we can trust it and we should
The Life Guide That Will Never Fail You
I’ve found one simple thing to GENUINELY guide me. If you grew up in the church, it sounds cliché. But the absolute reality is that the Bible is a guide.
Now before you roll your eyes and click out of this blog, hear the why.
Because this truth APPLIES.
It applies to what friends you should have, to who you should and should NOT date, to deciding on if you should go to that party, take that job, etc.
And if you’re mind is going where mine goes, NO. You’re right.
The Bible is not going to tell you to go to XYZ college and there won’t be verse telling you to move to Kentucky. But it will guide you, and, in fact, it brings a lot of peace and guidance in even questions such as those.
Here’s why we can trust the Bible to be a life guide – in all areas, and here’s why we SHOULD.
1. The Bible is literally God’s word. God chose this way to communicate what He said to humanity, and it is always constant, true and straight from Him. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:22; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 18:30; Matthew 24:35) God gave humanity what He wants humanity to know for life THROUGH THIS BOOK (Psalm 119:9; Luke 11:28). It’s called “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
2. God promises to give wisdom to those who ask, and He promises that wisdom can be found in Him and His Word — aka His words, aka the Bible. (James 1:5; Matthew 7:24; Psalm 119:130; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 9:10) WISDOM is key to making life decisions from the smallest to the biggest (Proverbs 14:1). We can ask God for wisdom because that’s what God wants us to do. (James 1:5) Sometimes though, it seems all the asking in the world still leaves us confused about what is the right decision. But, God doesn’t leave us hanging. He tells us how to sort it out.
What should I do? = What is wise?
And how do we know? Here’s a quick answer (you could dive MUCH deeper) based in James 3:17.
Is the decision
- Pure?
- Peaceful?
- Gentle?
- Friendly?
- Compassionate?
- Producing good?
- Free from prejudice?
- Free from hypocrisy?
3. To break wisdom down practically in another way, we realize that morality and truth guide way more decisions than we think they do. They impact our little actions for better or worse. And these little actions continue to shape our path (see #4). Our morality and truth that guide are found in God’s Word. (Matthew 4:4) Here’s some guidance questions found right from the source:
- Will doing this cause you or someone else to stumble? (Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 18:9; Mark 9:47; Romans 14:21; Psalm 140:4)
- To hurt? (Romans 12:18-20; Romans 14:19; Psalm 34:14; Hebrews 12:14; Ephesians 4:30-32; Romans 13:10; Titus 3:2; Ephesians 5:1-2; Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 6:16-19)
- Is this choice loving? (1 John3:11; John 13:34; Leviticus 19:18; 1 Peter 4:8; Romans 13:8; 1 John 3:18; 1 Corinthians 16:14; Ephesians 4:2-3)
- Does this decision help or cause me to do anything the Bible calls sin? (Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 4:23; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 13:14; Matthew 7:13-14)
- Does this decision build others and myself up? (1 Corinthians 10:23; Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:29; Romans 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Proverbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:25; Hebrews 3:13)
4. Little decisions take us a long way.
This is major insight. Questions like, “Where should I go?” and “What path should I take?” are often guided by our smaller decisions. All along the way, life demands decision making. Every week, every day, every hour. As you let God’s wisdom determine these smaller decisions, you are, in fact, walking on a path. A friend once spoke major insight about Psalm 119:105 bringing up that “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” is key wording. When we picture being in a dark place and pulling out a lamp or a candle to guide our path, the light doesn’t illuminate the entire dark hallway that is our path. It illuminates the next step or even the next few steps in front of us. This is why it’s key to keep God’s words, our light, as the core of our decision making. Taking each step using this light will get us to through the whole path, but we need to keep that light on. Without keeping the light on for those seemingly easy steps in front of us, we may never know what to do when that hallway makes a turn.
So friends, in your decision making today, the Bible is never a wrong place to look for guidance. In fact, it’s the exact wisdom we need
XO,
Meg
P.s. Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog on why we can go to the Bible when it seems like it doesn’t answer our life questions. Perfect for the girl wondering her next life steps.