Damned

by Billy Williams

Luke 13:5 (MSG) ...Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die."

I don’t like reading these words, especially since they were spoken by Jesus. The Bible is supposed to be full of light, hope and great children's stories, isn’t it? Coats of many colors, giant boats filled to the brim with happy animals -- a kind of floating zoo -- cute childlike angels, babies in starlit mangers with big-eyed animals and shepherds looking on. Not death, not actual dependence on God for life.

But truth is truth, no matter how hard it seems, and the thing about this verse is it is not talking about physical death but something much worse -- spiritual death. Physical death is inescapable; spiritual death is a choice. In this we practice God’s greatest gift: free will. We have the choice to turn to God and avoid the death Jesus is referring to. I also think that even after turning to God and receiving His eternal life, we can still die a little each day in our spirit life if we don’t continue to turn to Him. We can let sin and life take small bites of our spiritual life and keep it from being totally alive in Him.

God, thank you for the choice to turn to You for my salvation and life. Keep my face toward You in my daily life, also; don’t let me be robbed of the life You have for me here on earth.

Confidence

by Billy Williams
Psalm 23 (KJV)
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.



I remember having to memorize this chapter in Psalms in 7th grade English. What is more amazing than me actually memorizing something is that I attended a public school. This was in the days before the life-giving words of God were considered offensive. King David had such a wonderful grasp on who God is and even though David had done things that would most surely get most of us asked to leave the local church, he knew the unfailing love and care God had for him despite his failings and sinful nature.

A quick look at the Psalm and we know clearly how David knew God -- as Guide, Comfort and Rest, Restorer, Righteous Lord, Protector and Provider. He knew that God lifted him to a place of wealth in front of his enemies, covered his sin, lavished blessings on him, was merciful, good and would never disown him. I feel in my own walk that to claim these things from God for myself is vanity. I need to remember what David knew in his very soul, that we are all sinner-saints.

God, help me to grasp these things as mine. Give me a confidence that You love and care for me in the exact same way You did King David. Be my Shepherd.

Barriers

by billy Williams

Psalm 8:1,2(MSG) 1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. 2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.

My mother always told me that when a baby is cooing and making the noises that babies do, they were talking to God and here it is in scripture. There is something so innocent and yet so unfathomably large when it comes to the faith of a child. When and why do we lose it? At what point do we begin to believe our own criterion of truth and lose the innocent joy of knowing our Creator without prejudice?

To really know God as “Brilliant Lord” and for His name to be a household name, spoken with an innocent and truly unscathed heart like that of a child, should be my daily goal -- to set aside what I think I should say and let my heart and mind embrace who God, as I knew Him at birth, really is.

Heavenly Father, remove the barriers that time and life have built between us. Grant me the great freedom of conversing with You with the intimacy of a child. Allow my heart’s song to rise above the talk of Your enemies and silence the voices of those who would count You as untrue.