites - a verse, a few sentences, or at most a short paragraph. Then I think about that text for a long time. I read and re-read it, a dozen times or more, reflecting on what the Author is saying and, more importantly, what He is saying to me. I've found that understanding comes through patient reading and reflection; every text must be brooded over. As Mortimer Adler writes in his How to Read a Book: "What things would you do by yourself if your life depended on understanding something readable which at first perusal (scrutiny) left you somewhat in the dark?"

Some sayings are hard, so I must think hard and long about their meaning. And if I ponder the Scriptures long enough, I find there's always something there.

The next step is prayer, which I suppose is analogous to the enzymes that break down our daily bread. We chew and then we digest.

Folks have asked me if prayer is essential to understand the Bible, and my answer is "of course," but probably for a different reason than they may think. Almost anyone can understand the language of the Bible, given an application of the rules we apply to normal speech. Paul does insist that those without the Spirit cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, (1 Corinthians 2:14) but I believe he was referring not to the words of Scripture, but to understanding their implication for life. I have, in the past, had non-Christian professors whose insights into the biblical text were startling. It was the meaning of those insights, the personal significance of the text, the deep wisdom that touches and changes the heart that eluded (evaded) them.

It's here that prayer plays a crucial role, and it's here that the Bible is radically different from other books. Prayer cannot help me determine the difference between prose and poetry, between nouns and verbs, or between commands and general observations about life. That understanding comes from thoughtful effort, not free association, intuitive flashes, or special insight. But prayer can lead me to understand the particular truth that I need for myself. I believe that's what Paul meant when he presented Timothy with a series of metaphors and insisted that he reflect on them, for the Lord, would give insight into each one. (2 Timothy 2:7) Reflection on the words of Scripture and reliance on the Spirit of God enable me to see what God wants me to see.

Prayer is also essential to rid my mind of pride, prejudice, and the preconceptions to which I so doggedly cling. It enables me to hear God's Word with objectivity and susceptibility, so that I can understand what's being said to my self-will, self-indulgence, and self-reliance.

Truth cannot be rationally assimilated; the process by which the Word becomes flesh and touches our heart of hearts is supra-rational - accomplished alone by prayer. It's for that reason that Paul knelt before the Father and prayed that those in Ephesus who read his words might "know" what could not otherwise be known. (Ephesians 3:19)

Finally, what we eat must be integrated into our being. It's not enough to read God's Word and leave it there. We cannot say we know any truth until we've begun to obey it. As someone has said, "To know and not to do is not to know at all."

Jeremy Taylor wrote: "Be sure to meditate so long, till you . . . get some new arguments against a sin, or some new encouragements to virtue; some spiritual strength and advantage, or else some act of prayer to God, or glorification of him." That step, the walk of obedience, is the hardest part. Here's where we need God's help, for we are utterly helpless to help ourselves.

I find encouragement in a story Russian author Leo Tolstoy told about a cobbler, Martin Avdyeeich, who lost his wife and his little child, Kapitoshka, then lost his faith and desire to live. One day an old peasant came by - a man known for his godliness - and Martin spoke to him about his despair.

"What then is a man to live for?" Avdyeeich asked.

"For God, Martin!" the old man answered.

Avdyeeich then asked: "And how must one live for God?"

"Christ hath shown us the way. Buy the Gospels and read; there you will find out how to live for God."

So Martin bought a New Testament and began to read. "And the more he read, the more clearly he understood what God wanted of him, and how it behooved him (it is a duty or responsibility) to live for God . . . And he began to measure his own life by these words. And he thought to himself . . . O Lord, help me!"

This is my beginning: to know that I am a poor creature, utterly incapable of doing what God has asked me to do - and to ask for His help. In this way I read the Bible these days: I ponder it long and I pray, "Lord, help me!"

Obedience flows from God's love. When I know I am loved and cherished by my heavenly Father, I long to be an obedient child. These days, it is the love of Christ that compels me. (2 Corinthians 5:14)
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https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/caterpillar-cartoon-character-gm1287042423-383358082 
 
 
This is my beginning
PHOTO: This is my beginning: to know that I am a poor creature, utterly incapable of doing what God has asked me to do - and to ask for His help. In this way I read the Bible these days: I ponder it long and I pray, "Lord, help me!"
Obedience flows from God's love. When I know I am loved and cherished by my heavenly Father, I long to be an obedient child. These days, it is the love of Christ that compels me. (2 Corinthians 5:14)

"It doesn’t matter how much we have messed up or have fallen into sin. No matter how dry our bones have become, God can restore all things. If we have a friend or family member who has rejected Christ and who does not seem interested in Christianity, God can still work in and through them to bring them to him. Whenever we lose hope, despair when we watch the news, or worry about tomorrow, we can rest assured that God promises to restore all things, just as he had with the Israelite captives in Babylon." [2]
Artwork by South Africa Artist Ilse Kleyn - "Dry Bones"
Picture posted by Jean Pierre DeBernay, Prophetics Gallery
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0a-kyzT2oJ2B-KhxTKo-UN6J2ZJ83fszrNsKzNRTaHkcGQPNQasUMMD7vFeAi58PKRz6WLUVhknuSALVksHScBaAhR_JMyEI2nQ5n-KC2IbtH9BemEy7wUzb7Yw0Qp2xlwlCY5nib2JGWLP_idB2IaqPm_En2bVQUFygqzcEx9T9nVPPh6eIjUI1W=s1000
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Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from C. S. Lewis that those books we've loaned out are the only books we'll have in heaven. We'll have space enough there.

Also, to read authors from the past is to sit in conversation with some of the greatest minds of history.

Lord, we learn that reading engages the mind and ignites the imagination. And mental stimulation is important as we age, for our minds, like our muscles, atrophy if we don't use them. Reading can help us keep our mind nimble, flexible, and strong. Certainly there is some cognitive loss as we age, but we can learn and our minds can expand to the end of our lives.

John Wesley said, ‘God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. We pray that we be homo unius libri [a man of one book], the book written by God.

