2010 – April 23 – A Lifetime of Learning

Study from God’s Word… Psalms 70, 71, 77, 83, and 86 … Passage for Reflection: Psalm 71: 17 – 18 … NIV 17 Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds. 18 Even when I am 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.

My Journal for Today: What is the “story of a lifetime?” F. LaGard Smith, today in his devotional, reminds his readers (i.e., that’s me) of the story of an old, dying man who was asked to share the greatest truth he knew from his life as a Christian. He responded, “Jesus loves me; this I know, … for the Bible tells me so.” And this is the message David was trying to share in today’s highlight passage, wasn’t it?

We live our entire lives; and you may be one day realize, especially if you’re up there in years, as am I, that, as Dr. Smith wrote today, ”… the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know. And the more we know, the more we find ourselves getting back to the basics of what we first learned as a child.” And that is the case before our lives became choked out with the worldly information that tends to take away the essence of the childlike faith Jesus declares is necessary to come into His kingdom as a little child.

Are we missing the simple truth, my friends, as this information age pours life-choking facts into our brains? Do we have a constipation of the heart which is caused by our trying, in our later years, to be sophisticated and to appear as intellectually together? Do we need to just stop and sing the old song, “Jesus loves me, … this I know, … for the Bible tells me so;” … ???

I’m going to stop there, as one of David’s Psalms might declare, “Selah,” which asks the listener to the song to pause and reflect on the truth of the lyrics to the song thus far. So, my friends, “Selah,” reflecting on the truth of …

Jesus loves me, …
This I know;
For the Bible tells me so …

My Prayer for Today: LORD, may I live by always remembering … and living … the truth of that song I learned in my youth, but came to forget for so long in my life. Amen