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BOOK REVIEW
The Covenants of Scotland
John Lumsden
Published 1914
369 pages
This book discusses each of the thirty-one Covenants of Scotland.
It presents the texts of the Covenants, sets out the events leading to the framing and subscribing of each, and examines the results which followed.
The struggles for religious freedom in Scotland are central to the the secured liberty enjoyed today in that part of the United Kingdom and form an integral part of its history.
This book details, in convenient form, what were epoch-making documents the detail of which is not often considered today.
The history of Scotland is bound up with the Covenants then entered into, and acted upon, by the people.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
Love tested and tried
John 21:15
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
The repeated Interrogation - lovest thou me? Repeated three times.
Peter denied Christ thrice. Now thrice he is challenged about his love for Christ.
The reticent affirmation - thou knowest that I love thee.
The required occupation - Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount. Part 1
Over the next few months we will reprint here a beautiful, passage by passage, study of the “Words of Life” as spoken by Our Lord Jesus Christ and considered by the authors Nelson Beecher Keyes and Edward Felix Gallagher in their illustrated column Our Christian Heritage.
If someone asked you the question, “What is a word?” how would you answer? A word is a symbol, a brief sign, for a thought or an idea. It has its sound, but far more important is its meaning, the something that it pictures for us. And it is only as it sets up in our minds the picture which is intended that it has truly served its purpose. Thus, the words of this mighty sermon need to be considered closely.
Take the very first word of the discourse, often rendered as blessed, which signifies the condition of souls in heaven, but which we have need to approach within the limits of earthly life. We have need to find satisfaction, happiness, contentment in the life about us and in which we are cast, and in which we have a part. It is true that a person may have the blessing of many good fortunes but not be happy; while the blessed are necessarily happy with their lot.
Who have the best assurance of finding such happiness? Those who are “poor in spirit.” Once again let us look behind the mere sound of the words for their real meaning. No doubt the place to begin is with the more important term spirit. One biblical meaning is the breath of life breathed into us by the Creator.
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We can look forward to greater rewards in the society which Jesus envisions if we approach life in a spirit of humility.
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Spirit can also mean fire, bravery, animation and enterprise. But when uncontrolled, these can beget pride, conceit and vanity. To be poor in spirit would sure rule out these undesirable forms of the active principle of life, these too common manifestations of the energetic approach to living. The word we seem to be seeking is perhaps best satisfied by the term humility. “In the spirit” carries in it the sense of “not in actuality.” Riches have ever been a concern; and to one poor in spirit there is ether little desire for them or attachment to them even if they are already possessed. Such is the essence of humility, to possess this world’s goods but in a manner as though one possessed them not.
Happy then are the humble. We can look forward to greater rewards in the society which Jesus envisions if we approach life in a spirit of humility. We will then be better prepared to make sacrifices where necessary to obtain those things which really make for happiness and contentment of mind in the Kingdom of God. Such a Kingdom belongs to those who have learned to outgrow the childish ambition to satisfy every whim, fancy and desire; and to substitute for it persistence in seeking worthwhile ends by fully acceptable means.
THE NEED FOR TRUE HUMILITY
The common denominator in life is, unfortunately, money or its equivalent, worldly goods. But their possession, or their lack, is not a proper measuring rod. The rich often prove that they are not only capable of, but on occasion display, becoming humility. The have-not’s, considered better schooled in the ways of humility, nonetheless possess the ability at times to be arrogant. Those who are poor in spirit find happiness without respect to worldly wealth or power. This is true since humility demands that we acknowledge the power of God working through us; and that beyond that we be as putty in His hands, to be moulded to His purposes.
One of the basic urges of man is self-preservation. The will to stay alive as long as life is humanly possible is firmly built into most of us. Thus, our appetites and our organic needs move us to action to keep life within us.
