the Word is Truth
John 17:17
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
Luke 21:4
“For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Confession: last night was the first time I had read my Bible in almost a week. A whole week where I was not being encountered by the Spirit and living in the thoughts and deeds of the Almighty. A whole week that I was not moving closer to Jesus, sitting at his feet, taking up the good portion of his word that I might have a “spring welling up inside that brings eternal life.” This morning I listened to a sermon by John Piper about the necessity of having the Word of God in your head and heart and it really hit me like a ton of bricks. He said something to this effect, “Satan is the god of this world, and the world is defenseless against him. AND HE HATES US!!! He hates everything in this world and that the only reason we haven’t perished, that the sun comes up and the world holds together is because God in his mercy sustains it and keeps it working so that we might live and come to know his Son, Jesus.” So if we have no defense against the devil, how then do we protect ourselves? With the Word of God. 1 John 2:14 says,
“I write to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men,because you are strong,and the word of God abides in you,and you have overcome the evil one.”
Our protection lies in the Word of God so that we can deny the evil because our hope and trust is in Christ. Christ himself shielded himself against the devil with Scripture, so must we. Therefore, Piper wisely points out that we need to know the Scripture, not only to protect ourselves from the evil of this world, but also to live in fellowship with God. How can we know Him, know Jesus if we aren’t engaging them in the Word? How does the Spirit work in us if we aren’t submitting ourselves to the truth? Colossians 3:16-17 says,
“16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
So the Spirit works in us through the Word, teaching, admonishing and conforming us to Christ. By conforming our minds to the mind of God that He has richly revealed in Scripture we can know Him, trust Him, be faithful and obedient in His commands and develop a love and security in Jesus that leads us to greater sanctification by the Spirit. I pray everyday that God would give me a hunger for His word, because I have been living in spiritual anorexia the last week, and it shows in my walk with Christ. May God humble me and make me lean on His word and His promises everyday, may Christ be my portion forever. AMEN!
Believe it or not, this leads into the second Scripture I posted on top, Luke 21:3; most people will see this passage as how to give of their money. And I believe that is true, and is something I really need to work on and repent of, because I don’t give of my money like I should, but I’m trying to seek a stillness and reliance on Christ that will allow me to give joyfully and sacrifically. No, the main thing I read here is the absolute sufficiency we need to have in the glory of Christ. Do I trust him? Is he my treasure? Will I bow before his puctured feet and worship him and seek his glory above all things? Is he the living water that I subsist on? Can I give up everything I am, everything I own, everything I hope to be, everything I depend on for security and life and make Christ my life? The widow gives EVERYTHING SHE HAS TO LIVE ON because she trusts God, she knows that the world around her is meaningless and futile and all will come back to the dust of the earth. What then does she cling to? She clings to the promises of God that says, “He who believes in me will never die, but inherit enternal life.” So who cares about money, success, emminence among your peers when compared to the riches that God is preparing for those who love his Son? May I never be set in the world, let Christ be my portion that I may live and know God and the mighty wonders he has prepared at the feast of the Lamb, glory be to the One who was slain!!! AMEN!
