Saturday, August 27, 2022

 

Saturday, August 27, 2022


Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 34:14-28

Romans 16:17-27


Observance: Monica, mother of Augustine (d. 387)


I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.


There is a certain scene in one of the episodes of The Simpsons from the golden era where Homer exclaims in exasperation: “Every time I learn something new, it pushes something old out of my brain!” As funny as this caricature might be, he is nonetheless inspired by reality. We humans are made to walk only one path.


The earliest catechism we have in the church is called the Didache. Quoting liberally from the Gospels, it teaches new Christians that there are two paths to walk: one to life, and the other to death. (This is in fact one of the first Gospel quotations the book uses: Matthew 7:13-14, and is the same place from where this little devotional gets its name.)


Jesus likes to highlight the stark difference between life and death. We cannot walk down two paths at once. Paul applies this teaching to the saints at Rome. To be wise in what is good is to be foolish, ignorant, or “guileless” in what is evil. There was an old BBC series called “House of Cards” (with a less successful American adaptation) where the main character Francis Urquhart was very wise in what was evil. One can imagine a conversation between him and a Christian. All of Urquhart's wisdom in getting to the top of the rat pile in politics would serve him no good in the kingdom of God.


Even if we are not trying to make it to the top of the pile (or “cock of the dung hill” as Huxley once lyrically put it), we are still given opportunities almost every moment to choose between life and death, good and evil. The better we get at one, the worse we will be at the other. Not only is it much less stressful overall to walk in the light of the Lord Jesus, it is also conducive to spiritual growth, the avenue towards deeper wisdom, and a path filled with joy and peace in all believing.



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