What Are You Trusting In?

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” - Psalm 118:8

On a regular basis, a study is performed on American residents about “consumer confidence.” This study is actually a poll indicating the level of excitement that Americans have about the future of the economy. Economists believe that “consumer confidence” gives them an idea about economic forecasting based on expected consumer spending.

Confidence can be a strange thing. One day, consumer confidence may be high and the next day it may be low. Typically this confidence is based upon external things: what a consumer thinks (such as the future of his own job) and what he hears (gossip). Consumer confidence is not necessarily based upon facts but feelings.

In life, the confidence we have can be just as fickle. Feelings, rather than facts, often affect our attitude and actions. It is easy to trust in the things you see and hear. It is another thing to have discernment whether these matters are true or not.

The psalmist gives us great advice when he wrote, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” While many of us agree with this advice, do we really practice it? I find that people place too much confidence in politicians and preachers. Others trust too much in musicians, actors or athletes. Despite the excellent advice from the psalmist, we tend to trust in men far too much. We are easily hurt or devastated when men let us down. It is wrong to expect a man to do what only God can do.

It is easy to say, “I trust in the Lord,” but it is another thing to demonstrate that trust by your daily life. While some claim to trust Him for their salvation, they tend to be trusting in their own good works to achieve or maintain salvation. Others profess to trust the Lord but seem to rely upon their own efforts to get them through trials.

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” This verse should be memorized by everyone, but the challenge comes in living it out. God does not expect us to quit thinking, but we are trust Him rather than our thoughts or thinking process. Despite our best plans and schemes, we tend to utterly fail unless God intervenes.

Trust is an important aspect of any relationship. Without trust, a relationship is weak. Our spiritual maturity is not necessarily gauged by the degree of our Biblical knowledge, but by the degree of our obedience to the Word. It is possible to understand deep doctrine but be very weak in your walk with God. You may be able to quote Scripture with great eloquence, but struggle to trust God on a daily basis.

Trust is more than just believing about God. Some claim to believe in a “higher power,” but we know this is not Biblical trust. Trust is believing God, taking Him at His Word and living according to that Word. The real acid test of trust comes in the area of obedience. Do we trust Him enough to obey Him?

Trust that leads to obedience is rare these days. Obedience may lead us into uncharted waters. Obedience may be costly and unpopular. Are you willing to risk your comfort and reputation to obey God? Obedience to God, in spite of all the opposition, is the result of genuine trust.

Far too many of us like to have a reputation of being a Christian, but we are uncomfortable to be so devout that we are considered weird or a Jesus freak. Perhaps we love our image more than we trust the Lord.

One of the temptations we face is this: what if I obey God … and fail? I think this concern hinders us more than we'd like to admit. To fail before your peers, family and skeptics would be embarrassing. The humiliation would seem to undermine our outspoken faith. But if we obey God, wouldn't the pressure of performance be His instead of ours? When we trust the Lord, it is our job to obey and His job to make a way. If He chooses for us to fail, perhaps it is a lesson of humility that we truly need. When we trust the Lord, we are less concerned about our reputation before men and more determined to please our Lord --- regardless of the consequences.

Does this make you feel uneasy? Perhaps all of us have more growing to do in this area. God wants our focus to be on Him alone. Trust Him alone. Obey Him explicitly. Love Him supremely.

If we are trusting Him to take us to heaven when we die, can't we trust Him to provide for us daily? Can't we trust Him to meet our needs? Can't we rely on Him to make a way when we obey Him?

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

What are you trusting in?

Giving Thanks

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” - 1 Chronicles 16:34

This Thursday, our nation will be celebrating Thanksgiving. This is a special holiday, typically spent with family. The pandemic is making this holiday season rather difficult, but the spirit of the season shouldn't be dampened by this ongoing health concern.

Thanksgiving should be more than an annual holiday. For the Christian, every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Sadly, the attitude of entitlement has drifted into the lives of many professing believers. Rather than giving thanks, we act like spoiled children.

As followers of Jesus, we should be the most grateful people on earth. We have been blessed so much. In addition to the grace shown to all mankind, we have been given the privilege of experiencing God's saving grace. We regularly enjoy fellowship with our Lord. We live by faith, trusting the exciting promises of God. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us along the way. We have the saints to encourage us and pray for us. We have the gift of God's Word that feeds our souls. We are truly blessed!