We may have approached the Bible in a number of ways over the years, and all have served us well at one time or another. May our current method be based on a scheme as old as Jeremiah and John: We 'eat' it.

May we take small bites - a verse, a few sentences, or at most a short paragraph. Then think about that text for a long time. May we read and re-read it, a dozen times or more, reflecting on what the Author is saying and, more importantly, what You are saying to us. May we find understanding that comes through patient reading and reflection; every text that we brooded over.

Lord, some sayings are hard, may we think hard and long about their meaning. And if we ponder the Scriptures long enough, may we always find something there.

May we do the next step, prayer. May our prayer be analogous to the enzymes that break down our daily bread. We chew and then we digest. May we have the insights into the biblical text. May the meaning of those insights, the personal significance of the text, the deep wisdom that touches and changes the heart do not eluded us.

May our prayers play the crucial role, in leading us to understand the particular truth that we need for ourselves. May our reflection on the words of Scripture and reliance on the Spirit of God enable us to see what You want us to see.

May our prayer be essential to rid our mind of pride, prejudice, and the preconceptions to which we so doggedly cling. May it enable us to hear Your Word with objectivity and susceptibility, so that we can understand what's being said to our self-will, self-indulgence, and self-reliance.

May we follow Paul who knelt before the Father and prayed that those in Ephesus who read his words might ‘know’ what could not otherwise be known. Because the truth cannot be rationally assimilated; the process by which the Word becomes flesh and touches our heart of hearts is supra-rational - accomplished alone by prayer.

May what we ‘eat’ be integrated into our being. Because it's not enough to read Your Word and leave it there. We cannot say we know any truth until we've begun to obey it. As someone has said, ‘To know and not to do is not to know at all.’

May we meditate to get some new arguments against a sin, or some new encouragements to virtue; some spiritual strength and advantage, or some act of prayer to You, or glorification of You. Lord, this step, the walk of obedience, is the hardest part. We need Your help, for we are utterly helpless to help ourselves.

Lord, we pray that we understand that it our duty to live for God. We are beginning to know that we are poor creatures, utterly incapable of doing what You have asked us to do. We ask for Your help.

Lord obedience flows from Your love. When we know we are loved and cherished by our heavenly Father, we long to be an obedient child. May the love of Christ compels us to live for God.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 60 - Reflection - Number Our Days - The Little Birds of God, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-little-birds.html [60]

These birds are emblems of those men that shall
PHOTO: These birds are emblems of those men that shall
Ere (before) long possess the heavens, their all in all.
- John Milton

A leper came to Jesus one day, probably to everyone's great surprise, for lepers were banned from polite society. (Luke 5:12-14) Dr. Luke describes the man as "covered with leprosy," so he must have been afflicted with an advanced case of the disease. He was all lesions and stumps (wounded, walking stiffly and noisily), discolored and disfigured, shocking in his ugliness, a gross caricature (distortion) of what a human being is intended to be.

Leprosy was a death sentence back then. There was no earthly cure. Lepers were required to wear sackcloth and ashes, emblems (symbol) of mourning. They were "cut off from the land of the living."

Of all diseases, leprosy is the only one singled out by the Law and Prophets and associated with sin. Not because leprosy was sinful, or that sin necessarily led to leprosy, but because the disease was considered a symbol of sin - sin come to the surface. If one could see sin, it was thought, it would look something like an advanced case of leprosy. (Numbers 12; 2 Chronicles 26:16-23; 2 Kings 5:20-27) Furthermore, the end of leprosy is like the end of sin: death. Lepers were the walking death: "a sepulcher (tomb), a moving grave," wrote John Milton.

This man lingered on the outskirts of the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to approach Jesus - but not too close, lest he offend. And then he made his request: "If you are willing," he said to Jesus, "you can make me clean." This plain request for healing is touching and profound in its simplicity.

Sick and troubled people normally elicited (obtained) sympathy from others, but not lepers. They were considered repulsive in every way. They were, in John Milton's words, "disease-ridden men with moldy breath; unwashed men with the ways of death." Nevertheless, Jesus was "moved with compassion." He reached out to this desperate man and hugged him. "Hugged" is exactly the right word. "Touched," the word used by most translators, is much too tame. (John 20:17)

Did our Lord need to hug this leper? Of course He did! It meant everything in the world to the man. It was what "daughter" was to the woman with the defiling hemorrhage; what "neither do I condemn you" was to the woman caught in adultery. No one else could or would have hugged this shocking ugly, diseased man. Only Jesus. (Leviticus 5:3; Isaiah 53:4)

Then Jesus spoke the words. "Be clean" and "immediately the leprosy left him." And with that simple, healing pronouncement the leper was clothed in healthy flesh.

Jesus then sent the man off to the temple to show himself to the priest and to "offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing," and here's where the story gets even better. If the man obeyed, the priest would have located the proper procedure and would have read these instructions, written there in the Law for more than a thousand years. (Leviticus 14:1-9)

The priest was to go outside the camp to the leper, examine him, and declare him clean. Then he was to take two live birds in hand: one to be sacrificed, its blood poured out into an earthen bowl, the other to be bound into a bundle with a piece of cedar and a sprig of hyssop (an aromatic, sponge-like plant), wrapped together with scarlet string. After the first bird was sacrificed, he was then to dip the living bird in the blood in the vessel until the hyssop was saturated with blood, sprinkled the blood seven times on the one cleansed from leprosy, untie the bird, and set it free.

The first bird represents our Savior, washed and pure, then slain in the earthen vessel of His humanity, His blood poured out to take away our sin and sprinkled on the sinner to denote eternal forgiveness. Or as David put it in his memorable phrase, surely thinking of this ancient procedure, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean." (Psalm 51:7) Thus we may "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."(Hebrews 10:22)

The second bird represents you and me - immobilized and frustrated by our guilt, our hearts beating for freedom like the wings of that frantic little bird, straining against the fetters of guilt and shame that bind us. The little bird was powerless to free itself until it was dipped in the blood of the substitute and set free - free from sin's power to oppress and subdue, free to fly home to God.

You may remember Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull, that strange little book about the earnest seagull that grunted (make a low inarticulate sound, typically to express effort or indicate assent) his way up to God. Bach's bird sounded good on paper - people bought the book in more ways than one - but the essential premise was wrong. We cannot take flight from our own soul-sickness. There are too many strings attached.

It is God's birds that show us how to be free. It's the only way to fly.

Behold, I fall before thy face;
My only refuge is thy grace:
No outward forms can make me clean
The leprosy lies deep within.

No bleeding bird, nor bleeding beast,
Nor hyssop branch, nor sprinkling priest,
Nor running brook, nor flood, nor sea,
Can wash the dismal stain away.

Jesus my God, thy blood alone
Hath power sufficient to atone;
Thy blood can make me white as snow
No Jewish types could cleanse me so.
While guilt disturbs and breaks my peace,
Nor flesh nor soul hath rest or ease;
Lord, let me hear thy pard'ning voice,
And make my broken bones rejoice.
- Isaac Watts
 

Jesus then sent the man off to the temple to show himself to the priestPHOTO: Jesus then sent the man off to the temple to show himself to the priest and to "offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,"
The priest was to go outside the camp to the leper, examine him, and declare him clean. Then he was to take two live birds in hand: one to be sacrificed, its blood poured out into an earthen bowl, the other to be bound into a bundle with a piece of cedar and a sprig of hyssop (an aromatic, sponge-like plant), wrapped together with scarlet string. After the first bird was sacrificed, he was then to dip the living bird in the blood in the vessel until the hyssop was saturated with blood, sprinkled the blood seven times on the one cleansed from leprosy, untie the bird, and set it free.
Artwork by Dutch engraver Simon Fokke (1712-1784) - The Metzora being purified with the two birds. B (Rijksmuseum)
 

Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that leprosy was a death sentence back in Jesus’ time. Dr. Luke description of the leper appeared all lesions and stumps, discoloured and disfigured, shocking in his ugliness, a gross caricature of what a human being is intended to be.

Of all diseases, leprosy is the only one singled out by the Law and Prophets and associated with sin. Not because leprosy was sinful, or that sin necessarily led to leprosy, but because the disease was considered a symbol of sin - sin come to the surface. If one could see sin, it was thought, it would look something like an advanced case of leprosy. The end of leprosy is like the end of sin: death. Lepers were the walking death: ‘a sepulchre, a moving grave.’

Sick and troubled people normally elicited sympathy from others, but not lepers. They were considered repulsive in every way. They were ‘disease-ridden men with mouldy breath; unwashed men with the ways of death.’

In Luke, leper lingered on the outskirts of the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to approach Jesus - but not too close, lest he offend. And then he made his request: ‘If you are willing,’ he said to Jesus, ‘you can make me clean.’ This plain request for healing is touching and profound in its simplicity. Jesus was ‘moved with compassion.’ He reached out to this desperate man and hugged him. This hug meant everything in the world to the man. No one else could or would have hugged this shocking ugly, diseased man. Only Jesus.

Then Jesus spoke the words. ‘Be clean’ and ‘immediately the leprosy left him.’ And with that simple, healing pronouncement the leper was clothed in healthy flesh.

Jesus then sent the man off to the temple to show himself to the priest and to ‘offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing.’ If the man obeyed, the priest would have located the proper procedure and would have read these instructions, written there in the Law for more than a thousand years.

We learn that the priest was to go outside the camp to the leper, examine him, and declare him clean. Then he was to take two live birds in hand: one to be sacrificed, its blood poured out into an earthen bowl, the other to be bound into a bundle with a piece of cedar and a sprig of hyssop (an aromatic, sponge-like plant), wrapped together with scarlet string. After the first bird was sacrificed, he was then to dip the living bird in the blood in the vessel until the hyssop was saturated with blood, sprinkled the blood seven times on the one cleansed from leprosy, untie the bird, and set it free.

The first bird represents our Saviour, washed and pure, then slain in the earthen vessel of His humanity, His blood poured out to take away our sin and sprinkled on the sinner to denote eternal forgiveness. Thus, we may ‘draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.’

The second bird represents us - immobilized and frustrated by our guilt, our hearts beating for freedom like the wings of that frantic little bird, straining against the fetters of guilt and shame that bind us. The little bird was powerless to free itself until it was dipped in the blood of the substitute and set free - free from sin's power to oppress and subdue, free to fly home to God.

Lord, we cannot take flight from our own soul-sickness. There are too many strings attached.

It is God's birds that show us how to be free. It's the only way to fly.

Only Jesus our God, with His blood alone has the power sufficient to atone our sins. His blood can make us white as snow. Otherwise, guilt disturbs and breaks our peace. Our flesh and soul have no rest or ease. May we hear Your pardoning voice, and make our broken bones rejoice.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 61 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Loneliness, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-loneliness.html [61]

He wants not friends that hath Thy love.
PHOTO: He wants not friends that hath Thy love.
- Richard Baxter

Psalm 142 is a "maskil," a song to make us wise, as the title "a maskil of David" suggests. David wrote this psalm while on the run from Saul, who was trying to kill him. When King Achish of Gath refused to help David, he fled to a cave near Adullam, a Canaanite city. Separated from family and friends, lost and unremembered, he blurted out his lament (wailing):

Look to my right and see;
no one is concerned for me;
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life. (Psalm 142:4)

Therapists tell us that we all need someone to care about us. As he wallowed (lay) in introspection (soul-searching) and lonely solitude, David felt that no one cared for him.

David is not alone in his loneliness, of course; in his psalm we see our own loneliness. Loneliness is a human need that no number of friends can fill - an innate (inherent) loneliness that is in reality a spiritual hunger, a divine restlessness, the cry of the heart for God's love. Only when we know deep down in our hearts that we are God's beloved can we see our loneliness for what it is: Our hearts are restless for the love of God.

We cannot expect that we will never again feel loneliness in this life, but God's grace starts us on the way. His love assuages (ease) our isolation and feelings of abandonment.

It's significant to me that when David made his lonely cry, God gave David no earthly friends - only himself. As David said, "It is you [alone] who know my way." (Psalm 142:3) Only God knew where David was, only God cared.

When we are stripped of every human friend, we find ourselves enfolded in the love of God. As Richard Baxter said, "He wants not friends that hath Thy love." What a friend we have in Jesus!

And then, knowing that God is our friend, though we may still want earthly friends, we do not crave them. We can be a friend rather that need one. Instead of leaning on others, others can lean on us. "Then the righteous will gather about me," David said, "because of your goodness to me." (Psalm 142:7)

I prayed for friends, and then I lost awhile
All sense of nearness, human and divine;
The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart;
The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine;
But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone
The everlasting arms upheld my own.

I thank Thee, Lord. Thou wert too wise to heed
My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,
Since these rich gifts Thy bounty has bestowed
Have brought me more than I had asked or thought.
Giver of good, so answer each request
With Thine own giving, better than my best.
- Annie Flint Johnson
Artwork by Hans Thoma – Einsamkeit (1896) - Loneliness (1896)
Picture posted by Hanna G Sigurðardóttir on 11June 2015 at 13:59 
 

David is not alone in his loneliness, of course; in his psalm we see our own loneliness.PHOTO: David is not alone in his loneliness, of course; in his psalm we see our own loneliness. Loneliness is a human need that no number of friends can fill - an innate (inherent) loneliness that is in reality a spiritual hunger, a divine restlessness, the cry of the heart for God's love. Only when we know deep down in our hearts that we are God's beloved can we see our loneliness for what it is: Our hearts are restless for the love of God.
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Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, We learn from therapists that we all need someone to care about us.

David wrote Psalm 142 while on the run from Saul, who was trying to kill him. When King Achish of Gath refused to help David, he fled to a cave near Adullam, a Canaanite city. Separated from family and friends, lost and unremembered, he blurted out his lament. As he wallowed in introspection and lonely solitude, David felt that no one cared for him.

Lord, David is not alone in his loneliness. We all need someone to care about us. Our loneliness is a human need that no number of friends can fill - an innate loneliness that is in reality a spiritual hunger, a divine restlessness, the cry of the heart for Your love. Only when we know deep down in our hearts that we are Your beloved can we see our loneliness for what it is: Our hearts are restless for Your love.

We cannot expect that we will never again feel loneliness in this life, May your grace starts us on the way. May Your love assuages our isolation and feelings of abandonment.

Lord, no number of earthly friends can fill our needs. It is you alone who know our way. Only You know where we are, only You cared.

Knowing that You are our friend, we may still want earthly friends. May we do not crave for them. May we be a friend rather that need one. Instead of leaning on others, others can lean on us. We pray that then the righteous will gather about us because of Your goodness to us.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 62 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Retirement, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-retirement.html [62]

Hackney'd (dull and meaningless) in business, wearied at that oar,
PHOTO: Hackney'd (dull and meaningless) in business, wearied at that oar,
Which thousands, once fast chain'd to, quit no more,
But which, when life at ebb runs weak and low,
All with, or seem to wish, the could forego;
The statesman, lawyer, merchant, man of trade,
Pants for the refuge of some rural shade,
Where, all his long anxieties forgot
Amid the charms of a sequester'd (secluded) spot . . .
- William Cowper

In Homer's Odyssey, battle-weary Odysseus sets sail for Ithaca, his island home off the coast of Greece, after long years of fighting at Troy. Along the way he encounters the goddess Circe who tells him he must go to the underworld to consult the ghost of an old prophet, Teiresias, from whom he would gain wisdom for his last years on earth.

Later, on the edge of Hades, Odysseus does indeed meet the seer who instructs him: "When you get home. . . you must take a well-made oar and carry it on and on, till you come to a country where the people have never heard of the sea and do not even mix salt with their food, nor do they know anything about ships, and oars that are as the wings of a ship. I will give you this certain token which cannot escape your notice. A wayfarer will meet you and will say it must be a winnowing shovel that you have got upon your shoulder; on this you must fix the oar in the ground."

Odysseus was to leave his oar - the sign of his lifelong vocation - in a far-off place where people had never heard of the sea or his sea-going exploits. Then, the prophet promised, "Your life shall ebb away gently when you are full of years and peace of mind, and your people will bless you."

Battle weary Odysseus had faced adventure after adventure for years as he tried to get home. Yet though "hackney'd [bored] in business, wearied at that oar," he was still striving to find meaning in his sea-going "work." Thus, "leaving his oar in that far-off place" becomes a vivid metaphor for leaving his work behind. Only then can he "ebb away gently, full of years and peace of mind." For most of us, however, leaving our work behind can be more difficult than it sounds.

I have a friend who, until this past summer, was a veteran pilot for a major airline. We happened to run into one another the day he reached mandatory retirement age. "Last night I made a very difficult landing in a snowstorm in Chicago with several hundred lives in my hands. To my crew and passengers I was a god!" he mused. "Today I'm no one at all."

Most retirees can identify. Retirement not only robs us of our work, it may also rob us of our self-worth, for so much of our sense of worth is tied up in what we do.

It's significant to me that one of the first things people say when they first meet is, "What do you do?" Which is another way of saying, "What are you?" and thus we define one another by our vocations. I wonder how we would respond if, on meeting us, people would ask, "Who are you?" I'm not sure many of us would know what to say, because without our work, we don't know who we are.

It's not surprising, then, that retirement frustrates our sense of self-regard. We're no longer needed; we're not in demand. We have no colleagues to impress and no one to command or control. We're left out of the circles of power. Our advice is no longer sought. We're nobodies. As J. R. R. Tolkien's hobbit Merry said to Treebeard, "We always seem to have got left out of the old lists and the old stories."

But what if we view all these losses as a good thing? For losses, properly understood, become the means by which we gain more of Christ and find rest in His love for us.

Paul, who was a man of great accomplishment and reputation, wrote, "Whatever things were gain to me [in the past], those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:7-8 NASB)

There is really only one thing necessary: resting in the love of the One who is Love itself. Everything else is "rubbish," to use Paul's word - skuballa in Greek - a harsh word that literally means "excrement." This is Paul's measure of his losses when compared to his gain: the infinite love of Christ.

