All in Truth
When we first hear God calling us to follow Jesus Christ, or later as Christians to do His will, and we ignore Him... do we think that He just goes away and that this is the end of it? Sometimes we attempt to treat God as if He were one of our fantasies, and if we ignore Him then He will vanish, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even in our faithlessness, our disobedience, or when we turn our back on Him... He is there, and He remains God.
Are we inclined to believe what men say the truth of God is, and find ourselves unable to fully accept the glory that is Christ, and those things which are spoken by God Himself? Do we lean upon the understanding of others while using the Word of God only where it is convenient for us to do so, and where it justifies what men say, and what they do; not placing God’s Word in its rightful place as the rule by which all men are judged? If this is true about us then we have established ourselves to be gods, and in our minds have subjugated the one true God... we have sinned.
There is nothing that will destroy a family, a church, a community, or a country, more swiftly, and certainly, than internal bickering, and discord. As Christians we are not meant to fuss and fight amongst ourselves, but to comfort one another, and to live in peace. However there are those whose sights are set on power over humility, ruling over serving, and man’s law over God’s commandments. We have but one ruler, one Lord, and one God by whom we are judged as right or wrong. So, who rules your heart today?
The world works hard every day to cast the image of God after itself, and to reshape His Word in such a way as to do its own bidding. We hear it ringing across the land as men compare God to the beauty of tall buildings, or the mighty dams they have built to hold back rivers. We hear it echoing in our houses, governments, and churches, as the Word of God is bent in strange and twisted ways so that people can feel good about their debauchery, and justify such things as the taking of blood. Do we fall prey to this wooing and to these lies of the dark one?
We live in a changing world, and the temptation is to think that the Word of God can be changed to accommodate our social changes, but that is a fallacy. We might change the means by which we exhibit our Christian faith, but the faith itself is founded on the Word of God, and that is unchanging. as an example we might change the order of worship, but what we worship must remain unyielding; we can change the dress code that is acceptable for worship services, but the content of that worship is nonnegotiable. Do we understand the difference between the truths of our faith. and those things that are just customs? I might use a silver chalice for communion at one church, and a wooden one at another, but communion remains the same. God tells us that He does not change.
Those societies who are unbelievers in Jesus look upon Christianity, and they want to put it to death for the very same sins that they themselves commit every day. They see the sins of those Christian brothers and sisters who are struggling to be perfected, and use them as examples of a failed faith. Yet, they miss the perfect, and true, sacrificial nature of Jesus, and the absolute truth in the grace of God. They lose sight of the fact that though beaten, tortured, and hung on a cross till dead... God’s truth remains firmly truth... Jesus will rise.
As good Christians we know the strength that is gained from reading the Bible each day, but are we truly getting the fullest blessing from our effort? Are we in the habit of rising from bed, praying, reading the Word, and then going about our day thinking we have done what we should? Well, this is like placing an arrow on the bow string, drawing it back, but never letting go. We should take our scripture reading, and meditate on it all the day long... praying intermittently for more understanding. By dwelling on the Word we are letting the arrow go, and allowing it to change who we are inside.
Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord we are no longer of this world. This realization can, at once, be joyous, and at the same time... terrifying. Leaving the world behind, this place which is all we have known, is not an easy thing to do, but if we lean on the Word of God we will find His joy in our sanctification, and His truth. So how is it that we can become this new person, and find joy in our separation from all we have known?
In our present time men look to find secrets concerning how Jesus Christ should be worshiped, or some new hidden way of looking at faith that would justify the way we live, but other than by imagined contriving there is no redefinition of truth... no justification for sin, or hidden grace.
Do you feel hopelessly alone today? Are you feeling lost, abandoned, sick and without hope, dying and laying alone waiting for that final moment, or suffering without the care of a loved one? No matter how far we feel that we are from another soul, or devoid of love, we are never alone... no matter how lost, how abandoned, how hopeless, how near death, or intense our suffering... we are in the continuous presence , and hands of God. Take heart for He loves you now.
When was the last time you spoke to someone about your faith? I am not talking about standing on the street corner atop a soapbox or handing out tracts; I am referring to an earnest conversation about Jesus Christ with a friend at work who is suffering and lost, or a child you know that needs to hear one of the parables of Jesus to help them understand a life lesson? We often blame society for emasculating our faith, when the truth is that we gave up our swords of faith long ago. We stand in our armor of faith with no weapon and bemoan our circumstances.
Do you like to try new foods, visit new places, meet new people? Well be careful, because such desires for newness and diversity can lead you astray when applied to your faith. Our love for Jesus shouldn’t require us to meet Him like a stranger every day, and we should resist the temptation to change Him in some way each time we visit Him, or redecorate His House every time we enter His door.
Are we confident in the promises of God? Are we certain enough to stand before Him and after asking something of Him say “now do as you have spoken.”? We serve a God who is true, and whose Word is perfect and without quibble... his promises stand as if stone and are good forever. So why is it that we fear the outcome of our troubles, or the certainty of our salvation?
Do you believe in the Word of God, and hold it up as the one truth by which you can orient your life, and find your way into eternity with God? This is our key to sanctification and to all the promises for which we long. In the Word of God we find our way towards becoming one with Jesus Christ, and God Himself... do you approach your reading of the Bible, God’s Holy Word, with this understanding?
It is no accident that the first two verses of the very first Psalm speaks to studying God’s Word over that of men. We are told to take our counsel from scripture, and not from the ungodly. It is obvious from these words that we are being told that reading God’s Word as our foundation for study should be the sound basis for our study. Are we listening to His voice in this, or do we prefer to read from various other sources as they attempt to interpret scripture for us? How should we study God’s Word?