Reflection by Pastor Lap Dinh on Psalm 13:5-6

“But I have trusted in Your faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has looked after me.”

Trust and rejoice. These are two factors that strengthen one's life as well as indicators of one's faith.

Indicators:

•  We will know someone who knows that they are truly saved when we see they are rejoicing in the salvation that they received by faith in Jesus and not regretting about what they no longer can have in the previous sinful life nor do they fear of missing out on worldly fun.   

• In life, trust is everything and is not complicated. We either trust the Triune God or trust ourselves/others/power/money/sex.

  
  

  Factors:

  
  

  It is not “if” but “when” life gets tough, it is often said that the tough gets going. But where must we be going? To God or to hell? The former is where the faithful ones who trust in God's faithfulness go. The latter is where those who trust in themselves go. Life by default is ironically miserable in its "rat-race" cycle. It is all vanity and are meaningless without the Life-Giver/Redeemer/Sanctifier, Jesus Christ, who is the only salvation that is true, unshakable, and free offer (already-paid-for) to fallen and hopeless humanity. It is an offer/invitation that was sent by the Creator of the universe, who gave us a freedom to choose. When we chose salvation by God's grace through faith in Jesus, rejoicing is the outcome. And needless to say, when people choose themselves/others to save them, worldly sorrow is the outcome, which leads to death, eternally.