7 Biblical Reasons for Christians to Rejoice Today!

“Count your blessings,

Name them one by one...”

Johnson Oatman, Jr.

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, even Christians can get overwhelmed and discouraged. Eternal realities can be forgotten in the midst of temporal pressures. But if we take a moment and think about all God has done, is doing, and will do, we can regain our confidence and joy. Today I would like to list seven reasons you can rejoice. I believe these precious truths can carry you through any momentary hardship. See if you agree…

Reason #1:       Jesus bore your sins at the cross. 

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.”  
2 Corinthians 5:21a

Reason #2:       Jesus ‘closed the account’ on your sins through His death.

“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”  
Hebrews 10:14

Reason #3:       God credited you with Jesus’ righteousness.

“It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” 
Romans 4:20b

Reason #4:       Jesus gave you unending life.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish…” 
John 10:28a

Reason #5:       Jesus promised you’ll never lose your life again.

“…Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”  
John 10:28b

Reason #6:       The Holy Spirit ensures your eternal life will transition from good to better to best.

“He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 
 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Reason #7:       Your ‘best life’ is nearer now than ever!

“Now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”  
Romans 13:11b

What reasons for rejoicing would you add?

 “Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I will say, rejoice!”

                                                                               

Philippians 4:4

-Christian Pilet

5 Roadblocks to Missions

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,

for it is the power of God to salvation

for everyone who believes.”

 Romans 1:16

Leland Miller will be focusing on “The Takeaway” this Sunday at church, and the discussion should raise some interesting questions about missions and about how we can best do the work of missions.

Last week I suggested some ways we can do the work of missions here in our community. This week I’d like to take a look at some roadblocks to missions and suggest ways to get by them. See if you agree with my list of these Five Roadblocks to Missions:

Doubt

We live in a pluralistic society, and we are bombarded daily with messages of toleration. We are told that we should ‘live and let live,’ and we are exhorted to maintain a nonjudgmental attitude toward differing lifestyles and religious beliefs. These messages are preached from the podiums of political offices and from the lecterns of schoolrooms.

But the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message of toleration. It is not a message of the acceptance of alternative lifestyles and of differing religious opinions. It is built on the presupposition that there is only one true God, and that He has revealed Himself fully in the person of Jesus Christ. And it is also  built on the presupposition that man is sinful and stands condemned before holy God. Indeed, the reason the Gospel is Good News is that it tells how man can escape eternal condemnation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We who are believers know these things. We know, for instance, that the worship of Allah, as expressed in Islam, is abhorrent in His sight. We know that the pantheism of Hinduism and Buddhism is an abomination. And we know that only the fool says in his heart, “there is no God.” And, most importantly, we know that it is only through the preaching of the Gospel, through the hearing of His Word, that one comes to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.

And yet, it seems, we doubt. And in many different ways. Some doubt whether the message of the gospel is truly exclusive. Some doubt that Jesus truly is the only way to the Father. And some doubt whether the God we worship is truly as holy as He says He is.

This must be the case, because if we did not doubt, we would be very bold in our proclamation of the gospel.

But what is the answer to doubt? The answer is faith.

We overcome doubt through faith, a reasonable faith that examines the Scriptural truth claims, considers their presuppositions, and determines to act accordingly. I do not act as a Christian with the hope of gaining faith. I act as a Christian because I have faith.

So, today, if you examine your heart, and you find that you have a heart of unbelief, I encourage you to study the Scriptures. Determine for yourself whether these things are true. Then, be settled in your own heart, and act accordingly.

Idolatry

Some people come to Christ and then continue to battle with idolatry. Their gods are the gods of their former lives, and they can be literal (as in the false gods of Eastern religions) or they can be figurative (e.g. self, family, education, career, wealth, health, and leisure).

Idolatry expresses itself in misplaced priorities. Idolatrous believers assert that God and His program are of the highest priority, but their day-to-day schedules reflect something different. They invest in things of temporal value at the cost of things of eternal value. They find it impossible to find time to devote to evangelism, but they find the find time to do the things that they, in their flesh, desire to do.

The answer to idolatry is worship of the true God.

