Thought for Today
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 27:13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
John 4:48 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
‘Actions speak louder than words.’ ‘One picture is worth a thousand words.’ ‘The pen is mightier than the sword.’ ‘Seeing is believing.’ All common adages in our society. In this modern AI world, are any of them true? And, by the way, taken together, which is mightiest, actions, pictures, words or pens? Is a pen 1000 times mightier than a sword? Which would you rather have in battle, a pen, a sword or a picture?
The U.S.A. is about to commemorate our 250th anniversary. For the remainder of this year and much of next year we will be inundated with stories about the founding of our nation. We will be regaled with the tales of the Founding Fathers, their words and their actions. The military actions of George Washington, Charles Lee, Horatio Gates, Henry Knox, Francis Marion and others will be recalled. The words of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay will be reviewed. Undoubtedly the Federalist Papers will be mentioned, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will take center stage in many articles and discussions.
Which was mightier in establishing our independence and in creating our nation, those written words or the battles of our Revolution? Was our freedom won by the pen or the sword? Did Cornwallis surrender because he read the Federalist Papers or because he was surrounded and trapped at Yorktown? Conversely, did the troops of the Continental Army follow General George Washington and put their lives in harm’s way because they wished to wield their swords or because they were inspired by the oratory and words of the pens of patriots?
Most of those common adages have existed in other languages and in other ages. They are neither specific to our language, nation or age. They are timeless and span most cultures. Those phrases reflect common knowledge and wisdom. But, I have previously commented that common knowledge, common wisdom and common sense are the least common commodities in all humanity.
In terms of those common adages being applied to life in general, it is equally true they may be applied to our spiritual lives. Do Jews and Christians believe and have faith because of the heroic actions of the heroes of the Hebrew scriptures which Christians call the Old Testament? Do we know and believe in God because of the judges, Sampson, Deborah and the other military heroes? Or, is our faith generated by and anchored in the Writings, the Psalms, Proverbs and other books? Is the pen mightier than the sword? Is seeing believing?
I do truly love questions whose answer is “Yes!” That is my resounding answer as an American and as a Chistian to the assumed dichotomies between seeing and believing, between pens and swords, between words and pictures. Yes to all! I believe because of what I have read. I believe because of what I have written and preached. I believe because of the lives and actions of all our ancestors-in-the-faith.
People of faith have always lived in challenging times. Today, we are challenged by our rapidly changing and developing technologies. It is hard to read anything today or listen to any newscast today without encountering a reference to AI. Given this technology, it is becoming increasingly hard to believe what we see and hear on any electronic media. AI can present virtually flawless pictures and words of anyone saying anything.
What are people of faith to do? How do we discern the truth of which Jesus spoke, the truth that will set us free? We listen carefully. We compare what we see and hear with what we know and have read. We use our God-given minds to compare and contrast. We pray to our Creator God for wisdom and knowledge. We filter everything through our faith.
Stay safe, think carefully and discern, trust God,
Pastor Ray