2) Psalm 119:97-104 (Berean Standard Bible)
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Spiritual Tipping Points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
David Diestelkamp
There are moments that reach such intensity that all which is held sacred and true may be ignored and a threshold crossed to do unthinkable actions. These are called tipping points. They happen in everyday life, but they also happen in one\u2019s spiritual life.
Let me tell you about a man who was supposed to stand for law and order. When challenged publicly to break the law and support injustice, he refused. He tried to reason with the accusers and rebuffed them multiple times with innocent verdicts. He even appealed to a tradition, but it didn\u2019t solve the problem. Even after his wife warned him not to, he gave in. This man was Pontius Pilate, and his tipping point was politics: \u201cFrom then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, \u2018If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar\u2019s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.\u2019 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out\u2026\u201d and soon \u201cdelivered Him to them to be crucified\u201d (Jn 19:12-16).
Law, justice, reasoning, innocent rulings, tradition, and a spouse weren\u2019t enough to hold Pilate to do what he knew to be the right thing. He fought it until something was at risk that he valued more than law, justice, reasoning, his findings, tradition, and his wife\u2019s input. This isn\u2019t a case of a blind or ignorant decision. Pilate knew his decision to hand Jesus over violated law, justice, reason, judgment, tradition, and his wife\u2019s advice. But politics and job security were his tipping point. The chilling part of this is that all of us probably have a spiritual tipping point too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Managing Our Tipping Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have one.<\/strong><\/em> We are tempted to deny our tipping points. Wicked men like Pilate are not the only ones who have tipping points. Peter didn\u2019t think he would turn his back on what he knew to be true and deny the Lord: \u201cEven if I have to die with You, I will not deny You\u201d (Matt 26:35). The fact that we don\u2019t see our tipping points is what makes them so easy to sneak up on us. The fact that we deny them is what makes them so dangerous. \u201cTherefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall\u201d (1 Cor. 10:12). Avoid \u201cI can do whatever I want\u201d thinking.<\/strong><\/em> Pilate thought he could do whatever he wanted. He said to Jesus, \u201cAre You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?\u201d (Jn 19:10). Jesus reminded Pilate that he wouldn\u2019t have any power at all against Him \u201cunless it had been given you from above\u201d (Jn 19:11). When Peter denied what Jesus said about His suffering and death, Jesus told him, \u201c\u2026You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men\u201d (Matt 16:23). Thinking we know better than God or that we are in control tips us into things that are not the will of God. -2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mem 1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).——————– Contents: 1) Spiritual Tipping Points (David Diestelkamp)2) Psalm 119:97-104 (Berean Standard Bible)——————– -1- Spiritual Tipping Points David Diestelkamp There are moments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3593"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3601,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593\/revisions\/3601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Imagining the unimaginable.<\/strong><\/em> Pilate initially stood for the law and pronounced Jesus\u2019 innocence many times \u2013 \u201cI find no fault in this Man\u201d (Lk 23:4) and \u201c\u2026nothing deserving of death has been done by Him\u201d (Lk 23:14-15). Pilate is strong until he\u2019s not and then does the unimaginable by authorizing the crucifixion of the innocent Jesus. Peter tried to imagine the worst that could happen, \u201cIf I have to die with You\u201d (Mk 14:31), but he didn\u2019t see confessing Christ when under pressure as his tipping point. Christians may be strong until something unimaginable happens and they \u201c\u2026crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame\u201d (Heb 6:6).
Avoid micro-compromises.<\/strong><\/em> Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and the false charges were due to envy (Matt 27:18), yet he offered to have Jesus beaten and released (Lk 23:16, 17). He actually did have Jesus scourged, but instead of de-escalating things, \u201c\u2026when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, \u201cCrucify Him, crucify Him!\u201d (Jn 19:1, 5-6). Some of these seem like innocent missteps, such as Peter sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:40-41), while others try to quantify and belittle sin. These can blind us and even cause our consciences to be \u201cseared with a hot iron\u201d (1 Tim. 4:2). Consciously allowing any sin to dwell in our hearts and lives compromises our reverence for God and His will and dilutes our abhorrence of evil (Rom. 12:9). Compromises are wrong and will create additional unthinkable future tipping points.
Avoid abandoning knowledge and reason in intense situations.<\/strong><\/em> Pilate\u2019s problem wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t know that the law said Jesus was innocent or that he was convinced by reason that Jesus was guilty. Peter\u2019s triple denial wasn\u2019t due to him not knowing the truth about Jesus. The problem is that things like fear and consequences can cause us to ignore what we know and accept bad reasoning (or no reasoning at all). God warns us to remain vigilant, clear minded, and thoughtful in all situations (1 Pet 5:8; Phil 4:8). If we fail to do so, we may cross our tipping point and do what we know we shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listen to warnings.<\/strong><\/em> While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, \u201c\u2026his wife sent to him, saying, \u2018Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him\u2019\u201d (Matt 27:19). Pilate didn\u2019t listen. Jesus warned the disciples, \u201cAll of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night\u201d (Matt 26:31). Peter was certain that he wouldn\u2019t stumble, but Jesus warned him that he would deny Him three times (Matt 26:33). In the Garden, Jesus warned the disciples, \u201cWatch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak\u201d (Matt 26:41). They didn\u2019t listen. There is power to avoid tipping points in warnings, vigilance, and prayer.
Avoid siding with Jesus\u2019 enemies.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cWhen Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all\u2026\u201d and \u201c\u2026wanting to gratify the crowd\u2026 he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified\u201d (Matt 27:24; Mk 15:15). Crowdsourcing and crowd-pleasing are often disastrous. And sometimes just being around those who are against Jesus takes us to our tipping point. It can be like after Jesus\u2019 arrest with Peter warming himself by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest and exposing himself to his tipping point and denying Jesus. Being with the wrong people when we\u2019re vulnerable can tip us to want to please them rather than God.
Return.<\/strong><\/em> It appears that Pilate\u2019s tip was a one-way trip, but it doesn\u2019t have to be. Jesus said, \u201cSimon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren\u201d (Lk 22:31-32). Simon\u2019s faith failed, but it wouldn\u2019t be a total failure if he returned to Jesus. And he did! When Jesus rose from the dead, the angel told the women at the empty tomb, \u201c\u2026go, tell His disciples \u2013 and Peter \u2013 that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him, as He said to you\u201d (Mk 16:7). When we stumble over our tipping points, our Lord prays that our faith will not fail and that we\u2019ll return to Him \u2013 even after our worst denials. The angels of heaven say, \u201cGo tell His disciples \u2013 and [your name].\u201d
—\u00a0 via Think on These Things,<\/em> Vol. 57, No. 2, April-May-June, 2026
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97<\/sup>O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
98<\/sup>Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.
99<\/sup>I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100<\/sup>I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.
101<\/sup>I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.
102<\/sup>I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me.
103<\/sup>How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104<\/sup>From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
\u2014 Berean Standard Bible
______________<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe <\/strong>in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith <\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to\u2026
6) Continue in the faith <\/strong>by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm<\/a> (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"