Friday, July 8, 2016
The Lord is
good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
teaching them his way.
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Psalm
25:8-10(NLT)
Sometimes the lines of right and wrong seem so blurred
it’s hard to know what to do. It’s
something like the dilemma Indiana Jones[ii]
faced in the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. To save his father, Jones had to cross a deep
chasm connected by an invisible bridge; only unwavering faith that the bridge
is actually there would make the bridge hold him up. That step of faith saved the day.
Well, isn’t that nice…but that’s a fantasy movie; when
does that work in real life?
The Psalmist says it works all day, every day, with
unfailing care from above to those who place their faith in God. He said when we go astray God gets us back on
the right pathway. He said humility
towards God brings the kind of wisdom that will choose well.
Now, so far this sounds like shopping for a magic wand
to make my life better. And there are
countless people who approach the whole issue of faith that way; seed a little
money – reap a big harvest. Believe big –
enjoy big blessings. Life is good! Many pyramid schemes and their cousins, the
Ponzi fraud have been built on that kind of “faith”.
But see how different genuine faith is; the key is the
first and last sentences of this text:
The Lord is
good and does what is right;
Placing faith in God who is good; who does right! There is nothing selfish about the nature of
JHWH who is good. Doing right is a 100%
reality. And then:
The Lord leads
with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Ahhhh…..back to obedience….I knew there was a
catch!
Actually, that’s not as difficult as it may seem. We tend to think (and probably rightly-so),
that, with my track record, obeying God, and keeping covenant with Him is the
hardest thing in the world. But, it’s a matter
of thinking properly that makes it uncomplicated. Consider this syllogism of why faith is
better and easier than disobedience and unbelief:
Major Premise: God is a good God, always doing what is good
and right.
Minor Premise: A God who does what is good and right will do
good and right to me.
Conclusion: I need not fear a God who does me good and
right 100% of the time.
Now the deduction from this thinking is that I can
choose without fear to love this good God, and be right in the center of Him
doing good and right to me – 100% of my life.
What is complicated about that?
Oh, and by the way, He proved this is all true by
doing the right and good of coming to save me at the cross. He died for my track record of wrong
and bad; he called it a New Covenant…a new relationship of eternal
life.
For You Today
God doesn’t want today to be complicated; He simply
requires us to turn towards Him to receive it; that’s the obedience part… it isn’t
hard or complicated – it’s a matter of faith to step out on that invisible bridge,
and it begins in your heart when you choose Him.
Go to VIDEO
[i] Title Image:
By Illustrators
of Henry Davenport Northrop’s 1894 Treasures of the Bible [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[ii]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – watch the film clip here
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