But man, too, is a social animal. By close association with our fellows there is bred into us the desire to excel, to succeed, to win over others, to overcome difficulties, to break through obstructions. Along with this desire, and as a stimulus to it, we develop a sense of pride in our achievements. Such pride seems to be more or less necessary to furnish motive power to more praiseworthy efforts. But what is its limit? Should it not be altered to true humility that acknowledges all as God’s gifts, to the realization that it is God “that giveth the increase”? Such understanding, too, often comes only in one’s twilight years.
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Success can become something of an evil obsession, when we focus entirely upon the goal and do not morally weigh the means of reaching it.
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“Be not wise in your own eyes, do not lean entirely on your own sagacity,” counsels the author of Proverbs. “Trust in the Lord. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Success can become something of an evil obsession, when we focus entirely upon the goal and do not morally weigh the means of reaching it. The feeling is all too common that if the objective cannot be attained in one way, it must be in another. And under untamed pride, the other way may not always be a morally permissible one.
A WARNING TO THE PROUD
When pride steps up to the point of arrogance, when it climbs above charitable consideration of others, it is no longer a desirable stimulant. When it goes to our head, so that we no longer feel the need to seek God for aid and strength, then we have put ourselves entirely outside the Kingdom. The hope for sound advancement lies with those humble enough to know that they need divine assistance.
Also, humility is not a garment that can be put on and taken off at will. Israel should have learned this stern lesson years before in the time of the Judges. When the people humbled themselves and sought God’s guidance, he sent them saviours to lead them out of the quicksand into which their richness of worldly spirit – their fattened pride – had led them. Soon cocksure and self-sufficient when danger was removed, they quickly bogged down again in the idolatry which seeped in, as conceit emptied their hearts of the love of God. Joshua had said, in becoming humility, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 23:15). How much greater sense of security, or happiness of mind and of soul, he must have found then did those who, in their pride, in a later time “did that which was right each in his own sight” and wound up in the hands of their enemies (Judges 17:6).
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The hope for sound advancement lies with those humble enough to know that they need divine assistance.
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Without sufficient humility, there can be little real faith, no, not as much as to equal in size the tiny mustard seed (Luke 17:6). Pride locks up the heart, as in a steel box. Moses and other Old Testament worthies had long since pointed out the danger in this respect (Deuteronomy 8:11-20). It hardens the heart, and makes it insensible to the rights of others (Psalm73 [72]:6,8,9). It engenders strife (Proverbs 13:10) and leads to great difficulties (Proverbs 16:9,18). It ends up in blind conceit and insecurity (Proverbs 28:11,26). It will be the humble alone who will find the better way – the way of faith (Proverbs 3:5).
THE HUMBLE MAY ACHIEVE THE KINGDOM
Those who act in humility possess the Kingdom of God. It is theirs to enjoy now, in this life; and not only reward to be hoped for in the future life. That was Jesus’ promise. He made it clear that you can enjoy life today, if you will but approach it with the right attitude of mind and heart. If you will but curb your desires as He directs, keep your hopes and ambitions under control, approach life constructively and in a sense of love and justice for all. In that way, and only in that way, you may be at peace with yourself and with others.
However, to be humble does not mean to be passive. Humility does not imply apathy, indifference or recreancy. Quite the contrary. Submission to a Higher Power, in which faith can be lodged with complete security, can be one of the finest sources of satisfaction. Submission to a God who can be, and is, firmly and unfalteringly believed in, can be conducive to a warming sense of security and permanence. But humility does not mean submission to or the condoning of evil. That, the humble must firmly resist and humbly combat.
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Those who act in humility possess the Kingdom of God. It is theirs to enjoy now, in this life; and not only reward to be hoped for in the future life. That was Jesus’ promise.
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Yet out of the faith in God, born of humility, comes the power to blunt and turn aside the arrows of outrageous fortune. Out of poorness of a worlding’s spirit comes mental health and well-being. Out of humility comes the possession of that Kingdom whose dimensions and make-up is being opened up before us through Jesus’ words.
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Think on This!
"Do not say that Luther, or Calvin, or Whitefield were great men, and therefore around them great things gathered. The weakest of men may be more honoured than the greatest, if God so wills it."
CH Spurgeon.