If we will focus our hearts and minds fully upon Almighty God, if we will allow our senses to be filled with and captivated by his Holiness and Glory, we will find our desires for the things of the flesh diminished. Indeed, ultimately, we will find them abhorrent. And as we contemplate the eternal realities of who He is, we will make His desires ours -- and that means we will prioritize the work of missions in our lives.

Sloth

But let’s be honest. Sometimes it isn’t a matter of doubt or idolatry. Sometimes it is just plain laziness. Our minds are convinced, but our volitions are unaffected. We feel tired, and the work of missions seems like just too much work.

The answer to this roadblock is fairly simple: repent and do the work.

That said, I do wonder whether the frenetic pace of our society leads us, ironically, to slothfulness in this area. We are always busy. Though there is more wealth now than ever before, more of us are engaged in full-time work earning wealth. Perhaps, if we are too tired to do the work of missions, we should slow down the pace of our lives, embrace simplicity in terms of material possessions, and develop greater margin in the edges of our lives. This greater margin will provide us with increased opportunities and emotional resources for the work of missions.

Fear

The usual reason people cite for not doing the work of missions is fear. Typically this boils down to a fear of rejection. In America, the rejection we usually experience is social, though sometimes we may be verbally abused. These are realities of living in a sin cursed world.

The answer to fear is faith. One must believe that God is able to protect, preserve, and reward those who are His own. Such faith seems fundamental to the bold proclamation of the Gospel.

Another answer to fear is fear. The problem is not that people are afraid. Fear itself is not the problem. The problem is that they are afraid of the wrong person. Why would you fear someone who can injure your body or your societal standing but could not damage your soul? Would not it be wiser to fear the One who has authority over your soul and to do the thing that is pleasing in His sight, even at the cost of physical or societal injury? This is just a way of articulating the flipside of faith. Because we know that God is, and because we know Who He is, we seek to persuade others. Because of faith, faith in Him, we are able to overcome our fear of others.

Hatred

            The last roadblock I see is hatred.

Most of us Christians, if we were asked why we did not share the gospel, would not say that it is because wehate the person with whom we could have shared. But our actions speak otherwise.

A month or so ago, my wife shared a video with me. In that video, the famous magician Penn Jillette described an encounter he had with a Christian. Penn is an outspoken atheist, but he spoke of this particular Christian with great respect. He said that this man had come to him with the openly stated purpose of proselytizing him. This man’s desire was that he would lead Penn to the Lord. Penn listened to what he said and ultimately rejected it, but he said he respected the man for being bold and sharing what he believed. Penn then said that he had no respect for Christians who did not do that. He said, in effect, “How much must you hate someone to not share with them something you believe means the difference between eternal punishment and eternal life?”

It’s a great question. If we have the answer to man’s sin condition, and we are able to share with another person the way to eternal life, and we choose not to, how much must we hate that person?

The answer to this roadblock is, of course, love. We must love others enough to risk all in the sharing of the Gospel with them.

Well, there it is… a quick list of five roadblocks in doing the work of missions. Are there others that you would add? Do you agree with my suggestions and how they can be overcome?

How will you engage in the work of missions today?

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Romans 10:14

--Christian PIlet

Failing Forward

“My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.”

Psalm 73:26

“It’s the last minute of the Super Bowl, and we’re down by six! The quarterback comes up to the line…” Every schoolboy since the mid-60’s has chanted those words. He takes the snap from an imaginary center, fades back, and launches a long bomb to the receiver in the end zone. And it’s caught, miraculously, inconceivably, unbelievably! “And the crowd goes wild!” he shouts. “There’s never been a comeback like this one! What a game! What a quarterback!”

That little drama has been played out in backyards, schoolyards, and playgrounds for years, and always with the same outcome. The quarterback is the hero. Success has been achieved against all odds. And, when it is all done, the only bittersweet taste in the mouth of the actor is that it’s not real, not yet. But, maybe, someday, it will be… just believe and hope.

AP Photo/David Goldman

For Russell Wilson, that dream started to come true last Sunday night. It was the last few minutes of the Super Bowl, and his team was within one touchdown of taking the lead. He had led his team to within a yard of that touchdown, and then he took the snap and faded back to make a pass. And then… and then he threw an interception, and lost the game.

There it was. Every boy’s dream turned into a nightmare reality. He had failed.

