The Beachy Psalter: Psalm 5
A Psalm of the HBB
Their sorrows shall be multiplied,
that hasten after another church.
That say within themselves,
This way is not the way of life,
and this path is one of bondage.
Which bite at the bit,
and chafe under the bridle. Selah.
They shall seek freedom,
but shall find prison,
they shall seek direction,
but they shall lose their way.
For they have rejected the path of their father
And forsaken the law of their mother
And have disdained to follow in the safe paths
Which have been laid down for them
By wiser minds than they. Selah.
For behold, they look upon other churches
and consider,
and say within themselves,
They are Christians, and do such things,
Yea, they love God, and allow such activities.
And professing to understand,
They stumble
And thinking they comprehend,
They do err.
For they are as a ship,
which hath no anchor.
And they are as a boat,
which hath no mooring line.
The tides come in,
and they do drift,
And know not whither they go.
For behold, they are cut off from what they once held. Selah.
But blessed are they which seek safety,
And happy are they which stay close to home.
For they shall not lose their way. Amen.
Eman wrote,
*grumbling* I stayed “close to home” for a good many years and it never got me anywhere. Some of this stuff, while funny and said tongue in cheek, almost has an impossibly idealistic air about it. Do the elders of your churches really feel this way?
Link | May 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Eman wrote,
… in re; to above, I’m just curious… (I did read the disclaimer)
Link | May 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
qwert wrote,
happy are they which stay close to home, that they may bury their heads in the sand, and reach out to no one, because that someone might be different than them? blessed are they which stick with things that are “safe” because they’re too scared to find out the truth and reasoning behind what they claim to believe??
they shall not lose their way, because when you’re motionless, it’s impossible to get lost.
interesting take on life.
Link | June 4th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Chris wrote,
It seems to me that the Jesus spoke a parable about a motionless object that was lost. I believe it was a coin? Is that right? I know it couldn’t have belonged to a beachy for that would have been poor stewardship, imagine LOSING a coin!! Anyway to sit still so you won’t get lost doesn’t really help if you are altogether lost to start with. However running to and fro and questioning every landmark or practice or custom or tradition or, well……….. EVERYTHING doesn’t seem to produce “Found” people either. Instead it seems to me, (and this is only a humble submissive opinion) that those who are not Lost but Found are those who look to the idealistic ways that the Bible teaches and become not “Hearers” but “Doers” of the Word. 90% of the reason for Wrong, whether rebellion or “Dumb Tradition” or just error in general is because people DON”T WANT TO KNOW they are wrong. For knowledge of wrong DEMANDS a response to correct that wrong and people DON’T LIKE TO CHANGE. At least I don’t. That is why I am Right.
Link | June 7th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Jon Lee wrote,
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. If these columns are meant as a joke, please forgive me for being so somber. But to me they speak of disillusionment, frustration, dishonest leadership and a whole generation of young people (and old) who do not know where they are going, let alone how to get there.
I could say a lot about my journey, but for now I won’t. Rather, I would like to leave you these principles that I have learned (am learning) the hard way.
#1 Don’t be proud. There is much to learn from the “donkeys” in your life. Read 2Pe 2:16. YOU are the prophet. You know who the “donkeys” are. If God sends you a “donkey” and you don’t listen, you may not get other warnings.
#2 Stay close to God. Don’t let anger, bitterness and frustration keep you from God. Spend the time and energy to stay close. He promised that if we draw nigh to Him, He will draw near to us.
#3 Remember that “ALL things work together for good to them that love God”. Are you honestly loving and following God? Then nothing that is done to you will harm you. God allowed it to make you strong, AND TO GIVE YOU A MINISTRY TO OTHERS IN THE FUTURE. DON’T FORGET IT! Don’t blame others. Accept it as a gift from God.
#4 Do not be a “spiritual guerrilla” Fight the good fight God’s way. Matt 18 is not only for your preacher, it is for you.
#5 Don’t be too quick to leave, or too slow. Stay until God’s work for you is done there, then move on. Only God knows when that right time is. He may call you to witness to truth in the same place your whole life. And then He may not. Most often He leaves us there, not till others learn, but until we learn the lessons He wants US to learn. (Make sure you go where GOD wants you to go when you leave)
#6 Do not put your trust in man. The best will fail you when you need them most. See Jer 17:5-10
#7 Never, EVER give up your relationship to Jesus. It is always too soon to call it quits. It is not His fault if others who call themselves Christian do no act like Him. He is your lifeline. Hang on to Him, and above all things, let Him hang on to you.
God’s best to you all.
Jon
Link | September 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm