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

It seems everywhere we turn these days, some individual or organization is disseminating information. We do not 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 sources of authority. This is where believers have to be careful.

Not much of what we hear or read take 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 God’s principles, many find themselves embracing principles and concepts, touted by popular "experts," that run contrary to His Word.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes, "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 does not 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. This is not to say that all we see and hear are bad. There is very good information available that can help us in different ways but we must examine them carefully. And let us 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). It is no wonder the Psalmist declares, “By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path” (Psalm 119:105, The Message). In other words, they showed him the way. As you look for the right ways to deal with your situations, have you consulted it lately?