Day Twenty Four – Transformed By Truth

God’s truth transforms me. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make me like the Son of God. Unlike any other book in the world, the Bible is alive. It is the spiritual nourishment I need to grow spiritually.

I need to not only read God’s Word, but abide in it. There are three aspects to this:

I must accept it’s authority. The Bible needs to be authoritative in my life. I need to turn to it for answers and rely on it as the ultimate standard of truth.
I must assimilate its truth. I must do more than believe the Bible; I need to fill my mind with it. This involves receiving it, reading it, researching it, remembering it and reflecting on it.
I must apply its principles. Abiding in God’s Word and assimilating its truths are useless if I do not apply it to my life. Personal application can be a difficult and painful process because it may mean I need to make changes in my life. It may expose parts of my life I have kept hidden.

Bible Passages

Warren quotes the Bible twenty six times using nine translations and paraphrases. On the whole he quotes with accuracy. I did notice that he quoted 2 Corinthians 3:18 as support for his statement that meditation will transform us into Christ’s likeness. Though I agree with the statement, I don’t believe this passage speaks about meditation.

Point to Ponder

Today’s point to ponder is “the truth transforms me.” This was one of the best chapters of the book thus far. Though most Christians are well aware of the need to “abide in the Word” very few actually do it. Sharing Biblical principles on this matter is never a wasted exercise.

I’ll be honest and say that I have a very difficult time abiding in the Word. There are times in my life where I love nothing more than spending my time reading the Bible, but more often than not it is a laborious exercise for me. Through most of my life I find myself finding any excuse to put off Bible study in favor of just about anything else. I cannot plead ignorance as I know the importance of this discipline, yet for some reason continue trying to minimize it in my own life. So often I have to discipline myself into doing it rather than doing it with joy. Yet when I do it, the results are incredible. I learn so much and it gives me so much to share with others. I continue to hope that some day I can pray as David did that God’s law is my delight and my meditation day and night!