Psalm 33:4 - Gods Word is True and Trustworthy.
Psalm 33:4 (NLT) For the word of the LORD
holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
INTRODUCTION
All God's words are true and trustworthy.
The Bible is reliable because, unlike people,
God does not lie, forget, change his words, or
leave his promises unfulfilled. We can trust the
Bible because it contains the words of a holy,
trustworthy, and unchangeable God. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Belief in the Resurrection is Rational
Many jurists of history became convinced
that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an
attested fact of history. John Singleton Copley, Lord
Lyndhurst, one of the greatest legal minds in
nineteenth-century Britain, stated it this way: "I know pretty
well what evidence is; and I tell you, such
evidence as that for the Resurrection [of Christ] has
never broken down yet."
Simon Greenleaf of Harvard University was
one of "the finest writers and best esteemed
legal authorities in [the nineteenth] century." In
his book Testimony of the Evangelists, he
concluded, "It was therefore impossible that [the
gospel writers] could have persisted in affirming
the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus
actually rose from the dead."
Look at the many statements from leading
intellectuals who have studied the matter from the
standpoint of valid evidence, and you'll see that the
voice of the scholar harmonizes with that of the
angels and the disciples to declare in certainty
today: "Christ the Lord is risen today."
Does it give you comfort knowing that
some of the finest minds agree about the
resurrection? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
Recognizing God's Handiwork
The work God does is creative. He made
heaven, earth, and all living creatures. He formed
Adam and Eve in His image and knitted each of us
in our mother's womb.
His work is also powerful. Through His
Son Jesus, He accomplished a great salvation for
all who trust in the Savior. Our heavenly Father
worked mightily to open a way for us to be
reconciled to Him and adopted into His family. Not only
that, but God's work is ongoing, and Jesus is the
One who holds all things together (Col. 1:17).
In order to recognize God's handiwork, we
need to pray in an active, persistent manner.
Christ-centered prayers narrow our focus to the Lord. Then
we can more readily identify His actions and
see how to join Him. Self-centered petitions
serve to distract us from Him.
The Father also wants our heart and mind
yielded to His will. Pursuing our own agenda shifts
the focus to ourselves and makes us lose sight
of the Lord. But a submissive attitude prepares
us to listen and obey. Regularly concentrating
on God's Word will clear our minds and help us
understand what the Lord is doing.
When we combine these disciplines with
discernment and patience, we will have positioned
ourselves to discover how God is working in our lives
and in our world.
Our Lord is at work today - calling
nonbelievers to saving faith and the redeemed to a closer
walk with Him. His plans include individuals,
families, and nations. Have you been too busy or
distracted to notice what He's doing? Confess your
inattention and refocus your heart and mind on Him. [In
Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at
www.intouch.org]
CLOSING THOUGHT
You Can Trust God in Everything
One of the great questions of life is,
Who are you going to trust? The way you
answer this question will determine whether
youre happy or miserable, whether you succeed or
fail, and whether you make something of your life
or you waste it.
Who always has your best interest in
mind? Who will help you make decisions important
to your life? Should you trust popular opinion?
That may not be a good idea since it constantly
changes. Should you trust celebrities who set the
latest trends? Trends change, and fads fade. Should
you make critical life decisions based on what
you read on social media? Just because it's
online doesn't mean it's truly trustworthy or
reliable.
What about trusting yourself? The truth
is, our emotions can lie to us. The Bible says,
The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9
KJV). When we live by our emotions, we can be
easily manipulated by other people and by our
changing moods.
If youre going to entrust your life
and your future to someone or something, youd
better choose someone who has your best interest at
heart, knows everything, is perfect, and will never
lie to you. That kind of limits your options -
to God.
No one is ever going to always tell you
the truth. Theyre going to shade it.
Theyre going to filter it. Theyre going to make
it sound nice. They wont tell you what you
need to hear. But what you need to hear is the
truth, because it is the truth that sets you free.
Lies about yourself, others, the world, and how
life really is only keeps you in bondage.
To be set free, you must have the truth.
As Ive said many times, the truth will set
you free, but first it makes you miserable. We
dont like the truth. We dont want to hear that
most of the problems in our lives were brought on
by poor decisions. We dont want to hear that
its our own stubbornness and ego and insecurity
that cause the stress in our lives, but its
true.
Psalm 33:4 says, For the word of the
Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he
does (NLT).
God said it, and that settles it -
whether or not you believe it. God isnt waiting
on your opinion to figure out whats right
and whats wrong. If God says it, its true.
You can trust God. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 17:17 - Holiness from God's Word.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201007-1438.html
John 17:17 - Learning to Listen.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200914-1517.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
