Whispers of Truth

Recently in several different conversations with women, the idea of whether or not there is any harm to be found in “looking” has come up. Window shopping, browsing without aim, Pinteresting in boredom, Facebook scrolling for hours at a time, watching cheesy romantic Hallmark movies—call it what you will and add your own poison—but we women have many different labels we slap on something that the world tells us is harmless. But is it really? Today in my reading, I came across a verse in Proverbs that made me think of these conversations: “Sheol [death] and Abaddon [hell] are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied” (27:20, NASB). Think about that one for a minute. The looking never causes us to be satisfied, and I would argue it increases dissatisfaction within us. The more we look and dwell on something that is worldly, the natural inclination is to desire it.  Another word for desiring something we do not have is coveting , and coveting when used in a “g...

I find I often need reminding of what I already know. The fact I need reminding often discourages me, but God in His mercy sends me reminder after reminder like fresh rain falling on the dry ground of winter. Just like that blessed rain, God’s reminders, His compassion and mercy, His truth, falls on me and causes me to respond. When I read the Old Testament, I see that God called a people out of a pagan nation in order to make a peculiar people of His own (Gen. 12), that He gifted them with His blessing and presence over and over again, that He rescued them from a captivity that He designed for their own good (Gen. 37-Ex. 14), that He created a way for people who couldn’t enter into His presence to worship Him and be forgiven (Gen. 24-40), that He lowered Himself to place His name in a temple in a city on the earth He created (2 Chron. 7:1-2), that He forgave again and again when that same stubborn, rebellious-hearted, people peculiar to Him wandered faithlessly away from Him time...

In the course of a lifetime we will make many hard decisions in following Christ. If I am wise, I have much to consider, much to weigh, before reaching a point of action in any situation. My decisions affect not only myself or my immediate family and friends, but they may also have far-reaching consequences, as I represent Christ. How I bear His name matters. In reaching a major decision, I want to find God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will for my life in all things, but I find that often means I must present my body “as a living and holy sacrifice, which is [my] spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1-2, NASB). This is not a normal human thing to do, as the flesh seeks its own way. Only in Christ can I do this. David is known for being a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14, Acts 13:22) and after Saul, a king who sought his own will to his own destruction, David’s heart for God was refreshing. He sometimes got ahead of himself in his eagerness, though, as he did in attemp...

The scene could be a common one found in blockbuster movies. The close-up of the hopelessly lost protagonist stumbling through the hot sands suddenly pans out allowing the viewer to see the vastness of the desert and the seemingly-straight path across it that in reality zigs and zags, wandering through the desert. This could be a simile for one who claims to follow God but is lost in sin.  Solomon was an Old Testament character who vacillated from the path of righteousness, who rejected the God of his salvation, and who couldn’t see the foolishness of his path. He might as well have been lost in a desert by the end of his life. Ironically, “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore” (I Ki. 4:29) because he had asked for wisdom to lead instead of a long life, riches, or vengeance on his enemies.  Solomon vacillated. Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes vacillation as “a wavering; to move one way and t...

Anyone who has a social media account in today’s world can easily see the frustration with life people often experience. They quickly send out the overwhelming reports of the bad, the attacks of life, the storms that brew—even the ones looming large on the horizon that may never arrive—along with unspoken prayer requests or spoken ones without information, intimating their own understanding of a situation, creating interest and finding fulfillment in the knowledge they have that others lack as of yet. It’s easy to be judgmental and just as easy to join in the chaos. What’s hard is living in light of eternity in a world that can only see past this moment. This anxious world in which we live expects ease, longs for prosperity, and rejects anything smacking of pain or adversity, rejecting the notion that God would ever allows us to suffer or that He would ever discipline us when we are in need of it. Why are we this way? How did we reach the point of claiming Christianity and all its...

How many times does Moses cry out to the LORD for others as intercessor? After reading through Exodus and Leviticus and now in Numbers, Moses’ as a type of Christ seems clearer than ever. In literature, types commonly abound, being representative or symbolic of something to come. Biblical types are not perfect imitations but flawed characters pointing the way to Christ.  Moses is clearly a deliverer “type.” Nothing could be clearer when looking at Exodus and God’s sending of Moses into Egypt to deliver His people from bondage, which is an easy type to see. God speaks to Moses “mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings” (Num. 13:8, NASB revised) and sends him from his curious investigations of a burning bush in the wilderness into the darkness of Egypt, the place from which he has fled in fear and humiliation. Unlike Christ, this Moses is far from perfect, having fled from Pharaoh after murdering an Egyptian for beating a fellow Hebrew. This man who murders and hides...

Studying Exodus and reading through Leviticus and Numbers now has made me eager to read even more. Honestly, it is hard to stop at just a few chapters of study each day. Maybe that’s not exactly what you’ve always heard though about these “dry” chapters of the Bible. I have always heard that I will get bogged down if I read through these in order, but I have to say that this time that has definitely not been the case. I was so pumped up about my lengthy time reading Exodus that my summer group is now studying it, and I am extending my study to better have the full picture. God’s character and nature clearly reveal themselves in these books, showing that He is not only compassionate and slow to anger but also loving and sovereign.  His presence is truly all that is necessary, yet we often get distracted or lost in the desert that this world is and forget that truth. I was reminded of this today as I was reading in Leviticus. God’s cloud covering over the tabernacle by day, whic...

Exodus has blown me away as I’ve been slowly reading through and studying it during my devotions each morning.  This book has  reminded me once again  how God works through the Spirit, making each day new, teaching in different ways, revealing things that hid  from me  before, especially His sovereignty. One of the first things  I noticed  this time was  how much Samuel’s willingness to answer a call resembles Moses’. Moses responds to God’s call with, “Here I am” (3:7, NASB) just as Samuel does when God calls out to him (I Sam. 3:4). Although Samuel’s call  comes  in the darkness of night and Moses’ call  is  in the desert and involv ed a burning bush, both calls co me to men who did not know God  at the time of the call  (I Sam. 3:7, Ex. 3:4-6) and both  willingly  answered the call. This reminder that God calls and equips for His purposes those who are curious about Him and willing to serve is timely...

Until one has lived a long while, it is impossible to see the importance of discipleship, but I have lived long enough to see the evidence accumulate. At eighteen I moved to Auburn for my last two years of college, coming from the small mountain community (flat as it may be) in North Alabama where I grew up. Until I reached Auburn, I never had anyone truly pour into me the teaching of the Word, only the gospel itself through reading or preaching. I had never had anyone come alongside me to disciple me and teach me how to walk out my faith and to begin living in a way that would please God.   I attended church, read my Bible, and prayed, but far too often failed to live in a way that glorified Him. In short, I was shallow beyond belief. Jesus often taught in parables, and only those who had “ears to hear” heard. I spent many years reading these parables and many years failing to truly understand them much less apply them to my own life. One of these parables is the Parable of th...