When David pledges to follow the Lord and lead a blameless life, one of his vows sounds quite modern: I will not look with approval on anything vile.

It’s easier than ever for me to find something vile to set my eyes upon. Plus, in this internet age what passes for vile—disgusting, depraved, immoral—continues to shrink. In a media world where anything goes, it’s hard to avert the eyes.

Yet David’s oath makes me think. Where do I come across the vile, and when might I give it approval? Another psalmist prayed turn my eyes away from worthless things (Psalm 119:37). With so much entertainment at my fingertips, I must constantly sort the worthless from the worthy.

And what is worthy? That which feeds my soul. Outlooks moving me toward the eternal. Ideas bringing good to others. I must apply the teaching of love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and love my neighbor as myself to my viewing habits.

I find David’s 3,000 year old pledge challenging, and I need help from the Lord to give it a go. But the good that comes to me by simply avoiding the vile pays off in my soul.

Psalm 101 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Coline Haslé

I visited a church in New York City recently and met three young women from Indonesia. All are graduate students and all are Christian—I know because I asked them. Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation by population in the world and the three students at church surprised me. O Sir, they enthusiastically told me, there are lots of Christians in Indonesia.

The world is not always as I assume. Abraham endured a similar experience. He moved to a new region and disingenuously introduced his wife as his sister. The ruse fell apart when the Lord appeared to the king and said, You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.

King Abimelek immediately confronted Abraham, who offered this excuse: I said to myself, “There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” Big whiff by Abraham. His assumptions proved totally wrong when Abimelek wholeheartedly responded to the Lord.

I wonder who I discount as I make assumptions about people? It certainly pays to ask a few questions. Five minutes of conversation with those students in New York opened my eyes and encouraged me as to how the Lord works on the far side of the world. Now I want to visit Indonesia.

Lord, show me where I make cheap assumptions about others. Give me the humility to ask good questions and to listen carefully to the response. Slow me down and point out where you’re at work when it’s not obvious to me.

Genesis 20 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Trevor Hayes

At the end of December I took some time to look at the state of our long-term investments. I’m more of a “put the money away and let it grow” type of investor, although this year the “grow” part got lost somewhere. I’m hoping for better results this coming year.

I just read about one investment that sounds too good to be true. Listen to its description: Perfect, refreshing the soul; trustworthy, making wise the simple; right, giving joy to the heart; radiant, giving light to the eyes; pure, enduring forever; sweeter than honey and more precious than much pure gold.

What makes up this otherworldly prospectus? The words of Scripture sitting within arm’s reach of my chair.

The best stake I plant this coming year will be the time and energy spent in the Bible. Stocks may soar and the economy boom, but wealth never totally satisfies. In contrast, as the words of God sink deeply into our souls they slowly produce wisdom and joy and a sparkle in the eye.

The decrees of the Lord expand our lives and yield hope like nothing else. The words on the page aren’t magic, but they point us to the God of the universe, whose actions are better than magic.

Trustworthy, radiant, pure, sweeter than honey and more valuable than gold—that’s an investment to grab and not let go.

Psalm 19 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Markus Spiske