10.1 Letter to my son David
Your letter arrived just a few minutes ago and I read with great interest about your encounter at a local coffee shop with a perfect stranger. He overheard you speaking about your gratitude towards God and asked you questions. You were able to share the good news with him. Praise God, now this gentleman attends a church and converses regularly with you. Glory to God. In your letter you asked two questions. You are curious about the meaning of the phrase ‘thinking about everything’. You also asked about how to increase your scriptural vocabulary.
The Remembrance… I remember pondering on things when I finished Officers Training School (OTS) at San Antonio Texas and was preparing to arrive at my first assignment as an Officer. I had been enlisted for well over a decade, been through two major technical schools for electronics, leadership schools, the University of Nebraska, and worked on three major weapons systems, and now was bound for my first assignment to work on Satellite Ground Systems as a systems engineer.
To be sure I had made many mistakes and errors in judgement along the way, but God’s mercy was renewed towards me every morning. He made the path. He was patient. He made a way.
What a transition this was from my days as a musician in High School when I was pondering on what life was going to bring me. I was scared and hopeful at the same time. It is clear to me now that God was driving a plan. Eventually, after becoming a Christian, I had some idea of the plan but was intently aware of the impact felt from earnestly seeking a productive walk with God. To be sure I had made many mistakes and errors in judgement along the way, but God’s mercy was renewed towards me every morning. He made the path. He was patient. He made a way.
When I graduated from high school and only knew the music business, I would have laughed out loud if you had described my current situation as my future. As a graduate of OTS, looking at my life, there was much more to come as my walk with God intensified. Not all of it was good. Not all of it was obedience to his will. But the journey yet to come was rich with experiences that prepared me to do the things I am doing now. The blessings are immense.
At this juncture in life, I cannot imagine a plan without the one true living God lighting the path. I marvel at the things he as brought my way. I yield at his feet, lay prostrate at the cross, immensely appreciative that the God of this universe showed a modicum of interest in my life and the life of my family. The result of his involvement is amazing. Selah.
First Question — ‘thinking about everything’. let us start with one of my favorite verses — as a man thinks a man is. You’ve heard me say this many times. I believe this notion is not so much about what we do or how we feel but about what we think. This defines how I use my mind, how I fill it with things, articulate my thoughts, and how I act on those things. Doing things right begins with thinking about the right things. Every day, all day.
I included the Colossians and the Philippians passage in this letter because it shares some ideas on filling your mind with thoughts of Jesus.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through Psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3: 12-17)
…Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice. (Philippians 4: 4-9)
This is the heart that God desires. Being grateful, being dependent upon God,
thinking about the things of God. This is our safe harbor.
You might recall from the Old Testament; King Saul was fired by God. Samuel, a local prophet, was told to go find Eliab and interview his sons and identify the new King. He was specifically told to ignore the way they look and focus on what’s in their heart. So, one by one the sons came and Samuel did not get the ‘nod’ from the Lord. And then came the youngest son, David. He was kind of small and unassuming. God said to Samuel — this is my guy. Lay hands on him. Pray for him.
Why was King David chosen? David had a clean heart. As a man thinks, a man is. King Saul was very tall and handsome. He stood head and shoulders above most people, he knew how to look good in a crowd, he knew how to say the right things, he knew how to do the right things, yet his heart was everywhere but in the right place. On the other hand, David had a heart for God. Everything we think about matters.
Do you remember the incident surrounding King David and Bathsheba? David confessed his sin. He knew the proper sacrifice for God was a broken spirit, repentant soul, and a contrite heart. This is the heart that God desired. Being grateful, being dependent upon God, thinking about the things of God. That is our safe harbor. If David had been in that safe harbor, he would not have sinned. As a man thinks, a man is.
Second Question — building a vocabulary of scriptural terms. I’m glad you asked the question, and I want to give you a little backstory on why the question matters. When people go to college, the information that they learn, especially if it’s a technical degree; it is only good for four or five years. They must learn to teach themself to stay proficient. The important thing they learn in college is vocabulary, but even vocabulary fades with time. To stay proficient, you must learn new things.
Reading Scripture presents us with the same dilemma. The more terms we add to our vocabulary from Scripture, the easier it is to learn new things. Consider, for example, foreknowledge. This concept directly affects our definition of ‘free will’ and election. The more vocabulary we learn, the easier it is to mine the deeper truths in Scripture such as election. God’s main communication tool is the printed word.
The more vocabulary we learn, the easier it is to mine the deeper truths in scripture.
God’s main communication tool is the printed word.
Learning the terms in Scripture enables you to quickly dig deep and mine the cool stuff embedded in Scripture. You might recall in Hebrews; we are told that we need to move from the ABCs on to the deeper truth. Vocabulary is necessary to learn deeper truths. I suggest you become familiar with your bible dictionary and a systematic theology book in your library. Together, they will give you extraordinary vocabulary. Pick and choose your tools, then use the tools to the glory of God.
I trust this provides you with some useful information. In addition to this brief response, I have included four essays from my Journal to assist with your quest to center all your thoughts on God.
May God bless you and keep you, may he place his countenance upon you, may He give you peace.
I love you, son.
Your father, Dan