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BOOK REVIEW
Bible Commentary (Complete one volume) by F B Meyer
This amazing work arranges commentary on the entire Bible in daily portions and inspiring devotional comments.
It makes easy consecutive through-the-Bible reading.
Each reading stands alone yet acts as a springboard for deeper study.
Meyer brings to the fore the central meaning of each passage and underscores its precise application to our daily needs. The great beauty of his writing and ability is that Meyer is no dry scholastic writer but an exciting champion of how the Scriptures may be applied personally, in our homes, in our jobs and in all our interactions with society.
He builds helpful cross references into his writing to give an understanding of New Testament fulfilment of Old Testament truths.
In this book we have an invaluable help to reading the Bible consecutively with understanding.
It has well been described as Meyer’s “crowning one in his worldwide ministry in voice and pen.”
Go buy or borrow!
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
Glorifying God in the Fire
Isaiah 24:15 - ‘Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.’
In the fire of Conviction
In the fire of Affliction
In the fire of Refining
In the fire of Revival
In the fire of Judgement
Note: Compare God with the flood in ch 24:18.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount – Part 2
Blessed are they who mourn – Matthew 5:4,5
On the very face of it this beatitude would seem to be a ‘hard saying’. To attempt to connect happiness of any shade with grief and sorrow would imply that there must be some hidden play upon words, or some ingenious twisting of meaning. Common sense, a term often loosely used, and here meaning ordinary reasoning, might suggest that something has been turned about, or that here is a subtle fallacy, unbelievable, with perhaps a hidden truth to be searched for. But once again, it may be well to check the words.
There are several Greek terms which have been translated in the New Testament by the word mourn. The particular one used in this instance also means to be sorry, to grieve not only because of a loss, as of a loved one, but also because of sin or error.
Thus, we are forced to ask ourselves why we mourn, what is the cause of our sorrow. Is our suffering sincere and merited, or are we merely engaged in self-pity? Have we suffered real loss, or is it just that our pride or our feelings have been hurt? Are we sorrowing over the loss of something for which we did not labour, or which we did not cause to grow, as did Jonah? (Jonah 4:10) He felt no compassion for the thousands who might perish about him, but the loss of his gourd vine, his possible loss of face as a prophet, made him mourn until he hoped for death. No love was lost by him upon a repentant people. But injured pride, threatened prestige, threw him into the depths of despair. There are many adults who revert to such childish whining, usually merely the expression of selfishness. This is ingrown and perverted pity, and by no stretch of the imagination the feeling of sorrow and mourning Jesus wished to convey.
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The person who seriously mourns because of his own shortcomings and sins will certainly be inwardly consoled by a forgiving God.
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The person who seriously mourns because of his own shortcomings and sins will certainly be inwardly consoled by a forgiving God. Also, he is certain not to be alone in his sorrowing in a world of real brotherhood. All about him will be similarly forced to weigh their own concerns in respect to their righteousness. For if there is no time and no room for distress in considering our defects, there will be neither the opportunity nor the patience to mend them.
The man or woman who is not competent to look himself, or herself, over, critically and impartially, and then feel concern to the point of grief over such unsuitable characteristics as are found, will lack much of the human touch and understanding that make for true brotherhood. He who cannot admit sorrowfully that there are specks in his own eyes is not satisfactorily equipped to look for them in the eyes of others. Sympathetic understanding begins a t home, and we will not be able to show true compassion for others, and thus win their gratitude, until our own inadequacies and truly regret them. Sometimes we have to become embroiled in sin itself, and have its wages made clear to us, before we learn how to be contrite. Such was David’s sad experience. But he was man enough to admit his shortcomings, and to mourn for his sin; and for the self-satisfaction that keeps our thinking self-centred rather than God-centred.
There is, of course, the more normal, natural grief, the grief of loss. The list of Bible characters who mourned and frankly showed their distress as it fell upon them is very impressive. Abraham mourned for SARAH (Gen 23:2). David for Saul (II Sam.2:17-27) for Abner (3:33-34) and for Absalom (18:33). There are instances mentioned when Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, Peter, Paul and also Jesus gave themselves very frankly to deep grief. In fact, it adds materially to their stature as well-rounded human beings.
