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FROM THE PASTOR'S STUDY

Topic: Harmony and Diversity

Got Time?

by Darrel Cline
(darrelcline biblical-thinking.org)

The letters of the New Testament were all written for a specific reason. None of them were written for the same reason. And all of them were written to be read by the children of God. In fact, the children of God are commanded to be readers of the Bible on a regular (not to say, daily) basis. Note well Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord".

This command is not optional for the believer in Christ. Unfortunately, there are many who call themselves Christians, whose claim to that identity rests upon faulty foundations, who will never get their thinking corrected because they think that they can ignore what God has commanded and still live and die in grace.

But time tells the tale. No one who ignores God's command to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly lives well or dies well. Those who refuse to allow God's Word a regular access to their minds and hearts live lives that are characterized by the works of the flesh which are clearly seen to be adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. In a county such as ours, with the level of conflict as great as it is, it is clear that many of those who profess Christ are dominated by ignorance of the Word of God and the character that it forms in those who submit to it daily.

Then comes the time for each to die. Those who have lived by generating hatred and conflict die to face the awesome justice of an immutably holy God who knows that they had His Word available and, with rebellious forethought, simply rejected its command to submit to it regularly.

Now, all of us who are reading these words can immediately think of someone who lives that way and is subject to die that kind of death. But, what of us? Forget about those around us that are guilty of ignoring the Word, and simply ask yourself this question: What plan of action do I have to obey Him and let the Word of Christ dwell in me richly? Do I have time in the morning to listen to God--or am I too busy to be obedient? Do I have time at lunch to pick up His Word and meditate on some of its eternal truth? Can I set aside a time in the evening to fill myself with God's thoughts? What is my plan of action to obey His command?

No one can be sure of his religious convictions if they rest upon the teachings of another person, or of the church. The reason? God does not let anyone take His place as the object of real trust without also letting those who make such a substitution die in their ignorance. He would be a Father to all who will trust Him: but trusting Him means hearing from Him on a regular enough basis to be sure that He has spoken and means what He says.

What is your plan to get into His Word?


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This is article #079.
If you wish, you may contact Darrel as darrelcline at this site.