1 Chronicles 16:34 gives us basic reasons to give thanks. “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” Notice that we should, “... give thanks unto the Lord.” There are two basic reasons why we should give thanks to the Lord.

1. THE GOODNESS OF GOD

First of all, give thanks to the Lord, “... for he is good.” We sometimes refer to someone as being a good man, but our terminology tends to be weak. The Bible refers to mankind as being void of goodness. “There is none good, no, not one,” says the Lord. The only goodness in our lives comes through the operation of God's grace in and through us. However, God is good all the time. His goodness is not predicated on our goodness. Even though mankind has not been good, God is good. The Bible says, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good.” We should thank Him for His goodness. Aren't you glad that God has treated you better than you have treated Him? God is good, and as such, He is worthy of our thanks and praise! Think of all the ways He has been good to you --- and thank Him for those times!

2. THE GRACE OF GOD

Secondly, we should thank God for His grace. The Bible says, The Bible says, “O give thanks unto the Lord ... for his mercy endureth for ever.” Grace is God's unmerited favor. Grace is God's mercy and blessings that we don't deserve. Every act of kindness He has shown is an act of grace. Every gift He has given is a token of His grace. Each blessing we have received is because of His grace. As believers, we have extra reason to give thanks. We have experienced the marvelous saving grace of God. We are children of God because of grace. When we consider the vast nature of God's grace, we can't help but thank Him and worship Him!

As we observe Thanksgiving, we must admit that everything we are thankful for flows from these two foundational truths: God is good and He shows us grace. These truths are valid at all times, thus we have reason to give thanks daily, not just annually. There is nothing that will help you maintain a proper perspective like rendering thanks. Gratitude keeps our attitude in check.

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”

A New Look At Old Things

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”- Romans 15:4

How often do you read from the Old Testament? I must confess that when I was younger, I did not find the Old Testament to be very important. I felt that since we were “no longer under law, but under grace,” the Old Testament wasn't valuable. I don't feel that way anymore.

I'm afraid that many believers feel the same way I used to. By and large, the Old Testament is neglected. Sure there may be a psalm or a verse that is enjoyable, but overall, the Old Testament of the Bible seems irrelevant for today.

To be rather honest, certain parts of the Old Testament were written for specific people at a specific time. For instance, the book of Leviticus was a book specifically providing worship instructions to the Israelites. Certain prophecies were written for specific nations. We need to read the Old Testament with an understanding of its context and intended audience.

Also, it is important to remember that we are no longer required to offer regular animal sacrifices like the Old Testament saints did. The Great High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, offered the one-time, perfect sacrifice for us. The sinless, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, came and paid our sin-debt in full. The High Priest offered Himself upon the altar for us. Because of Him, believers live under the covenant of grace instead of the stern rule of the law. We must always keep this in perspective as we read the Old Testament.

In spite of this, there are several good reasons for us to read the Old Testament today. The Old Testament is basically divided into three parts: history, poetry and prophecy. We have reason to read from each part.

1. WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THE PAST

We need from the Old Testament's history because we need to learn from the past. These days, there is a such an ignorance of history. Some deny that the Holocaust occurred. There are people who believe that Elvis is still alive. Some refuse to believe that man ever walked on the moon. We have a generation of people who are ignorant of our history. The old saying goes, “if we refuse to learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.” That is certainly true. Mankind seems oblivious to history and, as such, suffers unnecessarily from unlearned lessons.

The Bible is rich with history. From the creation of the world to the beginning of Israel, we find God at work. In the Old Testament, we learn about the growth of Israel and the challenges they faced. A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. A wise man will learn much from the history recorded in the Old Testament.

2. WE NEED TO LOVE ALL ITS POETRY

Secondly, the poetic books of the Old Testament are books we should dearly love. The book of Psalms is my favorite book of the Old Testament. Regardless of the challenges I face, I usually find something in the Psalms to help, challenge and encourage me. The book of Proverbs gives us insight and wisdom we desperately need. The book of Job addresses the issue of human suffering. The Song of Solomon gives insight concerning marital bliss and is seen by some as a picture of Christ's love for the Church. For years, I didn't like the book of Ecclesiastes. I always thought it was depressing. Now, I realize that God had Solomon pen that book to help us avoid painful lessons that he underwent in a pursuit of happiness. The poetic books of the Old Testament are so powerful and needed. We shouldn't neglect them!

