Author: Dave Dishman (Page 196 of 480)

Peace of mind is hard to come by. With our 24/7 news cycle, I can access bad news on my television, my phone and my computer whenever I need a hit. None of which brings a sense of calm and hopefulness.

But I do know one place to counteract the agitation in my soul. The psalmist wrote:

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

The longer I live, the more I see the value of time spent in the Word of God. I watch saints much older than me turn to the scriptures, center their lives and buoy their hopes.

Even with the Bible open before me, peace plays hard to get. But if the outlay for peace involves daily time in the scriptures, it seems a small price to pay.

Psalm 119:165 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Aaron Burden

In a world filled with words, it’s helpful to contemplate the value of the Holy Scriptures. As we read in Psalm 119:

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Pilate famously responded to Jesus, What is truth? People continue to ask the question today. Many believe that truth is what you make it, that truth for you is not truth for me. All very confusing.

But rest assured, one source of truth remains, a gift from God that we hold it in our hands.

A few minutes in the Bible every day and God’s truth—the ultimate truth—opens to us. When the views and philosophies of the world sow confusion, look to the origin for all things truthful.

Psalm 119:160 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Leighann Blackwood

Wealth and fame captive our society. Actors on strike steal headlines from the war in Ukraine. Influencers share what they eat, their favorite clothes, and the social causes currently in fashion. But these beautiful people make for unworthy guides.

The Sons of Korah wrote: People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

None of us endures, no matter how many followers we might have on Instagram. The memories of even the most famous barely survive a generation or two.

But those who refuse to acknowledge the Lord perish doubly, losing hope in this world and finding judgement in the next. Their adoring followers share the same fate. Hitch your wagon to the wrong team of horses, and social media wisdom will take you over a cliff.

No influencer, regardless how smart or vivacious they appear, matches the wisdom of the Lord found in his scriptures. Don’t be like a beast ambling to the feed trough day after day. Turn to the Lord, who will redeem you from this current realm of the dead and take you to himself.

Psalm 49 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Leif Christoph Gottwald

The violence in our world seems inexplicable, but it’s nothing new. When Jehoram took power in Judah, he immediately murdered all his brothers, potential rivals for the throne. The chronicler says of Jehoram, He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done…He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Jehoram’s father followed the Lord wholeheartedly and God blessed the kingdom as a result. Yet Jehoram ran the opposite direction.

Why the turn?

Jehoram grew enamored with the legacy of Ahab and the rulers of the kingdom of Israel. He even married a daughter of Ahab. Perhaps the way they wielded power appealed to Jehoram. Maybe his wife whispered in his ear. Regardless, he allowed his heart to slip north, away from obligations and restraints, and ultimately away from the Lord.

What draws you and me away from the Lord? The desire to chart our own path, or gain more social media followers? Perhaps to get ahead. Maybe to simply fit in—to drift along, allowing the influencers bidding for our attention to do as they will.

Don’t sell out. Ruin results from decisions like Jehoram’s. Indeed make a turn, not away from the Lord, but back to him.

2 Chronicles 21 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Roger Bradshaw