Truth be known, our vocations will never bring us complete satisfaction, no matter what we've achieved. While work is part of the created order, and God certainly does bless the work of our hands, our own efforts and anxious endeavors will never bring us the ultimate satisfaction we crave. Rest and peace come only from living in the love of God.

We should welcome retirement, for in it we're released . . .

From anxious thoughts how wealth may be increased,
How to secure, in some propitious (promising) hour,
The point of interest or the post of power . . .
Safe from the clamors (demands) of perverse dispute,
At least are friendly to the great pursuit [of God].

Put another way, retirement provides an opportunity to purify our hearts. A pure heart is an undivided heart in which there is but one desire: to be loved by our Lord Jesus and to love Him in return. (Psalm 86:11) In that love we possess the joy we sought but never found in all our work or play, and thus, like Homer's Odysseus, may ebb away gently, "full of years and peace of mind.
 
 

Dear LordPHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from the story of Odyssey that we need to leave our lifelong vocation so that our life can ebb away gently when we are full of years and peace of mind, and our people will bless us.

But Lord, for most of us leaving our work behind can be more difficult than it sounds. Most retirees can identify. Retirement not only robs us of our work, it may also rob us of our self-worth, for so much of our sense of worth is tied up in what we do.

We define one another by our vocations Many of us without our work don't know who we are.

Retirement frustrates our sense of self-regard. We're no longer needed; we're not in demand. We have no colleagues to impress and no one to command or control. We're left out of the circles of power. Our advice is no longer sought. We're nobodies.

Lord, we learn that we can view all these losses as a good thing. For losses, properly understood, become the means by which we gain more of Christ and find rest in His love for us.

We learn from Paul that all things are counted to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. He suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish so that he may gain Christ. There is really only one thing necessary: resting in the love of the One who is Love itself. Everything else is ‘rubbish,’ to use Paul's word.

We learn that our vocations will never bring us complete satisfaction, no matter what we've achieved. While work is part of the created order, and God certainly does bless the work of our hands, our own efforts and anxious endeavours will never bring us the ultimate satisfaction we crave. Rest and peace come only from living in the love of God.

Lord, may we welcome retirement, for in it we're released from anxious thoughts on how wealth may be increased, how to secure, in some propitious hour, the point of interest or the post of power. We can be safe from the clamours of perverse dispute, and at least are friendly to the great pursuit of God.

We pray that our retirement provides an opportunity to purify our hearts. A pure heart is an undivided heart in which there is but one desire: to be loved by our Lord Jesus and to love Him in return.

May in that love we possess the joy we sought but never found in all our work or play, and thus may ebb away gently, ‘full of years and peace of mind.’

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Chapter 63 - Reflection - Number Our Days - Scaret of Dying, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-scaret-of.html[63]

One short sleep past, we wake eternally
PHOTO: One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
- John Donne

Mary Trumbull Slosson, whose quaint (attractive) but profound folktales give us a "glimpse of Joy beyond the walls of the world," writes about a little boy who was "scaret of dying."

Once there was a boy that was dreadful scaret o' dyin'. Some folks is that way, you know; they ain't never done it to know how it feels, and they're scaret . . . And one day, as this boy, his name was Reuben . . . was settin' under a tree . . . he heard a little, little bit of a voice - not squeaky, you know, but small and thin and soft like - and he see't was a posy talkin' . . . and it says, "What you cryin' for, Reuben?"

And he says, "'Cause I'm scaret o' dyin'," says he; "I'm dreadful scaret o' dyin'."

Well, what do you think? That posy jest laughed, the most cur'us little pinky-white laugh't was - and it says . . . "Dyin'! Scaret o' dyin'? Why, I die myself every single year o' my life."

"Die yourself!" says Reuben. "You're foolin'; you're alive this minute."

"'Course I be . . . but that's neither here nor there - I've died every year since I can remember."

"Don't it hurt?" says the boy.

"No, it don't," says the posy; "it's real nice. You see, you get kind o' tired a-holdin' up your head straight and lookin' peart and wide awake, and tired o' the sun shinin' so hot, and the winds blowin' you to pieces, and the bees a-takin' your honey. So it's nice to feel sleepy and kind o' hang your head down, and get sleepier and sleepier, and then find you're droppin' off. Then you wake up jest't the nicest time o' year, and come up and look 'round, and - why, I like to die, I do"

April showers bring May flowers, as they say. They also bring the stirring of hope. Spring flowers, trees, and creatures are hints of heaven, for God has planned it that way. But spring alone is not enough. It may leave us with Reuben's worry: "I ain't a posy and mebbe I wouldn't come up."

Spring's hope could be an illusion. That's why T. S. Eliot, in his pre-Christian days, thought April was "the cruelest month." But "if you believe that the Son of God died and rose again," writes George MacDonald, "your whole future is full of the dawn of eternal morning, coming up beyond the hills of life, and full of such hope as the highest imagination for the poet has not a glimmer yet."

There is a truer word. Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

It's one thing to make a bold assertion; it's another to back it up - and back it up Jesus did, by rising from the dead, "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The Son of God died and rose again, and His resurrection is the guarantee that God will bring us up and out of ground. A thinking, feeling, remembering, recognizable part of us will live forever.

Faith means remembering Jesus' promise of eternal life and believing that it applies to us: "I go now to prepare a place for you so that where I am you may be also." That means that life after death will not be totally different from the rest of our earthly journey. It will simply be another way in which God's love comes upon us, but it will be Love in all its transforming greatness. It will mean living out the thought of eternity that God has implanted in our hearts; it will mean meeting our loved ones lost through separating death; it will mean living in a world without blood, sweat, and tears; and, most of all, it will mean seeing our Lord who loves us and has given everything He has to unite us to Him forever in love.

