O My Soul!

Do you ever think about your thoughts? And more, do you know how powerful they are? It may sound strange to consider, but our thoughts play a significant role in how we respond to life. They help shape our emotions and actions. They lead and guide us down godly paths or ungodly paths. They can speak the truth to us or falsehood.

We can grow so used to our thoughts, they become like the background noise of a busy household. But when we stop and take notice of them, we learn things about ourselves, about our longings and desires, our beliefs and hopes, our expectations of God, ourselves, and others. We learn what we treasure and what we worship.

Paul Tripp once wrote, “no one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” I know this is true of my own thought life. I talk to myself all the time. I’m always interpreting and evaluating what happens in my day and keep a running commentary in my mind about it. I frequently point out to myself the failings of my past. I warn and caution myself about potential harms to come in the future. I consider and dwell on other people’s responses to me and justify mine in return. I talk myself into decisions or out of them. I rehearse repeated refrains, those statements I say to myself over and over like, “if only x happened, then your life would be better” or “does anyone care?” All these thoughts influence me, often without me realizing it.

When I do stop to notice my thoughts, I also notice what is missing. In fact, its absence is glaring. In all this talking to myself, how often do I tell myself to consider all that God has done? How often do I influence and urge my heart to praise him?

In a recent reading of Psalm 103, I was struck by how David spoke to himself, urging himself to praise the Lord: “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name” (v.1.) He exhorts himself to, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (v.2).

What are those benefits he didn’t want to forget?

• forgiveness of sins (v.3)

• healing from disease (v.3)

• redemption of life (v.4)

• steadfast love and mercy (v.4)

• satisfaction with good, so our youth is renewed like the eagle’s (v.5)

But there’s more! David goes on to remind himself of who God is:

• The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed (v.6)

• He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (v.8)

• He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (v.10)

• For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him (v.11)

• The LORD shows compassion to those who fear him (v.13).

• The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him (v.17).

• The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. (v.19)

Any of these benefits are worth considering. Any one of these characteristics of God is worth meditating upon. Any of God’s works and ways is worth dwelling upon. For David, they seem to build one upon the other into this great crescendo of wonder where he bursts out, calling everyone to praise the Lord—including his own soul. “Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (v.22).

I was always taught not to interrupt someone when they are speaking because it is rude. But in the case of our own self-talk, it’s often necessary that we interrupt ourselves. Even more, to talk back to ourselves. We need to preach the truth to ourselves. We need to rehearse who God is and what he has done. We need to develop new repeated refrains where we dwell on all his benefits.

We need to set on repeat the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

What Do You Consider?

How much of your day do you spend thinking about things?

Likely, it’s more than you realize.

I don’t know about you, but my mind does a lot of wandering. I may intend to think about something, such as my grocery list or what emails I need to respond to or the next item I need to tackle on my to-do list. But before I know it, I catch myself thinking about something completely different and wonder, “how did my mind wander there?” I also have reactionary thoughts to events and circumstances that come up in my day, thoughts that often surprise me in their intensity or their lack of veracity. I often think about the things I said or did and all the ways I could have spoken or responded differently.

That’s just on a normal day.

When a trial comes upon me, my thoughts immediately turn to what I’m going to do to tackle and face that trial. Or my thoughts might run down trails of worry, thinking of all the worst case scenarios that might happen. I might think and dwell on past trials and how hard they were and begin to despair that I have to face yet another one. Before I even realize it, my thoughts have grown dark and bleak.

It’s evident, I think about a lot of things. And much of my thinking leads me astray. Much of my thinking interferes with God’s call on my life. Much of my thinking fails to bring him glory.

What we think about matters. So much so, our thoughts can shape our emotions and ultimately our behavior. This is why the Apostle Paul told us what thoughts we ought to dwell on, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

I participated in a study on Hebrews last year with the ladies at my church. This letter was written to a house church of believers who faced doubts about their faith. Many of them had experienced persecution: They lost possessions, jobs, homes, and even worse. They couldn’t be a part of the synagogue, that familiar community and culture of their heritage. And so they began to wonder if it wasn’t so bad to mix their Christian faith together with ancient Jewish tradition. They began to distance themselves from other Christians. They began to yield to the pressures of persecution.

And so this letter to the Hebrews arrives encouraging them to endure in their faith. How are they to endure? The author tells them to “consider Jesus.”

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1)

To consider something is to think carefully about it. Not casually. Not flippantly. Not halfheartedly. But to intentionally think through the matter. And for the Hebrews, the author wanted them to think through and consider who Jesus is and what he has done.

The entire book shines a spotlight on Jesus, directing the reader’s gaze off of their circumstances and onto Jesus. Why?

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4).

The author then goes on to show how Jesus Christ is better than the angels, than Moses, than the High Priest, and that he is the guarantor of a better covenant. Because of who Christ is and what he has done, these Hebrew Christians could endure in the faith. The author urges them to look not at their circumstances or at the world around them, but to Jesus “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

As Christians, we are to be aware of our thoughts and catch them when they go astray. We are to conform them to the truth of God’s word. We are to consider, meditate, and dwell on Jesus. As we do so, we are reminded of all he has done for us. We are reminded that he is “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” We are reminded that he conquered sin and death and now reigns at God’s right hand. We are reminded that he endured the horrors of crucifixion and separation from God on our behalf so that we would inherit eternal life. We are reminded that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” and therefore we can with “confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

As we consider Christ, as we remember who he is and what he has done, our minds are transformed and we are strengthened to remain in the race of faith. We can endure, whatever the circumstances.

