Blessings to you! It seems of late that I have written often about times that try men’s souls and a great shaking in our day. God has blessed me to live over half a century, and I have never seen times of such uncertainty and heaviness. In spite of all we encounter, there is hope for all believers: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13).
But how can we have hope when the world is unraveling all around us. What is our foundation? What do we stand upon? Our foundation is the Word of God. The Word is a rock. Psalm 61:2 instructs us: “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Did you know the Word of God (our rock) is actually Jesus Christ? Yes, the Word, God, and Jesus Christ are one. John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (Jesus), and the Word was God.”
If you desire to draw near to God, you must also draw near to His Word.
The Power of the Word of God
As I counsel, I have discovered that many believers do not read their Bibles. The Bible is a book full of God’s words to you – it is full of truth. The Word has the ability to sanctify you and set your life apart for God’s purposes: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). It also renews your mind which, in turn, transforms your life: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Rom. 12:2, NLT). What a disservice to a believer’s walk of faith when the life of God’s Word is not received.
Let’s talk further about transformation. When we receive Christ, we become new creations. The transformation is similar to the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The caterpillar “renounces” its old way of life and lives anew as a butterfly. Similarly, new believers renounce the old sinful nature and instead live freely through the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Like the butterfly, we emerge light and free to live out our Creator’s plans. We live differently than before – now on a new, spiritual level rather than sliding along (as a caterpillar) in our natural flesh. Sanctification and transformation are powerful processes. Consider your life experience. Do you live as a caterpillar or a butterfly?
Re-Align Your Priorities and Your Life
Did you know that the Word is alive? Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Heb. 4:12, NLT). As you read it, it reads you!
If you have veered from regular time in the Word, re-align your priorities. From experience, I know that your relationship with God must include time spent with Him in His Word – the Bible. God wants to speak directly to you and provide wisdom to navigate these trying times, and He frequently speaks through His Word. Offer yourself and your time as a living sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1).
More important than reading and meditating on the word is bringing your life into alignment with it. In John 2, we read about a wedding in Cana where the wine supply ran out. Jesus’ mother told Him about the predicament. Although He was hesitant to intervene, Mary told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Those are words for us today. Jesus is the Word; do what He tells you. This is lifestyle obedience. What good is it to read the Word, meditate on it, and then not walk in it?
Stability in Shifting Times
From wise reflection, I have decided to sow the Word into the foundation of my life. The name of this ministry reflects my heart decision – “The Word is My Life” Training Ministry. The Word is the core of who I am. I live the Word, and as a result, I have found stability in these shifting times, and you can too. How? The Word gives you a root system that keeps you strong (and standing) during life’s storms. Luke 6:47-49 (NLT) explains, “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” The hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” says the same: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand … all other ground is sinking sand.”
The Word - Our Bedrock
Did you know that Harvard University was founded in the 1600s as a school to train Christian ministers? I love one statement in their “Rules and Precepts” from 1646: “Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”
I pray you will lay Christ (the Word) in the bottom of your life. That Word – Christ Himself – is a sure foundation. Think on these things.