There's another meaning I see as I think about this. Since we go around twice, we don't have to go for all the gusto (enjoyment and enthusiasm) here and now. We can live in broken and ruined bodies for a time; we can endure poverty and hardship or a while; we can face loneliness, heartache, and pain for a season. We don't have to have it all on this earth, for there is another world into which we will soon be welcomed. There our Savior will mend every broken piece and part of our bodies and wipe away the tears of pain. There will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

We will say to one another, "This is what I've been waiting for all my life!" and then we'll spread our wings and fly!
Picture posted by mimikascraftroom, Dimitra Papadimitriou on 24 November 2018 - The Space Between
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBbAF-cEgMxSbMyE61bStmAG3SHQsfnOmevbyk3-4XfJEeJz-EzGSboZudeFYAepdhQ5sjW9nnfKDZ9i9aTtlnmQcdC2rAbKpAaOuQgS1DzjkSvs6SoCxxWJKm_ukUEPQEsmyTC7c4et6l-3Onq_PMXNX3XROzxGci1s7MYhdHuwAYuzw7OFqDHeU9=s900
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https://www.deviantart.com/mimikascraftroom/art/The-Space-Between-773923584
 

There is a truer word.PHOTO: There is a truer word. Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
Picture posted by Reddit on Saturday, 10 July 2021 at 12:21:48 am
 

We can live in broken and ruined bodies for a time; we can endure poverty and hardship or a while; we can face loneliness, heartache, and pain for a season.
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that April showers bring May flowers. They also bring the stirring of hope. Spring flowers, trees, and creatures are hints of heaven, for God has planned it that way. But spring alone is not enough. It may leave us with worry that we ‘are not a posy and maybe we wouldn't come up’.

The spring's hope could be an illusion. We learn from T. S. Eliot that ‘if we believe that the Son of God died and rose again, our whole future is full of the dawn of eternal morning, coming up beyond the hills of life, and full of such hope as the highest imagination for the poet has not a glimmer yet’.

Our Lord Jesus had said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’ Jesus back up this bold assertion by rising from the dead, ‘the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’.

The Son of God died and rose again, and His resurrection is the guarantee that God will bring us up and out of ground. May a thinking, feeling, remembering, recognizable part of us live forever.

Lord, may we have the Faith which is remembering Jesus' promise of eternal life and believing that it applies to us: ‘I go now to prepare a place for you so that where I am you may be also’.

We learn too that life after death will not be totally different from the rest of our earthly journey. It will simply be another way in which God's love comes upon us, but it will be Love in all its transforming greatness. It will mean living out the thought of eternity that God has implanted in our hearts; it will mean meeting our loved ones lost through separating death; it will mean living in a world without blood, sweat, and tears; and, most of all, it will mean seeing our Lord who loves us and has given everything He has to unite us to Him forever in love.

Lord, may we don't have to go for all the gusto here and now. We can live in broken and ruined bodies for a time; we can endure poverty and hardship or a while; we can face loneliness, heartache, and pain for a season. We don't have to have it all on this earth, for there is another world into which we will soon be welcomed.

There our Saviour will mend every broken piece and part of our bodies and wipe away the tears of pain. There will be ‘no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.

May we be able to say to one another, ‘This is what I've been waiting for all my life!’ and then we'll spread our wings and fly!

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Jeanne Poland on 13 April 2021
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https://thevibrantchanneledcreator.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/archangel-haniels-message-for-you/
 
 
 
Chapter 64 - Reflection - Number Our Days - There is Rest, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-there-is-rest.html [64]

I'm climbin' up the mountain, children
PHOTO: I'm climbin' up the mountain, children;
Ain't got time for to stay.
Ain't nobody gonna turn me 'round,
Gonna make it to the judgement day.
- Traditional Spiritual

Is it true? Must I keep climbing? Must I "make it" to the judgement day? Is there a rest for my weary effort? There is, God assures me.

Our Lord entered into rest when He finished the work of creation. He luxuriated in what He had accomplished and "rested." (Genesis 2:2) Every other creation day had a beginning and an end, but not the Sabbath. It is timeless, eternal. It "remains."

The Sabbath, of course, is but a symbol and therefore cannot be our final resting place. Even the rest of Canaan was not the finale, for that was a temporary, earthly rest. But God promised "another" day on which to rest, and so there "remains" a Sabbath for God's children. (Hebrews 4:8-9)

Where is that place of rest? Is it in heaven? Or earth? Both, I say. There is a final rest for our worn-out bodies and weary souls on ahead, but there is also rest in the here and now. "We who have believed enter [now] that rest." (Hebrews 4:3) Today is the day of rest. "Come to me," Jesus said, "and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-30)

There is the rest of salvation: "It is finished" was His cry. I have nothing to do but I believe that my salvation is complete - nothing more. I can rest assured that God will guard my faith to the end. No one can touch me, for I am held in His hands.

There is the rest of sanctification: the One who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ. We can rest in His forgiveness and grace and know that He is at work to bring us to completeness in the end. When we see Him, we'll be just like Him, He assure us.

There is the rest of ministry and service. I am God's workmanship, created to do good works that He has prepared in advance for me. He knows the way through my world and the hazards I will encounter there. He knows my heartaches and the obstacles that must be surmounted each day. I can cease from anxious scheming and striving and rest in His sufficiency.

This is not passivity or quietism (abandonment). God rested from His labors on the seventh day but works today through Providence; Jesus rested in His finished work on the cross but lives to intercede for us.

No, this is not inactivity, but restful effort, relying on the work of God's omniscient (all-knowing), caring Son.

Thus in all things I must make every effort to enter that rest -

In simple faith to rest
that He, who knows and loves, will do the best.

So, I say, "grow old along with me, the best is yet to be . . . "
 

There is the rest of sanctificationPHOTO: There is the rest of sanctification: the One who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ. We can rest in His forgiveness and grace and know that He is at work to bring us to completeness in the end. When we see Him, we'll be just like Him, He assure us.
Picture posted by Skip Thomas, Fine Art America
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https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e9/d7/02/e9d702eef998adcd0147a00a0a3af2e8.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/234679830572662713/
 

Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that we need not keep climbing or to ‘make it’ to the judgement day, but there is rest for our weary effort. And You assures us.

