on the loose
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry (v.19). READ: James 1:19-21 Imagine this. You’re hanging out at home when a bull blasts through the back door, crashes into the kitchen, hurtles down the hallway, and then rockets around the living room. That happened to a family in Aachen, [...]
the cheat test

May 1, 2009
READ: Psalm 119:129-136
Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. —Psalm 119:133
Dan Ariely, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted some tests on human behavior. In one experiment, the participants took an examination in which they would receive money for each correct answer. The participants didn’t know, however, that Ariely was not testing their knowledge but whether they would cheat. He set up the test so that the groups thought it would be easy to get away with cheating.
Prior to taking the exam, one group was asked to write down as many of the Ten Commandments as they could remember. To Ariely’s astonishment, none from this group cheated! But all the other groups did have those who cheated. Recalling a moral benchmark made the difference.
Centuries ago, the psalmist understood the need for a moral benchmark and asked for divine aid in following it. He prayed to the Lord, “Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. . . . Teach me Your statutes” (Ps. 119:133-135).
Ariely’s “cheat test” experiment illustrates our need for moral guidance. The Lord has given us His Word as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (v.105) to direct us in our moral choices. — Dennis Fisher
Like a compass, the Bible always points us in the right direction.
Source: Our Daily Bread







