Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.

There are many musical settings to various parts of this Psalm, which is very appropriate when it talks so much about singing! This anonymous Psalmist had a good handle on the polytheistic culture that surrounded Israel. Today, many people would say this is politically incorrect, that we must respect other people’s religions. We are to respect other people, but we must call out lies for what they are. These days, the whole idea of absolute truth is seen as offensive by many people, simply because they want to be able to dictate “truth” in their own lives. That is actually very pathetic! We don’t create our own “facts” just by stating them! Some facts are indeed uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make them false. We all need to start the same way the Bible does: “In the beginning, God.” If we don’t have the foundation of a Creator to whom we are all accountable, everything falls apart. I don’t think God has left any culture without a testimony of who He is. Even in Japan, that calls itself “the land of 8 million gods,” there is a very old tradition of “Ame no Minakanushi,” the Lord in the Center of the Heavens. (I learned that from a DVD produced by Christian researchers in Hawaii, called God’s Fingerprints in Japan.) In most countries today we don’t have physical idols, but we refer to human entertainers as idols, and that’s not far off the mark! Whatever we place on the throne of our heart, apart from the One who created us and loved us enough to die for us, is an idol and a lie. God created the universe, and us in it, for His pleasure, because He is by nature Father, and He wanted children. All awareness of truth needs to start there.

Though I was born and raised in Japan, I was in a very Christian “bubble,” so to speak, and though I was aware of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples all around me, I was never tempted to worship at them. However, the devil got through to me on a more subtle level, and I was deceived by pride. Why couldn’t I dictate what was true? Why wasn’t I the arbiter of morality? That experience gives me a very strong reaction against the whole “my truth, your truth” movement today. No human being is the arbiter of truth; all we can do is agree with the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) At this point in my life I have finally come around to the sanity of fully agreeing with that statement, at least, and I spend my days seeking to know Him and His truth better and better.

Father, thank You for Your amazing patience with me. Thank You for the incredible gift of Your Son, to take the penalty for my sins, my stupid pride and rebellion against You. Help me be an effective conduit of Your grace and mercy to all who will receive it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!