Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of http://prosperityedwell.com.) "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). This verse can be over-spiritualized.  This verse does not apply to Christian discipleship.  Jesus hadn't been revealed at this point in time, so Solomon was not writing that if you train a child to be a Christian he will be one when he is older.  First of all, how do you train someone to be saved?  No, this verse is not speaking to Christian conversions. This proverb speaks of the never-changing attitudes of the human heart.  Though we would like to believe - and many do - that all children and adults are basically good and therefore do mostly good, this would be a rejection of the truth of God; for all humanity - all creation! - is subject to the rule of sin from birth (Psalm 51:5).  All are born in sin and all work in sin, the wages of which are death and eternal condemnation (Romans 5:12, 6:23).

(Image courtesy of http://www.christianitytoday.com.) "Finding the common ground" is a phrase that makes me cringe because it seems to allude to making compromises and being fearful; yet, this is not always the case.  Finding the common ground can be beneficial; for instance, if you are trying to barter with an individual, it is helpful to find a common price on which to agree.  Furthermore, compromises are not always bad.  Sometimes a husband and wife will need to compromise on their household chores; for example, "I'll make supper if you do the dishes."

(Image courtesy of http://www.brokenbreadclub.com.) “Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).