@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“I shall not hesitate also to put into ordered form for you, along with the interpretations, everything I learned carefully in the past from the elders and noted down carefully, for the truth of which I vouch. For unlike most people, I took no pleasure in those who told many different stories, but only in those who taught the truth. Nor did I take pleasure in those who reported their memory of someone else’s commandments, but only in those who reported their memory of the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and proceeding from the Truth itself. And if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders arrived, I made enquiries about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter had said, or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and John the Elder, the Lord’s disciples, were saying. For I did not think that information from the books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.
~ Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) From the Preface to his lost ‘Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord’
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

Don’t Trust Your Own Understanding of Tomorrow

How do you see your tomorrow? Whatever our view might be, even if we got it from God, we must be careful not to trust it more than Him. Idolatry can take many subtle forms, one of which is to elevate what God has said above God Himself. Apart from being wrong in itself, trusting the guidance over the Guide is foolish. This is a more common error than we may realise. People often get directions from God and then proceed to follow them in their own strength. The writer of Proverbs says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). That little word “in” points us towards a consistent and continual looking to God. If we stay close to the Guide, we will not lose our way, but the moment we assume control, we are at grave risk of taking another path. This means practising His presence daily, diligently listening to His personal word to us, and faithfully following His directions. Let God guide you actively, today, tomorrow, and always.