saints

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” – Proverbs 30:5

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20

As a child, I often felt like I was standing on shifting sand. Almost daily my mom would find ways to keep me guessing and questioning myself. I would look outside to decide what to wear to school (long before weather apps), only for my mom to tell me I was completely wrong. If I dressed for heat, she’d insist I needed a jacket. If I wore a jacket, she’d say I’d be too warm.

Sometimes she was right—but often it felt like a game that left me off balance, unsure of what was true. My mother-in-law once asked me why I got into arguments about trivial things with my mom. My response to her was it didn’t matter the topic, if I said the sky was blue my mom would say it was pink.

That constant contradiction shaped me more than I realized. Without a foundation of truth in my early relationships, I struggled to trust there was a truth. As an adult my husband would tease me about being a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” person. The truth and trust never seemed to be within my grasp.

While there certainly are areas where black and white aren’t our only choices, as a Christian we can look to God’s Word for that firm foundation of truth we so desperately need in our lives. Without it we get tossed about on our little life rafts by waves of messages and opinions that come at us from all sides.

“I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.” – Isaiah 45:19

An alarming number of Americans want to pretend we don’t need this stability in our lives. The Truth has become My Truth. Truth becomes relative to the situation or need or feeling. For example, it’s “wrong” to kill an 8 year-old child but “ok “to kill an eight-month old baby in the womb. Simply because “my truth” means “my comfort.”

According to a Gallup Poll done in 2022, only 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.

I would venture to say that in the 80% that don’t believe the Bible to be the literal Word of God there are quite a few professed Christians counted among them. I know, I’ve met some of them. The truth of God’s Word is manipulated and conformed to affirm whatever sin plays out in the person’s life. The lie becomes a useful pattern to feed our flesh over and over.

But God being the Creator, Sustainer and Perfecter of all that we know is the God of truth. His truth is the foundation from which we can draw on daily. His truth is what brings us into righteousness. When faced with difficult choices, difficult people, tragic circumstances or devasting news, His Word anchors us and directs our steps.

The acceptance and knowledge of God’s truthfulness strengthens the suffering and persecuted saints worldwide. It’s what has given me courage to stand for what is eternally right and to turn from what is evil in the eyes of the Lord. It’s not Kris’ truth I seek, but God’s. His truth may make me uncomfortable and cause me consternation. But I want to stand on something that has weightiness, not something gauzy and flimsy. A truth that has been the truth since the beginning of time.

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” – Psalms 145:13

God’s truthfulness means we have a glorious future awaiting us no matter what we face here in this place. We can live without fear or dread of the “someday.” When Pastor and author Tim Keller and his wife faced his terminal cancer diagnosis he had to decide if he really believed God was truthful in His Word.

“If Jesus Christ was actually raised from the dead, then you know what? Everything is going to be all right. Whatever you’re worried about right now—whatever you’re afraid of—everything is actually going to be okay. . . . If Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then the whole world is going to be, in a sense, resurrected. . . .

Kathy and I cried a lot together last night. Sometimes the reality of the shortness of what we have left just overwhelms us. . . . [But] if Jesus Christ was raised from the dead—and he was—you’re going to be okay.” Tim Keller

Friends, I realize it’s hard living in this time of “my truth.” It comes at us from our friends, family, the media and our enemies. At times it comes from the church. We need to step back just like Pastor Keller and ask ourselves if we truly believe the Word of God. Then we need to go back to Him for the Truth. And share it courageously with anyone who will listen.

Our God is faithful and true. At times the promises He has made seem so far off and unbelievable. But Scripture—especially the words of the prophets—reveals both present truth and what is still to come.

It’s an undisputed truth that Jesus was a real person. He died for our sins. He said He came as God. He warned us of falling for lies and false teaching and having our heads turned from the Truth.

Let us be among His sheep who stay close to our truthful Shepherd. The One in whom we can trust all things.

