Thursday, August 17, 2017

The Road Map for Life

‘How sweet are your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm 119:103-105).

'The Bible is the road map for life, and while your pastor can highlight the best route to take, you learn how to navigate life's twists and turns for yourself.'(Billy Graham). The word of God is the manual for life and without it life lacks purpose and fulfillment. It is the gateway to the wisdom, character and power of God; simply put, God is inseparable from His Word. The Bible teaches that in the beginning there was nothing God made without His Word and now God sustains all things by the Word of His power (Heb 1:3, John 1:3). So He says that heaven and earth will pass away but His words will not (Mat 24:35). If there is anything you need most in life, it is God’s Word. In God’s word are hidden treasures of wisdom, power and all things that pertain to life and Godliness. God’s word is the only medium through which man can daily experience God on earth, ‘it
 is God’s gateway to His great acts’ (David Oyedepo). Where the word of the king is there is power.

According to the U.C.B Word for today, when asked, 'What book has most influenced your life?' most people say the Bible. Yet fewer than 14% of us read it every day. How come? Here are some of our most common excuses:

1) 'I've no time.' Really? Many of the books in your Bible can be read in 10 to 45 minutes, some in less than 20 minutes. By taking a chapter a day you can complete the book of Proverbs in a month, and the Epistle of James in five days.

2) 'I don't know where to begin.' If starting in Genesis and working your way through seems overwhelming, break it into bite-sized pieces. Pick a Gospel and read the life of Christ. Just get started!

3) 'It's not exciting.' Do you like romance? Read the book of Ruth. Looking for adventure? Try Judges or Acts. Enjoy poetry? Explore Song of Solomon. From history to how-to, it's all in Scripture.

4) 'Isn't going to church every week good enough?'

5) 'It makes me uncomfortable.' When you don't know what God's Word actually says, it's easy to equate it with negative experiences and hypocrisy you've observed, and throw out the baby with the bathwater. No question, the Bible makes you face hard truths: '...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart' (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). It gives you a check-up from the neck up. But you'll discover who you are, what you're called to do, and become empowered to do it’.

One truth from God’s word, just one, can change your entire life. 
The word of God is pregnant with signs and wonders, but the power in it is only realized when one begins to apply it daily in the circumstances of life, through obedience. Heb 1:8 says that righteousness will be the scepter of God’s kingdom, meaning God rules on earth through His Word in the hands of his children. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions’ (Rick Warren). In fact, there are many of God's commandments you won't understand until you first obey them. When you haven't carried out God's last set of instructions it's hard to get excited about His next set. God’s word is creative, it demands us to speak it, it is a prophecy it demands us to believe it, so begin to apply it daily to all the circumstances of your life. Remember, character, not comfort, is God's first priority in your life. You can’t know the worth of a seed until it is planted. Study, meditate and apply the word of God in your life today and you shall live like a god on earth, Jesus said ‘He called them gods, to whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35, Psalm 82:5-8). May God use you to spread the aroma of His knowledge everywhere today.



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