“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
‘Just as the Israelites were told of their sin and called
to repentance, the same call is extended to us today. “For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
All are guilty of sin, and there is a penalty to pay. “For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
(Romans 6:23). In addition, God
provided one who paid the penalty for us — if only we would receive. “But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us” (Romans 5:8). Just as God extended a call to the Israelites,
warning them before judgment would fall, God warns us today. “And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). What response does God require? “8.
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9. That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation” (Romans 10:8–10). What are we to do with that information? “Seek
ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near”
(Isaiah 55:6).’
Have you called upon the Lord while he is near?
Excerpt from The Biblical Path of Life, Year Two Quarter One, Lesson 9; God’s Enduring Love. www.biblicalpath.com
“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2
We are taught that obeying laws is important and that there
are penalties to be paid if we break them. Consider the importance of laws. We
are to understand that God has laws. His laws are significant, and obedience is
very important to God as we can see throughout His Word, and most notably in
the Old Testament. Often we recognize God’s discipline on those who break His
laws.
The first five books in the Old Testament are referred to as
“The Law.” Within these books we find the first 2,500 years of history recorded
by Moses. The first book, Genesis, begins with the creation, records the ruin
of man through sin, but it also reveals the sovereignty of God. The word sovereignty
means “supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; as a sovereign ruler of
the universe.” We understand that God is the sovereign God of all who love and
obey Him.
One easy way to remember Genesis and the events within is to
recognize:
Four main events take place:
The Creation
The Fall
The Flood
The Tower
of Babel
Genesis deals mainly with Four People:
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
After about four hundred years, God’s people grew into a
nation numbering around two to three million people in Egypt.
This is where Exodus (which means “the way out” or “outgoing”) begins. At the
culmination of the ten plagues, we see the mighty deliverance of God’s people
from a land of bondage. Shortly after this they meet at the foot of Mount
Sinai. It was at Mount Sinai that the Law
was given (beginning with the Ten Commandments; Exodus 19-20). The Israelites
were taught that obedience to God is necessary. They could not be a redeemed,
set-apart people unless they obeyed God’s command.
In Leviticus, God spoke to Moses from the tabernacle instead
of Mount Sinai. The people needed to know how to live. God
instituted the offerings, the priesthood, a clean lifestyle, and the different
feasts. These things were teach the people how to live as a people wholly given
to God in every aspect of their lives. Leviticus shows the ability to have
fellowship with God when we come to Him as a sanctified people (because He is
holy, and we are a sinful people). Leviticus ends with the blessings of
obedience and the penalties for disobedience. Only about a month’s time passes
during Leviticus.
The name Numbers comes from a numbering of the people at the
beginning of the book and then again at the end. There were two groups of
people, an old generation and a new generation. When the twelve spies were sent
into the land promised to Abraham, only Joshua and Caleb brought back report
that God would allow them to conquer the land. When the Israelites disobeyed
God’s command to cross over into the Promised Land, they were disciplined. The
old generation would die and not enter because they refused to obey God. Only
Joshua and Caleb escaped God’s discipline (wandering in the wilderness for
forty years). Fewer than forty years elapse during Numbers where we see God
guiding, providing, and protecting His people.
Deuteronomy begins by looking back to what God had done for
His people and then looking forward. The entire book shows the faithfulness of
God revealing that God loves His people. Moses warned the people to not forget
the words of God’s Law, revealing the blessings for following God’s Law and the
curse of God if they failed to obey. Joshua is appointed the new leader of the
new generation, and Moses dies.
After remembering the books of “The Law,” see that they help us understand God and what He expects from His people. We also learn that it is quite impossible to obey every law that God has given us. In the New Testament we gain some insight as to why it is important to know “The Law” of the Old Testament. “24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:24-26).
Have you understood “The Law” is a schoolmaster to show the need for Jesus?
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” Hebrews 9:27
Have you ever had an appointment that changed the course of
your life? What about a missed opportunity that you can never go back to
correct?
