January, 2011 // Posts published in January, 2011
Truth Test
If what I believe can’t hold up against scrutiny, I have reason to wonder if it’s valid. When my life is at stake, I must question and test what I believe to be the truth. That’s what Gideon did when he asked for proof that he was hearing God and not his imagination (Judges 6:37-40)....
Desires of the Heart
I don’t particularly like the scripture that says God will give us the desires of our heart. That promise from Psalm 37:4 has a condition. I must “delight myself in the Lord,” whatever that means. What does it mean? If I delight in something, there’s nothing else I would rather do. Jesus said, “Whatever you...
Hindsight
I often find myself praying, “God, what would you have me do?” Do I really want to know? I should ask myself if I’m doing what I already know to do. If not, knowing more probably won’t help me. When I regret my actions, I often tell myself, “I should have known better.” I should...
House of Prayer
When Jesus stood in the Temple, accusing the merchants and moneychangers, he said, “The scriptures say the Temple will be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a hangout for robbers.” What did he mean? I’m not sure what a “house of prayer” is supposed to look like. I naturally think...
Religious Tradition
If I could travel two thousand years back in time and walk with Jesus, I would see and hear events much different from what I imagine. That’s because we have only snippets and summaries from the Bible and often-biased historical writings that assume knowledge of a culture that has long since disappeared. I do well...
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Human equality is a modern American concept. The freeing of slaves came a hundred years after our Declaration of Independence said, “All men are created equal.” Civil rights took another hundred years to develop. For centuries, nobody saw a problem with slavery because that condition had always existed. Since I’ve never experienced life under a...
Temptation
Jesus said he did nothing of his own initiative (John 5:19). That is, he didn’t allow his humanity to be the driving force. The Holy Spirit was his driving force. We see evidence of that fact at the beginning of his ministry when he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted...
David and the Psalms
The psalms of the Bible were written to be sung. The musical instruments were different and so was the style. It was as much a contrast in sound as American is to Chinese today. All the psalms weren’t written by David and the ones we have in our Bible are only a fraction of what...
Anointed and Empowered
Young David’s anointing to be king brought recognition of God’s plan. It wasn’t a magic potion that gave him independent power. No, what he learned was “dependent” power. The reason David believed he could slay Goliath wasn’t his skill with the sling (1 Samuel 17). He knew the Holy Spirit would direct his aim because...
Unconditional Love
To find satisfaction in life, I must believe God loves me (1 John 4:19, John 13:35). I sing songs about his love, but why should I believe those words? Popular preaching doesn’t help my confidence in God’s love. When the sermons say in essence, “The ideal Christian life should be free from problems,” “God will...
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