2/10/14 – “GIVE THE WORD FIRST PLACE”

Prov. 4:20 My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say.
Prov. 4:21 Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart
Prov. 4:22 because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body.

Image you go to turn on your computer and as you do the computer goes crazy, flashing things across the screen that you have never seen before. It looks like a bunch of gibberish to you. You have no idea how to address the problem. You happen to know of a computer expert who has years of training and even years of experience in solving computer issues, but you choose to go to your friends who are well meaning and want to help, but they unfortunately are not computer experts but try and help anyway. After several attempts with multiple friends your computer is now not even turning on. The problem has gone from bad to worse but you continue to try and fix the problem on your own.

What if you actually chose to go to the computer expert and he looks at your computer, diagnosis the problem and tells you exactly what you have to do to fix it, but you walk away and continue to try and fix it yourself. Sounds pretty crazy right. Well think about this as it relates to God for a moment. God knows all things and God knows how to fix anything that is broken in our lives. He has given us an instruction manual filled with the answers we need to fix our lives, but yet many instead of picking up their Bible go to their friends for advice who many don’t know what the Word says, or some even go to the Word and see what scripture tells them in how to live a successful life, but they chose to ignore what scripture says and continue to try and fix their problems on their own.

One of the most important decisions we can make as a follower of Christ is to give God’s Word first place in our lives. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life that will not only give you answers to life’s challenges, but it will also help you to develop your relationship with the Lord who will always cause you to triumph if we will get to know Him and learn how His kingdom works. To give the Word first place requires two things. One: We must make the Word of God a priority in our life. Two: We must make the Word final authority in our life.

As we see here in Proverbs 4 we are to pay attention to the Word of God. To pay attention to God’s Word we must make it a priority for us to spend time in the Word. You cannot pay attention to something you don’t know. Notice in verse 22 we are told that the Word is filled with life (the life of God), and healing for every part of our body. God’s Word is filled with insight, wisdom, and revelation of what Christ has done for us, who we now are in Him, and what we now have because of what Christ has done for us. To begin developing our understanding of these things the Word must become a priority in our everyday lives. The Word of God is given by inspiration of God, meaning it is God breathed. God’s Word is God speaking to us.

John 1:1 IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

God and His Word are one. The Word is Jesus Christ made manifest who walked among men. You cannot separate God and His Word. His very DNA is in the Word of God. The written Word of God is given to reveal the living Word of God. Something very important to remember, we don’t spend time in the Word as a “religious duty” or a “religious exercise”. If you never read the Word of God it would not change how much He loves you. But if you truly love Him and you desire to grow your relationship with Him, getting to know Him intimately, you are going to make the Word of God a priority in your life.

When you understand that spending time in the Word is spending time with the Savior who loves you, then you realize that every time you open the Word of God and listen with your heart, He will speak to you. You cannot come to fully know God apart from God’s Word. It is no different than developing a relationship with someone here on earth. If you love them and want to develop a close relationship with them, you are going to make time to spend with them. Other things you used to do will become less important to you. You will adjust your life to focus time and attention with that person. So it is with the Lord. I love the following quote from the great apostle Smith Wigglesworth: “I understand God by His Word. I cannot understand God by impressions or feelings; I cannot get to know God by sentiments. If I am going to know God, I am going to know Him by His Word.”

Num. 23:19 God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

So if we are going to give the Word first place in our life we must first make it a priority in our lives. Secondly, we must make the Word of God the final authority in our life. As simple as that sounds many do not do so. Like my example of coming to the computer expert and finding out what he knows and yet not doing what he tells you to do, people far to often do this with God’s Word. They will hear what is said in a message preached, or read scripture that clearly states how they should be living their lives and yet choose to not act upon the Word of God. Why would we do so when God clearly knows what is best for us and is simply trying to help us to walk in all that He desires for our life? There are different reasons for doing so, but when we make the decision to accept the Word of God as final authority in our life our excuses should be done away with.

Look at this verse here in Numbers 23. God is not like people for God never tells a lie. He is not like us a human because He never changes His mind. When God says something, He does exactly what He says. When God makes a promise, He always keeps His promise. This being true why would any believer look to God’s Word and then choose not to do what God’s Word says? Whatever God’s Word says that we are to do, we can do. God would never ask us to do something that He would not give us the ability to do. Whatever God’s Word says we should do to reap the benefit of what He has done for us we should never question it, we should just humbly respond in willful obedience knowing it is for our benefit and the best thing we could do.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

God has given us many promises in His Word, but what often is overlooked is the part we play in receiving that promise. All throughout scripture we are told if we will do this, God will do that. For example in the above verse Jesus Himself said that if we abide in Him, and His Words abide in us, then we can ask what we desire and it shall be done for us. What a promise. The condition is we must abide in Him (the Word), and His Word must abide in us, come alive in us through meditating on His Word, as we do so we will only have His desires rise in our hearts. As we ask for those desires it shall be done for us.

Everything God’s Word tells us to do is for our benefit. To ever think that God doesn’t have our best interest in mind is to not understand the glorious God we serve who desires to do us good and not harm. All good gifts come from our Father above in whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. But if we want to walk in what the Father has for us we must give His Word first place in our life. We must stop reasoning out in our minds what we think, and just simply accept God’s Word for what it says and do what it says. If God’s Word says it, then believe what it says and settle it forever in your heart. Accept what His Word says you should do by willfully, humbly, submitting to His Word. Accept what His Word says about you by confessing what the Word says and not what your circumstances say.

James 1:25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Notice again here in James that he reveals whoever will look steadily into God’s perfect law, they are making His Word a priority in their life, and as they do what it says, they are not a hearer only of the Word but a doer and this one will be blessed by God for doing so. But there is the condition “if” we do these things, if we don’t then we are going to miss out on the blessings God has for us. Many don’t realize those blessings are much more than material things, and refer more to how blessed we will be as we grow spiritually.

Child of God your heavenly Father knows how to help you. He knows what is best for your life, but if you don’t give the Word first place in your life you are going to miss out on much of what He has for you. Stop reasoning out why you don’t have to do what the Word asks you to do. God’s Word says to forgive so forgive. The Word tells you to be a part of a local body of believers so find your pastor and get hooked up with that body. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life. If you use it the way God intended you will find that life, and see in manifest in and through you.

See You Again Next Week For More “Weekly Wisdom”

May God’s Best Be Yours!

Pastor Darryl Baker