One cannot help but remember an event that took place in the
Bible. Jesus had been teaching the people when a young man came to Him with a
question. “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and
kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit
eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). This is an important question for
each person to ask. He had the right question. Read Jesus’ reply, “ And
Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but
one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18). Jesus was making a point.
The man recognized Jesus as a great man and a good teacher, but he had not
acknowledged that Jesus was God. That makes all of the difference! Jesus asked
this young man about the commandments (for people understood that God expects
people to obey His commands). Jesus began to list from the Ten Commandments. “Thou
knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do
not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother”
(Mark 10:19). Each of these has to
do with an outward duty as opposed to a change of an inward nature. They deal
with people’s relationship with one another. Do you notice what is missing? The
first four of the Ten Commandments that have to do with one’s relationship with
God are missing. After Jesus had listed the final six of the Ten Commandments,
see the young man’s response, “And he answered and said unto him, Master,
all these have I observed from my youth” (Mark 10:20).
Here we come to the heart of the matter – a time of decision.
Notice that Jesus loved him, but would this young man follow Jesus’
requirement? “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou
lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me”
(Mark 10:21). Did this young man truly desire eternal life? Was he willing to
give the temporal things this world has to offer in exchange for a life
pleasing God and eternity with Him? Would he continue as he was, or would he
choose Jesus? Read his response. “And he was sad at that saying, and went
away grieved: for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). He was sad, yet he just went away
grieved. He was not willing to part with his possessions for a relationship
with Jesus. Read what Jesus had previously warned: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
This young man had not understood a very important thing: “24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25. But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24-25).
Remember: “And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). This young man would be judged according to the
decision he made concerning Jesus.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” 1 John 2:1
“God has
revealed himself gradually through the years. Hebrews 1:1-2a: ‘1.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, 2a. Hath in these last days spoken unto us
by his Son …’ (remember that Hebrews 1:1 refers to the incremental
and progressive manner in which God disclosed Himself up until the appearance
of the Son. It was fragmentary and piece by piece, sort of like pieces of a
puzzle). We see him as the God of creation in Genesis 1. We then see he is a
God who cannot look upon sinful man in Genesis 3. We see that there is a limit
to his tolerance of sinful man in Genesis 6 (the flood that destroys the
world), yet we also see that God shows grace to those who continually seek him
(Noah; Genesis 6:8). God then revealed himself to an individual man (Abraham;
Genesis 12) and extended that revelation to his descendants (Exodus 3:15). God showed Himself mightily to His
people in the ten plagues and the exodus of His people from bondage (Exodus 7–14).
He then showed Himself as their provider (in the wilderness; Exodus 15–17). We
see He is a God who expects His people to hear His voice and obey Him (Exodus
19–20). Once the people accomplish the great task of building a tabernacle
where God’s presence can dwell among His people (Exodus 40), He then reveals
just what it takes to become a “clean and forgiven” people in the presence of a
sinless, perfect God (Leviticus).
God has mandated a blood sacrifice for man’s sins since the
garden. When man sinned, God shed the blood of an animal to make a covering for
man (for he was naked before God; his sins were exposed). When God made the
clothes to “cover” Adam and Eve, it was a great picture of what the Old
Testament sacrifices did for man. They covered mankind’s sins for a season.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see the shedding of blood (from an animal) to
cover mankind’s sins. It isn’t until we come to Leviticus that God reveals the
intricacies and details of the way it is required. The ritualistic sacrifices
(explained in Leviticus) that must be fulfilled, completely and perfectly, are
to show us the great sacrifice it would take to cleanse sinful man from his
sins. It is to reveal to mankind the impossibility of entering into God’s
presence without the perfect
sacrifice, only found in Jesus. All throughout the books of the Law we see God
gradually reveal Himself to mankind, only a piece at a time, through revelation—only
as much as we could handle.”
