No Other Choice

I love to journal. I have filled up many many many journals over the years. I carry my journal with me where ever I go so I can jot down a thought, a revelation, a word from God, scriptures, devotions, notes from church, and an occasional grocery list!

In early June I wrote the following entry:
"If I truly love and trust God. If I truly stand firm on His Word as truth, then I have no other choice then to do all I can to live in the truth and to do all I can to live as God wants (has instructed) me to do. Then I can do the things He has planned for me. THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE."

I wrote that as I was trying to wrap my mind around what the Bible really is. The Bible...."the truth, the way, and the life.." John 14:6. How many times do we look on the Internet, seek a hobby, make an idol out of something, read self help books, watch talk shows try to find the ANSWER to our life question? When in the word it says Jesus is THE WAY...he is the way to follow...the path to go on....the instructions to seek. He is THE TRUTH...the only truth...the opposite of lies...a promise. He is THE LIFE...life...wow...He gives us life. How many of us feel dead, feel lost, feel lied to? God is saying Jesus is the one to show us the way, to bring us truth, and to give us sustaining life...not just on our good days, but everyday, even the really bad hair days and the "I got up on the wrong side of the bed days", and the days when we are in deep despair. But we have to be active participants to seek His way, to seek His truth, and to find life in Him.

I have read my bible many times. I have read scriptures many times. I have done bible studies. I have worshiped with all I have, but recently God really impressed upon my heart that in order for me to understand who I was in Him and how to live for Him, that I had to start reading my bible with a different perspective. During these moments God had me begin memorizing and start really applying scriptures. The first scripture that God moved me to is Philippians 4:8 "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure, and holy, and admirable. Think on things that are excellent and worthy of praise." NLT I wrote this scripture along with 14 others in a small index card spiral. I broke the scripture apart so that each word made sense and each word could be applied to my daily life. If God is asking me to fix my thoughts on what is true...that means Jesus. It doesn't say to just fix my thoughts on one of the things listed but each of them. God uses the word "and" in between each word.

This week I started an online bible study with Beth Moore facilitating it. It is called Me, Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild. Beth had us first go to Psalm 19 and write out what God wanted us to know about why we need to read and understand His Word. I encourage you to read this Psalm, but I will list out what David says. God says His word is perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, true, desireable, sweeter than honey, and a warning. God's word is our instruction, so we need to not just memorize a verse or remember an event in the bible, but really seek God's wisdom on understanding the scripture. I am not talking about the history behind it (although that is good), or the Greek or Hebrew translations of words...but what God is telling us to do. He breathed this book called the bible for a reason. Not just to skim the pages, but to give us instructions and hope and an understanding of His love for us. It is our play book of life.

Also if we go to Psalm 119, the psalmist tells us in v31 "I cling to your laws", in v105 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path". In v 106 "I will obey your righteous regulations". In v133 "Guide my steps by your word". Throughout this Psalm it is written "I will delight in your decrees", "I will reflect your decrees", "teach me your decrees" (more than once this is stated), and "I will meditate on your decrees:.

So what I am getting at is, there is no other choice, if we believe what the bible says is true, than to reflect, be taught, delight in, and meditate on His word so that we will know "the truth, the way and the life". There is no other choice than to turn the lamp on by reading his word so that we can see the path that God has so carefully, lovingly, and delightfully given us. There is not other choice than to "fix my thoughts on what is true"...the Word of God. So when we tell ourselves I am not good enough are we "thinking on things that are excellent"? Are we remembering God said that we are a masterpiece?

My challenge, hope, encouragement, support, deep desire is for you (and me) to memorize scripture and at the same time pick it apart. Ask God what it means. Know that God chose those specific words to be breathed on that page...so they are TRUE, they are the WAY, and they are the LIFE. I wish I could be face to face to you right now and share with you my passion for understanding what God's awesome word is saying to you and me. Fall in love with God. Fall in love with his Word. Fall in love with his instructions and decrees. And you will see that they are right, and pure, and holy, and sweet, and trustworthy, and best of all PERFECT!

So I have no other choice to believe "No one hates their own body, but feeds and cares for it as Christ loves the Church." Ephesians 5:29.

I have no other choice than to know and put in to action His Truth.
Make it "no other choice".
In Christ's Love....Teresa