REAL MOURNING IS FROM THE HEART
Tears can be but a shabby refuge when they stem from a grievance rather than from real grief. And mourning can be carried to ludicrous extremes. The eastern peoples have long been capable of making it into an empty ceremony. Hired mourners could be had to visit a grace in the early morning to pray audibly, chant, moan, son and beat their chests. Individuals, too, tend to be excessive in their demonstrations of sorrow, tearing their clothes, rather than their hearts (Joel 2:13); shaving their heads, or plucking out their hair (Jer. 7:29); or by donning sackcloth, perpetuated by us today in mourning garments (Joel 1:8). These were perhaps in part emotional outlets, by which one found relief, and with the same benefit as we derive from tears. There was much insincerity in such demonstrations, however, and this had no part in the sort of mourning which Jesus recommended.
But there can be excess in the opposite direction too. There were among the Greeks at this time a sect known as the Stoics, whom Paul would encounter one day in Athens (Acts 17:18). They were completely impassive and taught that one should show utter indifference to both pleasure and pain. We still manage to worship at the feet of some of their beliefs today when we glorify the dry-eyed ‘he-man’ insensible to pain. What parents are there who have not, in so many words dinned into the minds of their male children the dubious admonition, ‘Boys don’t cry’? Little sister, who has broken a favourite doll, can rush into a shower of tears, relieve the tension of her grief, and come back refreshed and capable of appreciating a similar hurt suffered by one of her playmates. But her brother must manfully store up his tense feelings, to let the pressure down slowly if he has been coached in such a technique, or to have his explosive feelings dash him headlong into some mischief, if he has not had that danger pointed out to him.
Those who can mourn naturally and sincerely and find an outlet for their own grief in helping to bear the griefs of others can avoid many frustrations. While those who hug their griefs to their breasts and nurse them into excessive growth, are headed for trouble.
Humility, which is the touchstone to son-ship with God and brotherhood with one’s fellows, should also be a part of our grief and mourning. Grief that is centred in one’s self, that is in-growing, can become a mental canker sore. When the sensitivity that comes from the experiencing of deep sorrow is turned outward, to be used for the benefit of others, it can become a balm.
Blessed are they who, in their mourning, learn to be compassionate of the griefs and the shortcomings of others. To them will flow comforting rivers of the waters of understanding.
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Think on This!
A good conscience and a good confidence go together. Thomas Brooks
Peace of conscience is the echo of pardoning mercy. William Gurnall
When a person says they have a clear conscience, they must be careful to check their memory! Anon
My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Martin Luther.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Eagle Handbook of Bible Prayers
Martin Manser & Mike Beaumont
Every prayer in the Bible is included in this book, and furthermore it presents them in groups which make them relevant to daily living while also providing an overview of their teaching.
Long prayers, short prayers, well known prayers and obscure prayers - they are all contained here.
While giving the Bible verses of the prayers in addition it contains additional references carefully selected from both Testaments to expand our understanding and appreciation of prayer and it adds in prayers drawn from throughout church history.
The book is divided into six user- friendly sections which are thematically arranged.
It is not only inspirational at a personal level but a practical treasury for the reader to help propel their witness into society.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The Reward of Prayer
Isaiah 25:9 ‘And it shall be said on that day, lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’
Salvation.
Jubilation.
Exaltation.
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A Closer Look
The Sermon on the Mount – Part 3
Blessed are the Meek – Matthew 5:5
English translations of the Bible which have persisted and become a definite part our language were made principally in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. In the intervening years certain words have somewhat altered their meaning, or at least their emphasis. Thus, it is often illuminating to go back to authors of the time when their translators worked, and find how certain words were then used.
A little-known poet, Thomas Dekker, who died in 1640, employed these words as descriptive of Jesus:
The best of men
That e’er wore earth about him was a sufferer;
A soft, meek, patient, humble, tranquil spirit,
The first true gentleman that ever breathed.
