Their Word & God’s Word: Do They Line Up?

It seems everywhere we turn these days, some individual or organization is disseminating information. We don't have to look too far to find the latest on how to dress, how to live, where to eat, where to go, and what to do. On the screen and in print, we get 'advice' on relationship, parental, familial, and marital issues. Our senses are so inundated with information that we risk becoming desensitized to what is truth and what is propaganda. The voices we hear, and the opinions we read, have become to a large degree, the source of authority. This is where believers have to be careful.

Not much of what we hear, or read, takes God's perspective in mind. Ours is a secular society, and with that comes the humanist effort; the promotion of, and the reliance on, self. Biblical advice and instructions are ridiculed, and instead of ordering our lives and dealing with situations based on His principles, many find themselves embracing principles and concepts, touted by popular "experts", that run contrary to those of Christ.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (2:8, KJV). Those words written almost 2,000 years ago are very appropriate for our times. As children of God we need to take a step back and assess the things coming at us. Before embracing something as truth, and before incorporating it into our lives, we need to see how it measures up against the Word of God. It doesn't matter if we saw it on so-and-so's talk show, or heard it from popular psychologist and expert on all things, Dr. John Doe. If it conflicts with the Word of God, it is misinformation and should be rejected.

Our standard is not the latest fad promoted as being cool or even familiar ones that have become a part of our culture. There are some very good information available that can help us in different ways, but we have to examine them carefully. And let's not forget the greatest source of information available, God's Word. In it He has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). As you look for the right ways to deal with your situations, have you consulted it lately?