Scripture
O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
~Psalm 86:14, NKJV
Quote
“Anarchy is not the absence of tyranny, but its most chaotic form.”
~Anonymous
Psalm 86 is the only Psalm in book III attributed to David. I am not a scholar or the son of a scholar, but it does sound like David. When I read verse 14, I immediately thought of Jesus. I meditate on His courage often: I marvel at His boldness to face the angry crowd that was waiting on Him in Jerusalem. He knew they were there and what they intended to do. He knew their hatred and their lust for power.
Mob psychology is a fascinating subject. Individual behavior can drastically change in group settings, especially in high-emotion or high-stress environments. In a crowd, people often feel anonymous, which reduces their sense of personal accountability. This feeling of anonymity lowers their inhibitions and increases the likelihood of impulsive and aggressive behavior. It’s like, “I can throw a brick through a window and no one will know it is me.” Fear, anger and hatred can spread quickly in a crowd and even timid and reserved personalities can get caught up in the frenzy. Community Organizers like Obama can get crowds stirred up. If you study the book of Acts closely, you will see that the Jews have a gift at community organizing, at least the unbelieving Jews.
Folks, I have to be honest; I have not faced that much opposition, at least not in recent years. I have never faced anything close to what Paul and Jesus faced. Of course, no one has ever faced what Jesus faced. You might say He took on the entire Jewish Nation by Himself; at least Paul had others with him. Jesus did it alone! I have tremendous admiration for Jesus. To think that He faced this violent angry mob in my behalf is very humbling. The mere thought of facing such hatred frightens me.
One more thing: it takes evil people to use mobs to advance their own personal agenda. I minored in Philosophy and have a bit too much interest in the subject. I am convinced that Karl Marx was evil and just the sort of person that would employ mob psychology to advance his cause. There were eleven people at his funeral and that includes Engles and Marx’s two daughters. That tells me all I need to know. He never helped anyone other than himself. He and his posion pen are responsible for the deaths of millions and the poverty of millions more. Marxism is a myth, a damning lie out of hell.
Extra
I am late posting because our internet has been out: sorry about that. It has happened a lot lately but they don’t adjust the charges. We pay whether it is on or off.
Folks, you can’t beat this weather. Someone told me yesterday, I think it was Johnny, that he had a weather source that was very reliable and that he is predicting a cooler August than normal and a cooler fall with Temps 20 degress below normal. The only bad thing he said was, “He is predicting a cold winter.” The weather yesterday was wonderful. My thank you note for all involved in Christy’s COLS is below.
Extra/Extra
Being a pastor can be stressful. You are trying to please five generations at the same time. BUT it has its rewards. I am a grateful person. I have been giving thanks for the last 24 hours. Thankful for the 38 Grace Point supporters and prayer partners. I have to tell you, they came through yesterday. This thanksgiving goes to our Blog family and family as well. I got text after text from people telling me they were praying for me. One came from a grandson who said, “Granddaddy, I am praying for you today.” If that doesn’t lit your fire, your wood is wet.
Our ladies lead by Terri did an outstanding job. Just can’t ask for any better. I was exhausted and my feeting were driving me crazy so I did not stay and eat but I did carry a small plate home: too small. June had to fix me a sandwich when she got home. Bless her heart, she goes from can to can’t and about half of it is on my behalf.
I could not share everything at the COLS yesterday. One of my prayers was that if the LORD saw fit to leave me here a while longer, I would stand by Christy until she was promoted. I will not lie, I had told her, and I believed it myself, that my promotion might come first. It was hard seeing her suffer and I am thankful that she is with the GREAT SHEPHERD, but I am also thankful we got to run side by side until she crossed the finish line. She fought a noble fight. She was a warrior. The LORD brought this old hymn to my mind two weeks ago and I’ve been listening a lot to Tennessee Ernie Ford’s STAND BY ME.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
when the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
when the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea,
Thou who rulest the wind and water, stand by me.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
in the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
when the host of hell assail, and my strength begins to fail,
Thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.
In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
in the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
when I’ve done the best I can, and my friends
misunderstand,
Thou who knowest all about me, stand by me.
When I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
when I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
when my life becomes a burden, and I’m nearing
chilly Jordan,
O Thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.