Some new thoughts and some after thoughts… I reviewed what I had said this past Sunday in my sermon. That could be a risky step, now that I think about it. But I was concerned that I hadn’t left an appropriate challenge for the listeners. In any event, here are my ponderings. Part of the challenge of the morning was for us to get to know God better. As I read and prayed further about that this week, I was reminded by Dan Dehaan that at the core of knowing God was the motivational element of loving God. While we might argue which element deserves the priority, I believe the answer is both. To know God is to shut everything else out and to focus upon Him alone. To do so brings with it the desire to love God more than anything or anyone else. Both acts should consume us. Either factor left unfilled would lead to idolatry.
Some other thoughts and wondering comments… My wife and I spent many hours over the weekend participating in our annual relocation project: raking leaves. We were in a self-imposed deadline. We were trying to beat the predicted plentiful rainfall being forecasted. We were moderately successful. But rather than just rain falling (in great amounts), God had a few more leaves he wanted to deposit…right in the place where we had removed their more prompt cousins. Nonetheless, there is more rain predicted and more leaves await us…some still suspended by gnarly branches. But I noticed an interesting thing or two about “dead” leaves. When they are dry, they are easy to move, hard, almost brittle to the touch, and leave a dusty trail. When they are wet, on the other hand, they are difficult to move but much more pliable…and no dust to encounter unless you include the mud from the rain. In each case, the dead leaf ultimately decays. The Bible tells us about “chaff” that will easily be blown away. It also tells us about trees that are planted by the water, producing fruit in its season and its leaves do not wither. The depiction of the psalmist reminds me of the olive trees in Israel. They have perennially green leaves, but they are usually not planted by water sources. I just pray that before I die and decay, that I’m not blown away (by sinful gusts), but stay firmly planted in the Word of God, bringing forth his fruit in his season.