Why should I believe it?
“Look
for something positive in each day, even if somedays you have to look little
harder.”
“Be
kind to yourself. You are amazing. You are good enough. You are worth it.”
“You
will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog
that barks.”
“Stop
waiting for things to happen. Go out and make them happen.”
Is there anything inherently wrong with these statements? I
purposely give no source because who wrote them is of no consequence. I keep
seeing multitudes of “wise sayings” posted on the internet for us to draw
strength from in times of trouble. But are they as wise as implied?
I frequently ask the question, “What is your source of
truth?” I have learned over the years that well-meaning Christians are drawn away
with just such sayings. Yes, I said drawn away. There are clear black and white
lines in the universe, truth and error. There is no grey, Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but
every man a liar….” Whatever is not of God is a lie, it is not true. And
whatever is of God is truth by its very nature.
So, what of the above quotes and thousands more just like
them? Such quotes can only be true, and therefore useful to God’s children, if
they state what is already revealed by God’s Word. The line is often blurred
and difficult to distinguish. But, that does not make it almost right. Instead,
it makes it more dangerous than ever because it has an even greater chance of
misleading people. I chose the above quotes to make this point.
“Look for
something positive in each day, even if somedays you have to look little
harder.”
Psa_5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning
will I direct my prayer unto
thee, and will look up.
Psa_55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and he shall hear my voice.
Psa_59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy
mercy in the morning:
Psa 92:2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy
faithfulness every night.
Look at each of these. Instead of “looking” for anything
these are just a few of the things we are to “DO.” This will change your day
and your life. Not by spending your day looking for something positive but in
contrast becoming that “positive” that the author was hoping to find. God says
to start your day with prayer, speak to God daily and early, sing praises as
you rise in the morning and go out into the world showing the loving kindness
of God to everyone we meet.
“Be kind to yourself. You are amazing. You are good
enough. You are worth it.” To the born-again believer this is far from
true. Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not
one: (v.11) There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (v.12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one’.”
Paul understood humanity to be flawed not filled with hope and promise. It is
only after we are saved that we can do good, Eph. 2:10 “For we are his
workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” And Jesus himself said
that even those good works are the product of his work in us, John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can
do nothing.” We do have worth now, but only because we have become
the Sons of God and Joint heirs with him. It is a mistake for us to begin
exalting ourselves with vain repetitions as seen in the above quote.
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and
throw stones at every dog that barks.” But here is a thought which assumes
God does not guide our steps. Are you praying for the guidance of God in your
life? Then listen as He leads. Is it possible that those barking dogs were sent
by Him to stop you in your tracks? Have you ‘assumed’ that your destination is
good, that it is God’s direction for your life, regardless of all that is
opposing you?
The point to all of this is simple. The Bible has all the
wisdom for life that we will ever need. The multitudes of pithy sayings offered
today, even in many of our churches, are founded upon man’s wisdom and so, in
these sayings there is no foundation
except man’s own experience. And that varies with the winds.
The Word of God is the only sure foundation, it will never
change. Jesus said, “For
verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt. 5:18). Look
to God for the daily wisdom we need in life.
