Faith and Feelings!

Sometimes people greet each other with the question, "What do you know?" instead of the more standard greeting, "Hello, how are you?" Frequently the greeting, "What do you know?" is answered with, "Not much." What are you supposed to say – "A lot? Everything? More than you do?!" So, again, "What do you know?" Sometimes we think we know a lot more than is really so! Want proof? Take this quiz: #1 How long did the Hundred Years’ War last? #2 What country makes Panama hats? #3 From what animal do we get catgut? #4 What is a camel’s-hair brush made of? #5 Where are Chinese gooseberries from? #6 How long did the Thirty Years’ War last? (answers below)

I hope you did better with those questions than I did! Religiously, people rarely confess ignorance. Ask someone are you sure you are saved and a common answer goes something like this – "Yes, I know I am because I feel it in my heart." Is that right? Can I trust I am saved just because I "feel" saved? What about those days when I don’t "feel" very saved and God "feels" far away? And what about Proverbs 14:12 which warns, "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Or Jeremiah 17:9 that warns, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" I’m not against feelings in religion. We need "heart-felt" religion that "obeys from the heart" the God-inspired doctrines in the New Testament (Romans 6:17). What we don’t need is a faith based solely on feelings. Romans 10:17 declares, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Thus it is proper to put feelings in our (Bible-based) faith, but not faith in feelings alone! Romans 10:17 is found in the middle of the apostle Paul’s long discussion concerning the Jewish people’s ignorance of and rejection of Christ. The sound of the gospel had "gone out to all the world, and their words to the ends of the world" (vs 18). Paul and other inspired first century preachers had carried the good news of God’s Man and plan of salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike all over the Roman Empire. Romans 10 is a summary of what happened when they did – as a nation Jews largely ignored and rejected the gospel of Christ while many Gentiles accepted and obeyed it. Paul declares that the Jews "have not all obeyed the gospel" (verse 16a). In Romans 10:2-3 we discover they had strong feelings that they were pleasing God, having a "zeal for God, but not according to righteousness." Paul goes on to say in what many today would label as offensive langauge that they were "ignorant of God’s righteousness," and that they "have not submitted to the righteousness of God." There’s no way around it – they were sincere and felt strongly about their religion – but they were sincerely wrong! We must not trust religious feelings that are uninformed and unguided by Scripture, no matter how strong they are. The only way we can know for certain we are pleasing God is by trusting and obeying His inspired word (see 1 John 5:13)! Let us put feelings in our faith, not faith in our feelings. Think about it. (Answer to quiz questions: #1 116 years [1337 7o 1453] #2 Ecquador. #3 From sheep and horses. #4 Usually squirrel fur. #5 New Zealand. #6 Thirty years, of course, from 1618 to 1648.) 

         By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Psa 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Psalms 96 calls on people to praise God (verses 1-3, 7-9, 11-12) and gives reasons why God is worthy of praise (verses 4-6, 10, 13). Three times we are told to sing (verses 1-2), and after that to bless (verse 2), show forth (verse 2b), declare (verse 3), give (verses 7-8), bring (vs 8) and worship (verse 9). All those acts tell us a lot about what we should do in worship. Let’s go through them one by one. 

1. SING: “O sing unto the LORD” (vs 1)

This is praising the name of God. Singing is commanded in worship: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Singing is rejoicing of heart (James 5:13). One must joyful when he comes for worship: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1).

2. BLESS: “Bless his name” (vs 2)

Of course God does not need our blessing. The Hebrew word is “barak” and means “to kneel (as an act of adoration) (Strong Definition, e-sword). Hence, “to bless the name of God” is to show forth our praises and adoration to Him: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4). The first part, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving” parallels the second part “be thankful unto him”. And the second part, “and into his courts with praise” parallels “and bless his name”.  

3. SHOW FORTH: “Shew forth his salvation from day to day” (vs 2)

The expression, “show forth” means “to tell, announce.” Worship is about telling the good news of salvation. In worship, we proclaim the glad tidings about Jesus Christ and His love for us in redeeming us: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). We sing this hymn, I Love To Tell The Story, and let this greatest story be told again and again in worship. 

4. DECLARE: “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people” (vs 3)

Worship is doing evangelism: “Declare his glory among the heathen”. We declare the wondrous work of Creation by our Almighty God (Genesis 1:1). We announce to the world who the God that we worship is: “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised” (vs 4a). 

