Jesus. The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Christians should be set apart. Does this mean we shouldn’t wear jewelry?
A reader mentioned that she didn’t think Christians should wear jewelry because we should be set apart – not of this world. We agree that Christians should be set apart. But do we agree that Christians should avoid jewelry altogether?
Psalm 16 tells us that when we have troubles, we should seek God before we do anything else.
This Psalm boosts my spirits. Why? Because I have a tendency to worry, to wonder why by bosses speak down to me, to obsess about potential illnesses . . . the list goes on forever.
This Psalm starts by reminding us that when we have troubles, our first line of defense should be God. I tend to yell, bang on things, exercise, sleep – anything to alleviate my frustrations – anything, that is, but go to God. Why? Stupidity, I guess. As my pastor put it this last Sunday, God should always be our first line of defense.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord . . .
Psalm 16:1 (ESV)
The Psalm ends with the same type of reminder, with a little different twist. Not only should God be our first line of defense, but in Him we will discover eternal life.
11You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
If we trust God and know Him, He will show us the path of life. David knew this, and Scripture affirms it. God will reveal Himself to us if we seek Him.
21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
Having a consistent refuge and access to eternal life seems like a no-brainer to me. Choose life.
Who is God? It’s a question many have asked, and a question many have tried to answer. If you ask 100 people, you’ll get 100 different answers.
Who is God? It’s a question many have asked, and a question many have tried to answer. If you ask 100 people, you’ll get 100 different answers. The best person to tell you about God is God Himself, just like the best person to tell me about you is – you guessed it – you. Does God tell us about Himself? You bet. In His Word.
Tim paints a beautiful word picture of who God is, according to the Scriptures.
Does God seem distant? These basics of Christianity will help guide you through the difficult times.
We just posted a new article on truthsaves. I had a hard time naming it . . . but I called it, “Life is Falling Apart.” It’s the mini-story of a lady who wrote us asking for advice on how to connect with God. She has been suffering through a lot of pain. I think we all go through times in life where God seems distant. Our faith feels emotionless. How do we get through these times? Tim shares some good insights, some basics of Christianity that we (I, anyway) often forget.
Psalm 14 tells us that nobody is good. Does this mean I’m incapable of being good?
The one verse that really stands out for me in this Psalm is verse 3.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
What in the world does that mean? Am I incapable of doing anything good? Of course there’s the concept of universal depravity, but I want to know what this means for me. I want to understand the implication in my own life. Can I do good? What does this mean? Can’t I buy a mocha for the lady that works next to me that irritates me beyond belief? Isn’t that being good? Can’t I help an old lady fix her car tire? Isn’t that being good? Well, in our understanding of the word, of course it is. And anyone can do things like that. I think, in this context, the word “good” must mean something other than what I think it means.
Jesus said,
“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
Mark 10:18 (ESV)
Oh great. Now, not only do I not know what “good” means, but nobody can be good but God. Yet I’m called to be perfect.
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
So, let’s see what we have here so far. Nobody is good. Not even one person. So I must not know what being good means, because I do nice things for people all the time. So, I feel like I’m good, but based on this Psalm, I’m not. Then Jesus reiterates that in Matthew when he says nobody is good but God. So obviously I’m not good. It appears our modern meaning of “good” must mean something other than what most people think it means. But regardless of what it means, I’m called to be perfect, and being perfect has to have something in common with being good, which I’m not. What’s the heck is going on?
A few verses after Jesus says that nobody is good but God, the disciples ask Him a question and He answers. The answer gives me some hope.
26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:26, 27 (ESV)
The disciples didn’t understand either. They wanted to know how in the world anyone could get to heaven if being good was impossible. And Jesus made it clear that with Him, all things are possible.
My conclusion is that I (along with everyone) was born incapable of being good. Sure, I can do nice things and be pleasant, but I can’t be good in God’s eyes, because He’s perfect. He’s the only one who is truly good. But through Jesus (since he makes impossible things possible), I have the ability to have a relationship with a holy, perfect God – even One who despises my sinful nature.
Psalm 13 – David trusted God all the time. Do we?
In this Psalm David begs to God to quit ignoring him. He pleads for God’s divine intervention. He despairs at God’s silence. He wonders why his enemies continue to profit while he suffers. I picture David crying, complaining, whining. “God, please! Help me out here! Quit ignoring me! Come on!” I find it easy to relate to his questions, to his seeming doubt.
I think to myself, “Yeah, God! Where are you? Why did it take me five hours to fix a toilet seat today? Why haven’t You been helping me out lately?”
Then I read a bit more and realize that David’s attitude differs from mine in a dramatic way. He still trusts God. He tells God his sorrows, but He never doubts God. He begs for help, for justice, but He still lays all He has at God’s feet.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
God called David a man after His own heart. Why? Because David had a relationship with Him. David called out to Him in times of trouble, but never doubted His omnipotence. David suffered, but didn’t blame God. David also didn’t forget God when life was easy. David knew God; he trusted Him; he stuck with Him through good times and bad. Do we?
Psalm 12. When you’re depressed, look to God first like David did.
When I first looked at this Psalm, I thought, “Save?” What does David mean? Save him from all the evil ones? Save Israel? Save the faithful? Then I kept reading. Later, the Psalm says that God will give refuge to the poor (verse 5), then David puts himself with them (verse 7). My thought is that David prayed for safety for himself, the poor, and all the righteous in Israel. David sounds depressed, but he handled it well – he prayed.
The way he described the environment reminds me of the world today.
1 Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
David’s black mood fits mine this morning. Godliness seems invisible at my workplace. Who is faithful? Don’t you know that fundamentalism stops a thinking mind? People utter lies for their own gain; people flatter to get themselves ahead.
When we feel this way, God wants us to look to Him. While it may seem that darkness encloses us on every side, He protects those who seek Him. In the midst of the onslaught of evil we can rely upon God’s pure, holy words.
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
And what does God say?
5“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Nahum 1:7 (ESV)I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (ESV)
Don’t let the darkness overwhelm you.
. . . no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD
and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 54:17 (ESV)
I’ve just had a reader ask, “How do you know when God is speaking to you?” I think this is a question we’ve all asked at some point in our lives. Does God still speak to us? And how can we know? Tim has written a though-provoking article on the topic.
Tim also sent me a poem that goes along with his article. The poem is entitled, “The God Who Speaks.” I didn’t know Tim was such a good poet, at least not in the past, but after he wrote a previous one entitled “When Death Marches Through the Land,” I realized he had been holding out on me.