Truth Divorced From Life

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word ... Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:9, 11)

There is scarcely anything so dull meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake. Truth divorced from life is not truth in its biblical sense, but something else and something less. Theology is a set of facts concerning God, man and the world. These facts may be and often are set forth as values in themselves; and there lies the snare both for the teacher and for the hearer.

The Bible, however, is more than a volume of hitherto unknown facts about God, man and the universe. It is a book of exhortation based upon those facts. By far the greater portion of the book is devoted to an urgent effort to persuade people to alter their ways and bring their lives into harmony with the will of God.

No man is better for knowing that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. No man is better for knowing that God so loved the world of men that He gave His only begotten Son to die for their redemption. In hell there are millions who know that. Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed. The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action.

Lord, help me move beyond knowing You and Your Word only academically. Lead me to obedience, to submission and to proper moral action. Amen

________________________________________

Divine Indwelling

"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22)

The doctrine of the divine indwelling is one of the most important in the New Testament, and its meaning for the individual Christian is precious beyond all description. To neglect it is to suffer serious loss. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. Surely it takes faith of a more than average vitality to grasp the full implications of this great truth.

Without question, the teaching of the New Testament is that the very God Himself inhabits the nature of His true children. How this can be I do not know, but neither do I know how my soul inhabits my body. Paul called this wonder of the indwelling God a rich mystery: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). And if the doctrine involved a contradiction or even an impossibility we must still believe what the mouth of the Lord has spoken. "Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).

And what kind of habitation pleases God? What must our natures be like before He can feel at home within us? He asks nothing but a pure heart and a single mind. He asks no rich paneling, no rugs from the Orient, no art treasures from afar. He desires but sincerity, transparency, humility an love. He will see to the rest. 

Lord, give me the purity, integrity and focus to be the kind of vessel You would desire. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~