Wake Up! Not Another Bedtime Story...
Melanie Pace July 2009
“Tell me a Story Dad” says my 2 year old to my husband, and I over hear the most outrageous stories and they are definitely not your grandma's bedtime stories. For instance the story usually starts something like “There once were three chickens; Chico, Manuel, and Fred...” or “There once were 3 bears and a chicken on a Harley...” The names are never the same and no story is ever told the same way twice. Aubry thinks that his Dad is the greatest storyteller in the world, and hangs onto every word as he squirms and giggles. On the other hand, I tend to stick with the standard Three Little Pigs or Three Bears. I have told these standard bedtime stories so many times that if I doze off mid-sentence I wake up with Aubry pushing on my shoulder and filling me in on what comes next. He has heard the stories so many times that he can recite the words verbatim. Aubry enjoys His dads stories more because they come alive, and he hangs onto every word anticipating where Scott is going with the story. When I tell a bedtime story it does what it was intended to do - put him to sleep.
What does the Bible do for you...fill you with anticipation, or put you to sleep? You see the Word of God is living and breathing. It is not just another compilation of stories, or a self help guide.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active.
“Living and active”: Our church has two Sunday morning services, and Scott usually uses the same scriptures in both services, but it NEVER comes out the same. Even though he has the same outline and notes. This phenomenon happens because Gods word is “living and active”. It will do what God has purposed for it to do.
Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
We should never treat God and His Word as though it is a fairy tale. It is full of exciting stories that are true, and if true, then we can experience the same, but only if we read and live it. A wonderful woman of God that I know and love says “Work the Word and it will work for you”. This means to put God's word into practice and stand firm upon its promises. We use many resources to figure out how to live, when the bible is the essential resource that we need. The Bible will do many things for us if we read it, study it, and apply it.
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Luke 11:28b... blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Time to wake up, and understand that God's Word is not a fairy tale. It is God, the creator of all things, speaking directly to us. So read the living Word of God... hanging onto every word with excited anticipation.
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES...
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES...
Many years ago I noticed that our youth group was being accepting of sin in their lives. So I decided to use an illustration that I had heard about. I baked brownies for the group and as they were devouring them, I told them that I added a special ingredient – dog poop. The group collectively began to spit out brownie, but I assured them that It was such a small amount that they would never taste it. The point being, you cannot combine brownie mix with a contaminate in even small proportions and have something that is safe to consume. The same with mixing God's truth with anything else.
There is a phenomenon that has been happening since time began; we take worldly ideas and Godly ideas and we interweave them into a new thing. What we end up with is a new ideology that does not resemble God's truth, but it sure “seems” godly. I am not talking about worshiping styles (contemporary vs. traditional). I am referring to taking God's immutable truth and diluting it with anything else.
In the book of Judges, God gave the children of Israel a specific task of wiping out the Canaanites, and possessing the promised land, but instead the children of Israel decided to cohabitate with the Canaanites. Eventually this led to the incorporation of Canaanite ideas and worship. The truth of God was combined with lies (... if it is not fully THE TRUTH then it is...fully a LIE). The result is distorted thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
If you read chapter 17 you will see the impact that a world view had on Micah and his Mother. They did some seemingly godly things, but they had no knowledge of the truth.
Doing what is right in our own eyes is very dangerous. Our feelings, thoughts, opinions, and logic have been contaminated by the world around us. Sometimes we confuse the things we feel passionate about with truth. There are many people who were motivated out of their own deep convictions, and did what was right in their own eyes.
Cultural examples: Hitler, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, terrorists, pro choice supporters, humanists, new agers, ….the list is endless.
Biblical examples: Adam and Eve (eating the apple), Cain(killed his brother), Sarah and Abraham (tried to help God by offering Hagar to conceive), Pharaoh (refused to set Israel free), Judas (betrayed Christ), Prodigal son, ….again the list could go on.
Now go look in the mirror, are you doing what is seemingly right in your own eyes... Or what God has established by His word, or by the leading of the Holy Spirit. The truth is not “in your eyes”, it is in placing the Word of God before your eyes...and living it out daily.
Deuteronomy 12:8“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
Many years ago I noticed that our youth group was being accepting of sin in their lives. So I decided to use an illustration that I had heard about. I baked brownies for the group and as they were devouring them, I told them that I added a special ingredient – dog poop. The group collectively began to spit out brownie, but I assured them that It was such a small amount that they would never taste it. The point being, you cannot combine brownie mix with a contaminate in even small proportions and have something that is safe to consume. The same with mixing God's truth with anything else.
There is a phenomenon that has been happening since time began; we take worldly ideas and Godly ideas and we interweave them into a new thing. What we end up with is a new ideology that does not resemble God's truth, but it sure “seems” godly. I am not talking about worshiping styles (contemporary vs. traditional). I am referring to taking God's immutable truth and diluting it with anything else.
In the book of Judges, God gave the children of Israel a specific task of wiping out the Canaanites, and possessing the promised land, but instead the children of Israel decided to cohabitate with the Canaanites. Eventually this led to the incorporation of Canaanite ideas and worship. The truth of God was combined with lies (... if it is not fully THE TRUTH then it is...fully a LIE). The result is distorted thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
If you read chapter 17 you will see the impact that a world view had on Micah and his Mother. They did some seemingly godly things, but they had no knowledge of the truth.
Doing what is right in our own eyes is very dangerous. Our feelings, thoughts, opinions, and logic have been contaminated by the world around us. Sometimes we confuse the things we feel passionate about with truth. There are many people who were motivated out of their own deep convictions, and did what was right in their own eyes.
Cultural examples: Hitler, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, terrorists, pro choice supporters, humanists, new agers, ….the list is endless.
Biblical examples: Adam and Eve (eating the apple), Cain(killed his brother), Sarah and Abraham (tried to help God by offering Hagar to conceive), Pharaoh (refused to set Israel free), Judas (betrayed Christ), Prodigal son, ….again the list could go on.
Now go look in the mirror, are you doing what is seemingly right in your own eyes... Or what God has established by His word, or by the leading of the Holy Spirit. The truth is not “in your eyes”, it is in placing the Word of God before your eyes...and living it out daily.
Deuteronomy 12:8“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
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