3. WE NEED TO LOOK TO ITS PROPHECIES

Finally, we need to spend time reading the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Many of its prophecies have already been fulfilled. Some are yet to come. The book of Isaiah has many prophecies regarding the Messiah. For instance, Isaiah 53 is a powerful, graphic prophetic view of the crucifixion of Jesus. There are future prophecies that are important in our understanding of current and future events. We need to read from these books!

I admit that there are difficult sections to read in the Old Testament. This shouldn't be an excuse to avoid the Old Testament completely. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable...” Notice he wrote that ALL Scripture was inspired, including the Old Testament. Furthermore, Paul wrote that all Scripture is profitable, so yes, the Old Testament is profitable!

The Old Testament predicts the coming Messiah while the New Testament reveals Him to us. The Old Testament shows us the tragedy of sin while the New Testament provides the cure. The Old Testament exposes mankind to the law of God while the New Testament shows us the grace of God. Both Testaments are needed.

Keep this simple truth in mind: We should learn from the Old Testament and live in the New Testament! 

Certainty In Uncertain Times

 

“For I am the Lord, I change not.” - Malachi 3:6

2020 has been a difficult year. We have faced an unprecedented pandemic. We have witnessed civil unrest. We have gone through an unparalleled election. Some are eagerly awaiting a new year, hoping that 2021 will be a better year. Yet we don't have a promise that next year will be better than 2020. In fact, for all we know, it could be worse.

Most of us prefer the tranquility of stable times. Yet we must also admit that things change whether we want them to or not. Styles change. Trends change. Technology changes. Our bodies change with age.

In spite of all this, we can find comfort in the fact that there is One who never changes. God said, “... I am the Lord, I change not.”

Some insist that since our morals and standards have changed in America, that God has changed with them. Yet we know that isn't so. God is perfect. Since He is perfect, how can He change? For God to change in any direction would take Him from perfection to imperfection. He remains the same.

While mankind seeks to change God to meet his standards, God continues to call man to rise to His standard. Mankind can only rise to God's standard through the imputation of Jesus' righteousness on our account. This is accomplished only through the new birth.

Personally, I am glad that God never changes. I am glad He is the same on Monday as He is on Sunday. My confidence in myself diminishes as my confidence in Him grows. I am fickle. He is not. I tend to be moody. He is solid and secure in Himself.

Think about our unchanging God for just a moment.

1. HIS POSITION NEVER CHANGES

God's position never changes. He has always been God. He always will be God. He is not concerned about popularity polls. He cannot be impeached. He will not die in office. He will never resign. He certainly cannot be voted out of office. His position is secure. No one can remove Him from the throne.

2. HIS POWER NEVER CHANGES

God's power has never diminished. He reigns sovereign over the universe. Just think of the power of His Word. He spoke and the universe came into existence. That is power! Yet the same still small voice speaks within the hearts of men. Through the power of His Word, He turns sinners into saints. One day, He will speak and time will be no more. We serve a mighty God whose power never changes.

3. HIS PRINCIPLES NEVER CHANGE

God's standards have never changed. He is holy and demands that His people be holy. Far too many Christians prefer to be “cool” or “relevant.” God has set the bar high for us. We have tried to lower this bar so we can enjoy sin and go to heaven at the same time. This doesn't work. God has not changed His principles. These principles are defined specifically through His written Word, the Bible.

4. HIS PROMISES NEVER CHANGE

Finally, the promises of God never change. Aren't you glad of this? Jesus promised to never turn aside anyone who comes to Him. He has promised us eternal life if we would believe. He has promised us a home in heaven when we die. These are among the many promises that we are clinging to. Isn't it good to know that His promises have never changed? We face eternity trusting that He will keep His promise. He has never failed to keep a promise in the past and He will not fail us now.

God never changes. In these uncertain times, we find comfort and assurance in the certainty of God. God doesn't need to change. He is perfect. On the other hand, we aren't perfect. We do need to change.

Rather than trying to change God, we need Him to change us.