Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.~Matthew 6:33 (New Living Translation)
During a recent trip to our local supermarket, my wife and I spent a very long time in the bakery section. We had resolved on this trip to find breads made with whole grains, but also bread that seemed agreeable to those who only ate white bread in the past.
We went to rack after rack, examining bread based on the subjective (how soft and eatable it looked) as well as the objective (whether it was made with whole grain, i.e. more healthy). Time after time, we'd pick up a loaf clad in bright packaging, proudly showing it to each other, saying "this one probably has whole grains", only to turn it over and find it contained none. The bread packaging was downright unreliable; it seemed the bread companies went to great lengths to accentuate the "selling points" of their breads, such as "soft", "rich", "goodness", and even "100% wheat". But after about five minutes of turning loaves over, we discovered that regardless what the pretty labels claimed, the only way we could learn if the bread truly contained whole grain was to examine the ingredients label on the back of the package.
Proverbs 21:2 (Amplified Bible) Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts.
If you consider it, the Bible is God's "content label" for our spiritual lives. The enemy and the rest of the world try to get us to "buy this" or "try this". And they sure make those sinful activities SEEM nice. Even Satan himself disguises himself as a beautiful, beautiful being to look upon (see 2 Cor 11:14). In his audio commentary, The late Dr. J. Vernon McGee says it nicely: "Satan is an angel of light, and if you could see him, if he made himself visible to you, you'd see the most beautiful angel you've ever seen." Satan (and sin) seem beautiful, desirable, and compelling. But human attractiveness is not how God measures His will for our lives.
There's a way that looks harmless enough; look again—it leads straight to hell. (Proverbs 16:25, The Message)
So if something LOOKS good, if it SEEMS pleasing to us, how do we determine if it's really what God wants for us? There's only one way. Open your Bible (just like you turn the bread over), and learn directly from the objective source of God's will for humanity, His Word.
Sunday School, Bible Study, Home Bible Study Groups, Personal Bible Study. All of these are extremely important to help you learn the appropriate course for your life, because it's only through God's Word that you will discover God's divine will for you. Everything else may SEEM pretty, noble, and even "spiritual" (whatever that is). But in the end, straying from God's word leads (as it says it in The Message) " ...straight to hell."
We have two choices in our lives: we can do what we think is best, or we can learn what God's Word tells us to do, and do that instead. Ignore the "packaging", the pretty claims, the hype and the downright desirability of an idea. God's word does not promise physical comfort in this life. It promises a course that leads to eternal life with Him.
So take your life's situations and desires, and compare them to God's Word (i.e. compare your thoughts and actions to the Bible). Ask Him if the spiritual "bread you're buying" actually contains the holy ingredients that are healthy for your soul.
His label will surely tell you the whole truth. Amen.
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© 2009 Scotty Ward
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