Cornerstone

Psalm 119:97-104 (97)

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.

⁹⁸ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.

⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.

¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.

¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.

¹⁰² I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

I remember well times in the past walking hand in hand with my little boys.  Whether it was in a crowded mall, or across a busy boulevard I would hold out my hand and they would grasp it as well headed toward our destination.  I could telegraph to them my intentions by putting pressure on one side of their hand or the other, by twisting the wrist one way or another.  They could sense when it was time to speed up or slow down simply by the pressure of my hand surrounding theirs.  I also remember well the times when they felt secure. It was during these times when they would start to twist their hand and try to slip out of my grasp.  In those times they no longer wanted my guidance.  A little boy was standing with his father near the Grand Canyon. “Let me take your hand,” said the boy to his father. “No, let me take yours,” replied the wise father. So God says He will take our hand.  Although we may be spiritually sluggish and slow to grasp the Father’s hand we can only be secure when we feel his Divine grasp and know that we are on the path he has prepared for us.  By being sensitive to the Spirit, and observant students of His guidebook we can be sure that our feet will not slip.  He has given us the Word of God which is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psa. 119:105).

Dr. Gayle Woods

1 Cor 10:19-23 (22)

It seemed like I was constantly getting into fights. As a ten or eleven-year-old boy I was not aggressive, abrasive or argumentative. I thought I was a nice guy. Older students at my elementary school, however, continued to pick on me. It didn’t help that I had not lost a fight. It seemed to be a challenge to them.

This time was different. A boy I knew and his older sister were on their way home from school. Without any provocation he insulted me and challenge me to fight. After some unpleasant conversation his older sister stepped forward and said, “If you hurt my little brother I will give you a licken’.” My parents taught me to never touch a girl and to act respectfully toward women. Besides that the girl was about a foot taller and quite a lot heavier than I was. It was time to retreat.

There are times when we may feel that we are right and want to push our Christian liberty in the presence of a brother who is restricted by rules and regulations. Paul indicated that this may “provoke the Lord to jealousy” so that He will take up the defense of our brother against us. That is a situation we want to avoid. In our desire to please God at all times and in all ways we will do our best to not damage the conscience of our brother by our freedom in Christ.

Dr. Gayle Woods