It’s Always The Cat…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

It is March 28th of 2025 and it is a chilly spring morning.  Clear skies and a high of 70 is forecast for today.

Happy birthday, mom!

Who and what do we revere is on my mind this morning. In yesterday’s study, we took a brief look at mercy and what everyday mercy looks like.  The cat struck again this morning. As I was sitting down to get started, I heard a huge racket downstairs. What had she done? Knocked over something in the kitchen and was batting it around.  She was upset with me that I didn’t give her more food.

“The wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God” was immediately what I thought as I walked down the stairs to see the damage that had been done. Fortunately, nothing was broken, but I took a moment to consider the situation—because the cat had interrupted me right in the middle of scribing my morning Scripture.

What I call scribing is one of the ways I work to memorize Scripture. In my chronicling journal—where I keep prayers, brainstorms, conversations with Jesus, dreams, and plans—I take verses from the Bible and carefully scribe them by hand for study and reflection.  The Scripture I was scribing this morning is where I thought we could begin today.

Proverbs 28: 14

“Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

Taking Scripture and writing it out by hand also gives me a chance to think about it—to slow down, to get to know it better.  I modeled the idea off of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the Christian writings of their time. Back then, in order for anything to be transmitted in writing—whether in letters or public writings—Scripture had to be written out by hand. Its context also had to be either included directly or explained in the surrounding text.  It was done by hand, and it was done with a quill.  If you’ve never tried writing with a quill, it’s a super fun exercise. I usually use a Pilot G-2 07 pen (a favorite of mine), but when I want to empathize with and marvel at the work it took to scribe Scripture like so many Christians throughout history have, I pull out a quill and inkwell.  You can find them at just about any major hobby retailer if you look.

So.

Happy is the man who is always reverent.  Have we considered what the word means?

Reverent: (adjective)

- Expressing or characterized by reverence: worshipful

Let’s take a look at …

Revere: (verb)

- To show devoted deferential honor to: regard as worthy of great honor

Do we revere the Word of God?

Do we revere anything?

Have we considered what we give devoted deferential honor to and do we give that to the Word of God?

Because, like I say often, let’s not forget…

Proverbs 1: 7

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The word of fear used in this proverb is…

Yir’ah: (Hebrew)

- Morally reverence

To show devoted, deferential honor to the LORD—to regard Him as worthy of great honor—to revere Him: this is the beginning of knowledge.  To understand, as best we can, who God is…. To acknowledge His rightful place as King above all creation…. To know His revealed attributes…  To revere Him is all part of that picture.

I think it’s important to mention that fool, in this proverb, the word that is used is…

‘Eviyl: (Hebrew)

- To be perverse

- Figuratively sill: foolish

The term is used to mean someone who is without God.

So let’s start this Friday asking ourselves a few questions.

Who do we actually revere in our lives?

Who should we, according to Scripture, revere in our lives?

Where is the disparity?

But here comes the kicker for our Proverb.  If the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, how does one learn the fear of the LORD?  Is it not instruction that we need in order to learn?

You see, the cat wanted more food this morning. More than she normally gets.  For what reason, I’m not entirely sure. But I am certain—it’s not because she’s starving.  Katie is a finicky cat. She doesn’t know when to say when when it comes to food. And she’s proven that to me many times—with the presents she leaves around the house when she eats too much.  Lately, she’s also started turning her nose up at food. And it’s when she does this that she complains the loudest. She will meow, and meow, and keep meowing—and I have to keep saying no, and no, and no…  Because if I give her too much food, she ends up with no food—because she gets sick all over the place.

This is what I was thinking bout when she finally hopped in my lap and settled down for the morning.

It got me thinking.  The cat kind of reveres me.  She knows I’m the one who gives her food. She knows how to get my attention, and she knows how to make me happy. She also knows how to aggravate me.  She knows how to talk to me—in her own way.  Like most cats, she has a vocabulary. Certain meows, chirps, and calls that she uses repeatedly in specific situations. And if you’re paying attention, you start to pick up on those things.

It made me consider that the LORD uses many different things and ways to instruct me.

Proverbs 12: 10

“A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”

But it is through God’s Word that this instruction becomes clear.

John 14: 22-27

“Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’  Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My Words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.  These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But The Helper, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Do we revere the Word?

Or have we hardened our heart to the Word?

It is with this question that we come to our verses of the day.

Psalm 119: 49-56

“Remember the Word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word has given me life.  The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from Your law.  I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, and have comforted myself.  Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.  Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.  I remember Your Name in the night, O LORD, and I keep Your law.  This has become mine, because I kept Your precepts.”

David is looking to the Word of God for comfort in today’s passage.  He knows his God.  He knows what God has said.  And so, David asks God to remember His Word and to honor that Word on his behalf.  His hope in the Word is what brings him comfort in affliction.

In order to ask God to remember His Word, we must first know what His Word says.  The Word can only comfort us in our affliction if we’ve taken the time to learn it.  It’s impossible to remember something we’ve never learned.  And if we haven’t learned the Word of God…. How, then, will the Word of God comfort us?

Now, I know we’ve been sitting on the importance of the Word quite a bit this week.  It’s the end of the week, and I hope to bring the weekend in with a bang for you here.  There are several reasons why I spend so much time on the importance of God’s Word.  First—because Jesus Himself tells us to abide in His Word.  It’s not just about hearing it once or reading it in passing.  Jesus teaches us that abiding and keeping His Word—notice, there are two parts here—is what He expects of us.  Abiding in and keeping His Word…. That is what it means to love Him.

Paul also teaches us…

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Now, we are a Christian podcast, and our intended audience is Christians.  But if you’re not a Christian—or if you’re new to Christianity—I want to give you a heartfelt and personal hello, and welcome!  Please, stay as long as you like. We’re glad you’re here.  I bring this up because I realize I’ve been using Scripture to explain why we, as Christians, should pay attention to Scripture. And in doing that, I’ve assumed something foundational: that the Bible is the Word of God.  The inerrant Word of God, I might add.  As Christians, I believe the Scriptures make it clear that we are to understand the Bible as Holy Scripture—God’s inspired, trustworthy, and authoritative Word to us.

It occurred to me that some might be asking the question why should I even bother with the Bible to begin with.

The Bible is one of the most tested books in all of history.  It has been proven to be historically accurate through both archaeological findings and rigorous textual and historical testing.  Using ancient documents and scroll fragments—some of which date within decades of the original writings—we’ve been able to compare today’s copies of the Bible with the earliest manuscripts. And the results are impressive: the Bible has proven to be remarkably accurate in its current state.

(Some present-day translations excluded— if you ask me.)

If you have questions about this kind of stuff, feel free to email me. Seriously. The journey of building your faith in the Word of God is a wondrous one—and I’d be happy to help if I can.

The point is—there are plenty of answers and research available on this topic.  There is also a wealth of extra-biblical evidence showing that the Bible is reliable, accurate, and trustworthy—even by worldly standards—as an accurate historical document.

And it is on that thought that I wanted to wind down with…

2 Timothy 4: 1-5

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Happy is the man who is always reverent.  It is he who hardens his heart that will face sudden calamity.  Have we hardened our hearts to the Word today?  Are we giving the honor to God that God deserves?  Do we seek comfort in the Word today?

Don’t forget today.  Keep up the good works and rejoice always.  Pray without cease.  Abide in the Word.

I think that’s a good start for the day.