Our Lord entered into rest when He finished the work of creation. He luxuriated in what He had accomplished and ‘rested.’ Every other creation day had a beginning and an end, but not the Sabbath. It is timeless, eternal. It ‘remains.’

The Sabbath, of course, is but a symbol and therefore cannot be our final resting place. Even the rest of Canaan was not the finale, for that was a temporary, earthly rest.

Thank You for promising ‘another’ day on which to rest, and so there ‘remains’ a Sabbath for God's children. We learn that this place id both in heaven and earth. There is a final rest for our worn-out bodies and weary souls on ahead, but there is also rest in the here and now.

We who have believed enter [now] that rest. Today is the day of rest. ‘Come to me,’ Jesus said, ‘and you will find rest for your souls.’

There is the rest of salvation: ‘It is finished’ was Jesus’ cry. We have nothing to do but we believe that our salvation is complete - nothing more. We can rest assured that God will guard our faith to the end. No one can touch us, for we are held in His hands.

There is the rest of sanctification: the One who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ. We can rest in His forgiveness and grace and know that He is at work to bring us to completeness in the end. When we see Him, we'll be just like Him, He assure us.

There is the rest of ministry and service. We are God's workmanship, created to do good works that He has prepared in advance for us. He knows the way through our world and the hazards we will encounter there. He knows my heartaches and the obstacles that must be surmounted each day. I can cease from anxious scheming and striving and rest in His sufficiency.

We learn that those rests are not passivity or quietism. God rested from His labours on the seventh day but works today through Providence; Jesus rested in His finished work on the cross but lives to intercede for us.

Thank You Lord, relying on the work of Your omniscient, caring Son. is not inactivity, but restful effort.

May in all things, we make every effort to enter that rest.

May we grow old along with each other, and may the best is yet to be.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by 🌹BLUE ROSE🌹 II
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/70439181663455870/
 
Reflection - Number Our Days (Links)
Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days"
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.
 

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html


David Roper served as a pastor for many years.
PHOTO: David Roper served as a pastor for many years. Now, he and his wife, Carolyn, offer encouragement and counsel to pastoral couples through Idaho Mountain Ministries. David is the author of thirteen books, including Every Day Is a New Shade of Blue, A Burden Shared, and Seeing God, and is a regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread. Nearly one million of his books are in print.
Picture posted by Amazon
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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/815cLULY5WL._SY600_.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Psalm-23-Through-Darkest-Valley/dp/1627079726


Other Books

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html


"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 
 
"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
  
 
 
Reference
[1] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Forgetfulness, posted on Tuesday, 04 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-forgetfulness.html
 
[2] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - How Does Your Garden Grow?, posted on Thursday, 06 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-how-does.html
 
[3] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Mixed Up in My Head, posted on Thursday, 13 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-mixed-up-in.html

[4] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - My Staff, posted on Sunday, 16 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-my-staff.html
 
[5] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - It's About Time, posted on Saturday, 22 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-its-about.html
 
[6] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - No Need for Regret, posted on Monday, 24 May 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/05/reflection-number-our-days-no-need-for.html
 
[7] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - In This Place, posted on Wednesday, 02 June 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/06/reflection-number-our-days-in-this-place.html
 
[8] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - A Little Bird Told Me, posted on Friday, 04 June 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/06/reflection-number-our-days-little-bird.html
 
[9] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Bird Song, posted on Wednesday, 09 June 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/06/reflection-number-our-days-bird-song.html
 
[10] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Counting the Days, posted on Saturday, 12 June 2021,
 
[11] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Sauntering, posted on Wednesday, 23 June 2021,
 
[12] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Dangerous Crossings, posted on Friday, 25 June 2021,
 
[13] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Deformed, posted on Saturday, 03 July 2021,
 
[14] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Dressed for Success, posted on Tuesday, 06 July 2021,
 
[15] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Is This All the Thanks I Get?, posted on Wednesday, 14 July 2021,
 
[16] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory", posted on Saturday, 17 July 2021,
 
[17] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Grander Curves of Character, posted on Saturday, 17 July 2021,
 
[18] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Going and Not Knowing, posted on Sunday, 25 July 2021, 

[19] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - From the Ground Up, posted on Tuesday, 03 August 2021,
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/08/reflection-number-our-days-from-ground.html
 
[20] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Hand on the Helve, posted on Friday, 06 August 2021, 

[21] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - What I Make of It, posted on Friday, 13 August 2021, 

[22] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Handicapped, posted on Sunday, 15 August 2021, 

[23] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Paying Attention, posted on Monday, 23 August 2021, 

[24] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Habitual Tenderness, posted on Wednesday, 25 August 2021, 

[25] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Weariness, posted on Thursday, 02 September 2021, 

[26] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Stuff, posted on Saturday, 04 September 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/09/reflection-number-our-days-stuff.html

[27] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - A River Runs through Us, posted on Monday, 13 September 2021, 

[28] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Sound of Silence, posted on Tuesday, 14 September  2021, 

[29] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Good, the Better, the Best, posted on Wednesday, 22 September 2021, 

[30] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Fresh Starts, posted on Friday, 24 September 2021, 

[31] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Rat!, posted on Sunday, 03 October 2021, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/10/reflection-number-our-days-rats.html

[32] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Things I Do Not Know, posted on Tuesday, 05 October 2021, 

[33] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Hill Difficulty, posted on Tuesday, 12 October 2021, 

[34] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - A Ruin! A Ruin! A Ruin!, posted on 15 October 2021, 

[35] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Discipline of Distress, posted on Saturday, 23 October 2021, 

[36] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Nothing to Lose, posted on Monday, 25 October 2021, 

[37] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Seize the Day!, posted on Wednesday, 03 November 2021,

[38] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Sing a Song, posted on Friday, 05 November 2021, 

[39] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - A Painful Grace, posted on Friday, 12 November 2021, 

[40] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Pressing On, posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021, 
 
[41] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Rejected, posted on Monday, 22 November 2021,
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-rejected.html
 