“And he (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). The word propitiation means “the means of putting away sin and establishing righteousness not by man’s ability to appease God with an of his offerings, (for man is unable to offer anything to placate God), Jesus is presented as the righteous One; … reconciling us to God, allowing us to be acceptable for fellowship with God (see also Romans 3:25). The propitiation of Christ is very personal – the propitiation for our sins.”
Have you asked Jesus to be your Advocate with God, the Father?
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11
After reading 1 Corinthians 10:11, one can
understand that God’s Word was written for us. In the Bible, we find examples
of how we are to live our lives and to show us a picture of God’s plan. We are
to learn from what is written in His Word. Each Bible “story” we have learned
through the years is just a piece of the “puzzle” to complete the picture of
God’s plan. History may appear boring, but we must understand how fascinating,
and especially important, it is to be in our lives.
Because the history found in the Bible is so
important, we should desire to know that history – just like Peter, Stephen,
and Paul knew it. We are to understand that history is there to help us better
understand and know Jesus. The more we read in God’s Word, the more we begin to
understand that God had a plan. In the Old Testament, men didn’t fully
understand what that plan was, but through faith they believed. In the New
Testament, God’s plan was revealed through His Son, Jesus. Men still didn’t
understand until Jesus died, resurrected and ascended into heaven. But once
they understood, they could not keep silent. They shared what they learned with
others so they could know of God’s wonderful plan as well.
After Jesus ascended back into heaven with the promise to
return, Peter preached the Old Testament history. He had a new understanding of
who Jesus was ,why He had come, and that He would return one day. And what an
amazing response he received! Three thousand believed! And when he preached
again shortly thereafter, five thousand believed!
But there was another man named Stephen who preached the same
history, and he found a very different response to his message. The religious
leaders stoned him to death. There was one specific young man who consented to
Stephen’s death. His name was Saul. His initial response to the Gospel message
of Jesus was to seek out anyone who believed in Jesus and imprison or even kill
them.
He made a special trip to find anyone, man or woman, who
believed in Jesus. But on his way, he met Jesus. There was quite a
transformation in his life. Instead of wanting to kill those who believed in
Jesus, Saul (later called Paul) became a mighty preacher, and teacher, of the
history revealing Jesus.
Each of these men came to the understanding that all of the
Old Testament teachings were just pieces of a great picture. As they began to
contemplate the truths they had learned, they realized that they revealed the
picture of God’s plan to send Jesus into the world to take away their sin – if
they would only believe and receive Him.
Have you ever worked on a puzzle? Each piece is only part of
a greater picture. The picture is not complete without all of the pieces. You
could guess what the picture was going to be, but you wouldn’t completely know
without the final pieces. Once you put all of the pieces together, you can see
that greater picture. But when you are missing a piece, the picture is
incomplete. This is much like knowing some of the events of the Old Testament
and missing pieces of it. You cannot see the complete picture without reading
and learning all of the events in that Old Testament text. Throughout history,
people would try to understand what God was showing them. They trusted that He
held all of the pieces and would fit them into place in His own time. Once
Jesus came, many understood that all of the Old Testament was recorded for us
to understand God’s plan to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to redeem a
sinful people back to Himself. He wants us to understand this plan so that we
will know just how important it is to place our lives into God’s hand by trusting
in Jesus.
Do you enjoy doing a puzzle that doesn’t have all of the pieces?
Have you ever been so excited about Jesus that you shared with others what you have learned so they could know of God’s wonderful plan as well?
A “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3
Have you ever stopped to think about God’s creation? Have you
ever thought, “What is the greatest thing God created?” There are so many
wonderful and beautiful things that God made. Picture the mountains, beautiful
sunsets, the ocean, a full moon as it rises, and so many other amazing things
in God’s creation. But have you ever considered that the greatest thing God
created was you? There are a few things we can find in God’s Word that brings
us to this conclusion.
