Your Daily Devotional for September 15, 2006

 

September 15, 2006

 

A Holy Life

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

 Psalm 119:9-11

 

As we see in our verses today, God’s desire for each of us is to live a holy life. How do we develop a heart of holiness? First of all by salvation, and then through the inner adornment of God’s Word. As we put God’s Word in our heart, our life will become more holy as Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”

 

Many people believe that as long as you are doing things for the Lord, your heart must be okay. This is not true! The busier you become, the easier it is to neglect your personal walk with Christ! Sometimes in our homes and churches we emphasize the external. At home we are constantly correcting the children but often we neglect nurturing them. Children need nurturing to know that God and their parents love them. A child who is constantly punished but never reconciled will soon turn his or her heart from the parents.

 

At church we often deal with the outward issues such as modesty, giving, and serving without focusing on the holiness of the heart. We can have standards, but those standards will never take root in a person’s life unless they are grounded in a holy heart. Our main emphasis is on the heart. Once we have a holy heart, the other things will come naturally.

 

A converted cannibal on a South Sea Island was sitting by a large pot reading his Bible. An anthropologist saw him and was curious as to what he was doing. He approached the native and said, “What are you doing?” The cannibal replied, “I’m reading the Bible.” Upset, the anthropologist then said, “Don’t you know that modern man has rejected that book?”

The cannibal looked him over and said, “Sir, if it weren’t for this book, you’d be in that pot.”

 

The Bible has the power to change lives! Aren’t you glad that God’s Word was opened to you and you were saved? His Word not only has the power to save you, but it can transform your life into a life of holiness. Jesus Christ took foul-mouthed fishermen, lowly publicans, and middle-class men to be His disciples! These were the men that turned the world upside down on the day of Pentecost! Think of what His Word could do to you!

 

Are you living a life of holiness, or are you content with merely sliding by? Are you reading God’s Word daily and allowing it to mold your life into one of holiness?  The next time you are tempted to neglect God’s Word, I encourage you to remember how important God’s Word is to your spiritual life as you strive to live a life of holiness.

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