Whispers of Truth

Who is on your cheer team? Mine usually consists of the people who are going to tell me what I want to hear when I want to hear it, but obviously that’s not always the best thing for me. I know that I should always be listening to the voice of the shepherd of my heart, but sometimes the voices of the world are yelling while Jesus simply whispers the truth softly into my heart. Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice and follow it (NASB, John 10:27), so hearing the right voice is essential. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are deceiving themselves if they think they can escape taking on the characteristics of those with whom they keep company, and the warning is the same for me. When I am tempted to heed the cheers of all those who would feed my ego or stoke the fires of rebellion within me, I need to remember the One who cheers my heart with nothing but the raw truth. The Bible is full of this truth: in John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples that even though...

There is so much in the six little verses of Philippians 2:12-18 that is absolutely vital to our walk with Christ. Paul tells the Philippians to obey in his absence like they did when he was with them. We, too, are to show godly character in every aspect of our lives. Paul continues to address the idea of obedience when he tells them to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling” (NASB vs. 12).   The word for work is a Greek word meaning to work to the fullest or to completion. We, too, should work to make sure of our standing with Christ because He will judge everyone when He returns (II Tim. 4:1; Rom. 2:16; Rom. 14:10) and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him to be the Lord, as Paul has just finished saying in verse 10-11. I want to get that right while I am still breathing! Paul continues by telling them that God is the one working in their lives for His pleasure. We often forget this and live our life like it is about us and our pleasure, but it is not...

God cares about how we treat each other. On a larger scale, God cares about how nations of people treat other nations. In the small book of Obadiah, God clearly addresses the wrongs of the Edomite nation toward the Israelites. When Babylon invaded Jerusalem , this nation stood by and did nothing while the Babylonians carried off the wealth of the Israelites (vs. 11). To add insult to injury, they also rejoiced in the destruction of the sons of Judah (vs. 12), joined in the looting (vs. 13), and imprisoned the survivors (vs. 14).   The Israelites were small in number compared to the force of the Babylonians, and Edom joined in with the most powerful group. The US is often called on to intervene in situations where smaller countries are being bullied or endangered by larger surrounding countries. As Christians, we need to stay informed about what goes on in the world around us, and we need to pray for our leaders to use wisdom in our interactions with other nations and to never p...

God put flesh on for me. It’s a concept that never ceases to amaze me afresh each time I cherish it. God, the creator of the universe, the spoken Word, chose to leave heaven and encounter hell on earth, and He did it without sinning so that I wouldn’t have to encounter hell at all. To do this, Christ humbled himself as Paul so eloquently writes about in Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (NASB). As humans, we sometimes forget that we are not God—we make decisions, act rashly, and put on an arrogance that Christ, who is righteous and just, did not choose to wear. Our attitudes do not reflect His, but Jesus emptied Himself to...

The psalms are full of praises and petitions to God. Some are brutally honest in expressing thoughts, which makes sense because God already knows them intimately anyway. We often think we can hide our thoughts from God, but the psalmists truly understood that there is no hiding from an omnipotent God—whether it is a large sin or an errant thought. Psalm 147 begins with an outburst of praise to the LORD with an explanation that reads almost like a list as to why it’s good to sing praises to his God: 1. “The LORD builds up” (vs. 2, NASB) 2. “He gathers the outcasts” (vs. 2) 3. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds” (vs. 3) 4. “He counts the number of the stars” and names them all (vs. 4) 5. He is great and His strength abundant (vs. 5) 6. He has infinite understanding (vs. 5) 7. He supports the afflicted (vs. 6), and 8. He takes down the wicked (vs. 6).            Here the psalmist interrupts his list to offer some more praise to God with thanksg...

We tenaciously hold onto the things of this life but often fail to grasp our finiteness. What would happen if we dug into the things of the spirit with half so much tenacity? We are easily distracted by the world, which is precisely what the enemy desires. If we faithlessly focus only on what we can see, he has already won half the battle, which is keeping us apart from the saving grace of Jesus: “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, NASB). We are at war and have so little time to fight the painful battles of the flesh. What will it take for us to turn on our spiritual antennae? The brevity of our time on earth seems most overwhelming when a young person dies suddenly, and at that point we begin to wrestle with questions that seem to have no answers.   James 4:14 warns us to draw close to God while there i...

Have I mentioned I'm a creature of comfort? I like life simple and uncomplicated, and I certainly don't like to confront my own sins and shortcomings when they crop up. Envision Isaiah when confronted with the holiness of God seated on His throne. Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (NASB, Is. 6:5). I’ve never seen God’s holiness, yet I feel much the same way when confronted with my sin. I am overwhelmed by the enormity of it in comparison with God's holiness. I am unequivocally without excuse. For one thing, I have God's word, through which He chooses to reveal himself. Creation also testifies to its creator, as Romans 1:20 makes very clear: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are withou...

The older I become the more convinced I am that much of the growth in my life has occurred due to inconvenient truths that emerge in hard times. I would really like to deny this because I like calm waters and smooth sailing and seeing anything about myself that needs changing is never pleasant. Many people become Christians and believe that their lives will be problem free, but Jesus promises that persecution will come for those that are His (John 15:20). If I’m truly His, why should I expect my life to be free of trouble? Jesus also says in His sermon on the Mount that I’m blessed if I’m persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and I’m blessed when people insult me and say all sorts of things about me that aren’t true in an attempt to persecute me—as a result my reward will be great in the kingdom of heaven, even if it feels like hell while I’m here on the earth. James 1:2-4 offers me a different perspective on trials than I usually choose: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encou...

I am NOT a person who likes conflict, and as such I really crave peace--in my home, at work, and with family and friends. When I find myself in conflict of any kind, I have several go-to verses for my efforts to live in peace. Isaiah 52:7 speaks of our beauty to God when we choose to speak peace: “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion , ‘Your God reigns!’” (NASB). This verse reminds me that God does not want to hear me grumbling or complaining or gossiping—He would much rather hear me bringing good news and announcing peace and His salvation, which are happy tidings indeed. In addition, I am reminded that I have good cause for celebrating and sharing the gospel—my God reigns. Dwelling on that usually puts things into a proper perspective.   Paul references Isaiah in Romans 10:15b when he writes, “Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those...

This week some precious friends gave my family a gift of encouragement and support in a ministry we have recently undertaken. They have bathed us in prayer, encouraged us with their love, and offered support in many other ways, large and small. They have done this because they understand that our ministry belongs to them too because we are all part of the body of Christ. When we stepped out in faith a few weeks ago, we didn’t know how God was going to work out the details, but we did know that the God who called us would meet our needs. Regardless of our call or ministry or struggle, we have a powerful God with the resources of His universe at His disposal. The author of Hebrews reminds us of His power and our response to His ultimate gift, which is salvation through Jesus Christ:   “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28, ESV). When we are showered with the lov...