The Bible: Not an option—It is indispensable

Several years ago, I made a commitment to set measurable goals when it comes to my spiritual development and my growth as a Christian. Proverbs 18:15 “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline writes: “We must once again emphasize that the ingrained habits of thought that are formed will conform to the order of the thing being studied. What we study determines the kind of habits that are formed, which is why Paul urges us to focus on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious.” (64)

Several significant steps must be taken if one desires to grow spiritually. First of all, it is important that everyone understands that spiritual growth does not happen in a vacuum. It takes time; it is hard work and demands a tremendous amount of practical application. Yes, I know what you maybe asking, what does a spiritual plan look like? What are the components that should be included within such a plan?

In my limited knowledge and understanding, I believe that there are four key principal ingredients in a person’s spiritual diet that can affect above all else, his or her spiritual life. These four ingredients all relate to the person’s interaction with the Scripture. While many may list spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, service etc... I believe that the Holy Bible—apart from Jesus Christ—is God’s only mean of communicating His plan of salvation. It is in the annals of Scripture that we learn the proper way to practice every spiritual discipline. There is something very insightful about that statement. Especially when you realize that the Bible is God’s love letter, His basic instructional manual for humanity [Basic Instruction before Leaving Earth]; wherein He wrote it to us, sharing His thoughts and His heart with each one of us.

May I submit to you that every believer needs to have a high view of Scripture in order to experience a vibrant and fruitful Christian life! A high view of Scripture demands that the Bible be read, studied, meditated upon and that its truth or principles be applied in our daily lives. Friends, can I encourage you to read the Bible daily. I challenge you to “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” Joshua 1:8 in the New Living Translation. It is my prayer that you are being challenged and motivated by the teachings of Scripture daily, so that you can grow up to be the man or woman God desires for you to be. So read, study, meditate and apply the Scriptures in you life—you will never be the same.

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!

Are you experiencing the joy of Lord? Or have you been living in a state of fear? Christians are increasingly being crushed by the weight of life’s greatest challenges. No matter who you are—pastor, Christian leader, teacher, businessperson, or homemaker—you are personally called to be an ambassador for Christ. No matter what you are going through do not allow fear to get a hold of heart. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). May I encourage you to embrace God’s grace for the journey—His grace is sufficient for you.

Fear has no place in your life and it is possible to allow the Holy Spirit to give joy in the midst of your trial. It may be that you have a fear of the future; not knowing what tomorrow holds but you know the One who holds your tomorrow. God promises that He will never leave you nor forsake you—He is right there with you and your fear is nothing but unsubstantiated fear. You can conquer fear by placing your faith totally on God, circumstances come and go but God is immutable. So be of good cheer my friend, it is going to be all right because God is on your side. God is for you, He is not against you and He loves you so much that no circumstance can alter His eternal love (Romans 8:37-39).

Here is the biblical principle to conquering fear. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). It is possible to allow the Holy Spirit to cheer us up when we are down. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I urge you to ask the Spirit of Joy to fill your heart with joy today. Here is a biblical example of how to do that! The apostle Paul, in the midst of a fearful experience, calls for the people to, “Keep up your courage.” (See Acts 27:9-44 for more details). God bless you as you are being renewed with the joy of the Lord—unspeakable joy and full of glory!

Biblical Frienships, Spiritual Growth and Christian Maturity

I have been doing some thinking about the role of friendship in discipleship, spiritual growth and Christian maturity. Epicurus once wrote, "Of all the means...to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends." Is the goal of biblical friendship happiness? Or is Christian friendship for holiness? Proverbs 27:17 states, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." I believe that longstanding friendships when done according to Scripture should manifest into measureable benchmarks in the spiritual life of all parties. Friends should influence each other toward godliness. As a result, the parties involved will challenge each other to reach new heights in their spiritual life. Holiness must precede happiness especially in marriages and friendships!

Ministry Today

Much of what modern preachers practice and portray as ministry today is not in accordance with the biblical mandate. We need to follow the pattern we see in our Lord and His disciples by saturating our evangelistic efforts with the principles of Scripture! God forbid, that we should remove or compromise the doctrines of sin, hell, heaven, repentance, atonement, Immaculate Conception, Deity of Christ, the new birth, holiness, the righteousness of God in Christ, water baptism, baptism or indwelling of the Holy Spirit and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ!

Tenth Anniversary of September 11th Attack

Today we commemorated the 10th year anniversary of 9/11. The tragic story of 9/11 caused many to either live by fear or it caused some to stir up faith in God for His divine intervention, guidance and protection. Prov. 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Whether you are enduring spiritual or natural warfare, death of love ones, depression, a divorce or financial lack; I urge you to turn to Lord and embrace Christ by faith. Embrace resilience and eradicate fear!

The Way of the Heart

Henri J. M. Nouwen in his classic The Way of the Heart, highlights the troubles of our modern souls. Nouwen writes, “Our society is not a community radiant with the love of Christ, but a dangerous network of domination and manipulation in which we can easily get entangled and lose our souls. The basic question is whether we ministers of Jesus Christ have not already been so deeply molded by the seductive powers of our dark world that we have become blind to our own and other people’s fatal state and have lost the power and motivation to swim for our lives.”

Happy Fathers' Day!

Happy Father’s Day! One of the greatest gifts a father can give to his children is an exemplary life worth following. The Apostle Paul writes, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1, NIV). And may we be able to say like Paul, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” Phil. 3:17. Fathers, may our spiritual foot prints lead our children to Christ, for they have great spiritual dividends!