Carel Neuhoff
Life-Changing Questions
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 139:23, 24
In the generations following Joshua, the children of Israel often wandered away from what they knew to be right. It was as if doing evil in the sight of the Lord and serving gods of wood and stone was a behavior they found all too easy to fall into. But God never forgot them. He disciplined them and gathered them back up like a hen gathering up her chickens. When God’s people, “…which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways…” (2 Ch 7:14). God will then raise them up leaders to help free them from the clutches of their enemies.
We are currently living near the end of time. In these last days we have as many enemies as the children of Israel did in the time of the Judges. These enemies are both within us and within the world, and God’s help is necessary for us to win these battles. We may not be facing sharp swords and bloodstained battlefields, Baal and Ashtaroth appear to not be directly competing for our affections, but our salvation hangs just as surely in the balance. There is a road, a behaviour, and a worship that will lead us to eternity in heaven, and only God can lead us in the way everlasting. Each day there are questions we must ask of ourselves:
If there is anything that separates us from Jesus or our fellow men we need to set it right?
What was my plan for this year?
What is my plan for next year?
What talents do I have that I can use for the glory of God?
How can I best share Christ with those around me?