5 Most Important Things in Life: Part 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” the Apostle Paul

Philippians 3:7-8a

Transcript

Good morning. You know the best way to start your day, right, and that is by listening to God, because God wants to be involved in your life. He wants to speak into your life. He wants to guide your life. He wants to shape the way you view yourself, the way you view the world, the way you view this day of your life that you’re starting today.

He wants to be involved and that’s why every weekday morning at this time we just open the Bible, God’s Word, and we let God speak to us and I hope even as you’re listening now in your heart you’re saying, God, what do you have to say to me today.

This week we’re talking about the 5 most important things in life. We looked at number 1 yesterday, which is your personal relationship with God.

Number 2 most important thing in your life is the Word of God – The Bible.

I want to read you a few verses out of the longest chapter of the Bible, Psalm 119. Which has 175 verses in it, and all but 3 of those verses talk about the word of God and its role in our life. Uh, let me read you from verse 105 to 112. The psalmist writes:

Your word is a lamp to my feet.

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And a light to my path.

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it to keep your righteous rules.

I am severely afflicted.

Give me life, O Lord, according to Your word.

Accept my free will offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever to the end.

Well, this is the expression of a man who has discovered the value of God’s word in his life, and I want to tell you that if you learn to put God’s Word front and centre in your life each day of your life, you will find it guiding you in your relationship with God, also guiding you in your perspective on life, in your ability to have wisdom as you face difficult choices, difficult circumstances.

It will help you in responding to the temptations that come into your life that draw you to things that you know will be self-destructive and destructive to your relationships with other people.

In all of these situations, God’s Word is his self-revelation.

And it’s not just a book about God, but the Bible tells us that God’s Holy Spirit takes God’s Word and actively uses it in your life to guide you and to reveal God to you.

It’s one of the most important things in your life. Do not neglect God’s Word. You may have a physical Bible. I love my book Bible, where I can turn the pages and underline things, circle things, make notes in the margin about what God’s saying to me. You may use a digital Bible. I use my iPad often for my Bible, and it doesn’t matter what media you’re using to go to God’s Word, but it’s so important for you to build your life around what God is saying to you. That’s why every day it’s a good practise at the beginning of your day just to read some of the Bible.

There’s many different reading plans. You can just read a chapter a day. It doesn’t matter, but before you start reading, say to God – God, I want to know what you have to say to me today. What do you want to show me about yourself? What do you want to show me about myself? And how do you want to guide me in my life today?

And then read with that listening attitude. Let God speak to you. Some of the things you read will be promises from God, and you can just lay hold of them and drive a stake in the ground and say, I trust you with this God.

You will find God working deeply to grow you in your spiritual life as you put His Word right at the centre.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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