SPOILED! CONDITIONED TO BE SELFISH!

SPOILED! CONDITIONED TO BE SELFISH!

Ps 37:5, 7, 34, 37

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

           What makes a spoiled child? Yesterday in a furniture store I watched as a five-year-old disassembled an expensive faux antique clock. He then asked his mother, who was struggling with a toddling sibling, to help him fix it. We all have seen it and most of us think we know the cure but what happens when an entire culture conditions us to be selfish and careless of others?

           The advance of science and technology has created in us a gross impatience. Cross country travel once took months or years by covered wagon over rough and dangerous terrain. Now that same route can be an enjoyable drive on smooth highways with interesting and restful stops along the way. If the journey requires speed we can avoid the ground altogether by taking a plane. We have been conditioned to expect instant satisfaction of our desires.

           Communication has advanced as well. A paper and ink letter could take weeks to arrive and the message on the paper was in complete sentences and carefully crafted. Now small computers and phones keep us in constant contact with a growing list of friends while we grow more and more lonely. We have been conditioned to expect an immediate answer to a question.

           So, what makes a courteous and well behaved person? Perhaps it is little more than the learned ability to wait. Even God seems locked in a slower time and we try in vain to hurry Him up to fit our schedule. We request the thing we want in prayer and then we check the mailbox! We seldom consider the possibility that the needs of others may have a higher priority. We have been conditioned to think that no one and nothing is more important than ourselves. This is subliminal, however, and we would recoil at the notion if we could see our selfishness as plainly as others see it.

Several words in our text this morning are worthy of our consideration.

COMMIT. The original language means “to roll” and presents the idea of transferring a load of cargo from one to another. We will do well to roll our heavy load onto the able shoulders of a mighty God. To do this we must see ourselves as less capable of carrying it. We must see ourselves as dependent and needy. This requires us to direct the focus away from self.

REST. This word literally means “to be dumb” and indicates the need to quiet our self. The words of the ancient hymn come to mind: “Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.” We are not still. We can’t be still. We will not rest because we are driven by the incessant desire to have and to have it immediately.

WAIT. The word actually means “to bind together by twisting.” I get the idea not of patience but of controlled impatience. Like the hound that has been trained to sit still with a dog biscuit perched upon his nose until his master says it is OK to eat it. Is that dog patient? No! He is waiting. He knows at the appointed time the biscuit will be his.

MARK. This means “to look narrowly or to observe carefully.” The focus of our attention is the upright man. The reason for such carefully scrutiny is that we may be like him. The result of this great study is that we mighty have peace. With all of our microwavable conveniences we have not found the peace that comes from committing, resting and waiting.

Dear Father, I have described myself in painful detail. I do not like to wait. Help me today to rest in Thee. AMEN