SCHOOLING

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12 NKJV).

There is a lot of talk today about education, but most of what is said is not very helpful. And while things in our schools are a mess and getting worse, the Scriptures have some important instructions about the education that we need. Our verse speaks of the student, the Sovereign, and the subject in regards to education.

Student – “So teach us.” The attitude of the Psalmist here is that of the student. He recognizes his need to be taught. On the other hand, there are many folks who are interested in entertainment, rather than in instruction. These people do not do well in school because they simply do not want the discipline of being taught. This same attitude is now showing up in our churches with people wanting more social programs rather than the spiritual truths of the Word of God.

Sovereign – “So teach us.” God is the best instructor and the Psalmist wants God to teach him truth. The problem with many folks today is that they have gone to the wrong classroom, sat under the wrong teacher and had their minds filled with wrong teaching. Wrong teachers have taught us wrongly on how to behave, on what our morals should be, on what is important in life, and how to get to heaven. To have a profitable learning experience, we need to let God be our teacher; He will teach us by His Word.

Subject – “To number our days that we may gain a heart to wisdom.” There are many subjects we need teaching on. The subject the Psalmist is talking about is how to use our time wisely. All of us need help here. We waste so much time, and we use our time so poorly. Time is a precious commodity; but once wasted, it cannot be reclaimed. We all need to ask God to teach us to use our time more wisely.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“A life given to God is a life well spent; a life not given to God is a life wasted!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Distress

In1 Thess. 3:7 we read, “Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith!” (NKJV).

Distress is the Greek word anankē (ἀνάγκη = an-ang-kay'). It is made up of two words: “ana” which up, again, back, renewal, or repetition, and “agkale” which refers to the arm when bent. Thus the word means necessity, compulsion; distress. This refers to any necessity or compulsion, outer or inner, brought on by a variety of circumstances.

In Classical Greek anankē carries the idea of necessity or compulsion. Secular Greek writers used this word to convey the notion that life was controlled or determined by fate or some other impersonal force. In the Septuagint the concept of fate was foreign to Hebrew thought. The Jew lived not in the hands of an impersonal fate, but in subjection to the sovereignty of the living God.

In the New Testament anankē carries the idea of worldly trials and hardships that we must encounter; it is the outward pressures from powers and circumstances. This outward pressures must be viewed from the perspective of God’s will. God permits the inevitable so that believers, after a short time of sufferings, will share His glory.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah’s enemies would try to entangle Him by trickery (Psalm 38:12)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 22:15; Mark 14:1

Did You Know…

At the tower of Babel, God confused the language so that people could not communicate with each other anymore. The tower that Nimrod was trying to build to heaven was abandoned and the people all scattered across the world. (Gen. 11:4, 7- 8). At Pentecost, the languages were unconfused by God, so that people of different tongues could all understand each other. At Peter’s preaching, 3000 souls were converted (Acts 2:6, 41).

Bible Quiz

God placed the rainbow in the sky after the flood to signify what promise?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: During His temptation in the wilderness, what Old Testament book did the Lord Jesus quote to rebuke Satan? (Deuteronomy - Luke 4:1-12).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

"Bring down to earth”

“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground?” (Obad. 1:3 NKJV).

“Bring down to earth” - The expression “bring down to earth” carries the idea of making someone face reality. In context, the Edomites were extremely arrogant. Instead of trusting God, they trusted their own ability and power to protect and provide for themselves. Thus, pride, a deceptive sense of human ability, strength, and self-exaltation, was the cause of Edom's downfall. It will also be the downfall of all who, in pride, reject God and trust in themselves. Remember, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18 NKJV).

Did You Know – Christian History

Albert Carman was born June 27, 1833 in Iroquois, Ontario, Canada. He was a Canadian Methodist minister and teacher who became one of the greatest leaders of the Methodists in Canada.

Carman attended the Matilda Common School and the Dundas County Grammar School. He was converted in the winter of 1854, and was encouraged by his father to join the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada. He graduated from Victoria College in 1855 and was headmaster of Dundas County Grammar School from 1854-57. In 1857 he became professor of mathematics at the Belleville Seminary, and in 1858 he became principal of the institution. Carman made the Belleville Seminary succeed through advocacy within the church and through his ability as a teacher and administrator.

As head of Canada’s Methodist Episcopal Church, he preached constantly on the need of holy living and insisted on the authority of the Bible. He preached against alcohol as a source of many social problems. He also developed a program to plant churches in Western Canada which struggled so much that it put the Methodists in debt. To relieve this, he agreed to a union with a more liberal group of Methodists - a fact which conservatives regret. In 1881 he was instrumental in the opening of the Alma College for women in St. Thomas.

Carman was orthodox, and tried to maintain the traditional centrist position of the Methodist church. He was opposed both to ultra-conservatism and to liberal theology, both of which he considered to be divisive. He rejected the view that religion should focus on humanity rather than God, or that biblical teaching could be used selective. Carman believed that the Bible was the literal word of God. However, he accepted the value of education and was open to free inquiry

From 1910 onward, the liberals began to gain control of the Canadian Methodists. They introduced a theology centered more on works than on Christ. Carman’s defense of the Bible led him into serious disputes with professors who denied it. Albert resigned in 1914. He broke a hip shortly afterward, never fully recovered. Carman died in 1917.

A Little Humor

Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, an honest lawyer and an old drunk are walking down the street together when they simultaneously spot a hundred dollar bill. Who gets it? The old drunk, of course, the other three are fantasy creatures.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Conversion to Christ makes useful saints out of useless sinners!”