As I watched the game end, I wondered what it would be like to be in Wilson’s shoes. This must have felt, in some ways, an ultimate failure. There was no way to take it back. The loss was permanent, and it could not be remedied by a win another day. The annals of football history would always record that the Patriots had won the 49^th Super Bowl after Wilson threw an interception in the final minutes. He would always be remembered as the one who lost the championship game. That’s tough. I felt for him.

Failure isn’t something reserved for superstar quarterbacks, of course. We have all experienced failure at one point or another. And some failures are really intense and bring permanent results. Some failures cannot be fixed. Sometimes relationships cannot be renewed. Sometimes losses cannot be recovered. Sometimes reputations cannot be restored.

What are we Christians to do when we fail in these big, spectacular ways? How are we to cope?

Here are three suggestions for how we can cope with big failures and how we can keep from letting them determine the course of our future lives:

• Accept the Truth

One of the hardest things to do when we fail is to admit that we have failed. The reality of failure threatens the core of our self-esteem, and our minds go to great lengths to deny it. We may try to redefine the term “failure.” (“It wasn’t really a failure.”) Or we might try to redefine the event. (“It would have been a failure if this other thing had happened, but it didn’t, so it wasn’t a failure.”) Or we may try to lay the blame on another person. (“It wasn’t my failure, it was his or her failure. It just looks like it was mine.”)

The failures that are most troubling are moral, and these prove the hardest for us Christians to accept. They arouse pangs of conscience as we sense that we have fallen short of God’s standards. We stand convicted by both our conscience our God’s Word.

In these failings, it is all the more essential that we recognize and accept the truth. It will do no good to deny the truth. We have transgressed God’s moral law, and it is only as we confess our sin that we realize renewed fellowship with Him. The beauty of confession – the act of “speaking the same thing as God does” about an action or attitude – is that it bears psychological fruit as well as spiritual renewal. It permits the confessor to embrace the past as it is, to accept it without attempting to reconstruct it, and it allows the confessor to move on, having left the failure fully in the past.

For the Christian, confession of the truth is an expression of a full judicial absolution that has been granted in the past, is present in the future, and is certain in the future. Because of the act of justification wrought through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the believer gains the restoration of fellowship with the Father through confession. He can move on in both temporal comfort and in the certainty of eternal glory.

• Adopt an Eternal Perspective

These thoughts lead us to the next suggestion. When we fail (thinking here particularly of moral failures), we must adopt an eternal perspective. This means that we need to recognize that our failure has occurred within the sphere of God’s gracious sovereignty, and His grace is magnified all the more as that failure has become irrevocably part of our testimony. As the record of one’s past can never be altered, so now this failure will always be recorded – for the glory of God!

This is not to suggest, of course, that God is responsible for our failure. It is only to assert and affirm the theological truth that where sin is discovered in the believer, God’s grace is demonstrated supreme. His grace and mercy covers all. And in this He is and will be glorified! What is most amazing is not that we sinful humans fail morally, but that God’s grace in Christ Jesus is sufficient to cover the greatest failings.

Remembering these truths, even in the midst of confession, is a source of continual strength and joy. Even as we come to Him with contrite and humble spirits, we can affirm that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Our failures, no matter what they are, are not the end. Our end as believers is ultimate victory, not ultimate failure!

• Act with Confidence

And these thoughts lead us to a final suggestion. As we confess our failures and adopt an eternal perspective, we are free to act, once again, with confidence. We are freed to consider the past as just that, the past, and to redirect our attentions to God and His commission. We are liberated to realign ourselves with theological truth, realizing that God has not called us to be immobilized by memories of failure. He has called us to set our sights fully on Him and to move forward with confidence in the making of disciples. So we can, and must, put our failings behind and push forward – for His glory.

As I consider this idea of failure, I am reminded of Peter’s great failing. He had vowed to stand beside Jesus and defend Him, even at the cost of his very life. But when the moment of truth came, Peter failed, and he fled as coward. Three times he denied even knowing Him. Failure. And there is no way to erase this from history. It is how it happened, and it will always be a part of Peter’s history.

