Drifting Away

"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."

D.A. Carson, quoted in an article entitled: Reflections, in Christianity Today, 7/31/2000.

Short on Words but Long on Power

I tend to be long-winded. When I have the chance to preach or teach God's Word I tend to go long. Don't really think it's necessarily a good thing. As one person has said, "The mind can only absorb what the seat can endure." Probably a wise adage I should keep in mind.

This morning I opened the Bible to Psalm 117. In just 2 verses this shortest chapter of God's written word caused me to praise God.

A quick summary:

• V.1 = all nations and all peoples are commanded to praise Yahweh
• V.2 = two things should motivate our praise: Yahweh's lovingkindness and His everlasting truth.
• V.2 = so just praise Yahweh!

Application:

• It doesn't take me long at all to remember evidences in my life of the lovingkindness of Yahweh shown to me. I know what I deserve...and it's not pretty. "Thank You, Father, for your choice to love me and to give what I deserve to Jesus at the cross."
• In a world of religious pluralism and relativism (read: what you believe or think is true is fine for you - I have my own reality) there is truth that has been eternally there, is still truth in the present and will always remain the truth eternally. This truth belongs to the Author of all truth: God Himself. And to think He's revealed that Truth to me in His Son Jesus! Wow!

"Praise You, Yahweh!"

Victory in Jesus

I grew up in a traditional, conservative, mostly Baptist environment. Early on I learned many of the old hymns of the faith. One that seemed to be a favorite is the hymn Victory in Jesus.

I yawned a lot growing up in church. Hymns didn't mean a whole lot to me at that time. They were a boring part of my Sunday / Wednesday church experience.

Of course, after I truly became a follower of Jesus, my perspective began to change. I began to appreciate the rich treasure hymns are to the body of Christ. Many of them spell out in poetic detail the glories of our risen, exalted, reigning King - Jesus the Messiah!

I love hymns now - have for years.

When I look at the lyrics of the song Victory in Jesus I'm struck by the truth expressed so well - the reality of the ultimate victory that we have in Jesus.

Ephesians 6:10-13 makes it clear that we have a dangerous, but defeated foe. What's greater is that we also have a powerful Lord Jesus in whose strength we can take refuge and stand.

Praise God for His sustaining grace.