[42] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Yoke, posted on Thursday, 25 November 2021,
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-yoke.html
 
[43] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Learning to Listen, posted on Friday, 03 December 2021,
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/12/reflection-number-our-days-learning-to.html
 
[44] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The World's Last Night, posted on Monday, 06 December 2021,
 
[45] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - On Yaks, posted on Monday, 13 December 2021,
 
[46] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Fool's Gold, posted on Wednesday, 15 December 2021,
 
[47] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Things I Can't Do Any Longer, posted on Thursday, 23 December 2021,
 
[48] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Works of Our Hands, posted on Sunday, 26 December 2021,
 
[49] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Readiness, posted on Tuesday, 04 January 2022,
 
[50] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Autumn Colors, posted on Friday, 07January 2022,
 
[51] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Nothing Left to Prove, posted on Thursday, 13 January 2022,
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflection-number-our-days-nothing-left.html

[52] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Highways to Zion, posted on Saturday, 15 January 2022,
 
[53] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Ageless Delight, posted on Sunday, 23 January 2022, 
 
[55] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Art of Correction, posted on Thursday, 03 February 2022, 
 
[56] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - His Story, posted on 05 February 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-his-story.html

[57] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Asleep in Jesus, posted on 14 February 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-asleep-in.html

[58] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - What Good Am I?, posted on 18 February  2022, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-what-good-am.html

[59] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Bookworm, posted on Wednesday, 23 February 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/02/reflection-number-our-days-bookworm.html

[60] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - The Little Birds of God, posted on Saturday, 26 February 2022,
 
[61] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Loneliness, posted on Thursday, 03 March 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-loneliness.html

[62] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Retirement, posted on Sunday, 06 March 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-retirement.html

[63] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - Scaret of Dying, posted on Sunday, 13 March 2022, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-scaret-of.html

[64] David Roper, Reflection - Number Our Days - There is Rest, posted on Tuesday, 15 March 2022, 

1 Peter 5:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A8&version=NIV


1 Thessalonians 4:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+4%3A13&version=NIV

2 Corinthians 4:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+4%3A17&version=NIV

2 Corinthians 5:8 -  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A8&version=NIV

2 Corinthians 5:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A14&version=NIV

2 Kings 24:1-25:30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+24%3A1-25%3A30&version=NIV

2 Timothy 2:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+2%3A7&version=NIV

Acts 13:36 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+13%3A36&version=NIV

Daniel 12:2; Psalm 17:14-15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+12%3A2%3B+Psalm+17%3A14-15&version=NIV

Deuteronomy 34:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+34%3A5&version=NIV

Ecclesiastes 7:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+7%3A3&version=NIV

Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiaste+12%3A3-5&version=NIV

Ephesians 3:19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3%3A19&version=NIV

Galatians 1:11-20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+1%3A11-20&version=NIV

Galatians 6:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+6%3A1&version=NIV

Genesis 1:31 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A31&version=NIV

Genesis 2:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%3A2&version=NIV

Genesis 23:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+23%3A4&version=NIV

Habakkuk 3:17-18 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+3%3A17-18&version=NIV

Hebrews 4:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A3&version=NIV

Hebrews 4:8-9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A8-9&version=NIV

Hebrews 10:22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A22&version=NIV

Hebrews 11:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1&version=NIV

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1&version=NKJV

Hebrews 12:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A1&version=NIV

Hebrews 12:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A7&version=NIV

Hebrews 12:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A10&version=NIV



Isaiah 57:19 NKJV - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+57%3A19&version=NKJV

Jeremiah 27:1-15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+27%3A1-15&version=NIV

Jeremiah 27:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+27%3A7&version=NIV

Jeremiah 27:12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+27%3A12&version=NIV

Jeremiah 31:28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A28&version=NIV

Jeremiah 31:29-30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A29-30&version=NIV

Jeremiah 31:34 NASB - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A34&version=NASB

Jeremiah 46:28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+46%3A28&version=NIV

Job 34:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+34%3A6&version=NIV

John 9:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+9%3A4&version=NIV

John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; Mark 5:39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11%3A11%3B+Acts+7%3A60%3B+1+Thessalonians+4%3A13-14%3B+Mark+5%3A39&version=NIV

John 11:12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11%3A12&version=NIV

Leviticus 5:3; Isaiah 53:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5%3A3%3B+Isaiah+53%3A4&version=NIV

Leviticus 14:1-9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+14%3A1-9&version=NIV

Luke 5:12-14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+5%3A12-14&version=NIV

Luke 17:1, 3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17%3A1%2C+3&version=NIV


Matthew 11:28-30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-30&version=NIV

Matthew 21:42 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A42&version=NIV

Matthew 25:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A21&version=NKJV

Numbers 12; 2 Chronicles 26:16-23; 2 Kings 5:20-27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+12%3B+2+Chronicles+26%3A16-23%3B+2+Kings+5%3A20-27&version=NIV

Philippians 1:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+1%3A6&version=NIV

Philippians 1:21-23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A8&version=NIV

Philippians 2:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2%3A3&version=NIV

Philippians 3:7-8 NASB - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+3%3A7-8&version=NASB

Proverbs 27:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+27%3A6&version=NIV

Proverbs 24:5-6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+24%3A5-6&version=NIV

Psalm 31:11, 12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+31%3A11%2C+12&version=NIV

Psalm 51:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+51%3A7&version=NIV

Psalm 63:6-7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+63%3A6-7&version=NIV

Psalm 71:3, 6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A3%2C+6&version=NIV

Psalm 71:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A7&version=NIV

Psalm 71:9, 18; Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A9%2C+18%3B+Deuteronomy+31%3A6%2C+Hebrews+13%3A5&version=NIV

Psalm 71:17, 15, 18 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A17%2C+15%2C+18&version=NIV

Psalm 71:20-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71%3A20-21&version=NKJV

Psalm 84:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+84%3A2&version=NIV

Psalm 84:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+84%3A5&version=NIV

Psalm 86:11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+86%3A11&version=NIV

Psalm 86:12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+86%3A12&version=NIV






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