But that is not the end of Peter’s story. Rather, he wept and suffered, but Jesus restored Him. And more than that, He used him to preach the first sermon of the Church age and to usher on that day three thousand souls into the Church. Wow. And that was just the beginning. Peter was greatly used by God and, ultimately, gave his life gloriously as a witness (martyr) to the Savior. This is the power of God’s grace!

Russell Wilson’s failure was not a moral one. I just want to make that really clear. But, still, he has, in its aftermath, followed these three paths. Since Sunday, he has publicly accepted the truth, stating that the play call and the interception was his fault.  He has also adopted an eternal perspective. He is a believer, and following the game he tweeted this comment: “I will love You, O LORD, my strength. (Psalms 18:1 NKJV).” That is an eternal perspective! And then, he has decided to act with confidence. After the game, he also tweeted this: “Thank You God for the opportunity. We’ll be back… I will never waiver on who He has called me to be…” And that’s acting with confidence!

I hope these thoughts are helpful for you in your life as your press forward. May God grant you the grace, no matter what the occasion is, to accept the truth, adopt an eternal perspective, and act with confidence!

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

-- Christian Pilet

5 Hindrances to Prayer

But your iniquities have separated you

from your God; And your sins have hidden

His face from you, So that He will not hear.

Isaiah 59:2

Prayer is fundamental for a Christian. Along with Bible reading, fellowship, and evangelism, it lies at the core of the spiritual life. And, yet, it is a challenge. Our times of prayer can seem few and frustrating. Why is that?

Today I want to offer a few quick answers to that question. See if you agree with my list of the top 5 hindrances to prayer…

#1. Sin          

This hindrance is the biggie. All other hindrances are outgrowths of this one.

The concept of ‘sin’ is difficult to define in a single phrase or sentence. One might come close by defining it this way: “Sin is any attitude or action which is contrary to the character of God.” But ‘sin’ is more than an act or attitude. It is also a state or condition in which we find ourselves, and it is a nature we possess.

Perhaps describing sin would be helpful. The Bible teaches that sin is: missing the mark of God’s standard (Mt. 1:21); breaking God’s law (Rom. 2:23); disobedience to God (1 Sam. 28:18); rebellion against God (Isa. 59:13); lawlessness (1 John 3:4); unrighteousness (Rom. 3:5); godlessness (Rom. 1:18); wickedness (Eze. 28:15); going astray (Isa. 53:6); iniquity (Psa. 51:2); evil (Hab. 1:13); falling short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23); pride (1 Timothy 3:6-7); and living independently of God (Gen 3:5; Jdg. 21:25).

Ouch, that’s a lot.

So, sin is repudiation of God and promotion of self. And, if that’s the case, wow, are we in trouble! It causes one to wonder how we can ever hope to be heard by God. We all fall short.

Fortunately, we believers have not been left in that condition. In Christ we were freed from our state of sin – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Romans 5:21). That’s a relief from a positional standpoint, and it is on that basis we gained a judicial right to enter God’s throne room. Then, in terms of our attitudes and actions, we have the promise that God forgives us of all sin and grants us cleansing as we confess them – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). And that’s a relief from a relational standpoint, and it is on that basis that we are bold to enter into God’s throne room.

But the obvious observation concerning the things discussed above is that we must avail ourselves of Christ’s completed work. If we cling to the rebellion and self-centeredness of sin, we cannot commune with the Father in prayer.

#2.  Disobedience

Disobedience is a particular sort of sin, of course, so, this is really just a subset of the first hindrance. Still, it’s worth considering as a separate hindrance.

Disobedience, as I am thinking of it here, is not the unwitting violation of some command. It is the decision to do something that one knows is against the will of the Father. This is sometimes referred to as “the sin of the high hand.” This is the sort of thing a person considers, realizes is wrong to do, and then chooses to do anyway, thus raising a metaphorical hand toward heaven and saying, “I don’t give a rip about what You say or care about.”

This can happen in all sorts of contexts, but it is interesting to note that it is mentioned specifically as a hindrance when a Christian husband treats his wife poorly. When a Christian man, one who knows the commands of God to love His wife as Christ loved the Church, acts toward his wife in a shabby manner, he demeans the Almighty Who has commanded him to do otherwise. And the consequence, according to 1 Peter 3:7, is that his prayers will be hindered. And this is only reasonable. Why should one expect to enjoy friendly conversation with the One who has been dismissed and disrespected? Until that relationship has been restored, prayer has been hindered.

