Whispers of Truth

        We are definitely a hypocritical people. We can pick out the flaws and sins of others much easier than we can see them in ourselves (thus the plank illustration of Matthew 7:3-5).   Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and inspired writers go to the trouble to not only point out but also to condemn hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, Jesus uses several analogies to describe the Scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites. He describes them as dishes that are clean on the outside and dirty within (vs. 25) and “whitewashed tombs” that are beautiful on the outside but full of rot and decay within (vs. 27).   This is obviously not pleasing to God, but unfortunately, hypocrisy seems to be an accepted system of operation for our culture. If we give the appearance of meeting conditions and requirements (whether it be for church, work, play, etc . . .), then everything’s copacetic. I fume when I see hypocrisy in the people around me, but do I really look for it in myself in an effort to root it out? If I

Sometimes a day can seem eternal. I guess in one sense, it is--the Bible says that a day to God is like a thousand years (II Pet. 3:8). In my strange brain, I sometimes make weird connections, and I’m not very adept at math (really!), but when I do the figuring, a week would end up being pretty close to the amount of time that this earth has been in existence. Regardless of how long a day (or week) seems or the circumstances that compose it, there is one thing that I am called to do, and that’s to praise my God and bring Him glory. This starts with being in the word. I start getting antsy when I’ve not been able to sit down and offer up any private praise to Him. Then there’s nothing like pounding out the keys of my piano and belting out an unrestrained song to God. Now don’t get me wrong—I play a lot during most weeks, but I love for my audience to be God alone, and there just isn’t any substitute for it. However, I find that the amount of time I have to myself seems to grow less and

        Our Sunday school quarterly has been walking us through I and II Kings. As I read through the middle portion of II Kings this week in studying the background for the lesson, I began to notice a pattern emerging. Some 200 years after his reign, the evil kings were still associated with Jeroboam son of Nebat with the notation that he not only led Israel, and ultimately Judah, into sin but also caused them to remain there. As the Assyrian captivity neared, it seems the long line of poor role models began to catch up with the nation. One example of this that stood out to me is found in II Kings 15. King Azariah's reign was long (52 years) and he actually did what was right in God's sight, just like his father Amaziah did before him (II Kings 15:3). This sounds good, but at the root of the problem was generational sin, as the next verse makes clear. Azariah allowed the high places to remain, just as his father and grandfather had done before him. As a result of this, he was

When I was younger, if something got too hard, I would often find a way to quit. As a result, I missed out on some valuable opportunities because I didn’t persevere when things got tough. Because I’m a typical parent, I don’t want my children to make the same mistakes I made, so I rarely let them quit anything. If they begin it, they know they're in it until the end of the season, year, or other applicable measure. Lately, I’ve thought about this tendency man has to quit when things get hard as I’ve studied the return of the exiles to Jerusalem after their time in captivity in Babylon. Because the workers let adversaries and hardships scare them away from their work, it took many years to rebuild the temple and city walls. According to the book of Ezra, God’s people were discouraged and frightened and their work was frustrated (Ezra 4:4-5). God had been speaking to them through multiple prophets, yet the builders got discouraged and quit when things got tought. God had already told

It is a sad truth that men lie to themselves every day about what is truly important in life. The reality is that death ultimately comes to us all and the most important thing is being prepared to meet the creator of our souls when that time comes. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, Psalm 49 looks at many of the things we obsess over and lie about in our lives: the adversity we face, the wealth we accumulate, and the pride we take in our accomplishments. Adversity comes to us all although it manifests itself in different ways and levels in each of our lives. Psalm 49:5-6 asks the question, “Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?” Even when faced with all the resources of an unbelieving adversary, the believer has to trust in a sovereign God when adversity comes. After all, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Psalm 49 speaks of wealth and the arroga

God's Word says it better than I could ever begin to do, so tonight I won't confuse you with the thoughts that seem to be chasing themselves around in my mind: "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for Your commandments" (Psalm 119:130-131, NASB). "You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:151). "O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances" (Psalm 119:108). Amen

Maybe peace can best be measured by the lack of it. I don’t think I’m alone in understanding the turmoil of worry or even despair when situations around me appear bleak, but as a consequence of experiencing a lack of peace at times (or even anxiety), I recognize peace when it comes. This peace is expressed in the song of rejoicing in Isaiah 26:3: “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You” (NASB). I see three key things in this verse and in the ones that immediately preface it. 1.       This person has a steadfast mind—he or she is faithful and          focused on God. 2.       God is the one doing the keeping—not the person in his or her own strength. 3.       The person fully trusts in God. Peace comes from knowing God and surrendering to His will. When I feel myself becoming anxious (or lacking peace), I am learning to turn to His word for an infusion of peace that nothing and no one in this world can provide. Simply focusing on Him settles and en

Let’s face it; short of sequestering ourselves inside our homes (alone), we will encounter difficult people in our lives. Conflict exists, but how I deal with the people I have conflict with has been on my mind a lot lately—mainly because I don’t feel I “do” conflict or confrontation well. According to Romans 12:8, if it’s possible and as much as it depends on me, I am to live at peace with all men. The all part is the sticking point for me; I crave peace the way some around me seem to crave conflict. Their desire for conflict doesn’t excuse me from making an effort at keeping or restoring peace. I have no room in my life for returning hatred or entertaining thoughts of revenge, and the bitterness that results from harboring ill will toward another is not a result I wish to reap. In my reading, I’ve seen nothing that would excuse me for acting petty toward others even when in my flesh I would love to stoop to the same level I encounter. I John 4:20 has popped up several times lately an