Thursday, October 21, 2010

My Plans for You: 4) Walk the Narrow Path

This is the fourth devotion in the study titled, "My Plans for You". If you are just now joining us, the previous 3 are posted on the Ascribing Artists blog along with the previous study titled, "Cutting & Pruning."

There are many places in the Bible where the Christian life is described as a walk. If we are truly trying to walk as transformed believers then we have to ask what does that look like and where am I going and how do I get there? We all wonder what is God’s direction or will for our lives. Most people want to know what career they should pursue, where they should live or whom they should marry, but overlook or ignore the more important truths of loving God and loving others. So, how do we learn these most important truths? By reading the Bible. Man, does that sound boring, hard to understand and a waste of time! If you are honest, those thoughts live in the back of your dark sinful heart and mind as well and only proves we need His Word in our lives to light the path.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

To most people the Bible has been boiled down to an impersonal, impractical and impossible book of do’s and don’ts. What a travesty! In the most basic summary, the Bible is God’s story of the redemption of man. From beginning to end, Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells the story of a Mighty Creator who created man for a loving relationship and an Omniscient God who knew in creating man higher than the animals would fall to sinful temptation and a Loving Father who loved man so much that an agreement was made before creation with His one and only Willing Son who sacrificed Himself on a cross to restore that relationship. This story is woven throughout every word and letter of the Bible. The Bible then rightfully becomes God’s personal love letter to His people. How sweet it is!

In our modern age, we run to hear from everybody in our Email, Facebook and MySpace accounts, all the while, the greatest news ever told sits getting dusty. I know many of you receive inspirational and Biblical devotions through these modern forms of communication including this one, but I’m afraid we read them as if they are from just another friend or advice columnist and move on to the next message without God’s Word ever changing our lives. May we all find ourselves curled up in a good reading chair with a warm cup, reading the greatest love story ever written and pondering not only the love it contains, but the impact it should be having in our walk, if we are truly transformed believers.

Paul LaBathe

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