Our minds are prone to wander. They are prone to forget. They are prone to think about things that aren’t true. So we must pause and consider each day; we must consider Christ.

God Only Has Good For You

“The universe always balances things out.”

As I sat there watching the TV, I shook my head. Of course, I don’t expect perfect theology from every TV show I watch, but this line in particular seemed to stick out. It was not a hopeful line.

In fact, it was precisely because things were going well in the character’s life that he sensed trouble was probably right around the corner, that the universe was about to balance his good fortune. It stuck out to me not because it was an especially scandalous or shocking idea — in fact, just the opposite. Though the error rang loudly in my own ears, I knew how commonly people think this way, whether they realize it or not.

But not a week later, the shock did come. I heard an echo of the same sentiment, but this time it wasn’t coming from my TV screen, or from the mouth of a non-Christian friend. This time, it came from me. I was marveling over the blessings God had given me and how he answered long-time prayers in a big way. As I considered these blessings, my first thought was, “I wonder what trial lies around the corner?”

To read the rest of this post, visit Desiring God, my writing home today.

The Problem With Too Much Introspection

I am a thinker. I ponder, muse, speculate, evaluate, and explore everything. In truth, I over-think. If it were possible, I could think things to death.

I consider things I should have said and should have done. I relive discussions and circumstances I’ve had. I dwell on mistakes and analyze them in great detail. I recall the sorrows and heartaches of my past like a broken record. I think thoughts like If only, What if, or I should have.

Unfortunately, the more I think, the more I despair.

Examine Yourself

A certain amount of self-evaluation can be good. We should have insight into ourselves, our motives, our choices, and our actions. We should keep aware of the ways we minimize our sin. We ought to know the idols that reign in our heart. We need to know the temptations we’re prone to give in to...

To read the rest of this post, visit Desiring God.

The Wrong Kind of Contentment

Contentment is something we as believers often pray for. It's one of those things we desire but often feels just out of reach. We read Paul's description of contentment in Philippians and it seems like an impossibility, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need" (Philippians 4:11-12).

To be content in whatever situation? What does that even look like?

How are we to be content when we lose our job, when relationships are hard, when our bodies don't work right, when everyone else's dreams come true while we stand there with hands left empty?

Sometimes I think that one of the problems with our contentment is that we are content with the things we shouldn't be content with and discontent with the the things we should be contented with. 

Confused?

Perhaps we are discontent because we are too content with the wrong things.

We are content in our lack of growth in faith

We are content with barely skimming the top layer of Scripture

We are content with this world and what it has to offer

We are content with how we treat others

We are content with our bad habits, the idols of our hearts, and our "respectable" sins

We are content in the superficiality of our relationships

We are content with our text-like prayers and crying out to God only when we are in need

We are content with how little we really know about God

We are content with a heart that loves this world more than we long for the next

In being content with these things, we find ourselves discontent with where we live, our marriage, our friendships, our work, and where God has placed us. We zero in on these things and think that if they changed, our life would be better. We compare what we have to what others have. We disconnect and disengage and seek all that is greener on the other side. 

In effect, we are content with a halfhearted devotion to Christ. Our hearts are turned away from Christ and toward false idols we think will satisfy a parched soul. The secret to Paul's contentment in all circumstances, whether he had plenty or had little, was that his heart was fixed on Christ. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (vs. 13). Like Paul, our own contentment needs to be rooted in Christ, who he is, what he has done, and who we are because of it. 

In Christ, we have all we need or could ever desire. In him we find our meaning and purpose. We find our identity as an image bearer and as a child of the living God. Finding our meaning in him keeps us focused on the work he has for us rather than what he is doing in the lives of others. In Christ, we find the mercy, grace, and salvation we desperately need. This is our greatest need and one that can only be met in him.

And as we look to him, seeking to know him through his word, our hearts are surgically transformed by his living and powerful word. The more his word and the truths of the gospel work in us, the more our desires conform to his will, and the more we find ourselves content with whatever circumstances the Lord provides. 

When we find our hearts discontent and we long for something new and better and we begin to look for it in all the wrong places, we need to cry out to God. Not to ask him to make our lives better but to ask for a clean heart. We need to seek him in repentance, applying to our heart what Christ has done for us in the gospel. We need to abide in him, remembering that apart from him, we can do nothing.

Then the one thing we ask for won't be what our neighbor has. It won't be a change in circumstance. It won't be a plea for something new or better. Rather we'll be able to say with the psalmist, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple" (27:4). 

When You Are Tempted to Despair

"When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin"

One of the places (and there are many!) I am tempted to despair is in the area of our health. We've spent the last month as a family sick. All of us. One after the other. And then my son had an accident injuring his mouth that required visits to multiple specialists.

We've had chronic health issues over the years, resulting in constant doctor visits, rounds of medication, and surgeries. These days, I immediately tense up anytime one of the kids has a cough. 

So when we get sick, I am tempted to despair. I feel helpless, weak, and useless. Questions swirl around my mind all day and night, "Should I switch doctors?" "What's the long term effect of this medication?" "When will we get better?" "How long can I go without sleep?"  

I find myself irritable and impatient. Stressed and anxious. Reactionary. All my thoughts and energies are focused on what's happening, it becomes consuming. I just want God to intervene, fix it all, and return things back to normal. 

I am tempted to despair.

As the old hymn says, when I am tempted to despair, I need to look to Christ. 

"Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me"

If you are tempted to despair today, for whatever reason, look to Christ. And may these words of C.H. Spurgeon encourage you:

"It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying o make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within.

But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you-it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you-it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument-it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith."

(From Morning and Evening: Classic KJV Edition)