The World Versus The Christian

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

You and I live in a world controlled by Satan.  We are surrounded by evil, longing to rub off on us the stain of this world.  A world dedicated to bringing each of us down – compromising our witness, destroying our families, destroying our lives – if at all possible!  No part of us is immune to the constant attack, our spirit, emotions, mind and body are all targeted and all too willing for our defenses to be worn down.

If we are going to spend time surrounded by Satan’s world, eventually the questionable things of this world are going to rob us of the power meant for a Christian life meant to be lived as as witness to a lost world.  The reason we have no power is that we spend our time in the world, filling up on the things of this world – our minds and emotions, answering the siren's call of sin.  If you are like most, you wonder why you have no power in your life to stand up to distraction, no power not to sin, no power to live apart from the world.

When we study the history of the early church, and its impact upon a God-less Roman world, you have to stand amazed at the almost complete lack of impact Christians have today upon an even less God-less world than 2,000 years ago!  "Christians" are taken in by every new doctrine to come along, no matter how far it leads away from the God they claim to know but can not find.  "Christians" no longer have the ability to discern right from wrong, truth from error, much less, to be able to "discern the spirits".

One explanation is the almost complete ignorance Christian’s have of the Bible.  We know about the Bible but not the Bible’s actual contents!  Further, some know their Bible but possess no understanding of what the Bible actual says.  Then to return to the concept of our lack of power, we must know our Bible, we must understand our Bible, we must be able to apply our Bible in our day to day lives. Else, the world will be as the world current is!

The Bible, the Word of God, is meant to be our spiritual food.  The only way to grow spiritually is to spend time in the Bible.  It is this Word which reveals Jesus to us.  We need to see Him and His life reflected in the mirror of the Bible.  We need to have the reality of Him in our daily lives.  And, to do that is to behold the glory of God.

Contemplation of whom Jesus is, is where power is to be found.  We need to leave behind the troubles and lure of this world, digging deep into our Bible where we can contemplate, worship and praise Him.

(with apologies to J. Vernon McGee, from whom the idea for this post was “borrowed” as this fits in with what follows)