The close association of the words meek and patient in this snatch of verse is very significant. Gentleness, mildness, meekness, and humility are summed up in the characteristic which today is most commonly called patience. There is surely a large measure of blessedness in those who can be truly patient in this bustling, breathless driving world in which we live today. The earth is, and definitely should be, the heritage of those blessed with the ability to be self-possessed, forbearing, and often, long-suffering.
MEEKNESS IS A POSITIVE TRAIT, AND TO BE CULTIVATED
Once again, this is not intended to place emphasis upon a negative characteristic. It takes a very positive, resolute personality to be meek in the best sense of what is meant by Jesus in this Beatitude. One has to be well controlled to be properly submissive. It takes discipline and understanding. It is true that there are forgeries and imitations. One such is indifference. Another is the cowardice that too often makes us fawning, cringing, cowering sycophants and flatterers. Neither are you meek or patient if there is hatred in your heart in place of pity and understanding. By the same token, he who turns his back and hastens away from a situation to which he might contribute is not the patient man who makes brotherhood a constructive force. Once again, it does not encompass those willing to stand aside and let the ruthless, the crass or the barbarous hold away. There can be no compromise, no surrender to evil. Meekness is not helplessness on the one hand, nor avoidance and detachment on the other. It is anchored in remembrance of God’s merciful Providence, trust in His kindly omnipotence, and surrender to His all-wise judgments.
BIBLE MODELS OF MEEKNESS
On which among the many Bible characters was this desirable trait bestowed? Moses displayed a great patience in the face of his rebellious brother and sisters (Num 12:1-9). There was humility and meekness in Abrahams’s attitude towards Lot (Gen. 13:8). Isaac chose the better course, rather than rush into tribal warfare (Gen. 26:20-22). Gideon by gentle words turned away wrath (Judges 8:1-3). Saul, as a young man, brought himself to hold his peace at a critical moment (1 Sam 10:27). David knew how to be meek in the face of wrong-doing (2 Sam. 16:9-14); and even the archangel Michael bore evidence of the heavenly pattern of forbearance which is indicated in Jude 9.
Of what is this characteristic derived? It stems from abiding belief in the sanity and orderliness of the world of which we are a part. The Psalmist says that God guides the path of those of humble heart. He teaches them His ways (Ps 25:9). They shall devour, digest, and come to understand the ways of the Lord and be satisfied (Ps. 22:6).
Thus, it would seem that it was he prevailing belief that the meek were formed and moulded by the Spirit of God, the providential Father, working within them. They were the children of faith, or strong faith in a Father who had created an orderly universe which He was able to regulate and dispose of to our benefit, and in which He was prepared to judge with impartiality and justice for all.
MEEKNESS IN LIFE TODAY
No man among us today is meeker in the natural order than the physical scientist. He develops a deep faith in the laws of the science which he espouses. He knows conclusively what results will follows as naturally as day follows night if certain forces are set in action. Since he is aware that these natural laws are inflexible, he can be patient as to outcomes. The cornerstone of his assured meekness is faith.
Would that men might find such fixed and unshakable faith in the fatherhood of God. Would that they might let themselves be God-moulded and formed to the point where their belief in the goodness of God’s purposes become similarly trusting. Would, too, that we might acquire the patience to permit God to work out His law and His purposes in His own good time – to say, not in resignation, but in sincere resolve, “Thy will be done.” Then, and only then, will we achieve to the meekness and patience which can make this life about us a blessing indeed.
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Think on This!
Beware of false knowledge - it is more dangerous than ignorance. George Bernard Shaw
If you profess Christ and find full satisfaction in the world, your profession is false.
C H Spurgeon
The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender. William Booth
God does nothing except in response to believing prayer. John Wesley
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BOOK REVIEW
The Making of the Popes 1978
Andrew M Greeley
For an understanding of papal politics and indeed an understanding of politics in general, this book should make your reading list.
This is a chronicle of the death of two popes and the election of their successors in the space of just two months.