I want to leave you today with this quote by Dr. Jeff Myers, President of Summit.org and the author of the book Truth Changes Everything: How People of Faith Can Transform the World in Times of Crisis. His comment is on a survey done in 2022.

“The number of Americans who say there is no absolute truth is alarmingly high. But among young adults, we have now officially passed the tipping point. The majority of youth now say that each person determines their own version of truth. The loss of truth has grave consequences for community, justice, a sense of purpose, and mental health. I’m not aware of any civilization that has abandoned reality to this extent and survived. The good news is that Americans still hold out hope that each person can make a difference. If there ever was a time to stand for truth, it is now.”

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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

In the mid-1800s hundreds of thousands of pioneers left the comfort of their eastern homes beyond the Mississippi River and traveled West toward what we now call Oregon. The result of those courageous pioneers is hundreds of miles of well-worn wagon wheel ruts. In some places the gouges from the wagons extend four feet deep in the rock. It became a symbol of being on the right path when your wagon wheels found the ruts for which to follow. And because they were so deep it meant your wheels would stay true to that path.

And there lies the idea behind “being in a rut.” A well-worn path that, in some cases, is a good place. So often, however, the result of creating those paths in our lives leads us down roads we long to escape. I wonder how many of us Christians find ourselves in a well-worn path that either isn’t to our liking or to God’s?

The last few weeks we’ve looked at ways Christians are expected to stand apart, be held to a higher standard, and stand resolutely with Christ, not the world. But for many of us that means climbing out of that four foot deep rut. The rut of going along to get along. The rut of living in half-truths such as only expressing love without truth or vice versa. The rut of an unintentional life. The rut of sitting in a church where you aren’t convicted or spurred to share the message of eternal life. The rut of any number of sins.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:9-10

The Apostle Paul was in a rut. He followed half-truths taught by the Pharisees and then he, himself, passed those false truths along with a vengeance. It wasn’t until Jesus abruptly entered his life and yanked him out of that four foot hole that he realized his state. And when he did, he took the message in Psalm 91 to heart. He pressed on and on staying close to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He trusted that although perils would befall him it would not stop him from his mission. And thank God. Because he, like you and I, was just a man. A regular flesh and blood human. A person filled with sinful ways. Without his trust in God, without his life of intentionally following Jesus we wouldn’t have his wise words to guide us. He was like Jesus in a sense that God wanted us to have a fleshly example to model. Jesus clothed Himself in skin so he could endure our earthly life. And endure it with full trust in God.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Psalm 91:14

Because He loves me just as much as He loved Paul, I know that I can live a bold life in the name of Jesus. I know that even when hands come against me or when words try to hurt me, I will receive the ultimate promised prize. And when we live a life in worldly ruts – cowering before our accusers, afraid of speaking our faith, staying in the shadows not helping pull our fellow travelers from the flame – we are saying to God, “I really don’t trust you to work all things for my good.”

The ruts we need to seek are the well-worn paths of the saints, not the sinners. The paths that Jesus has laid out for us are so clearly defined in His Word. We need to look for them as parents, as spouses, as co-workers, as sisters in Christ, as citizens.

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 91:15-16

We can’t do this alone my friends. Through praying in the Spirit (not the flesh), through Christian fellowship, good teaching, and constantly living with God just ahead of us as our pioneer guide we can accomplish everything He asks of us. And He will satisfy us with salvation and the glory of heaven.

Friends, what well-worn worldly paths are you living in? Is it your parenting style? Or maybe you’ve flipped the script in your marriage. Are you in too deep with equating your faith with your politics? Have you forgotten that God sees and knows every word you speak, every emotion that lies in our heart? Are you taking advantage of God’s promised salvation and disobeying Him without repentance? It’s time to stop in our tracks and look up to the edge of the rut. Stick out your hand and ask the Holy Spirit for a leg up. You can do it, we can do it. You are not alone.

Join me starting November 1-30 for 30 Days of Thankfulness!

Tag: saints

The Shepherd of Truth

The Well-Worn Path