Tuesday 21 July 2009

What if we are not doing the right religion?

This is such a good question. The answer can be found in the Word of God. Any other religion could argue that THEIR “bible” contains the truth and they might ask, “Why do you think “YOURS” is the absolute truth?” I’ll just share with you a few pieces of Scripture so you can see what God says about Himself and His Word.

He both speaks directly and uses others as His mouthpiece. For instance, this is what the apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable (useful) for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man (or woman or girl or boy!) of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (New American Standard Bible).”

Here are some more:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony (evidence) of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts (instructions) of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Psalm 19:7, 8)”

In verses 9-11, King David goes on to describe what it’s like to follow the Word of God:

“The fear (reverence, worship, respect) of the Lord is clean, enduring forever, the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

Jesus prays for His disciples in chapter 17 of John. In verse 17 He says, “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.”

There are so many scriptures in the Bible that confirm the fact that this truly is THE very word of God. We’re even told that He holds His Word above His name. One fun thing for you to do would be to look up “word” in a concordance (ask me if you don’t know this word) and check out some of the verses.

Again, it is important to believe that the Bible we read and reference is really true because it provides us with the very foundation of our faith. Another aspect of our faith has to do with the fact that Jesus is the only “religious” leader who rose from the dead. With all other beliefs, the spiritual leaders died, were buried and their graves still hold their bones.

Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:1-3 says, “God…..in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world, and He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature…” These are just a few of the verses that verify the fact that Jesus truly is God.

There are also many scriptures that confirm to my spirit that THIS God, the One who gave His life for us, is the One true God. This is important to believe because so many other religions will say that THEIR God or religious hero is the REAL one and ours is false.

Listen to what God says about Himself in Isaiah 45:5-7: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.” That’s just one teeny weeny portion of all God says about Himself in Isaiah.

Isaiah is a GREAT book in the Bible. If ever you want your socks blown off about the reality of God, go ahead and read Isaiah 40-50. Some parts might be hard for you to understand because they contain prophecy, but other parts are clear as a bell!

You already know that when we ask Jesus to live in our hearts, He sets His Spirit in us. We’re told in John 16:13 that when “He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide [us] into all truth.” The Holy Spirit is the mouthpiece of Jesus. He speaks to our hearts and reminds us of all that Jesus desires of us. Listen to what Jesus says in John 10:1-5: “Truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep, to him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own (sheep), he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” In this passage, Jesus is the Shepherd and WE are the sheep. When the Holy Spirit indwells us, we fully recognize the voice of our Shepherd. This mouthpiece of God is only given to those who confess that “Jesus is Lord.”

You know, I could go on and on—but at least what I’ll do is jot down a few verses for you to check out on your own and you can see how the Lord speaks to YOU on the topic (or topics):

--Jeremiah 31:33
--Jeremiah 10 (the whole chapter is full of good stuff)
--Jeremiah 23: 16-24
--1 Corinthians 1:18

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