Keeping On Keeping In God's Word

Good evening and welcome to the Panhandle. What a crazy time we live in right now, of course I don't have to tell you that do I? But even in the midst of all that's going on there one thing we can be sure of – God is in control. How can you be sure of this? It says so in God's Word.

There's the story about a minister who was visiting one of his members. The lady of the house was trying to impress him about how devout she was by pointing out the large Bible on the bookshelf and talking in a very reverential way of it as "the Word of God". Her young son interrupted the conversation, "Well, if that’s God’s book we better send it back to him because we never read it!"

As we read God’s Word, we nearly always come to a point of conviction when we feel certain that God is speaking directly to us. I once heard this described by one person as an “ah, ha” experience. Another person once said, “God has my name on that verse.” Those are just two ways that a challenge or conviction may strike you.

God’s Word may cause you to feel inspired or challenged to change something in your life, to make a fresh start, or to take a new step. At other times, you may feel challenged to stand firm in your resolve or to continue steadfastly in the direction you are going. These challenges may be very strong. They may occur once or repeatedly, but they are virtually impossible to ignore or escape. The more practical the subject matter, the stronger the convictions seem to be. That may be because God’s message and meaning are so clear that there is little room to explain away, justify, or misinterpret what God is saying to you. Don’t dismiss or downgrade the challenges you feel. Take them seriously and find ways of acting upon them.

This is especially important in your development of a servant’s heart. If God reveals to you a particular need that He desires for you to address, calls you to a particular avenue of ministry, or brings to your mind a specific need or situation, take that as “marching orders” from God. Don’t simply close your Bible and walk away feeling either elated or deflated. God is expecting you to do something with the challenge He has just given you. Make certain, of course, that your final action plan is based on a complete understanding of God’s principles and plan. You may need to take one or more short-term steps as you seek to fulfill God’s call to service in your life. Nevertheless, start on those steps. Don’t procrastinate or second–guess God’s challenge to you.

It would probably do you good to write down the ways in which you believe God is stretching, molding, calling, or guiding you. It is when you clearly identify and concisely state what you believe God wants you to do that you nearly always can identify the next step that is required of us. Our response to God’s challenge will become more responsible, measured, and deliberate. We are to respond to God’s Word, not merely react to it.

God’s ultimate plan is to get His Word into us and us into His Word so we can take His Word into the world, live it out, and be witnesses of His Word in all we say and do. Our purpose is not to absorb sermons, but to become “living sermons” of God’s truth to all who touch our lives. It is not enough to note insights, recall past experiences, share emotions, or write down the ways in which we feel challenged. We must obey God’s Word and be doers of it. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”(James 1:22 KJV).

Very specifically, it isn’t enough for you to recognize that God is calling you to develop a servant’s heart, or even for you to develop a heart for others. You are called by God to engage in active service to others. Do what it is that God is calling you to do as His servant in your particular church, community, or sphere of influence.

So how do you do this?

1^st - Keep the Bible Central

 Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Again, I caution you to keep the Bible at the center of your study. Perhaps because they are spiritual in nature, Bible–study groups sometimes become therapy or support groups. While there is great value to those types of groups, that is not what a true Bible study accomplishes. A genuine Bible study stays focused on God’s Word and promotes a growing faith and a closer walk with the Holy Spirit in each person who participates.

Also guard against a tendency to use a group for a soapbox to tell about your own pet concerns, projects, or groups. The Bible–study group is not a place to recruit others to a cause, committee, or organization.

Think of the Bible as your banquet table. Keep it as your focal point for spiritual nourishment and your place for spiritual fellowship. You can best “serve” the other members of your Bible–study group by keeping the Bible and the love of Christ Jesus your primary concerns.

2^nd - Begin and End in Prayer

I encourage you to start and conclude your Bible study sessions in prayer. Ask God to give you spiritual eyes to see what He wants you to see and spiritual ears to hear what He wants you to hear. Ask Him to give you new insights, to recall to your memory the experiences that are helpful to your growth. Ask Him to help you clarify and share your emotions.

Be bold in asking God to reveal to you in His Word what He desires for you to take as the next step in your development of a servant’s heart. As you conclude your study, ask the Lord to seal in your mind and on your heart what you have learned so that you will never forget it and be quick to apply it. Ask Him to help you grow in the likeness of Christ Jesus—the Supreme Servant!

3^rd – Stay in God’s Word

Avoid the temptation at the conclusion of your ten–lesson study to think that you have all the information necessary to be a successful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. We each grow in our ability to serve until the day we die.

We are called to continue to explore ways in which we might be more and more effective in the way we minister to the needs of others. Your ability to serve is directly related to your spiritual maturity.

Be open to ways in which God desires to use you that are beyond anything you have done in the past, and very likely beyond anything that you thought He might ever call you to do. Never stop exploring the riches of God’s Word on any topic.

Well that's it for tonight. Thanks again for dropping by and may the Lord bless you immeasurably this week.

Biblesurfer