Remember first that God created the world in six days. At the
end of the first five days, God declared that it was good. Even on the sixth
day after God created all of the animals and everything that creeps on the
earth, God declared that it was good. But on that sixth day there was a special
creation. “26. And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
God made man in His image; a man and a woman. After this, we find that God
declared that his creation was “very good.”
God created man perfect, without sin. He made man with the
intent that they would be “holy and without blame” (see Ephesians 1:4). But
more than that, God created man to have fellowship with Him. “For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
He wanted to walk with us.
As we read Genesis chapter three, we find
that Adam and Eve disobeyed God when Eve was beguiled by Satan, bringing sin
into the word which caused separation from God for all of mankind. This meant
that man could no longer fellowship with God as before because of this separation
(remembering that before this they had walked and talked with God in the
garden). Even though man failed greatly, God promised One would come to bridge the gap between sinful man and God
(see the first promise of this in Genesis 3:15)
which would restore that fellowship. Although Adam and Eve did not know who
that One was, they believed God’s Word.
Throughout the Old Testament, there were many
who watched for that One promised by God to come. Jesus, God’s only Son, came
into the world for me (and you). He came so that I could have the opportunity
to fellowship with God again – if only I would believe. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).
When Jesus came, He came to destroy the work of Satan. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
God made each and every one
of us. If one would take time to read Psalm 139:1-18, they could understand
that even King David understood just how special each person created by God is.
One of the most important things that each person should understand is that God
created me. He made me a unique individual. And God created me to have fellowship with Him. God has
a plan for me. But because of sin
that separated man from God, each person must trust Jesus to reconcile them,
restoring that relationship.
Sadly, there are few people in the world today that truly understand their worth in God’s eyes. By remembering the importance of each person, and the great love God has for them in the sending of His only Son, Jesus, to bring them back to Him, we can once again understand the importance on our part to receive the great gift God has made available to us.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
Have you ever had an urgency to do something? What drove that
urgency?
For those who belong to the Lord, that urgency should come
from Him. We should not act upon our own fears or uncertainties – but we often
do. There should be a basis of a relationship with God that we know where He
wants us to be, and that we are doing what we should be doing. Sometimes He
will place something of importance in front of us that we need to take care of
now. Most often, it is just the regular day by day as we follow Him as He
leads. There are many things of this world that will affect that day to day
consistency if we allow them. That is something of which we must be keenly
aware.
One can’t help but think back to the time right before Jesus
was to be crucified. He gave his disciples some much needed final instruction.
He knew that it would be different for them – for He would no longer be
physically walking with them. They would need to know what was happening and
what to do. One very interesting thing we can find is found in John 17. There
was so much on Jesus’ mind. He knew the day for which he had come had finally
arrived: the day that He would willingly lay down his perfect, sinless life to
pay the penalty for all of sinful mankind – if only they would believe.
He went to the garden to pray. He knew the day was at hand,
and He knew there was one final thing He had to complete. At the beginning of
His prayer, He recalled why God had sent Him into the world, and he
acknowledged that He had completed the things God hand sent Him to do. But that
only encompassed the first five verses. The rest of the chapter, through verse
twenty-six, Jesus prayed for others. He prayed for His disciples that had
walked and talked with Him, for they were about to face the world without
Jesus’ physical presence to be with them. All together different than the
previous three years had been! But He prayed that God would help them remember
the Words that they had been taught, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and
they have believed that thou didst send me” (John 17:8). He had told
them what they needed to know to continue. He understood that trouble would
come, but that God would be with them, encourage them, and help them, “I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil”
(John 17:15). The disciples still
had work to do. They were to tell the world what Jesus had come to do,
establishing the foundation of the church and its doctrines.
But the one amazing thing that has always encouraged me is that Jesus knew that one day I would believe in Him, giving my life to Him. He knew that I, too, would need encouragement. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20). He knew that I must understand that He placed me here for a purpose, to fulfill His will for my life, and that I needed to act upon that – not what I want. Jesus was right where God wanted Him. He had done it all, with one final job to compete: He had to lay down His life and take it up again. I will never have such an important job to complete – no one ever will! But each person that belongs to Jesus has a job to fulfill. It is important to be wise enough to understand that. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Read what else He prayed – for each Believer: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). One day I will be with Him in heaven, but until then, I need to be right were Jesus was – right in the midst of the plan God had for His life.