It has been described as being, “written with the speed and excitement of an Agatha’s Christie thriller” and describes an epic which most of us will not witness again in our lifetime.
While we now have the advantage of knowing what came next, this interpretative reporting is illuminating, readable, and gives more than a glimpse into the workings of the Catholic Church. Above all it shows just how narrow and in-bred the group of men who actually run the Church of Rome from Vatican City are.
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A Little Outline from Lord Bannside's Study Notes
The Seven Crowns of Christ’s Dying love
Special thoughts on our Saviour’s great love this Easter time.
Romans 5:10: ‘For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’
The crown of his immortality
The crown of his intention
The crown of his integrity
The crown of his inspiration
The crown of his intervention
The crown of his isolation
The crown of his imputation
“Love of an unexampled kind,
That leaves all thinking far behind,
Where length and breadth, and depth and height,
Are lost in our astonished sight!”
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A Closer Look
Sermon on the Mount Part Four
‘Blessed are they that hunger and thirst.’ Matthew 5:6
Probably nothing in our lives is more fundamental than hunger and thirst. The empty stomach or the parched throat will drive men to great lengths to fill the one and to moisten the other. A child’s first cry stems from these unsatisfied appetites.
As a baby, he demands to be fed every three or four hours around the clock. Slowly, first the night feedings and then others are dropped and his appetite is trained, disciplined and made to conform to adult habits. We do well to remember this. Appetites can be made selective; they can be educated.
Yet a kind Providence seems to have entered into some of the orderings of these basic bodily urges. Experiments have shown that both animals and children, when given free choice, tend to choose foods suitable to their growth and development. Beyond this we have all probably known of animals, acting on instincts, selecting food capable of relieving distress or unhealthy conditions,
On the animal side of our natures, we seem to be well fortified in our appetites. Hunger and thirst are among our most dependable motivations, at least until we run counter to their normal satisfactions. The intake of food or drink which is totally unsuited for our bodily needs is quickly made evident to us. If it is not too virulent, so that it deadens our protective mechanism, our system purges itself. What is unwholesome and may do us harm is thrown off. What a pity there is not some similar involuntary mechanism to purge the mind and heart of poisonous thoughts and ideals liable to be absorbed.
For we must realise that both the mind and the heart have keen appetites which must be satisfied; but necessarily with food suitable to their particular needs. No one who has been associate for long with healthy-minded children but is forced to admit that there is an appetite here, too, in this portion of our beings. Emptiness of mind can be borne for a long time, with postponement of its filling. But it is not necessarily a natural tendency. And when once stimulated, as is the parents’ duty, the mind can ache in quite the same compelling way as does the empty stomach or the shrivelled throat. The lack of food and drink registers itself as a want, and makes the need very, very insistent. The whole being is uncomfortable, and we are stung into action.
Mental lacks, moral lacks, spiritual lacks, the hunger and thirst for justice, are more easily quieted and disposed of. And, unlike the unabashed animal appetites, they can be satisfied without the same certainly that what we feed them is to our advantage and well-being. Their gratification can become much more a matter of unregulated habit than will ever be possible with physical hunger and thirst. We can teach ourselves to crave almost anything. But the stomach has better sense, and can be more selective about what it will consent to receive, than will the head or the heart. Staying alive is much more nearly involuntary and automatic than is the direction we give to the life we are re-training.
THE APPETITE FOR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH
It is an appetite which surely needs to be educated and cultivated. With some there may be an inborn ability to make suitable selections as to quality and quantity in mental and spiritual food; but we cannot be certain and dare not risk its not being present. Like any habit or way of life, it can and should be encouraged in children, and the earlier the better. In this connection, the following deserves consideration.
Some of our soundest educators are now convinced that what once passed for native abilities should perhaps better be attributed to the stimulation which has surrounded the child in his most formative years. Since these come for the most part before he makes that earliest breakaway from the family circle to enter school, it is the influences in the home that play the controlling part in what he may ultimately become. This places a distinct responsibility upon the parents. They alone cannot make or break the child. But they do have an obligation to approach their problem as though the burden was solely theirs. They will have missed a God-given obligation unless they do their level best to see that the child entrusted to them is placed in the way of becoming a true son, or daughter, of the Father above.
If their child showed no healthy appetite for food, most parents would worry themselves into a decline over this lack. They should also be equally concerned if there is no natural appetite for mental, moral and spiritual understanding. An indifferent attitude toward physical food is usually a sign of lack of bodily health. By the same token, lack of interest in the things of the mind, heart and soul should indicate impaired health in the personality.
How is such interest – such an appetite – displayed? By questions or by actions. Childhood is a period of experiment, of test and of trial, in an attempt to adjust to the adult world about him, into which he hopes to be absorbed. His chief hunger and thirst are to perfect his ways so he will be accepted and considered a mature human being. And his choice of food, drink and cultural nourishment will be largely settled for life by that clear-cut pattern of what a well-rounded person should be which we should have established within him by the time of his first breakaway from the family. Whatever else we may provide from that age on is pretty much in the way of refinement of what has gone before.
What abilities can we encourage in our children that will serve them well and help them to control their hunger and thirst for knowledge throughout their lives? There are four of them. They are the bases of a general education, which, however, must always being in the home. When they are properly developed in us, we have greater hope of becoming the good man or woman, and the good citizen, both of our own country and of the Kingdom of God.
FOUR BASIC NEEDS
The first is to THINK EFFECTIVELY. By this is meant to think logically and develop the ability to draw sound conclusions from what we assume to be true – to extract universal truths from particular cases and, in turn, to infer particulars from general laws. Herein lies the ability to break a problem down into its parts and elements and recombine them so as to reach a satisfactory solution.
The second is COMMUNICATION. It has to do with the ability to properly express one’s thoughts so that they may be readily passed on to and grasped by others. With it goes the complementary ability to hear and to correctly interpret the words of those with whom we come in contact.
Next comes CHOICE AMONG VALUES. This is both a function of effective thinking and also one of its expressions. It requires that we learn not only to differentiate what is good from that which is evil, but also to distinguish what is better and finally what is best. By its use, the young mason constructing his, or her, own character learns to select the building blocks that will result in the most satisfactory and permanent structure.
Then comes the FORMING OF SOUND JUDGMENTS. What is called for is trained ability in gathering knowledge – all that can be gathered – from which to develop ideas that are reliable and right as the basis for our actions. Here the child will need particularly to profit by experience, practice, and the slow formation of appropriate habits of right reasoning.
Teaching – our teaching as parents – will be both by example and encouragement in good judgment. It should hope to encourage in the child a strong inclination toward courage, fair play, self-control, humility, and similar desirable characteristics, rather than their opposites. This we must always remember. Whether we do so consciously and with good purpose, or willy-nilly and without particular design, we will educate our children; for they instinctively look to us as their first models for imitative behaviour. Because this is true and an unavoidable condition, the nature of our responsibility should be manifestly clear.
Proper inculcation of the four fundamental abilities takes most effective thinking and unremitting application. There will be the need to admit of faults and errors and to search always for truth, rather than for catch phrases, sterile cleverness or camouflaged deceit. And let us not overlook the uses of imagination, which often furnishes the ability to break through routine, tradition and sham.
Many of us try to do the best we can by our children in these respects; but at times our best often seems far from adequate. Those who rise to this responsibility also have moments when they feel that they should be overhauling and sharpening up their own similar abilities. But too many seem to have trouble in finding convenient time, or sufficient inclination.
One can be morally and spiritually lazy perhaps even more readily than the animal drives of hunger and thirst will permit in physical respects. We do not hunger and thirst after righteousness as we should; and many do not know how or where to search for such food and drink. But we may be sure that we will not know the contentment of being righteously filled until we make the necessary effort. Again, it is a case of ‘seek and ye shall find’.
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Think on this!
Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus Christ
Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. Martin Luther
A dead Christ I must do everything for - but a living Christ does everything for me! Andrew Murray
The cross only triumphs when our eyes are directed to the power of His Resurrection. John Calvin
