Bible Stories, Religious Ethical Teachings or THE TRUTH to be applied so you can live faithfully?

Bible Stories, Religious Ethical Teachings or THE TRUTH to be applied so you can live faithfully?

The answer to the question: “Is The Bible a record of Stories leading up to and including Jesus? Is the Bible Religious Ethical Teachings we can choose from and adjust for our own particular circumstances? Or is the Bible THE TRUTH to be applied to keep you from stumbling, so you can live successfully and faithfully?

The answer could be ‘yes’ to all the above. But that view will lead you to minimizing the importance – no, make that the vital urgency – of knowing and doing the Will of God for your life and in your life.

Let me begin by saying that the Bible was written to you, for you and about you, for your understanding and relationship with God. There are those who would argue that the Bible sometimes was written to specific people or about specific people but not always for those people, and this, unfortunately, is the prevalent view among most theologians and Christian denominations. It is an attempt to avoid having to apply the parts Truth of God’s Word which they do not understand or do not agree with. In other words, puny and arrogant humans standing in judgement on God and His Word! (Think about that.)

Here is why I say what I am saying:  The Bible instructs us, “Every place on which the sole of your foot steps, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No one will be able to oppose you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not desert you nor abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:3-9).

And again in Deuteronomy 28:1-13, “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the LORD your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the LORD your God:

“Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the [c]country.

“Blessed will be the children of your womb, the produce of your ground, and the [f]offspring of your animals: the newborn of your herd and the young of your flock.

“Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.

“Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.

“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated by you; they will go out against you one way and will flee at your presence seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing for you in your barns and in everything that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will see that [i]you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. And the LORD will give you more than enough prosperity, in the children of your womb, in the offspring of your livestock, and in the [l]produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only be above, and not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you today, to follow them carefully”.

In a nutshell, your thoughts, your ideas, your circumstances and your needs, no matter how great or dire, overshadow or trump the Truth of God’s Word. Anytime you skirt or compromise the clear teachings and instructions of God’s Word you get, at best, a diluted result and at worst, death – death, whether the death of a dream, the death of your hopes and aspirations,  or a physical death.

We, as Christians, are so quick to exclaim “He is risen, indeed”, but then hesitant when it is time to act on the Words of the Risen King, Jesus Christ!  Perhaps it is because we are a frail and broken people, saved only by God’s Grace and through our faith in Jesus. Or, perhaps it is because we are a rebellious people, bent on having our own way.

But know this: If you are able, you must.

If you cannot, put yourself at God’s mercy. He knows that’ our frames are but dust’, prone to fail. And though He will not test you beyond what you can endure, the finished Work of Jesus on the cross has provided and secured our salvation.

Do what you can, and all you can, while you can. If you cannot, turn to The Father through Jesus His Son, our Lord, our Savior, our Friend and Brother.

If you have called on the name of the Lord, you can depend on Him and His Word. Read it. Know it. Believe it. Do it. It is Creative, Causative, Prophetic and Instructional.

Each and every Word of the Bible is God’s love letter of hope, promise and instruction written specifically to and for you and me. This is how and why it is written. This is how it is to be read, understood and applied – every time, all the time.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young