“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Where do you get your standard for living?
On what do you base your value system?
Do you go to the Bible to weigh your decisions?
When I was in my early 30s I made the decision to serve and follow the Lord whole-heartedly, He, through the power of the Holy Spirit, began to change my life. I began to have an insatiable craving for the Word of God. I couldn’t get enough of it. My spiritual life had been starving and now I was being fed. I began to soak up the wonderful promises of God and also became aware of the commands (not suggestions) of God.
Before that, I had always attended church; although, over the years I tended to choose what parts of the Bible I would believe and what parts I would ignore. If someone had asked me, I would have said that I believed the whole Bible as the authority of God, but I wasn’t living that way (what you do is the fruit of what you believe). I sure didn’t read the Bible everyday, nor did I ask God to direct my daily decisions and actions.
But that changed. One day, while making dinner, I was listening to a message by Dr. Henry Brandt, a Christian psychologist who gave lectures at some of the conferences we attended. He mentioned that at a point in his life he had to make the decision about what he was going to use as his standard for making decisions and giving advice. He chose the Bible.
I had never made that decision. That afternoon, in my kitchen, I made the decision that from that moment on, the Bible would become my standard for life. Anything I read or heard that was contrary to what the Bible taught, I would reject. And with that decision, I had a stability that hadn’t been there before.
Of course, in order to make decisions based on the Word of God, you have to know what is in the Bible. You have to know God’s directions. I began to study the Bible. I started by working through a series of Bible Study books, called Ten Basic Steps to Christian Maturity https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/10-basic-steps.html About the same time, I began to read through the Bible every year.
My mind was (and still is) being renewed.
Romans 12:2 says,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
As my mind was being renewed, my values and standards began to line up with God’s will.
How about you? Is your life – your value system – based on the Bible? Are you sure? Have you ever consciously made a decision to make the Bible your authority for life? If not, why not do it today – right now.
Father, I need You. I recognize I have allowed the world to conform me into its mold. I have been deceived. From this day forward, I will use the Bible as my standard for life. I will read the Bible each day so my mind (and life) can be renewed by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank you that You are delighted with my decision, because You want the best for me. Amen.
FURTHER READING:
What are Your Ethical Standards?
How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit
Spiritual Oxygen: Are You Getting Enough?
How you can Walk in the Spirit – printable lesson (pdf file)