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Credo ut Intelligam

~ I believe so that I may understand

Credo ut Intelligam

Monthly Archives: September 2020

Lift Up Your Soul

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Comfort, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Faith, Forgiveness, God, Hope, Pandemic, Strength, Trust

“To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul, O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me” (Psalm 25:1-2, ESV).

            David begins thus a psalm significantly focused on seeking the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.  Though David has sinned, he puts his hope in the graciousness of God to those who seek Him (v.3).  God’s love and goodness are the focus of David’s hope, even against the backdrop of his own sinfulness (vv.6-7).  It is a comfort to read these words, and find a hope for sinners in the gracious forgiveness of God.            

Lift up your soul to the Lord.  God is gracious and merciful to all who humbly seek Him, the Savior of all who place their trust in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose to bring us life.  When you give in to temptation, look to God for mercy and forgiveness.  When you face danger and uncertainty, look to God for protection.  When you face hardship and sorrow, look to God for strength and comfort.  Lift up your soul to God, who has compassion upon all His children.

Tuesday Tea-ology, 09/29/20

29 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Theology

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Bible, Christianity, God, holiness, Revelation, Scripture, Theology, Tuesday Tea-ology

What does it mean to say that the Bible is holy? And what does that have to do with the wonderful proclamation of the gospel? Join me for today’s Tuesday Tea-ology!

The House of the Lord

28 Monday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Comfort, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Eternity, God, Hope, Love, Pandemic, Peace, Security, Strength

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6, ESV).

            This verse ends Psalm 23 on a note as expansive and hopeful as the beginning.  The shepherd imagery has been supplanted by the imagery of hospitality from the previous verse; but the theme of God’s provision remains the same.  Spiritual blessing is emphasized, especially with the introduction of “mercy,” the particular kindness of God to the undeserving.  The final image secures the theme of this psalm beyond temporal provision, looking instead to eternity with God.            

Those who belong to God have a confidence that lasts beyond the boundaries of this life.  God is eternal, and the salvation He gives means a welcome to eternity with Him.  You can turn to God for your needs today, and tomorrow, and all the days you walk upon this earth; and you can turn to Him with your need for hope beyond this earth, for your heart’s longing for a home and a Father forever.  God is gracious and kind; our ultimate need is to dwell with Him, and that is the promise of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the Presence of My Enemies

24 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Faith, God, Hope, Pandemic, Protection, Providence, Security

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5, ESV).

            Combining the themes of provision and protection that have already been unfolded in this psalm, verse 5 presents us with a startling image: a meal set out among foes.  What would be the place of danger has become the place of refreshment, because God is able to disarm the wicked and close the lions’ jaws (Dan. 6:22).  So danger has given way to hospitality, complete with anointing and plentiful drink.            

God is abundantly able to protect and provide.  He can work in our situation such that we not only survive, but thrive.  Look to Him when you are afraid or discouraged, and lean upon His almighty strength to be your salvation.  The heavenly Father cares for His children, and brings them through the darkest times.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

23 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Coronavirus, Courage, COVID-19, Devotional, Faith, Fear, God, Pandemic, Salvation, Security

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, ESV).

            This verse continues the theme of God’s providential care established in the first verse of the psalm.  Just as God guides His people to fulfill their needs and find refreshment (vv.2-3), so He protects them from all danger (v.4).  Death is the greatest threat, the darkest fear; if God protects His people even in the face of death, then He can protect them from anything.  The shepherd imagery is carried through in reference to the shepherd’s tools, the rod and staff.            

God’s people do not have to be afraid, no matter the situation.  Whatever we face, wherever we go, God is with us.  If God is with us, then He can take care of us.  If we need not fear death—for our Lord has conquered death!—then we need fear nothing.  Take courage as you go through your day; your shepherd is near.

Tuesday Tea-ology, 09/22/20

22 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Theology

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Bible, Christianity, God, God the Son, Jesus Christ, Revelation, Scripture, Theology, Truth, Tuesday Tea-ology

On today’s Tuesday Tea-ology: It’s Earl Grey Supreme vs. Earl Grey Imperial in a no-holds-barred battle of the teas! Then we get serious, and to thinking about the wonderful truth that God has spoken so that we can know Him.

Our Shepherd

21 Monday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Faith, Faithfulness, God, Hope, Jesus Christ, Pandemic, Providence, Trust

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3, ESV).

            Psalm 23 is probably one of the best-known psalms, for its warm comparison of God’s providential care to the loving care of a shepherd for his sheep.  The theme is established in verse 1—that God will protect and provide for His people—and developed in the remaining five verses of this short psalm.  The phrase “I shall not want” is a slightly antiquated way of speaking, but it means that, with God as his shepherd, he will lack nothing that he needs.            

God cares for His children, as a shepherd cares for His sheep.  He is loving and compassionate, and knows that we need Him.  Entrust yourself to Him, and He will care for you.  Lay before Him your needs and burdens, and look to Him for rest.  The road may be uncertain and difficult, but if you let God be your shepherd, He will carry you.

