Things Above Thought
TAT # 81 LIVING
Recently I began to wonder what it would take to get me well and as the old saying goes, “to once again be placed among the living.” That led me to think about all the things that it takes to live here in America. Of course the basic necessities came to mind first: food, air, water, some degree of shelter, and rest. Then the secondary items came to mind: clothing, a job, and transportation. Then all the other “stuff” started flooding into my mind: education, money, credit cards, a good medical plan, haircuts, vacations, a hobby for mental relaxation, a lawnmower, a retirement plan, a savings account for a “rainy day”, a TV (to stay well-informed), a phone, a radio, a washer and dryer, and even mouse traps and flypaper. Oh my, how much – stuff – it takes to be placed “among the living”! After all if you do not have most of that stuff you would not be considered as “among the living” you would just be “existing.” Christ had a different take on how to be placed “among the living:”
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” (Matt. 4:4 NET)
He was quoting from Deuteronomy:
So He humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the LORD’s mouth. (Deut. 8:3)
Be humble, be fed His Word and only then is it possible for me to be “among The Living.”