Vanity or Eternal Purpose
I wanted to take a few moments to share some of the realities, insights, and losses our family has been facing. A week ago today, I preached my grandfather’s funeral—memorializing a 97-year-old gentleman who bore witness to humility, integrity, and childlike faith in God. Then, last night, as we were still gathered at the supper table, my phone rang. My grandma—Grandpa’s lifelong partner and soulmate—had passed away, exactly one week to the day after his funeral.
The Path of Humility that Leads to Power
What sets apart those who move from strength to strength in their walk with God from those trapped in hopeless cynicism? The difference isn’t in life’s circumstances but in how we perceive and respond to even the smallest visitations of His grace. Those who bear the fruit we long for, those who walk in strength and joy, see God’s Word and presence as the ultimate reality. They don’t dismiss it with a casual, “I tried that, and it didn’t work.” No, they declare, “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4), and look inward, saying, “I must not have done it right.”
How Do We Know What’s True?
How do we know when we’re hearing the truth? For that matter, how do we even know what truth is? How do we know when we’re being deceived? I don’t believe we can know truth as individual pieces. I think we have to see a greater design, a greater whole, and then assess the pieces in terms of how they facilitate and align with the larger, encompassing design of life.
Back to Eden: The Path to Life
When considering God’s truth or our connections within the body, we either approach these from a frame of individualism or recognize that He is forming a corporate design—the body of Christ. Similarly, when considering the truth of Scripture and God’s promises therein, it’s important to view all the individual “truths” as interconnected parts of a greater whole rather than maintaining a fragmentary perspective. By doing so, we can see each topic as an interlocking element of a larger, living whole body of truth rather than as isolated silos.
What Is the Gospel?
The apostle Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” Rom. 1:16