Cornerstone

Psalm 119:161-168 (163)

¹⁶¹ Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.

¹⁶² I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁶³ I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.

¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.

¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.

¹⁶⁶ I wait for your salvation, O LORD,
and I follow your commands.

¹⁶⁷ I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸ I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.

Some people don’t like going by the rule book.  The Psalmist tried to express his exasperation regarding this when he said, “Princes have persecuted me without a cause.”  Today we may shake our head in exasperation when we see someone making a left turn from the right lane of a four lane road.   We are disgusted when we see someone throwing trash from their car onto the side of the road as they drive by.  We may be angered during a board game when an opponent keeps coming up with their own “rules”.

A cubit may have meant one thing for Noah and another for his son.  If a cubit was the distance from the tip of the finger to the elbow then the length would vary depending on who you talk to last.  This is the reason that various countries developed a standard for weight and measurement which over time became accepted globally.  People realized that only when everybody followed the same set of rules could a sense of equity be determined.

This fact is one of the main reasons there is so much conflict in the world today.  Even though many have agreed to an international standard of weight and measurement for trade, they cannot seem to agree on a standard for moral conduct.  God has given us the rule book that must be followed if we hope to be delivered from sin, know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and have a hope of eternal life.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Mk 10:13-(16)

We sat at the kitchen table trying to play a board game with our friends. I was mildly irritated. The annoyance had been gradually building throughout the evening. Their little child was insisting that she be included in the game. We knew that she could not comprehend the rules or the concept of the game. Her parents struggled with the task of excluding her from our fun. They were doing their best to not hurt her feelings while at the same time insisting that she play with toys that were designed for her age group.

In another setting there was annoyance as well. The task oriented disciples wanted to screen the visitors that came to Jesus. Now, parents were insisting that Jesus see their little children, touch them, and bless them. Just as the disciples were about to exert their self-ordained authority as “Jesus Protectors” the Master spoke to say that He WANTED the little children to come to Him. In fact, He went on to say that unless we come to Him in the transparency and weakness of a little child we cannot have a relationship with Him. We strive for sophistication and strength when all along we need to realize our inadequacy and relinquish control of our lives to Him. We need to come to Jesus as “little children.”

Dr. Gayle Woods