“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
While Paul encourages prayer generally, his real focus here is on urging believers to pray for their societal leaders. His reason for this is clear: So that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Read the rest…
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
How often does a path into temptation and sin begin with our eyes? The other night we had to run some errands together as a family. As a part of the errand, we gave our boys the chance to spend some birthday money they had been saving up for a while. They knew ahead of time that this was going to happen.
We started the evening at Cracker Barrel for dinner. As we were getting ready to leave, one of them asked if he could buy something from the store there because he had seen something he “really” wanted. When this request was turned down, he started to press a bit harder to get what he wanted. I told him no a second time and observed that he was suffering from “I-see-I-want-itis.”
It’s pretty easy to recognize when little kids have this. They walk into the store and almost immediately start asking for everything. Can I have this? Can I have that? What about that? Oh! this is the thing I’ve always wanted! It’s a pain in the neck to start with, but it also represents a longer-term effort on our part to teach them self-discipline. We know that buying something just because we’ve seen it and had that little flash of desire flare up is almost never wise.
Or do we? You see, the root of “I-see-I-want-itis” is a much larger tendency to let our eyes lead us into sin. And as adults, we are still very much afflicted by it. I don’t know about you, but I experience it in the small when I go to the grocery store without a list (and sometimes even with a list!). We see commercials and are affected just like kids are. The items are different, but the heart is the same. We see television shows or movies and want what those people have relationally. We want what they have economically. We want what they have physically. We let our eyes pass to even less worthwhile things and the descent happens all the more rapidly.
We see, we want, and we pursue it to get that itch scratched. And it feels good because scratching an itch always feels good. But, scratching an itch can become a habit. We can fall into the pattern of scratching every single itch we get. Then we scratch more because it keeps feeling good. Eventually, though, we get a sore. Sores get infected. Infections can kill us if left unchecked.
Just like the psalmist asked for here, we need to learn the discipline of turning our eyes away from worthless things. We can’t go through life with blinders on, but we can learn to assess value quickly and turn away from things that are worthless. We can turn instead to the ways of the Lord. We can turn to His Word and let that be our guide into the ways and patterns that bring life.
The truth about all people is that we tend to let whatever it is that most fills our field of vision determine the direction and quality of our lives. Let us make sure that our field is not filled with things that are worthless, but things that are of eternal value. That is where we will find life.
Pray without ceasing? What on earth is this supposed to look like? Are we supposed to be on our knees 24/7? Are we to go around talking to God all the time such that people will always wonder if we are talking to ourselves like someone talking to a Bluetooth headset out in public? How are we supposed to give our full attention to other things that demand it if we are praying constantly? Clearly, I’m not as faithful a follower of Jesus as I should be. Have you ever thought like this before? Read the rest…
“Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.'” (ESV)
Do you want to know what one of the most natural expressions to come out of the mouths of humans is? The very one the writer of this proverb tells us not to say. This declaration of human justice is totally natural. It does not need to be taught at all. And, it begins to manifest itself from a pretty young age. Read the rest…
“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
The piece of advice which perhaps best captures the spirit of our age is this: Follow your heart. We are told over and over today to do this. We see it on kids’ shows of every kind. We see it in movies and in books and in magazines. We hear it in popular music. It is everywhere we look.
In most cases, it sounds like great advice too. If you aren’t sure about the path you need to take to get from where you are to where you want to go, just look inside and choose the route that best resonates with who you know you are. Follow your heart. After all, who knows the shape of your desires better than you do? Who is more suited to see them come to reality than you are?
Yet the tough truth is that this is awful advice. It’s terrible. It will lead us to nowhere but heartache and hardship. The Scriptures tell us why again and again. On our own, we don’t know the best way to go. There is a way that seems right to people, but it’s end is death. Or, as Jeremiah puts it here, the way of man is not in himself. It is not in us to direct our steps. If we try, we only set ourselves up for trouble.
Better is to trust in the ways of the Lord. Let Him be the one who guides your steps. Let His ways be the ones you follow most closely. Let His Word be the path to which you commit your feet. His way won’t always be the easiest, but it will always be the right way.
When Lisa and I lived in Colorado, we had the opportunity to drive to the top of Pike’s Peak several times. It was unfailingly a stunningly beautiful drive. But, the path to the top of the mountain was 19 miles of weaving back and forth, tight turns, and switchbacks. It took upwards of two hours to get to the top. When you looked at a map of the route it seemed crazy to weave all over the mountain in order to get there. Why not just drive straight to the top? Or, when coming down, why not just head off the side and roll? Because that path would have been impossible. It may have been shorter in theory, but in actuality the pitfalls and cliffs along the way would have wound up taking several times longer…if you were even able to navigate it.
If we take a path other than the path of God, if won’t get us where we want to go. If we look inside for our direction and drive, we will find only a stalled engine and an unreliable map. There are two paths you can take from here to there: God’s path or all the others. Take the one that will get you where you really want to go.
The Nexus 