Mike’s Musings ….
A Bit of History
Sometime between 1980 and 1983, the late brother Fred Dennis gave me a copy of his first published work entitled MUSINGS. (My dear friend David Warren had also given me a copy of the book.) Dennis told me at that time, “When I die, you can use that title if you wish.” Brother Dennis died on March 31, 1983, and beginning that next week, the first MIKE’S MUSING was printed on the back page of the weekly bulletin from Summerfield, OH, and has been a weekly article in every teaching bulletin I’ve written since that time. I only mention this so I might thank all of you readers who have encouraged me through the past forty years of writing.
MIKE’S MUSINGS are nothing more than the thoughts that occupy the mind of an increasingly aged preacher. Webster says “musing” as a noun means, “meditation” and as an adjective, “thoughtfully abstracted; meditative.” To me, it means simply, “thinking.” As the apostle Paul directed, “Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, if there be any virtue or praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) There isn’t anything better to muse upon, and if our thoughts are consistently upon God and godly things, then our thoughts will more consistently be pure, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report! Sharing such thoughts is a way of encouraging others to think about these things and engage in a more fervent study of God’s truth.
In other words, we need to do precisely as Paul instructed Timothy: “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Timothy 4:15) For us to give ourselves to serious contemplation of God’s word is to engulf ourselves in an exercise the Hebrew writer says will permit us to discern both good and evil. (cf. Hebrews 5: 12 – 14). It requires us to set our minds on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of the throne of God (Colossians 3: 1- 4). Best of all, it permits us to fulfill the instruction of Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.”
We tend to think about those things most precious to us in this life. From reminiscing wonderful memories, or speaking of our family members or prized possessions, our musings usually consider the most valued of our mind’s content. God’s love, Christ’s proof of that love, and the word of God that instructs us in how to obey that love, thus gaining the promise of eternity with God the Father should be the most prized of all musings. If it isn’t, then our musings are less than they should be! There certainly is nothing sweeter, nothing more serious, nothing more important, nothing of greater benefit than the truth of God’s word upon which to fix our thoughts now and always!