When in Doubt, Read the Directions
We’ve all done some pretty foolish things. We’ve all done things we regret, right? Especially when the outcome had an effect on others; the innocent like children, family or friends.
Occasionally we’ve all dealt with internal conflict that led up to those bad decisions. We have had those reflective moments and asked ourselves, “Should I or shouldn’t I?” Then there was the time when we made the mistake of asking the opinion of people who didn’t know any better than we did.
After we’ve made our mistakes, we now know what the right answer should have been, after it’s too late. So what do you do now? How do you fix it? How do you avoid it in the future?
Well you don’t have to look far to find examples of regret in scripture. With very little effort, you can find scripture that will answer all of those questions that you have. The real question is, are you going to do that? Are you going to go to the Bible and find the answers to your problem. Or, are you going to ask your neighbor who may not have been to church since her sister’s wedding?
Or, are you going to, “Google it?” “What does the Bible say about divorce?” “What does the Bible say about finances?” “What does the Bible say about forgiveness?” What does the Bible say about ____? The list of questions is long.
This Weekly Word is not going to have all the answers to all the potential questions. This Weekly Word is about encouraging you to stop trying to fix things and look for your answers in the Bible. I think that a simple Google search, if you don’t know where to start, will generate hundreds of options. Just make sure that the resources point to the Bible.
There are a lot of smart people out there with a lot of good ideas that can help. But when you build a home, you don’t start with the home library, you start with the foundation. Consider starting at the most reliable source of information for the life God wants you to live.
Make yourself available to Jesus and his word by spending time in the word. How can you “hear” if you don’t listen? Be like the wise man who built his house upon the rock so that you don’t make the same mistakes again in that sand.
Read scripture and take it to heart. Act on it. Let it be your motivation for righteous living for the sake of Jesus. Don’t go into prayer with a halfhearted attitude prepared for disaster. Arm yourself with the Word of God. What better time to read the words that can be so uplifting when we need it most? Don’t turn to Facebook or unsaved friends for quips and quotes for positive living. If you learn to rely on the “wise words” of the world, you may end up getting the council of fools.
It’s a beautiful day, fill your heart with the Word of God and get out there and enjoy what He has given to us!
Proverbs 16:20 The one who walks with the wise will become wise,
but a companion of fools will suffer harm.
Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts
on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded
that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Pastor Michael