How quick the culture is to dismiss the Word of God. It is made out to be antiquated. Hateful. Biased. Foolish nonsense. But here’s the thing… when you read it – I mean all of it – when you study it – you realize that the Bible is exactly what we are told that it is: The Living Word.
Time and time again the Bible is proved to be both historically accurate, as well as holding the truth – the answers that the world needs.
This morning, as I was reading I was once again struck by the fact that the words on the page could have just as easily been written for us today as it was for the people of Israel more than 2,000 years ago. Man. Even as I typed that last sentence, the thought occurred to me that we – especially here in America – but would certainly be true everywhere else in the world – we rarely pause long enough to realize just how long ago the Word has been available to mankind. Our nation is only a few hundred years old, causing us to believe that something is very old after only a couple of centuries… The scriptures I want to focus on today were written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Just let that sink in…. that is almost 2,700 years old – and as I mentioned before, it sounds like it was written for us today. Amazing.
Friend, this is why God’s Word – the Bible – is called the Living Word. No matter how many times you read it – it’s still relevant. No matter how many times you read it – something new is revealed. It’s as if God, Himself, is giving you just what you need, just when you need it. Sometimes it’s a word of encouragement. Sometimes it’s a word of correction. Sometimes it’s a reminder about God’s character and power. In every instance, it’s as if God is speaking to us – His people – and giving us just exactly what we need. Absolutely amazing.
Perhaps this is why I feel so passionately that we all need to be investing time daily in reading and learning God’s Word. I mean this with all sincerity: there is no better investment of our time. I love time with my kids. I love time with my spouse. I love time with my friends. I love time for hobbies. Those times are all good – but when I invest in my time with God and His Word and make it my first priority – all those other times receive blessings. My time feels more productive. I’m in a better place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I’m preaching. (Like I said, I am passionate about this…)
On to the scripture passage I wanted to share with you: Out of the book of Isaiah, chapter 8, verses 11-14a, “The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe.”
Ooh! That’s a good word for today, isn’t it? But it goes on – verse 16: “Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.” (Verse 20) “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.“
How are we doing? Our culture is teaching something counter to God’s teaching, friend. Culture is teaching that truth is subjective. It is relative to each of our feelings. What’s true for you is true. What’s true for me is true. That is not what God says at all. I cannot be obedient to culture and still align with God’s Word. It doesn’t work. Either my culture is preaching truth or God is. Not both. Who do you believe?
God says: “Fear me. Preserve my teaching. Follow me. Look to me.” How are we doing? I’ll tell you what, it is really hard to look to someone and preserve their teachings if I don’t know what the teaching is. It’s really hard to stand with God and the truth that is never changing – is absolute – if I haven’t even read it. It’s hard to recognize and call out lies when I don’t have something to compare them to. A holy standard. An unchanging standard. A firm foundation. Friend, we’ve been given the materials upon which to build – rock-solid materials. They have been provided. The question is: Will we choose to use those materials (the Word) as our foundation, or will we choose to use something else? We had better choose wisely. We should make sure we think this through carefully. One foundation will crumble. One will be absolutely unshakeable.
One more verse for today: Isaiah 7:9 “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” How can I stand firm? One way. I must have firm faith – a faith in the One True God and His Word. With the LORD at the helm, I will not falter.
Make sure you choose the right foundation upon which to build.
Blessings.