5. GIVE: “Give unto the LORD” (vs 7, 8)

The word rendered “give” means “to ascribe”. To “ascribe” is to “attribute something to; to name a quality that belongs to a person or thing”. For example, to a deer we ascribe speed and grace. What are the things we are to ascribe to God?

(i) Glory and Strength (vs 7). This refers to His mighty works in creation (vs 3-5).

(ii) Glory due to His Name (vs 8). This refers to His great name who is LORD and GOD (vs 6). 

Worship is giving to God the glory and honour due to Him. 

6. BRING: “Bring an offering” (vs 6).

Did you forget to bring something to worship? Many come to worship hoping to receive but the psalmist says we are to give and bring. Did you bring your heart to worship, your ears to listen, your mouth to praise, your eyes to behold, and your hands to serve? The greatest offering you can offer to God is yourself. Are you actually present in worship: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). 

7. WORSHIP: “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth” (vs 9) 

Worship is not about us; worship is about God. God is holy and to be held in reverence in worship. The psalmist demonstrates to us that worship should always incorporate two elements: rejoicing and reverence (verses 1, 9). Did you bring those two elements with you when you come to worship? “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28). 

As we read the book of Psalms, we realise that the psalmist is very passionate about worship. There is no such thing as “boring worship” to him. Every worship is joyous and he looks forward to it each time. This can only come about with genuine faith and love for God. How about you? Do you love the hour of worship?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day

Psa 97:1 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

                    

This is the message of the Psalm - “The Lord reigneth.” The keynote here is the reign of God. To the wicked, it spells misery; to the believer, it is the inauguration of harmony and joy. 

“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice.” The Lord’s sovereignty should cause all people to be glad but such is not the case and the reason being sinners fear when God reigns; they don’t want God as their ruler. Why would they? They fear His judgment. They know what they are doing are evil and they will face the wrath of God: “A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about” (vs 3). 

God is holy and therefore, “righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne” (vs 2b). Therefore, the Lord’s reign can only be a source of joy to those who love righteousness, to those who will submit to His rule and judgment. 

Unbelievers challenge God’s reign and accuse Him of being the author of evil. They blame God for the suffering of the innocents, for the natural calamities, and for the sicknesses and diseases. One writer wrote: “But taking God out of the picture does not solve the problem of evil. In a world without God, little kids would still get blown up by terrorists and swept away by floods and die by disease. If you eliminate God, all you do is eliminate hope and justice. You turn the world into a very bleak place. If you’re lucky enough to be born in America, you might survive longer than the kid born in Afghanistan, unless you’re so unlucky as to contract a fatal disease. You live a few years and then you die. There’s no hope!” 

But in spite of the fact that God’s sovereignty is clearly taught in the Bible, many professing Christians do not want God to rule their lives. They say God’s laws are too restrictive. They want to be free. 

Indeed, the idea of unlimited freedom may sound appealing, especially to young people. Few enjoy having to live according to a list of dos and don’ts. However, should everyone be free to do whatever he wants? Imagine a city with no traffic laws. Imagine a nation with no law and everyone does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). Imagine someone could say anything he wants about you and you cannot do anything about it. Would such “freedom” be desirable? Certainly not! The result would be chaos, confusion, and catastrophe. The traffic laws that restrict drivers’ freedom, protect other drivers as well as pedestrians. 

Look at Job. He lost his possessions and children in one day. Did he blame God? Did he attribute those “evils” to God? He did not. Instead he blessed God (Job 1:21). “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22). Job submitted to the will of God. So the truth that the Lord reigns is a cause for rejoicing if we submit to His sovereignty. But if we do not submit to His reign, that He is Lord, we will become depressed and even angry when “bad” things happen. 

The Lord reigns: Let those who love Him hate evil and be glad in Him (vs 10). To those who love God and let Him reign in their lives. God’s laws are not burdensome. Instead, God’s laws help them to live godly and holy lives: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). They love God’s laws and let them be their rule every day of their lives: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). 

If we love God, we will hate evil. We will allow His laws to be our rule. When the law of God is our standard and guide to living, God reigns in our lives. May we rejoice and be glad that God reigns.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.