Are you in the midst of the plan God has for your life?
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” Colossians 1:16
In Colossians 1:16
we read that God created everything, and it was created for Him. It is
important to understand that God created us for a purpose. God created man to
have a relationship with Him. After He created Adam and Eve, God walked with
them in the garden until they disobeyed His Word, and sin entered into the
world.
After understanding that God created us to have a
relationship with Him, we look at the Bible from beginning to end. Firstly, we
will take a bird’s eye view over all of history to see that God dealt with man
in different ways through the ages. The Bible is laid out in certain timeframes,
also called “dispensations.” A dispensation is basically a means by which God
deals with mankind throughout the ages because of sin
and employing God’s divine government. Each of the dispensations may be
regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, marking man’s
utter failure in every dispensation. God dealt with His creation in
different ways at different times. God created the world as perfect, but when
man sinned, he brought the judgment of death into the world. Throughout the
ages, God gave individuals many opportunities to have a relationship with Him,
but each time they failed. They had to understand that the only way this
relationship could ever be restored would be by the atoning death of His Son,
Jesus. It is with this understanding that we look at the scriptures as a whole.
The seven dispensations allow us to see how God worked among
the people throughout the years. What began as a face-to-face relationship with
God (remember Adam and Eve in the garden) quickly turned to a sinful people
unable to approach God. But God, through His grace and mercy, promised to make
available to man the opportunity to once again have a relationship with Him. We
learn how man fell and was punished, and then how all of mankind was only evil
continually, so that God destroyed all but one family. God then gave the
governing responsibilities to mankind, and they blew it again, causing God to
confuse their language. When God selected a family, they ended up in bondage
and needed God to deliver them from Pharaoh. Yet when God laid the Promised
Land out in front of them, they were afraid to go. Once they entered the land,
they forsook God and needed judges to deliver them from the judgment God sent.
They then believed they needed a king “like the nations
around” to rule them, once again rejecting God and His plan. This kingdom ended
with the people in captivity because they did not heed the prophets God sent to
warn them. When God allowed them to return to their land, there was great sadness,
for they were not the great nation God had intended for them to be. When God
sent His Son, Jesus, the fulfillment of the promise was given, if only one
would believe. Jesus did many works to reveal God to the people and then laid
down His life for our sins. He restored that broken relationship that nothing
else through the centuries could do. When Jesus rose from the grave, He sent
His disciples to tell the world, allowing His apostles to do mighty works to
help establish the church.
Although the time of the mighty works has passed, today God still uses His people to witness to a lost and dying world. A faithful witness will tell them that the only way to have a relationship with God is through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
God called many prophets in the Old
Testament to go forth and declare His Word to people. They mostly went, no
matter what happened to them. We all remember one particular prophet who chose
to disobey God. He chose to go the opposite direction God wanted him to go. The
way he
wanted to go. Remember him? Jonah, forever known as the prophet who was
swallowed by a whale. Why did that happen to him? Because he chose to do what he
wanted, instead of obeying God. But only after he was in the belly of that
great fish for three days and three nights, praying, was he willing to go
deliver the Word of the Lord to the people of Nineveh. Even with his
begrudgingly behavior, thousands of people repented before God, and God spared
the people and the city.
Have you ever considered any of the
other prophets God sent forth? Remember Isaiah. God asked who He could send,
who would go tell the people. Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me.” God told him to
go and tell the people, but Isaiah was warned that the people would hear him,
but would not listen to him. They would not understand what he was telling
them. They would not take any of the counsel of God’s Word that he gave to
them. It might sound good for somebody else, but not them. They would not get
it. Isaiah had God’s Word, yet the people would not receive it. When Isaiah
asked God how long he would have to tell this people who wouldn’t really listen
to anything he said, God told him to continue to tell the people until there
was no one left to tell.
