Thursday, February 11, 2016

How important are words?


All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17
How important are words?  That seems like a ridiculous question to ask, doesn’t it?  We have words that tell us the nutritional value in a bowl of Captain Crunch, words that tell us how to assemble something (though mostly ignored by us men), words that give direction, instruction, and the list goes on and on and on.  Frankly, we simply cannot survive without words, both written and spoken.  The same is true in our Christian walk.  We cannot survive our faith walk without realizing the importance of God’s Word in our lives. 
When we attempt to assemble our lives in some sort of order without following the instruction book inspired by God, the Bible, we find ourselves not put together right.  Missing pieces, upside down parts and voids make our lives unstable, unsteady and shaky.  Daniel Litton puts it this way, “It is very important that we align our thoughts and steps in our day-to-day lives with God’s Word because His Word is Truth.  From His Word comes the understanding of reality for how things really are, and whatever His Word tells us is the truth that we can live by.  Without God’s words, we would be wandering stars with no certainty to where we are going in our lives, or for that matter, with where we will be spending our life after this one. But His words instruct us—they give us life.  Our lives, as Christians, bear the good fruit of his Word.
Proverbs 3:1-6 reminds us of this. “… do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Do you bind the truth of God’s Word around your neck?  Are they written down on the tablet of your heart?  Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?  Do you place priority on starting your day out in God’s word?  This is a tough thing to do.  After all, we are busy, busy people.  Many people feel they just can’t find time to set apart for a daily devotional time with the Lord. The fact is, we have time for Facebook and TV and movies and socializing with friends.  If we are too busy to get to know the God of the universe who created, redeemed, and longs for a relationship with us, then we are too busy—something else has got to go. 
Have you ever had a day that started wrong and continued a downward spiral until evening?  Maybe you haven’t started with your focus in the right place.  You’re thinking about schedules and trying to work through the day before it starts.  Your day can take off much stronger and end with peace in your heart when you begin with God’s word.  Look at Psalm 32:8: I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
What better way to start our day to know that the God of the universe will teach us the way to go, through His Word, each and every day.  Let’s begin each day there, in His presence.

Scripture to Claim:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22



by David Miller

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