Monday, December 31, 2007

Numbering our days

Someone might be curious about the "Super 80" part of the name of our blog. Well, we jokingly
refer to the apartment building here by that name for an obvious reason -- quite a few of us are
nearing or "super" i.e., above 80 years of age! Of course, any resemblance to a motel chain is purely co-incidental. Some scholars believe that Psalm 90 was written by Moses and not only does it remind us that the LORD is eternal and unchanging, but that WE are mortal and fast fading: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (that's 80, folks!), yet is their strength labour and sorrow (so glad we have an elevator in the building); for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." (v. 10) How do we respond to this reality? v. 12 makes it clear: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto WISDOM!" My concordance says that the Hebrew word "number" means "to weigh out, to enumerate, etc." I read about one senior who never told his age in years, but in days and that wouldn't be a bad idea. But it seems to me the best meaning is "to weigh out" our
days by investing them in witness and service for Christ; i.e., making our days count for eternity, as the Psalmist concludes in v. 17: "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon
us; and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us..." This New Year's Eve we wish you all
a BLESSED NEW YEAR, knowing that for the Christian, "the future is just as bright as the promises of God!"

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Further explanation

Webster says that a "sage" is "a very wise man; esp., an old man respected for his wisdom, experience, etc." It's not so much our wisdom as seniors and people of great experience; but,
rather the Biblical admonition that came to us some 14-plus years ago as we moved from our
last little mission church: "Hear counsel, and receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in
thy latter end. There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD,
that shall stand!" (Proverbs 19:20,21) Couple this with Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom...!" and you really begin to get the picture. Also, there is another kind of "sage" that takes me back to my teens, when helping my Dad in his store in Wallace the
farmers would come in to buy it to add to their hog sausage made in their fall butchering
process: "a plant of the mint family with grayish-green leaves used for flavoring meats, etc."
So, as we share thoughts with our readers on our blogsite we trust that it will add not only a little wisdom, but also some spice to your lives as well as ours! By the way, we want to thank our grandson David Taylor for his help in embarking on this awesome task.