July 21

Taking God at His Word

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  ––Luke 11:27-28

So you interact with someone—either in person or perhaps on social media—and present an opposing view respectfully and factually. They hate certain news outlets, so you show them statistics from outlets they find acceptable. But no matter how logical you are or how many facts you present, they still don’t believe your position. Frustrating, right?

That’s exactly how God feels when He tries to direct and correct us, and we ignore Him. Either we deny what He’s trying to tell us, willfully disobey, or are deceived into thinking that our way is better. I see this sometimes when I’m chatting with guys at an event or in a social setting. I will tell them why living with their partner isn’t God’s plan for them, and they will say, “But she is divorced and will lose alimony if we get married.” Or, “It’s too expensive to pay rent for two places so we are living together.”

Man of God, I don’t make the rules. Your pastor doesn’t make the rules. The “rules” have been in place for millennia, set down by an omniscient Creator who knows what’s best for us far better than we can imagine. Is it HARD to wait to stay celibate and live with your future wife until you are married? Yes, for sure. It may mean living at your parents’ house for a few more years, or taking on roommates to spread the costs. Is it hard to pass up that third beer after a really tough day? Or to pull your eyes away from an inappropriate scene on TV? Or to play it completely straight on your taxes and report EVERY penny you made? Yes, yes, and yes.

Here’s the reality: God didn’t create you so you can have a convenient or comfortable life. He created you to worship Him, model your life after Christ and His behaviors, and to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you to reach others with the Gospel. Everything after that is, well, after that. It’s time for all of us (myself included) to take a good, hard look at the reality that is our life. Are we taking God at His Word (as in, the Bible), or are we depending upon the world’s “words” to set the course of our life?

What is one thing you need to give up in your life? What action or thought process is present in your life that you KNOW He wants you to surrender to Him? (We ALL have them.)

Here’s the incredible end to this hard-to-hear story:

My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.  ––Hebrews 12:5-6

Father, help me make choices in my life that please and honor You, rather than myself or the world. I take Your Word as the truth by which to live my life.