A Simple Cure
When, in Psalm 73, the psalmist finds himself frustrated by his daily struggles and aggravated by the inequities of life, it is amazing how quickly and simply his angst is resolved. This is especially true when you begin to sympathize with the depth of his annoyance. He says “all day long” he is “plagued,” “grieved” and “embittered.” Those are strong words to which most of us can relate when life gets tough and we run into harsh disappointments.
The fix?  Simpler than you might imagine. The psalmist confesses that the turnaround came when he “entered the sanctuary of God” (v.17).  He speaks of a profound and needed adjustment to his perspective as he encounters God and God’s people in a place of worship. Remember that while many may view church as an extracurricular activity, it is in reality God’s essential prescription to keep your life, your heart and your emotions out of the gutter. With that in mind, we’d be wise to reaffirm our commitment to never “give up on meeting together” at church each weekend (Heb.10:25).
Excuse Making
We live in a culture of excuses. Our generation is skilled at making them because excuses have become increasingly accepted as a means to evade blame and avoid responsibility. Excuse-making is nothing new. Adam and Eve are described as making…
Fight the Drift
Scripture reading twice a day, fervent daily prayers, and serious personal Bible study strongly urged for all—according to the student handbook of Harvard University, back in the days when the school was founded. Such an unexpected revelation of a “Christian past” could be followed by…
Absolute Truth
Truth is always true. Even so, it is amazing how many people seem to think it’s up for grabs. While we can reasonably reach an impasse as to which restaurant has “the best” Mexican food, when it comes to what you had for lunch yesterday there is a right and wrong answer. That’s the thing about “truth”…
Count It All Joy?
It is admittedly a challenge to “count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds” (Jms.1:2). But if we start by understanding that “counting it joy” is not the same as “enjoying” or “feeling good” about the painful situations in our lives, it may help us…
Life and Death
Death is a really big problem for us. The resurrection of Christ advertises to us the availability of the ultimate solution. Many misguided philosophers prefer to speak of the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection as metaphor…
Imaginary God
Often we struggle with a variety of verses in our Bible reading because they grate against our preconceived ideas about who we believe God to be. That would never happen if…
Fleeting Life
Talk about perspective! The lyrics of Psalm 39 boldly prompt the worshipper to consider the brief nature of his or her time here on earth…
Trusting God
God wants us to trust him. The Bible goes so far as to say, “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). Trusting God to forgive us, and having confidence in Christ to save us from the penalty of our sins is just the beginning (as the rest of Hebrews 11 goes on to illustrate). We face important opportunities to trust God when
Act Like a Child?
For people who prefer to think of themselves as intelligent, competent, and self-reliant (which is just about all of us), the following words of Jesus likely come as a shock: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mk.10:15). No one likes to be considered childish…
Right Side of History
These days we often hear cultural pundits speak about the need for everyone to get “on the right side of history.” Now there’s some media commentary I can get behind. I am all for it! In a fundamental sense, calling people…