We Are Dust 

     Those are not my words. King David wrote this in what later became Psalm 103. 

     Before we continue, in the post (Korean) war 1950s, our algebra teacher, Miss Christy, ruled her classroom. She made girls cry, and guys nervous. She did her job, teaching. But, woe to the student who answered her question in error. We suffered her for two years: algebra 1 and algebra 2. 

     Fear. It worked for her. 

     In Psalm 103, David wrote, For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

     We all want God to love us. Which He does. 

      David continues, As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, for he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. 

     So, there's a caveat.

     David pours it on, But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him... 

     We can fear many things - tornados, earthquakes, snakes, burglars, heights, cancer, death - but only death is guaranteed. Regardless of the cause, God determines where our souls will spend eternity. 

     About the time we were taking algebra, theological discussion of the fear of God began to decline. Is our world ascending, or descending? 

Continued tomorrow