Ultimate Authority

18 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Contra Mundum

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America, Authority, Christianity, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Freedom, God, Government, Pandemic, Progressive Christianity, Secularism, Truth

Back in August, RNS ran an article entitled, “John MacArthur believes the Bible trumps COVID-19 public health orders. Legal scholars say no.” Here, in a case study of church-state relations, we see the basic failure of a secular worldview.

RNS is, after all, a basically secular organization. “Wait a minute. RNS stands for Religion News Service. How can that be a secular organization?” Because it uses “religion” in the generic sense, various religions, without any conviction as to which religion is true; it is a secular platform for liberal religious views from various traditions, and thus represents a secular society’s approach to religion.

In a secular society’s approach to religion, there is an implicit relativism on spiritual truth, and an elevation of the authority of the state above the church. The separation of church and state becomes one-sided; it is invoked when there is an attempt to bring the church into the state, but ignored when the time comes to bring the state into the church.

A secular approach to religion is not the same thing as religious freedom. Religious freedom is a Christian idea, and happily coexists with the public acknowledgment of Christian truth–as was the case in America for most of its history. A secular society, we are beginning to see, actually impinges upon religious freedom, as atheistic ideologies become public orthodoxy.

We see this in the hypocrisy of certain government officials as they select which gatherings are essential and which are not during the pandemic. Thus we come back around to RNS and their assumption of secular authority: ‘Does the Bible trump COVID-19 public health orders? Let’s ask the experts on government orders.’ That is begging the question.

Of course, the opinions of legal scholars may vary. There is a legal tradition, evidenced in the founding of our nation, that rooted human rights in the authority of God. Then there’s the opinion of one scholar quoted in the RNS article:

“We have rights from the Constitution, not the Bible,” said Eric J. Segall, a law professor at Georgia State. “Biblical duties don’t trump our laws. Period. Full stop.”

When confronted with that kind of attitude, what can a Christian say but “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, ESV)? God, not government, is the highest authority. Jesus Christ is Lord.

Legal experts cannot tell us whether the Bible has authority over legal pronouncements–though, if a legal expert is a Christian, he might know the answer. The most legal experts are equipped to tell us is whether or not the law acknowledges the authority of Scripture. If it does not–as is often the case–that tells us nothing about the authority of Scripture vis-à-vis human government. All that tells us is that human government claims to be the ultimate authority.

That is the case in a secular or secularizing society. But that doesn’t make it right.

In this pandemic, Christians have had to wrestle with how the church should respond to public health orders; in particular, we have had to wrestle with how the Bible’s command to submit to governing authorities does or does not apply in these situations. That is a valid and sometimes complex question to work through. But that is not the question RNS is asking; RNS is asking whether God or the government has ultimate authority in these matters–and that is an exceptionally easy question to answer.

The Bible is the Word of God. Of course God’s Word has authority over the word of the state. The state’s opinion on this matter makes no difference, except that it is a potent reminder that what our nation needs most is to return to an acknowledgment of the ultimate authority of God–an acknowledgment expressed at our nation’s beginning: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”

Not Abandoned

17 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Faithfulness, God, Hope, Jesus Christ, Love, Pandemic, Redemption, Salvation

“In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.  To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame” (Psalm 22:4-5, ESV).

            Psalm 22 is another psalm that begins from a place of desperation.  David cries out to God from a sense of abandonment, that God seems absent (vv.1-2).  But, even in the midst of this feeling of dereliction, he knows that God is the Holy One (v.3).  He reflects, then, upon God’s reliability and deliverance in the past (vv.4-5).  From there he will press his plea with God.  Perhaps the standout feature of this psalm is that Jesus chose the first part of the first verse to put into words His cry of dereliction on the cross.         

    God has shown His mercy and faithfulness in the past, and we can trust Him with our present trials, and with our future.  The ultimate display of God’s compassion is the saving death of our Savior Jesus Christ, who bore our sins upon the cross.  He took on Himself our abandonment, so that when we cry out to God we find mercy and grace.  Look to God in your struggles and doubts; He is strong to save.

Trust Him

16 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Christianity, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Devotional, Faith, God, Pandemic, Power, Salvation, Security, Strength, Trust

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7, ESV).

            Psalm 20 begins with a series of blessings or requests, that God would deliver those who hear from danger and distress (vv.1-5).  God can save and protect, grant mercy and bless.  Then the psalm, already optimistic, moves to confidence in God’s deliverance.  The Lord brings salvation to His chosen one (v.6); thus the people of God trust in Him, rather than in the weapons of war (v.7).  God will sustain His people (v.8), and so the psalm ends with another triumphant petition and blessing (v.9).            

God is our confidence and hope.  No power rivals His, no might can compare with His strength.  No matter how weak we are in ourselves, if we rely upon the strength of God Almighty we have nothing to fear.  In your trials, entrust yourself to your great God and Savior, and have good hope, for your heavenly Father is strong to save.

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