The first edition of Reader’s Digest was published in 1922. In 1970 the monthly magazine was the most widely read periodical on planet Earth. Today, I had to check Wikipedia to see if it is still in existence. It is, but just barely. Its reader base is a fraction of what it used to be.
One of the regular monthly features in the Reader’s Digest was a page titled “Points to Ponder.” This page contained several insightful quotes and wise reflections. In my desk there is a growing pile of just such quotes and reflections that I found in a variety of places. I have been saving them for possible future use. They are too brief for an Emailmeditation and too good to throw away, so I am putting several of them together in a conglomeration for you to ‘ponder’ upon today.
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When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost. –Billy Graham
Proverbs 22:1a — A good reputation is more desirable than great wealth.
2 Peter 2:12 — Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God.
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Two old farmers, one of them my great-uncle, were leaning on an old fence, talking about old times and old-timers. Said one to the other, “Bill has been dead for two years already.” “Yup,” replied the other. After a long pause, the first one said, “He hasn’t missed much, has he?” “Nope,” replied the other.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
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George Washington said, “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself hath ordained.”
John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that their liberties are a gift from God?”
The Bible says (and you can decide if any of these old words apply to our nation today):
Psalm 60:1-2 — You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry—now restore us. You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
Luke 23:41 — We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.
( A prayer based on) Luke 23:34 — Father, forgive us, for we do not know what we are doing.
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We need fearless writers today like George Orwell, who resisted all political indoctrination and refused to be limited to anyone’s ideological box. He did not care who liked or did not like what he wrote, and would happily denounce those on both sides of the great political divide of his day. His work was characterized by a relentless, honest gaze at reality. He said if you want to be a writer, you must not only be good with words, but you must also possess “a power of facing unpleasant facts,” even when the facts lead to conclusions you don’t like. Decades later, Thomas Sowell, another honest writer, wrote a much needed book titled Is Reality Optional? (1993/2022).
Ezekiel 2:3-6a — (The Lord said to Ezekiel), “I am sending you to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. Do not be afraid of them or their words.”
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“Despite what’s promised when you marry,
Actual results may vary.” –A. M. Juster
Laura Schlessinger’s rules for entering marriage from Stop Whining, Start Living (2008):
- Choose wisely, treat kindly.
- Love, despite feelings.
- Work hard at making the life of the other person worth living.
- Be the kind of person someone else would want to love.
Ephesians 4:2 — Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 — Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
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Matthew 7:1-2 — (Jesus said), “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
When Jesus said “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” he was forbidding condemnation, not discernment.
John 7:24 — (Jesus said), “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
I Thessalonians 5:20-22 — Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
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Something to keep in mind when you are eating donuts; and, living your life:
As you travel through life, brother,
whatever be your goal,
keep your eye upon the donut
and not upon the hole!
Psalm 103:2 — Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
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A prayer of confession:
Dear Lord, I have trouble with myself. Sometimes I blame myself for everything. Sometimes I blame everyone else. Measured by what I ought to be as your child, I have every reason to sell myself short. But measured by what you have made me by redeeming me, I can know I am held by you. I can rest in the confidence that I am yours, now and forever. Help me to receive all people with good will, because they too are your children.
When I sin and fail, keep me from finding excuses. Make me honest with you and with myself. Have mercy upon me.
The days speed on, even the years, and I wonder if I am making any progress. Am I a better person now than I was a year ago? Five years ago? I thank you that your love is not measured by an inventory of my progress, but in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus my Lord. In his name I pray. Amen.
–Lutheran pastor Alvin Rogness (1906-1992)
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