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.
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