SCRIPTURE…WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

Across our society today, there are people on all sides that debate the validity, accuracy and inerrancy of the Scriptures. Even the most learned of our Biblical scholars fuss and fight over translations and interpretations that will not and cannot be solved until Jesus comes again…so where does that leave
us in relationship to God's Holy word?

The tortured, yet tireless apostle Paul had this to say to his young protégé, Timothy, in his second letter to him. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof,  for correction and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be competent, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

There are several things that we should notice in this scripture. First, the Word of God is His exhale. It is what He breathes out so that we may breathe it into our lives and be forever changed. Just as we cannot live without breathing in oxygen, the competent, committed Christian cannot go a day without breathing in the Holy Word of God….it is vital to our DNA as a Christian. The lack of God's word in our lives will lead to a slow and deathly asphyxiation of who we are as a believer and will make us totally and completely vulnerable to the lies of the Deceiver.

Secondly, there are the other attributes of God's word that Paul shares with young Timothy…the ever-present need for us to be fed and taught the attributes of God so that we may become more like Jesus. There is the need for reproof or rebuke…to be called "on the carpet" for the sin that separates us from a loving Savior and to be admonished to repent and restore that relationship with a righteous and holy God.

There is the loving hand of God at work to correct us and to remake us through ingesting His word…it truly becomes His word that nourishes our soul and makes us hunger to be more like Him as He lovingly corrects us and our interactions with those that He has placed in our path. We are to point others to Jesus, but that becomes increasingly difficult to do when all anyone can see in our lives are the mistakes we make and they cannot tell us from the rest of the "loonies" that run around proclaiming to know the "truth."

And then, perhaps the most important aspect of God's word is its use as a training manual in righteousness…something that is totally foreign to us as His creations. We were born into sin and that's where we would die, except for God's grace and mercy displayed in the sacrifice of His Son for our sins. In Christ, we are declared "RIGHTEOUS" but that is just the first step in claiming our inheritance as children of the King. If we are to live as His children, we must immerse ourselves in His Word and be in constant training to run our race as believers. Our study of God's Word will equip us as God's messenger to be competent and ready to do every good work that He sets before us… and each good work propels us toward our Heavenly home and our eternal reward.

Running the Race…Ingesting His Word,

WPQ

BROKEN and BLESSED!

If you stop one hundred strangers on the street today and ask them to describe the state of our world in one word; the word probably uttered the majority of the time would be ….BROKEN!

Yes, when we look in every direction, we see that truly mankind has made a complete and utter mess of our world…it is broken and out of sorts with our Creator's original design and purpose; however, there is hope in the midst of our dysfunctional situation and that is to be BROKEN BEFORE OUR MAKER AND ALLOW HIM TO REBUILD US AS HE SEE FITS.

There is a current TV commercial that illustrates my thought. It deals with a little boy that is out with his Dad and sister and he is putting his remote controlled race car through it paces when the back wheels fall off. He is heart broken and ask his Dad if he can fix it? With a quick look at his Subaru, Dad says yes and climbs behind the steering wheel. With the broken car on the seat, he goes in whichever direction his son turns the controls and the son exclaims, "I going to have to break more toys!"

If we look closely at this situation, it is where many of us find ourselves in life…we have the controls and are steering our life in all directions, when something, someone or some circumstance breaks us and our spirit…and our first response is to ask if our Heavenly Father can fix us?

He takes the controls from our hands, puts us behind the wheel and then guides us to steer as He directs. We just have to stay focused on the path that He has put before us and remain committed to follow where ever He leads.

You see, brokenness in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a vital part of the fabric of our lives. The ground must be broken to plant the seed in order to reap the harvest. The clouds must be broken so that the rain will fall and water the crops. The very seed itself must be broken and die to itself so that new life may be born and a harvest of good may be produced.

And you dear Christian brother or sister, you too must be broken if you are to serve your Heavenly Father and allow Jesus to live in and through you. God's greatest desire is that we follow Him in all that we do and He is prepared to do whatever is necessary to make us fit for service in His kingdom…even if that means we must be broken.

King David, a man that had to experience extreme brokenness to regain his relationship with God, said it best; "The sacrifices to God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17 

Where do you stand today in this broken world…in service to your King or still holding on to your wants and desires? Give Jesus your broken and contrite heart today and make this world a better place because you are here in His name, under His power and working by His authority….be broken today; it's the first step on the path to BLESSING.

Broken and Pour Out ….Seeking to Serve,

WPQ

Poem of the day….

If for the Father you want to live

There are some things that you must do…

Give you heart, a broken gift

So Christ can live through you.

A contrite heart He will love.

A broken spirit He will mend.

He is your Loving Father and

Your everlasting Friend.

WPQ@August 2014