Do you think that would have been a
hard thing to do? Isaiah was given more prophecies concerning Jesus, the Messiah
that was to come, than any other prophet. He was instrumental in helping the
people understand that salvation is of the Lord – not of anything man can do. Isaiah’s
name even signifies this, for his name means “Salvation is of the Lord.” Nevertheless,
tradition declares that King Manasseh had him sawn in two.
Many other people declared the
truths of God’s Word. One cannot help but think of Peter as he told of Jesus,
and many thousands of people give their hearts and lives to Jesus. Paul gave
his life telling people about Jesus, and establishing churches to teach the
apostles doctrine. He also spent much time in prison. Stephen preached the
Gospel message of Jesus, and he was stoned to death. However, these men were
faithful to the end.
Today should be no different. Each
Christian is called to go and tell the Gospel message of Jesus. To tell the
difference that God’s Word has made in that Christian’s life. No one may hear.
No one may understand. They might believe that it is good for someone else, not
for them. They might not receive it. Nevertheless, we are called to go and tell
– even when people don’t want to hear about Jesus. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17). People must hear before they can believe.
“How then shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not
heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). The word preacher here means “to herald (as a public crier), especially
divine truth (the Gospel); preach, proclaim, publish.” This means anyone can
declare or “cry out” the Gospel message. “So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in
the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). We are just required to
declare God’s Word to people. God will take care of the rest.
However, no one will know the Gospel
message of Jesus if we do not tell it.
Have you told anyone about what Jesus has done for you?
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8
The Bible is the Word of God. It has been preserved for us to read, but very few people read and understand what the Bible has to say to us today.
According to most statistics, young people are growing up and leaving the church and faith in God by the droves. The main reason can be found in the lack of knowledge and understanding of what one believes about God and why. There is a mighty gulf between the level of spiritual training in children, youth, and even adults, and the knowledge one needs to live in today’s world.
Growing up in a Christian home is no guarantee that one understands the Bible or how to live a Christian life. Being saved as a young child, I learned many Bible “stories,” but it wasn’t until later that I began to understand how all of these stories fit together. My parents had a book of pictures revealing a timeline throughout Bible history. It helped me begin to understand how all of those “stories” were connected together. It also helped me begin to see that Jesus was planned from the beginning of time to redeem mankind because of sin. I wanted to know and understand the Bible, so I began to study.
The most important thing about studying the Bible should be to learn the basics of the Biblical interpretation and how it should be applied to our lives. A good Bible study needs to be more than a compilation of “stories” we have always heard. The word “story” even brings to the hearers’ mind that they are make-believe. Many people don’t really understand that the Bible is not just a compilation of popular Bible “stories” or favorite Bible passages. The Bible is not full of “stories” but real events in real people’s lives. Children, as well as adults, need to understand that each of these events all fit together as part of a bigger picture – much like pieces of a puzzle. Not only do these events interlock, but they have a purpose: to reveal Jesus and why He came.
All people, especially children, are capable of learning so much more. The Biblical Path of Life is one such study meant to simplify the understanding of the reader and making the Bible relevant to a Christian’s life — young or old — by comparing Scripture to Scripture. The most important thing one can understand is just how important their Bible is. One needs to learn how to take care of their Bible and become familiar with it. Everyone should understand the importance of reading God’s Word! Even beginning readers should be encouraged to read their Bible. At first, even the youngest readers will be hesitant to read. But with a little encouragement and help, they can become excited about reading their Bible. Each week they can become a little more proficient at reading, and that fact will encourage them greatly. No one is too young (or old) to begin to love the Word of God or to learn the principles found within God’s Word!
The Bible means nothing to us if we do not apply the principles within to our lives to become more like Christ. In order to understand how to live a Christian life pleasing to God in the world today, we must first know what His Word says.
