One of the most persistent questions of any child is, "Why?"

A Constant Guide--In order for the Church to make proper use of the Law of God as the defining standard of right and wrong, good and evil, it must first demonstrate the value of that Law in its own demeanor.

Even to Unbelievers--Believers, who have had little use for the Law of God in recent generations, will be even more suspect of the need to confront unbelievers with the Law as the defining standard of good and evil. How can we expect them to accept what we say about matters of right and wrong?

How Shall They Know?--The unbelieving world knows where its discomfort comes from in questions of morality: the Law of God.

Guilt, Shame, Fear--We know that sin is lawlessness; thus, the Law of God is a reliable means for helping us to understand what is and is not sin.

The Importance of Conscience--The Scriptures teach that the soul, or the spirit, of a human being is comprised of three interacting, overlapping, and wholly integrated components: heart (affections), mind (thoughts), and conscience (values, priorities).

Written on Our Hearts--How can we be sure that the Law of God is a reliable means for defining sin?

Putting the Spotlight on Sin--It’s not surprising that, in many churches today, we don’t hear much talk about sin.

The joy of being sure (1)

There is a happy and healthy tension between fearing God and loving Him.

I'm grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling in the Westboro Baptist case.

If this does not appeal to us, it's a sure bet we're not going to move in this direction.

A Framework for Faith/Spiritual Disciplines

Even if I had a hundred strong tongues with which to speak faultlessly, I could never relate one hundredth of the wonders of my High King - the eternal lofty Over-King of the varied world...

  - Anonymous, Saltair na Rann (Irish, 9th-10th century)

My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day...I will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day...

  - Psalm 71.8, 14, 15

Do you think it would be delightful to praise and thank and bear witness to the Lord like this? I mean, really - do you? Would you take great joy in being able to fill every vacant nook or cranny of your day with praise, glory, thanksgiving, and testimony of the greatness and goodness of God?

Because, if this does not appeal to us, if this is not something which we would find delightful, even energizing and spiritually uplifting, well, it's a sure bet we're not going to move in this direction.

But it must have delighted the psalmist - and myriads of saints down through the ages. Could it be a source of joy and uplift for us as well?

I have no doubt. We only need to practice more consistent praise and thanks to the Lord to begin being more aware just how wonderful He truly is. Make a point throughout your day to think of all that the Lord does for you - how, for example, you could not even draw the next breath if He did not enable you by His Word.

Or meditate on His beauty, goodness, and truth, or the many ways His glory peeks out from the creation to surprise you with delight, and then just talk out loud to Him about what you see.

Singing to the Lord can be a wonderful help as well (write me and I'll send you a free sample of several psalms you can easily sing). Singing to the Lord exercises us heart, mind, and strength, and the more we sing, the more we want to sing.

And when praise and thanks and singing have become more consistent parts of our daily interaction with the Lord, bearing witness to Him with others - believers and non-believers alike - will flow much more easily, naturally, and joyfully.

So completely delightful can such praise and thanks and witness become in your everyday experience, that you'll wish you had a hundred strong tongues to praise our great God even more.

Today at The Fellowship of Ailbe

ReVision - Is collective bargaining a "workers' right"?

In the Gates - More unlawful uses of the Law of God.

Kingdom Civics - The Kingdom vision of the prophets.

Book store - There's still time to order your copies of The Legacy of Patrick to give to friends in marking the great saint's day this year.

Psalter Psampler - Want to sing the psalms? Write me and I'll send you this little "psampler" to help you get started. Don't forget to get your copy of this month's free download, "Things Pertaining to Salvation."

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.