What Guides My Life?

 

The church where I currently preach, Hickman Mills church of Christ, in Kansas City, MO, recently presented a special series called “Week-End in the Word.” The theme was Bible Answers To Tough Questions. The speaker invited to address these questions was Dan DeGarmo from Chillicothe, Ohio.

The questions included, “Why Bad Things Happen to good people” How should I Respond to Terror?” “Who Am I? And “God, What Do You See in Me?”

In my mind the key question, answered Sunday morning, was “What Guides My Life?” This answer impacts the answers to all other questions.

As Dan correctly observed the world today is looking for answers. People are seeking guidance regarding questions about marriage, parenting, religion, and personal values.

Some people seek answers in self-help books. Others tune in to Dr. Phil or popular media personalities. And many simple rely on the guidance from friends or family.

Dan stated that the answer to “What Guides My Life” must be based on two important criteria. First, it must be objective. In other words what guides our live cannot be influenced by personal opinions, subjective feelings, or emotional experiences. It must be unbiased. Impartial. Equitable. Fair. And nonpartisan.

Second, such an important answer must come from a source that is authoritative. It must be accurate and authentic. It must be truthful and trustworthy. It must be validated and verified.

Based on these two measurements, there can be only one standard by which to guide our lives. The Bible. The Word of God.

Dan reminded us of Jeremiah’s exhoration, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).

If you don’t believe in the Bible, this short post won’t convince you. But Dan’s lesson was really addressed to Bible believers who may be failing to follow it. Dan shared 6 things we must do, for the Word to really impact and guide our lives

(1) Put your trust in the power of the Word.

God’s word is powerful, penetrating, and potent. The Bible teaches that God’s Word has the power to create. Sustain. Save. Destroy. And affect growth in your life. (Rom. 1:16; I Pet. 2;2; 2 Pet. 3:5-6; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

(2) Prepare your heart.

The Bible compares the heart to the different kinds of soil in which a sower plants seed. (Lk. 8:5-15). Seed will not produce a crop when it falls on hard ground. Rocky soil. Or thorny soil. It is the good soil in which seed will germinate and produce a bountiful harvest. Is your heart open to the Word of God? Receptive to His guidance? Willing to accept His answers?

(3) Cleanse yourself from the world’s contamination.

The wickedness of the world will hinder us from receiving God’s inspired guidance. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you” (Jas 1:21).

(4) Long for the Word.

Like an infant desires to be fed by the milk from his mother’s breast, so should Christians crave the spiritual milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:1-3). We must earnestly yearn to be fed. Don’t allow distractions to delay or deter regular feeding time from the Word.

(5) Meditate on the Word

Mediation is more than simply reading. It is contemplating. Reflecting. And pondering. “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. (Ps 1:1-2)

(6) Live the Word in your life.

The Bible is more than a book to be believed. It is a way of life to be lived. Daily. In our homes. Jobs. Recreation. And in all the decisions and challenges we face.

Christian friend, the Bible is the only objective and authoritative standard to guide our lives in this complex and troubling world. Dan DeGarmo affirmed, “I will go to my grave standing on the Truth of the Word of God.” Will you?

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman