Let the Bible Change Your Life!

This past Sunday, I preached a message that might've been... in my opinion... one of the most important messages in the history of our church so far. Now, that's a big statement... but when you consider the importance of the subject, I don't think anyone could really disagree. It wasn't a "deep" message; yet, it was a message that many of us don't put into practice... and, as a result, we don't experience the type of life that God has designed for us.

Every Christ-follower would say they read the Bible... yet our lives, our families, our communities are not changing. We may be "getting in the Word", but is the Word getting into us? Or... are we simply fooling ourselves? (James 1:22)

There were 5 points in the message... 5 P's... that will help us to get the most out of our daily time in the Word (and, just to be clear, I'm not even talking about Bible study here). I'll share the points over the next few days.

#1 - POSITION: We have to position, or align, ourselves to the authority of the Bible. THIS HAS TO BE FIRST! We approach the Scriptures too casually sometimes... but if the Bible is going to transform us from the inside out, we have to approach it for the authority that it is. This is God's Word... and He didn't give it to us to consult us... but through its teaching, to conform us to the character and image of His Son. He doesn’t ask us our advice as to what’s best for us… He tells us... and He calls us to choose what is best so that we can experience life the way He's designed it for us. And when we neglect His Word, we skip His wisdom and counsel to our own detriment.

God's Word revives us and makes us wise (Ps. 19:7), and it brings us joy and gives us insight (19:8). His Word lasts forever and is totally righteous, because God has exalted above ALL THINGS His name and His word (Ps. 138:2).

Now, you're probably saying, "I know all this..." Okay, um, right. But how does it affect your life? Here's a quick test: if you can remember the turning point in Sunday's Super Bowl or the theme of the last two episodes of Oprah or The View... but you can't remember the last thing God said to you from His Word... um, I'd say the Bible could probably stand to be elevated in your life just a tad. :-)

If it's life change we're after, we have to position ourselves rightfully to the Bible... and that position is aligning ourselves under the authority that God has given it. Let the Bible change your life.