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STRETCHING TO APPLY BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

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Learning to apply God's principles taught through the Bible requires discernment, discipline and often special training.  It's easy to quote Scriptures, to nod our head in approval during a Sunday-morning worship, to tell someone that we are a Christian.  However, it's another matter to actually apply the Word daily in our lives and to live according to biblical principles. 

Let's take a brief look at five principles: 

1. Trust God to Work Good
2. Keep our Minds and Bodies Pure
3. Accept What the Word Says
4. Correctly use God's Resources - the Wealth He Places in Your Hands 
5. Choose a Higher Calling

TRUST GOD TO WORK GOOD

We're commanded repeatedly throughout the Scriptures to obey the Word of God, to trust God.  But, do we really understand the significance of those commands?  In the book of Deuteronomy, the words, obey and trust are written more than 170 times. We will all have stormy seas come into our lives. Our training through trials can make us ready for employment in God's Kingdom IF we choose God's principles for dealing with adversity.  Consider the disciples' training in God's "school of circumstances."  "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he [Jesus] was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?"  (Mark 4:37-40)

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."  (I Corinthians 6:19,20)  

Sexual sin is a sin against God.  Joseph knew this as evidenced by his comments to Potiphar's wife when she tried to seduce him into sexual sin:  "How then can I do this great  wickedness, and sin against God?"  So many are diligent in trying to keep their physical bodies fit by exercising and eating the right foods; yet, think nothing of committing sexual sin, either mentally or physically.  Millions of adults are involved intimately with others, either as an act of fornication or adultery or have entered into an adulterous marriage relationship, even though God so strongly forbids this behavior:  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."  (I Corinthians 3:16-17)  We also abuse our "temples" by gluttony, eating harmful foods, and by exposing our minds to ungodly literature, movies, TV, music or conversation.  

A good Scripture passage to memorize to help us to reflect on God's standard in the area of external stimuli that we permit to come into our mind or body is Psalm 101:2-4:  "I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.  A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person."  These are not suggestions, but commands from God.  They are for our protection - that we might not sin against God:  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  (Psalm 119:11)

ACCEPT WHAT THE WORD SAYS

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 2:5)  There will be those who say God wouldn't encourage you to wait for years for the answer to a biblical prayer, to suffer loneliness, to handle hardships, to endure physical disabilities, to put up with an unkind mate; but listen to the Words of Jesus when Peter tried to tell Jesus that He was not to suffer:  "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not [you don't understand; you reject] the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:21-24)  Notice it is a serious matter to "rebuke" the Word - Jesus Christ.  We do that when we deny what it says, when we interpret it in a way that gives discord to God's consistent messages.  God called Peter, a committed disciple, Satan, when he committed this serious offense.  We must be very careful how we quote the Word - that we not add to it or subtract from it - that we quote it exactly as it has been written.

  
CORRECTLY USE GOD'S RESOURCES - THE WEALTH HE PLACES IN YOUR HANDS

"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."  (Deuteronomy 8:18)

We often think about the tithe that we give unto the LORD's service, but we must remember that everything is His and that we are just given the privilege of distributing our wealth to establish His covenant - to use our resources for His glory.  "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."  (Deuteronomy 6:5)  Are we helping to "establish his covenant" if we use our resources to purchase a lottery ticket, liquor, cigarettes or a movie ticket for a performance in which God's name is taken in vain or acts are performed for entertainment that are sin such as murder, sexual sin and improper exposure of the physical body?  Do we sustain organizations with our time, talents, gifts and financial resources who are teaching from texts which have altered God's Word or that approve of abortion or adulterous marriages:  "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."  (Luke 16:18)    

CHOOSE A HIGHER CALLING

God wants each of us to "volunteer" to serve in His army.  The qualifications are that we are willing to follow His commands, and that He is LORD and Saviour of our life.  There is much work to be done.  Pastors and individual ministries cannot do all the work.  Each person must equip himself and be ready, willing and able to share the gospel with those with whom he comes in contact:  "Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."  (Matthew 9:37,38)  Each person must be equipped to correctly interpret God's Word:  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  (II Timothy 2:15)  

Think about the number of sermons you have heard, the number of books you have read about the Bible, the number of seminars you have attended and the time invested in the study of the Word.  Most Christians have much to share but tend to leave matters of the gospel up to those called pastors, teachers, etc.  Yet God is calling each of us to go into the world (your neighbor next door, your work associates, your friends and relatives) to share the Word as it is written in the Bible.  Let us not be in the position of "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."  (II Timothy 3:7)    

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