“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Dear Ones:
The attitude and perspective that we have towards the Word of God, the Bible, is representative of what our attitude is towards Him. One of the basic tenets of the blessing of God upon an individual life, a church, or a people, is believing that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and that is is inerrant, as presented to us in the original Hebrew and Greek texts. Why is this so very important?
First, we see that God reveals to us His method of accomplishing His will in the earth and heaven, by speaking. He spoke creation into existence. Secondly, we see that it is in the giving of His word, specifically the Ten Commandments, that the holy and good nature of God is revealed to sinful man. Thirdly, we see that He reveals His presence and glory to man through the proclamation of His word, as He did in the days of Samuel. Fourthly, we see the enormous value and effectiveness of His word in dealing with us, in that He declares: “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall NOT return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is. 55:11) Jesus, in confronting Satan in the wilderness, was very explicit when He declared that we are to live “…by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Why? Because in the word of God is revealed the mind and heart of God to man. It is as His will and purposes are revealed by that Word, that He reveals Himself, and accomplishes His purposes. His revealed word is the means by which He works. It thus stands to reason that our appreciation of God, Christ, is greatly determined by our attitude towards the word of God. Our response of faith in Him is determined by our adherence to Him according to His word.
One of the great stories of how this applies to our lives is found in the dealing of Jesus with the centurion who had a beloved servant, who was sick and about to die. The humility of this man was very evident, in that he told the Lord that he was not worthy that He should even come under his roof. However, he went on to say this: “…but, SAY IN A WORD, and my servant shall be healed.” (Luke 7:7) The word of God, being the expression of the Divine will and commitment of God, is effective when Christ speaks. We see not only people who are healed, as in the case of the servant of the centurion, but sins are forgiven, and the dead are raised to life. How does the knowledge of the power of the word of God apply to our lives?
We must first ask ourselves, “Do I truly believe that God can and will speak clearly to me through the written word, by the Spirit?” The second question must be, “Do I truly believe that He will DO exactly what He says, when He chooses, and in the way of His choosing? And lastly, are we under His authority to the point where He can reveal His will to us, accomplishing all His perfect will through us?
Dear Father, give us to understand and grasp that You honor Your word, as it is the expression of Thee, thy nature and Thy will. Give us understanding, working in us ever to will and to do of Your good pleasure for Your glory. We thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad