02-05-24-ENG.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.

Revelation 22:18

God’s Word is pure, undefiled truth. Yet you and I live in a post-truth world. We live in a world that prefers deception facilitated by evil. In fact, many Christians prefer deception facilitated by evil because it makes them feel good. Adding anything to God’s Word is never a good idea. Merging God’s truth with some other idea leads only to falsities. God’s Word is what will stand the test of time, trends, and trials. Jesus declared that even heaven and earth would pass away before the smallest detail in the Word of God would not be fulfilled. We read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:18, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

 The “letter or stroke” Jesus refers to are the smallest markings in the Hebrew alphabet. He tells us that the Scripture is so complete, comprehensive, and true that the tiniest strokes of it will be fulfilled—every last detail. In fact, God warns us in Revelation 22:18 that anyone who adds to Scripture, or takes away from it, will be bringing plagues upon themselves. It is God who is protecting, covering, and preserving His Word. But until we discover our need to turn to the truth of God’s Word over the lies of the world, we will never solve the cultural, racial, relational, political, or myriad other problems plaguing our nation today.

Until we discover what it means to truly abide in and align under the truth of God’s Word, we will continue to experience the chaos and confusion that currently engulfs us. Jesus told us clearly in John 8:31 that those who abide in the truth of His words are truly His disciples. If you flip that, it makes it clear that when you do not abide in Christ’s Word and align under the truth, you are not a kingdom disciple. To abide means to hang out, loiter, or remain in. For example, you abide in your home. You live there. To abide in the truth of Christ, you need to live with His perspective. You need to live according to His worldview.

It means to live with a desire to know what Jesus feels, thinks, and says on the subject you are dealing with. You cannot be His disciple and ignore His Word. You cannot be His disciple and reject His Word. You can’t say you are a kingdom disciple yet not hold God’s inherent Word in high esteem. The two are mutually exclusive. What’s missing in our culture today are Christians who will stand on His Word with the right attitude and right spirit of kindness and humility, but also with crystal-clear clarity as to what it says because His Word is flawless. His Word makes no mistakes on anything it talks about or addresses, and it addresses everything we need to know. Yet in our post-Christian environment, respect for God’s Word may be the most you get. Not yielding to it. Not aligning under it. Not being governed by it. And this is why we are living in the chaos that consumes us today.

Reaction:
Describe what it means to you in contemporary and practical terms to abide in God’s Word. How do you think abiding in God’s Word positively impacts your own life? In what ways do you think drawing even closer to God’s Word could bring improvements into your life? 

Prayer:
Jesus, forgive me for having pulled back from Your Word and failing to abide in it as I should. I know that Your Word contains truth, and yet I seem to scroll through the deceptions of the world far more frequently than spending time in Your Word. Open my eyes and heart to my own shortcomings when it comes to truly abiding in Your truth. Your Word is a light to my path. Help me not to stumble in darkness any longer, but to walk according to the truth laid out for me in Your Word. In Your name I pray, amen.