"Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your name" (Ps. 86:11)

Last month we looked at this verse line by line to find three lessons about God. We saw that it is God who does the teaching, and we are expected to humble ourselves and learn. Also, God represents truth because He is truth, in person and in character. As we learn of His truth, we are to react by obeying Him. We closed our study by viewing God as the Great Physician who heals the heart that always seems to be divided.

A question naturally flows out of our prior discussion when we simply observe society around us, or even look to our own daily experiences. What about the confusion that arises when we are inundated with multiple ways, multiple truths, and multiple things to devote our hearts to?

Looking first at the last line of our Psalm verse, it says, "Unite my heart to fear your name." When Scripture talks formerly about God’s "way" and "truth" it is referring to things that we learn from God, then practice in the form of acts. The heart, though, takes this a step further…it seems to encompass not only our mind, but also our will and emotions.

Taken literally, the heart is the part of us that gives us life. It is an organ that pumps life-blood throughout our bodies so that the rest of our organs and body parts continue to function. When we combine all of these observations of the heart – mind, will, emotions, and vital organ – we are left with the simple definition: our heart is our life. Our lives as a whole are united by the One who gave us that life.

When the world jumps onto our path and offers us multiple ways, truths, and lives, only one person can provide the answers our souls so desperately need. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only one who can give us suitable answers when we are faced with errors of multiplicity.

Universalism, which is advanced by modern society, insists that there are multiple ways to Heaven. Anyone who claims that there is only one way to God is an unloving, intolerant person. Jesus counters this line of thinking by saying, "I am the way." We do not have to look to pop culture for a way to live and a way to the Father. Jesus Christ has provided that for us.

Similarly, it is fashionable to see everyone as having a claim on truth. What is true for one person may not necessarily be true for another. Relativism says that all truth (if it can even be known) is relative, and you cannot dare to claim to hold knowledge of one exclusive truth. Jesus, though, does just that when He say, "I am the truth."

Not only are we told that there multiple ways to Heaven, and multiple truths in which to cling, we are also fed the lie that any manner in which we life our lives is fully acceptable. We are told to not judge. When we die, it is believed that all will make it to some kind of afterlife, as seen above in Universalism. The other alternative is that there is no life after death, so we must live it up now. People who believe this adhere to Hedonism, which is to seek pleasure above all else. After all, "you only go around once."

Jesus counters this and reminds us that there is another alternative. He is the way to Heaven. He is also the truth because God is truth and Jesus is God. The truth He gives, and the way that He exposes, is salvation from our sins. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life" (John 10:10). He presents us with an opportunity to accept His sacrifice so that, not only will our current life be rewarding as we live for Him, but our future life in Heaven will be secure.

Jesus is the answer to the questions posed by David’s Psalm. When we ask, "How can I learn God’s way?" Jesus responds, "I am the way. You can learn the ways of the Father by observing Me." To the question, "How can I find Your Truth so that I may walk in it?" Jesus answers, "I am the truth. You can learn of the Father’s truth by observing Me." Then, when asked, "How can I find the life that comes from a united heart?" Jesus responds, "I am the life, the only way to have eternal life with the Father is through Me."

David ends Psalm 86:11 with the words "…fear Your name." Next month, we will close our three part study by looking at those last three words of the verse which are so vital if we are to live a fruitful life for God.

My prayer, as always, is that God may bless all of you in ways that will advance His Kingdom.