#3.  Unbelief

As the antithesis of faith, unbelief demeans the One the Christian asserts is Almighty and Utterly Good. It, too, is a subset of sin, but its focus is on the attitude, whereas the focus of disobedience is on the action.

Unbelief is doubt expressed inwardly concerning the very character of God. It is a refusal to accept as true His revelation of Himself. And it can manifest in a denial of any aspect of His nature: of His power, as though He were incapable of doing the good things requested; of His wisdom, as though He were unable to recognize the wisdom of granting requests; of His goodness, as if He would fail to act in a way that was ultimately and utterly good; and of His omniscience, as if He does not have enough information to wisely.

Ultimately, unbelief is doubt that God is God. It is a re-taking of the ‘reins of life.’ It is judging He Who is Other to be inadequate in one way or another.

And, if this is all true, how could this be anything but a hindrance? How we enjoy loving fellowship with Holy God when we are accusing Him of being other than He has revealed Himself to be? It is impossible. Our prayers will be hindered.

#4.  Greed

This, too, is a subset, and probably a subset of all of the above. It is a grasping for more, internally and externally expressed, which demonstrates a denial of God’s power to provide and His wisdom to provide that which is best.

Ultimately, I believe, greed expressed is a manifestation of anger toward God Almighty. Its expression is reminiscent of the Israelites misguided actions in the wilderness. “Not enough food,” they griped. “We want meat! No more of this tasteless bread from heaven!” How similar is must seem when Christians, who are enjoying daily the true Bread of Heaven, gripe that they do not have enough of this thing or that thing.

Christians who pray with greedy spirits demean the One they address as the “Giver of every good and perfect gift” and diminish His gift of “all the riches in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” Such ungrateful attitudes and greed, the demanding for more than the needs of life, must prove hindrances to prayer.

#5.  Laziness

This last hindrance is one I often note in my personal life and one which I suspect is prevalent among believers. It is, simply, laziness.

Occasionally, when Nicole and I counsel other couples, we encourage them to spend five to fifteen minutes each day in focused conversation with one another. It never fails to amaze me how difficult this assignment can prove. Fifteen minutes is a very short amount of time, and yet many couples have trouble carving out that much time for focused interaction. And, in such cases, is it any wonder that the relationships are struggling? What a difference from the seasons of courtship, when hours were not enough!

But why is it so hard to find the time to talk? Is it because there are fewer hours in the day? No, of course not. It is a matter of prioritization. If it matters, people find the time. Most of us find the time to watch a TV show or read a book. These couples can find the time to talk, and still they don’t. Why? Because it takes effort, and its not always ‘natural’ or ‘easy.’ Focused conversation is not like watching TV (which has been referred to as chewing gum for the brain). It requires concentrated effort, if it is to be done well.

How much more this is true of prayer! Communion with the Father is effortful, and those who wish to commune with God most seek Him with their whole hearts. That time must be prioritized, and the sinful, lazy urges of the flesh must be squelched.

Well, there it is: an off-the-top of my head list of 5 hindrances to prayer. Can you think of others? Are you letting these things hinder your prayers? If so, the promise is always the same. Come to God in faith, confess your sins, and He will restore Your communion with Him.

 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful

and just to forgive us our sins and

to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..”

1 John 1:9

-- Christian Pilet

Defining Success -- v. 2.0

“Success is simple.

Do what's right, the right way,

at the right time.

Arnold H. Glasow

Someone once described an interview between a reporter and a bank president this way:

            Reporter:    “Sir, what is the secret of your success?”

            President:   “Two words.”

            Reporter:    “And, sir, what are they?”

            President:  “Right decisions.”

            Reporter:    “And how do you make right decisions?”

            President:  “One word.”

            Reporter:    “And, sir, what is that?”

            President:  “Experience.”

            Reporter:    “And how do you get experience?”

            President:  “Two words.”

            Reporter:    “And, sir, what are they?”

            President:  “Wrong decisions.”

Wow, that seems so true, that success only comes after many failures. But is there a way to circumvent all those failures? And would we recognize the method if we saw it?

