Wednesday, April 11, 2012

USING THE ULTIMATE MEASURING STICK

"I have tried my best to find you - don't let me wander off from your instructions. I have thought much about your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin" (Psalm 119:10,11, TLB).

Each time I read the Bible, I marvel at how up-to-date it is. The Bible has perceptive instructions regarding relationships between husband and wife, and between parent and child. It teaches us how to love, comfort, instruct and exhort one another. The Old Testament gives us numerous examples of what family life should and should not be. Proverbs has many practical hints for parents and their children. The New Testament tells us much about the fellowship of believers and the excitement of the Christian life.

When my parents were raising me, basically only one translation of the Bible and only a few commentaries were available. Books on the practical aspects of the Christian life, child-rearing and marriage were scarce. Although I have often found these supplemental books to be helpful (and as an author I am guilty of adding a book or two of my own to the local Christian bookstore shelf), I sometimes wonder if my parents weren't better off.

I have observed there is a danger when people have so many points of view readily available to them. As in the Bible, when the early Christians became followers of either John the Baptist or Paul, today's Christians tend to become followers of one writer or speaker, adhering to that person's theories on evangelism, marriage, divorce, or rearing children. What the Bible has to say often gets lost among our shelves of books and stacks of tapes.

The True Measuring Stick
We can avoid this pitfall if we determine always to use the Bible as our measuring stick. Oswald Chambers states, "It is vastly important to remember that our duty is to fit our doctrines to our Lord Jesus Christ and not to fit our Lord into our doctrines."i[i]

If we measure the Bible by a theory or an opinion, using the theory as the measuring stick, and the Bible disagrees with the theory, we may be tempted to re-interpret the Bible and conform it to our new theory. That's dangerous.

For example, I recently heard a well-known radio evangelist explain why he felt there were times when a lie was justified. If admitting you were a Christian might be a threat to your life, he contended, than a lie would be acceptable. He asked, "What would be gained by telling the truth and losing your life?"

His theory doesn't stand against the book of Daniel. Three Hebrew children willingly risked their lives rather than deny their belief in the God of Israel. Look what was gained by their telling the truth. God not only spared their lives, but an entire nation acknowledged the God of Israel as the only God.

Also, in the New Testament Stephen refused to deny his belief in Christ. In that particular case, God allowed Stephen to die at the hands of an angry mob, but we read that Saul, who was later to become the apostle Paul, witnessed Stephen's stoning and was very moved.

In both cases, Scripture teaches clearly that we are to tell the truth and leave the outcome to God.

This devotional is an excerpt from Marilyn Heavilin's new book, Profound Common Sense. The book will be available for purchase this summer.

Marilyn Heavilin
author of Roses In December,
December's Song
Becoming A Woman of Honor,
When Your Dreams Die,
Grief Is A Family Affair,
I'm Listening, Lord
www.marilynheavilin.com
Live so that others may safely follow

i[i] Oswald Chambers, The Best From All His Books (Nashville: Oliver Nelson Publishers, 1987), p.94.

May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.

ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to
Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?

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