As I child I was extremely blessed to grow up
close to a home with 3 boys about my age.
I knew them as Bobby, Jimmy, and David Craig. As adults they are now known as Robert, James,
and David. My wife, Kathy, still just
calls them, “the Craig boys.” For the
first time in 30 or 40 years I had the privilege of getting together with these
friends and visiting. As we sat and
talked the conversation got around to where we each other, “Do you remember
when?” “Do you remember when your
Volkswagen burned up in your garage? Do
you remember climbing a tree to get into a gym so we could play
basketball? Do you remember when there
were seven people in the orange VW and we were involved in an accident?” Their
mother, Ginni Craig, and our wives were present, listening to and participating
in our conversation. I heard a couple of
times in those visits, “It’s a wonder any of you survived.” My reply was, “We were young and dumb.” There are a LOT of “young and dumb” stories!
That reminded me of a prayer from
one of my favorite Psalms from King David.
In Psalm 25:7, David prays, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.” Maybe David had some “young and dumb” times
too.
But if those adventures occurred when I was “young and dumb,” why do they still
happen today, when I’m not so young? On
April 17 I was driving to fish with church friend, Mark Hoyer. I wanted to be
on time, but had been slowed up by morning traffic, and I wasn’t totally sure
of the location where we were to meet.
Without realizing it, I exceeded the speed limit and I received a
speeding ticket. In truth, the speed
limit did increase about 100 yards from where I was stopped. And, I was less than a mile from my
destination. But I wasn’t watching my
speed. If I had not been stopped I would
have arrived early. But, with the ticket
I was late. I felt pretty “dumb,” if not
young!
And what about my sun glasses? On Sunday, March 27, I had caught a fish and,
after putting the fish into the live well of my boat, I stepped up to the deck
on the front of the boat. Somehow, as I
stepped up, my life jacket strap, caught the pocket on the front of my shirt
where my sunglasses were in a case. When
I stepped up, out popped the glasses case.
As it landed in the water, I watched my sun glasses slide out of the
case into the bottom of the lake. I
felt, “young and dumb.” But, again, I AM NOT young anymore!
My mis-adventures are not just part
of being young. Unfortunately, they are
part of who I am. In truth, these
stories simply put a nice face on an ugly truth, that I am fatally flawed. We all are.
St. Paul describes our struggle in Romans. “19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the
evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing. . . 24 What a wretched man I
am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:19, 24) We need a Savior. In fact, I often say that if the world around
us wants empirical proof of the truths of Scripture, all they have to do is
look at the mess our world is in. Evil,
and the consequences of our sin, are obvious!
The worst decision we can make when facing the trials and the evil of
life is to leave God, to leave His Lordship, His wisdom, and His forgiveness,
out of our plans and decisions.
It does give me comfort to know that Paul
faced similar struggles. I am not alone. And, then I also remember Peter. One moment he was confessing Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The next moment, because Peter rejected God’s
plan for the cross, Jesus had to scold Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.”
(Matthew 16:16, 23) Or, do you remember
when Peter asked Jesus to call him out to walk on water with him? It’s a good thing Jesus was there to save
Peter! (Matthew 14:23-33) Or do you also
remember when Peter swore that even if all the other disciples fell away from
following Jesus, he would die rather than desert Jesus? (Matthew 26:31-36, 27:1-10) It does seem that I am not alone with my
struggle with sin.
I have learned that the best thing I can do
is admit my tendency to foolish and harmful things and to seek the only real
hope for this life and eternally, Jesus!
Our culture teaches us to “trust yourself.” “Trust your heart.” However, I have learned to doubt my heart
which is full of sinful desires, and I have learned to doubt my foolish ideas
and ways. I have learned to turn instead to my God and Savior. Solomon wrote, “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) That is one reason
I am regular in worship and regular in personal devotions and Bible
readings. I need God’s wisdom and
guidance. I need His forgiveness. I need Him to make my paths straight.
I told a friend about my sun glasses
taking a dive to the bottom of the lake.
His advice was to wear a floater strap on my glasses. But, when I talked to the lady at the eye
doctor, that wasn’t so easy to do. I’ll
work on it. It looks like I will always
struggle with my personal lapses in judgment and the dark temptation to
sin. What I really need is a
Savior. So, I can also say with Paul in
Romans 7. “24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25
Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)
A Child of God, Sometimes “Dumb” and Foolish,
Just not Young Anymore!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. All of Psalm 25 is a wonderful Psalm of
relying on our Lord for wisdom and forgiveness.
I will print Psalm 25 out below.
It is an appropriate Psalm for Lent!
P.P.S. I did share these pictures of me and “the
Craig boys” last week. But since I wrote
in this devotion about our adventures, here they are again. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ETjZEJWxEhL8b85U7
P.P.P.S. I did go fishing a few times.
·
On Wednesday, March 23,
I took nephews Jonathan and Jayden Pruim fishing. We only caught one fish in the wind, but we had
a good time. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tcZL45zgsH1ZJhpo9
·
On Friday, March 25, I
went fishing on the Suwannee River. I
only caught a mudfish, and did not take pictures of the fish I threw back!
·
On Sunday, March 27,
when I lost my glasses, I caught 5 fish and kept 3. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Pn8Mjyp6sxJDcZz5
·
On Tuesday, March 29,
I went fishing in the late afternoon, early evening. I had a number of bites, but only caught this
one fish, which I released since it was the only one. https://photos.app.goo.gl/GZL5Zsm67yEGMYuR8
Psalm
25- Of David. {This psalm is an
acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the
Hebrew alphabet.}
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my
soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do
not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose
hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are
treacherous without excuse. 4 Show me
your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great
mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Remember
not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love
remember me, for you are good, O LORD. 8
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He
guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of
the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his
covenant. 11 For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it
is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that
fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. 13 He will
spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The
LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15 My
eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to
me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish. 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take
away all my sins. 19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they
hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take
refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is
in you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all
their troubles!
*****
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior
pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly
devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I
have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since
I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send
this message to those who asked to receive it. (Though I am now serving
again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My
prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
cell phone - 907-841-4066
Home phone - 907-746-5131
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
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