It's puzzling that so many Christians try to live the Christian life without reading their Bible, except for sporadic perusals of God's Word, seeking a pithy thought for the day. The Word of God is not merely a source of helpful suggestions, preventive warnings, or inspirational thoughts: It is life itself!
God commanded His people to bind His words on their hearts, to teach them diligently to their children, and to regularly discuss them in their homes (Deut. 6:4–9). So essential was His Word that it was to hold a prominent place in the daily lives of His people. Our reverence for God's Word is revealed not only by what we say but also by what we do. Spending more time reading and studying the words of people rather than the Word of God reveals our hearts’ condition. To blatantly disregard God's Word is to reject life itself. To obey God's Word is the surest way to experience all that God has in store for us. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
Build My Life
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Jesus the name above every other name
Jesus the only one who could save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh we live for you
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh, we live for you
Jesus the name above every other name
Jesus the only one who could save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh we live for you
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
It seems that God's not done with the message of that song 'Build My Life'. It was on my mind as I woke up this morning. I get my coffee ready before reading what I do read each morning that I spend with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
In my Scripture reading it was in Isaiah. Part of what it was mentioning was the original passage Jesus quoted whdn He drove out the money changers. That His House would be a House of Prayer. That passage had a lot in it beyond that. About what God calls righteousness. Not what we call it, if we are seeking it at all.
That's impossible for a Believer in Jesus Christ to say isn't it? If we are seeking righteousness at all? Look back at what Blackaby said. Look at that song again.
I will build my life upon your love. It is a firm foundation
Christ's love, the foundation was His death, burial and resurrection. When He arose from the grave His powerful love was unleashed upon the Universe. Not just here on Earth.
All Creation knew the importance of what He did. Satan has been trying for over 2,000 years to blind people to the truth of this.
Need more proof? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."
So how are we to know what's right from wrong? God's Word.
How are we to walk in what's right in God's eyes and not ours? God's Word.
Just what is a deluding influence? Temptation.
It's compromising in any area of your life.
It's giving anyone or anything an opportunity to take the place of God in your life. It's giving the worship due to Jesus to another. It's to pour out your passion into things or people that belongs to your Savior.
Remember my readers these things aren't from me. God speaks and I write. That's how He set this up. He seems to be doing with my heart as He did in the writers of old. He stirs up reminders. He provokes the Spirit within to say things that need to be said.
Why did the original people from Egypt never cross over to the Promised land? Why didn't Moses? They didn't take The Lord at His Word.
It wasn't important enough to them.
Is God's Word important to you? Is it more important than status, approval, or acceptance by people around you? Is it more important that an allegiance to a sports team? Is it more important than your devotion to characters from a movie or TV show? Is it more important than your political alliance? Here's the tough one. It it more important than your Pastor? Is it more important than your family?
Because Jesus said it should be. If we love anything more than Him we aren't living with right priorities. We have effectively divided our hearts and that Jesus will not accept. God said you cannot serve two Masters. Read that part. Not the part about it being God and money. That part alone.
To be a Christian is to be a Disciple of Christ. One Master. Jesus alone.
That deluding influence is rampant in our society today. "Oh, it's ok. It's not harming anyone. It's not that bad. It's all in fun. I deserve this. It makes me happy. I enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with it."
Look at your life again. Look at your choices. Look at how serious you take yourself in all areas of your life. Do you use words as a weapon when someone says something about 'your team'? Isn't that dishonoring to Jesus? Is that showing the fruits of the Spirit? Have you even read in Corinthians what the fruits of the Spirit are to know if you were displaying them?
How about arguments about politics. Here's a hot one. Scripture says to pray for our leaders. Not back them. We are Ambassadors in this world for Christ and His Kingdom. This world is not our home.
Yet Christians are as bad as the rest of the world in berating and tearing down politicians.
We defend the Gospel, not world leaders.
The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to write His Word upon our hearts. If you aren't taking it in daily. How will you know what it is?
If you aren't in your Bible then assuredly you are writing upon your heart something but it isn't from God. It's the world view on life. It's idolatry, it's sinful living, it's everything that's the opposite of God's Word.
So how important is God's Word to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment