24 Transformed By Truth

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 3

 

 

You Were Created To Become Like Christ

 

 

Let your roots grow down into Christ

and draw up nourishment from him.

See that you go on growing in the Lord,

and become strong and vigorous in the truth.

Colossians 2:7

 

 

24 Transformed by Truth

 

 

People need more than bread for their life;

they must feed on every word of God.

Matthew 4:4

 

God's... gracious Word

can make you into what he wants

you to be and give you everything

you could possibly need.

Acts 20:32

 

The truth transforms us.

Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth.

"Sanctify them by the truth;

your word is truth."

John 17:17

Sanctification requires revelation.

The Spirit of God uses the Word of God

to make us like the Son of God.

"Through the Word we are put together

and shaped up for the tasks God has for us."

2 Timothy 3:17

 

God's Word is unlike any other word. It is alive.

Hebrew 4:12; Acts 7:38;

1 Peter 1:23

"The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."

John 6:63

"God decided to give us life through the word of truth

so we might be the most important of all the things he made."

James 1:18

 

God's Word generates life, creates faith, produces change,

frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts,

builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy,

overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope,

releases power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being,

and guarantees our future forever!

 

"I have treasured the words of his mouth

more than my daily bread."
Job 23:12

God's Word is the spiritual nourishment

you must have to fulfill your purpose.

The Bible is called our milk, bread,

solid food, and sweet dessert.

1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 4;4;

1 Corinthians 3:2; Psalm 119;103

This four-course meal is the Spirit's menu for spiritual strength and growth.

"Crave pure spiritual milk,

so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."

1 Peter 2:2

 

 

Abiding In God's Word

 

 

Millions of believers are plagued with spiritual anorexia,

starving to death from spiritual malnutrition.

"If you abide in My word,

 then you are truly disciples of Mine."

John 8:31

In day-to-day living, abiding in God's Word includes three activities.

 

I must accept its authority.

Many of our troubles occur because

we base our choices on unreliabel authorities;

culture ("everyone is doing it"),

tradition ("we've always done it"),

reason ("it seemed logical"),

or emotion ("it just felt right").

All four of these are flawed by the Fall.

 

"Every word of God is flawless."

Proverbs 30:5

"Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word.

All of it is useful for teaching and helping people

and for corrcting them

and showing them how to live."

2 Timothy 3:16

"I believe everything that agrees with the Law

and that is written in the Prophets."

Acts 24;14

 

I must assimilate its truth.

It is not enough just to believe the Bible;

I must fill my mind with it

so that the Holy Spirit can transform me with the truth.

There are five ways to do this:

You can receive it, read it, research it, remember it, and reflect on it.

 

First, you receive God's Word

when you listen and accept it with on open, receptive attitude.

Jesus identified three unreceptive attitudes—

a closed mind (hard soil),

a superficial mind (shallow soil),

and a distracted mind (soil with weeds)—

and then he said,

"Consider carefully how you listen."

Luke 8:18

 

"In a humble (gentle, modest) spirit,

receive and welcome the Word

which implanted and rooted

in your hearts contains the power

to save your souls."

James 1:21b

 

Second, for most of the 2,000-year history of the church,

only priests got to personally read the Bible,

but now billions of us have access to it.

Many who claim to believe the Bible "from cover to cover"

have never read it from cover to cover.

"He should keep it with him all the time

amd read from it every day of his life."

Deuteronomy 17:19a

 

Third, researching, or studying,

the Bible is another practical way to abide in the Word.

"Truly happy people are those who carefully study

God's perfect law that makes people free,

and they continue to study it.

They do not forget that they heard,

but they obey what God's teaching says.

Those who do this will be made happy."

James 1:25

 

The fourth way to abide in God's Word is by remembering it.

There are enormous benefits to memorizing Bible verses.

It will help you resist temptation, make wise decisions,

reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice,

and share your faith with others.

Psalms 119:11; 119;105; 119:49-50;

Jeremiah 15:16; Proverbs 22:18;

1 Peter 3:15

The three keys to memorizing Scripture are review, review, and review!

"Remember what Christ taught

and let his words enrich your lives

and make you wise."

Colossians 3:16a

 

The fifth way to abide in God's Word is to reflect on it,

which the Bible calls "meditation."

Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort.

As we take the time to contemplate God's truth,

seriously reflecting on the example of Christ,

we are "transformed into his likeness

with everincreasing glory."

2 Corinthians 3:18

 

One of the reasons God called David

"a man after my own heart"

Acts 13:22

is that David loved to reflect on God's Word.

"How I love your teachings!

I think about them all day long."

Psalm 119:97

Serious reflection on God's truth is

a key to answered prayer

and secret to successful living.

John 15:7; Joshua 1:8;

Psalm 1:2-3

 

I must apply its principles.

Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word

are all useless if we fail to put them into practice.

We must become "doers of the word."

James 1:22

Without implementation, all our Bible studies are worthless.

"Everyone who hears these words of mine

and puts them into practice

is like a wise man

who built his house on the rock."

Matthew 7:24

 

"Now that you know these things,

you will be blessed if you do them."

John 13:17

The truth will set you free,

but first it may make your miserable!

God's Word exposes our motives, points out our faults,

rebukes our sin, and expects us to change.

 

Develop the habit of writing down exactly what you intend to do.

This action step should be personal (involving you),

practical (something you can do),

and provable (with a deadling to do it.).

Every application will involve either your relationship to God,

your relationship to others, or your personal character.

As D. L. Moody said,

"The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge

but to change our lives."

 

 

 

 

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 Point to Ponder: The truth transforms me.

 

Verse to Remember: "If you continue in my word,

then are you my disciples indeed;

and you shall know the truth,

and the truth shall make you free."

John 8:31-32

 

Question to Consider: What was God already told me

in his Word that I haven't started doing yet?

 

 

p 185~192

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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