02-06-24-ENG.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

One day a man went to visit a doctor because he wasn’t feeling well. The doctor performed his examination and then prescribed some medication for the man to take. The doctor even had the nurse call in the prescription to the local pharmacy, where the man went and picked it up. A week later, the man called the doctor and complained that he was still sick. The doctor asked how much of the medication he had taken. “I haven’t taken any,” the man replied. “I haven’t opened it.” The doctor responded, “Well, that’s your problem. Take it. And don’t call me again until you do.”

A lot of us will pick up the Bible and carry it under our arm. Or we’ll pick up a Bible and put it on the side table or by our bed. We’ll pick up our Bible and yet fail to open it to see what is inside. We won’t open it to read, discern, learn, and be impacted by its truth. Yet when we fail to treat Scripture as the absolute, inerrant, authoritative voice of God in print, it is we who will pay the price. We will pay the price in our lives, relationships, work, finances, peace of mind, and so much more. The things that plague us will only increase when we neglect to learn and apply God’s truth to the situations and challenges we face.

One day I was in my car and the side mirror collapsed. I couldn’t get it to open back up to where it was supposed to be. So I decided to figure it out. I fiddled with that mirror, pushed that mirror, pulled that mirror, sought to maneuver that mirror for close to twenty minutes. I knew I couldn’t drive without a mirror to show me the cars behind and beside me, so I stayed with the situation, seeking a solution. Eventually, it dawned on me that in the glove box of my car was a book, the car’s manual. Now, honestly speaking, I hadn’t opened that book before, even though I owned it. I hadn’t read that book, even though it was close by me all the time I drove.

I had become so satisfied with the basics that I never explored the book. Until I was stuck. Until I couldn’t go anywhere. Until I needed that book. So, this time, I grabbed the book. It didn’t take me too long to figure out how to fix my mirror once I decided to use the book that was designed exactly for that purpose—to help me drive my car. It wasn’t until stuff wasn’t working for me and my human understanding couldn’t figure it out anymore that I remembered the manufacturer of my car had made a book for me to use. In hindsight, I wasted a lot of time and experienced a lot of frustration just because I put off going to the one place that held the answer to my problem.

Likewise, many believers today are wasting a lot of time and experiencing a lot of frustration because they refuse to go to the one place that holds the answers to any problems they face. If they, or we as the body of Christ, would simply return to the Source of truth as our source of truth and then do what it says, we could solve the issues creating the chaos around us and within us. 

Reaction:
What does it mean to you personally to “return to the Source of truth as our source of truth”? What is the foundational principle to “returning to the Source of truth as our source of truth”? In other words, what must take place in order for this to happen? In what areas would you like to see God give you greater grace or favor in your life? 

Prayer:
Jesus, reveal to me the ways to please You so that I can experience a greater level of Your favor and grace in my life. Help me to always stay close to Your Word so that I can stand on the foundation of knowing what truth is. I don’t want to be deceived by culture, friends, or family members, so give me a greater level of discernment to spot the lies and inconsistencies in what I’m hearing all around me. In Your name I pray, amen.