In last Wednesday’s church update, I broached the subject of success. I asked what success is, how we would define it, and how we would know if we had achieved it. Then I offered my own definition of success (as I understand the Bible to define it). The definition I offered was:

Biblical success is a continually increasing conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. It is enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is marked by an ongoing pursuit of godliness and an ever-increasing manifestation of that pursuit in holiness of thought and action. It always achieves the glory of God the Father.

Later that day I asked Nicole whether she had read the update and what she thought of my definition. She said that she thought the definition was accurate but unhelpful. It offered an ideal, but a lofty and primarily theoretical ideal. Not to say, of course, that Christians are not to seek a continual conformity to the image of Jesus Christ, but simply to observe that the process of sanctification includes many ups and downs and few people, if any, can claim lifelong success.

Fair enough. In a sense, I agree. And with that in mind, I would like to offer today an alternative definition of success, one that I believe is consistent with the definition above and is simultaneously achievable and demonstrable in the present.

For this definition, I turn to the book of Proverbs. The book begins with an explanation of its purpose, to impart wisdom and instruction by which the simple may gain prudence and the young may gain discretion. In the first chapter, Solomon states that wisdom is knowable and understanding perceptible. He states that wisdom can be taught and received, and he creates a link between the reception of wisdom and one’s ability to live a successful life. Indeed, the underlying premise of the book of Proverbs is that a successful life may be built upon the reception of wisdom and the expression of it in one’s daily activities.

In Proverbs 2:5, Solomon states the purpose or goal of wisdom: discernment and understanding -- to understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God. Using that as my starting point, I would like to suggest this new working definition for success:

Biblical success is understanding the fear of the Lord and manifesting that understanding in one’s daily thoughts and activities. The successful person is one whose pursuit of wisdom ends in reverence of Almighty God.

If this definition is a good one, then it would be wise to spend a moment thinking about Proverbs 2:5. This verse includes two parallel thoughts, one related to understanding the fear the Lord and the other related to finding the knowledge of God. This sort of literature often utilizes parallelism as a means of expanding, contrasting or emphasizing ideas, and I believe that, here, the second of these two phrases expounds the idea contained in the first phrase. Thus, one might say, the purpose of wisdom is to bring one to understand the fear of the Lord, that is, to attain the knowledge of God. In other words, a true knowledge of God will accompany the fear the Lord, and the fear of the Lord will accompany a true knowledge of God.

The Hebrew word translated here “understand” carries the ideas of discernment and perception, of observing, marking, and giving heed to. It is more than a mere intellectual knowledge, though it certainly includes that idea. It conveys the idea of recognizing and acting upon a fact. The word translated “fear” means precisely that – fear or terror -- and in respect to the Almighty God, communicates the ideas of respect, reverence, and piety.

So we see that the successful person is one who gives heed to the Lord as the Almighty, utterly holy, utterly righteous Judge of the universe. He or she is the one who recognizes that He, the Lord, is utterly unlike anyone else, in power and purity and preeminence.

The second phrase in this verse expands on the first and communicates that the successful person, by receiving and embracing wisdom, comes to an attainment or discernment of God’s character as He reveals Himself to be.

We could spend a great deal of time contextualizing this verse within the gospel message, and doubtless that would be a profitable pursuit, but today I think it is sufficient to recognize that the pursuit of wisdom that culminates in reverence for Almighty God is that which brings success.

I added to my definition above a quantifying or evaluative element: the manifestation of that fear in one’s daily thoughts and activities. It may have been redundant to do so. Is it possible that one should truly appreciate the Almighty and reverence Him and not manifest it? I doubt it is.

As I close, I ask myself whether this definition is helpful. Is this definition one by which I may evaluate my daily life? I believe it is. On a daily basis, at any given moment, I can pause and ask myself whether I am aware of Who He is and of who I am in relationship to Him. I can reflect on His character and ask myself whether the course of my thoughts and actions are consistent with one who calls Him Lord. To the extent that they are, to the extent that in the course of my day I manifest an awareness of His holiness and act accordingly, I can judge myself successful.

Do you agree? How would you define success? And how do you know if you have achieved it? Is there a way to circumvent all those failures?

 “Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,

And find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:5

-- Christian Pilet