Friday, February 28, 2014

Solid Foundation part 4 & 5




We concluded our series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 6" How do I Integrate the Bible into my daily life?" You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  
We talked about on Sunday the importance of Building our lives on the Word of God. That is the first step in integrating the Bible into our lives. So for I have blogged the 2nd step which is living the Word of God and the 3rd step which is growing through the Word of God. Let’s take a look at the 4th & 5th steps of integrating God's Word into our daily lives.

#4—I’ve got to act on it.

One of the verses we memorized during the 40 Days in the Word series was James 1:22.  “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.” 

If I go to church and it’s going in one ear and out the other and I listen to it, I’m living a life of self-deception.  I think because I’ve written notes down I’ve got it.  No.  I don’t have it.  I only believe the part of the Bible I actually do.  We’ve spent six weeks in the home groups teaching you how to write personal application, how to personalize it and paraphrase it and probe it and pronounce it.  All those ways we talked about in our home groups.  

When we take a growth step and put God’s Word into action, we discover and encounter God in ways we never have before. We get to experience God in ways others don’t or others can’t understand. Why? Because we have put into practice and acted on what God has said. I think about Peter walking on water. I think about the little boy giving Jesus his little lunch. I think about the blind man throwing off his robe and running toward Jesus. Never underestimate one simple act of obedience. Apply God’s Word to your daily life isn’t easy but it is worth it. We get to know God and experience a level of relationship with Him the way we were created to.

Finally there is a 5th step.
 
#5—I must trust in it. 

I build on it, I feed on it, I live by it, I grow through it, I act on it, and I then live it out by trusting in it. 
 
Why can I trust the Bible?  We did a whole session on that.  God is never going to guide you in the wrong direction.  Other people will.  Even well-meaning people.  I’ve had dear friends give me advice, and it was the wrong advice.  You’ve had friends who love you deeply and gave you advice but it was the wrong advice.  Even well-meaning people often will steer you in the wrong way.  But God will never do that.  You can always trust him.  If he tells you to go that way, you’d better go that way!  Because it’s always going to be the right way.  It’s going to be the best way.  It’s going to cause a whole lot less problems if you trust and follow.

Psalm 119:105 was one of our memory verses during this series; “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  

I call this the flashlight verse of the Bible.  Your word is a lamp for my feet.  It’s like flashlight.  Showing me so I don’t stub my toe at night, and a light for my path.

Are you ever in the dark?  Yeah, all the time.  Some of you are going, “I don’t have the slightest idea of what I’m supposed to do about this relationship I’m in right now…  I haven’t the slightest idea whether I should accept this job offer… I haven’t the slightest idea where I should invest next … What I should do with the next five years of my life. I am clueless right now what to do with my children.”

What do you do when you’re in the dark?  You flip on the light.  This is why memorizing this verse is so important.  This verse is a promise from God.  The next time you’re in the dark and you’re confused and you don’t know which way to turn and you don’t know what to do and where to go you just say, “God, you’ve said in Psalm 119:105 ‘Your word is a light to my feet and a lamp for my path.’  God, keep your promise.  I’m going to start reading your word.  Show me what you want me to do.” 

If you go to the Word and you say, “Lord, I’m trusting that your Word will be a lamp to my feet and a light for my path, in other words you’re going to show me the path to walk on, you’re going to lead me in the dark.  When I’m confused and I don’t know what to do about this relationship, but you promised and I am going to trust in your Word,” you will see amazing things happen.

Here’s what I want to challenge you to do.  I want to challenge you to make a commitment to keep on doing what you’ve been doing – not to stop.  I want to challenge you to keep on being in a home group and I want to challenge you to keep on reading the Bible every day, having a daily quiet time, a daily devotion.

If you want to change groups and get a new one, that’s fine.  If you want to start a whole new group, that’s fine.  But keep the habit of a group study and keep the habit of personal study so that you can become a man of the Word or a woman of the Word.  Let me pray for you as we conclude this blog series and the 40 Days in the Word series.

Prayer:

       Father, I want to thank you for the Word of God.  I thank you that it calms our fears.  It enlightens our mind.  It strengthens our will.  It grows our maturity.  I thank you, Lord, that it calms our worries and it leads us in the dark.  All the things that your Word does we want to commit to being a part of an ongoing process of continuing in your word. Father God, so many good things have been happening the past 40 Days. So many great stories of people finding hope, courage and renewed passion in your Word. I pray that you give us the grace and strength to continue on. I pray that we will not quit with the end of the this series but that this will be a life-long healthy life giving habit. We love you and thank you for teaching us and guiding us. In Jesus Name! AMEN!

 

Adapted from thoughts form Rick Warren and the 40 Days in the Word Campaign.

 
PS. This Sunday is the KICKOFF of our NEW series “Stories.” Come and hear Jeff Hlavin share from “Hippy to Happy.” We’ll also be debuting a NEW video story each week from someone in the WFC family.

No comments:

Post a Comment