WALK WITH YOUR BIBLICAL PRIORITIES
BY ISIDRO JR BANQUIL ANDEA
Everyone has a precocious gift from God, we are chosen an individual to become a steward of all these gifts. Unleashing your full potential by setting your mind and goals in achieving your dreams in life is the road to success. People with goals always succeed because they have direction straight forward to the right path. Submission before God will help us to prosper and become a conqueror of this narrow road. But how to get there? Just learn how to live with a biblical value system.
In a class, I asked the students about the common thing or things that they prefer to see or touch when they wake-up in the morning. One of the students said, "Teacher, I prefer to see my cellular phone so that, I could check the messages in the inbox". Another student raised his hand and he answered with his smiling face. "I used to see my face in the mirror". Many students prefer to see their toothbrush and go to comfort room for their personal necessities and some are watching television, while others spend few minutes doing exercise. And most of them love to read selling books. But the whole class pause for a moment when they heard my follow-up question, "How about your Bible?" they tried to think about their Bible and I asked them seriously, "How did you value your Bible as your personal belonging? Well, guess, what will be their answer if I asked you with the same question?
What great men say about the Bible? Abraham Lincoln (U.S President) said: "I believe the Bible is the birth gift God has ever given to man," George Washington (U.S President) said: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Mahatma Gandhi said, "The reading of the New Testament has given me comfort and boundless joy". Sir Isaac Newton (Scientist) "I find more sure marks of the Bible" And God said in his scripture "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" Joshua 1:8 NIV.
We all know that the bible is the bestselling books ever! It is essential for a Christian to read the Bible regularly. GOD wrote in the bible everything that a man needs to know and do. The way you treat the Bible affects your success in your Christian life. The scripture is truly a unique book: "different from all others; having no like or equal".
We as believers should esteem the word of God more than our necessary food and it should be above everything else. We must make God's word a priority in our lives by studying the word daily. Others might say that they don't have time to read it because they are busy for their secular priorities and generally, we have priorities in life but how to live with biblical priorities in a Christian life view?
A Biblical Christian must set his/her biblical priorities to have a biblical value system. Our daily activities should be patterned in biblical ways. God gives us his undeserved grace to live with him that our life should be aligned in his presence. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Submission comes from our heart as we honored him as the owner and creator of our life and we should submit our heart desires to him so that he will lead us as we go through to the life that he promised us. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4). He doesn't want us to depart from him, he molded our life according to his mighty hands which no one could ever steal it. He forms us in his plan, he deals our life daily, he gives us breath and protects us from harm. The famous verse in the scripture says "I will bless you with a future filled with hope, a future of success, not of suffering (Jeremiah 29:11). He embraced us with his unfading love and make sure that our life in the future should have an eternity, and he gives an assurance of everlasting life.
But what is important to God? God wants us to live for biblical priorities, to be a biblical Christian. We must establish our priority in accordance of what we need. We should always keep our life on fire for God to do his will. "Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11, KJV). We must guard against in everything around us to discern things that come from God for us to be strong in the Lord and to let his mighty power works against our wrongdoing. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:14-18).
We should trust in God and obey him in all his ways because he is our commandant in the battlefield. He served as our commander-in-chief across the journey of life on Earth. According to the scripture in Joshua 1:9 "I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God and I will be there to help you wherever you go!"
Now, let us ask ourselves if our value system follow Christian life view or not? We should saturate our minds with the Word of God. It is obvious that secular values lead us to secular priorities and biblical values lead us to biblical priorities. When we say YES, to a Christian life view? We must adopt biblical priorities because it will transform our lives to a solid search of truth. "Stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile." (1 Corinthians 15:58).
How can we show our love to God? Just simply to obey him, right? But how do we obey him? The practical way of showing our love to God is to obey his instruction to study the word of God daily.
Let me tell you the concrete experienced that I encountered God in my life journey. My parents have not emphasized their spiritual aspect in their day to day living. They devoted their time to work and making a living for our family. We even don't have family affair because their priority was to provide our basic needs. As I played with street children every Sunday, I saw many families went to church and they were happy seeing them having the bond that they established to each member of their family, and the bond that unites them was God. I dreamed how I wish someday my family will do the same thing going to church with my whole family worshipping God. It motivates me to accept the challenge to begin and making that wishes possible. I don't even think of what kind of power that leads me to make that dream come true. I started attending mass with my younger sister as they also wish to find and experience God in their lives. We both felt the joy having our omnipotent God to come nearer and closer to his presence and that was the great job that I ever attempted knowing our creator. We can't see him but we can feel his presence if we want to know him. As the days go by, we loved to go to church every Sunday and fellowship with our co-believers. What the most interesting activities that I really liked were singing praise songs and reading the stories of characters in the bible. I received the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ when I was in second-year high school. I'm being born again with water baptism and offered my life for the ministry.
My value system in a Christian life view and in my secular priorities interchangeably. I dream also to become a doctor or a lawyer but my heart really wants to do a ministry and service for humanity in helping people to find God in their hearts and received the gift of life. So, what I did was following Jesus Christ as my master of all my dreams. I believed, in him, there's a prosperity. I learned on how to live with biblical priorities in Christian life views.
Many people run the same kind of danger when they neglect to base their lives on a solid research of the truth. The greatest way to get the advice that you need for life, and on into eternity, is to read the Bible daily. Base your life on the solid research of the truth. God always knows where you're going and He can tell you how to get there. You should learn how to open your eyes to your great potential. The achievement of your potential through creativity, independence, and an understanding of the real world is referred to self-actualization. Knowing yourself is a key to unlock the hindrances and open the door of the possibilities, all you need to do is knowing who you are. As what we all know that self is the union of body, thoughts, feelings or emotions, and sensation that constitute to the identity and individuality of a person. It is a must that you need to know your self-deeper. Identify your strengths, weaknesses and facing the real you will matter most. We may become the most successful person beyond of our widest dream if we believe that we can do everything. We have two choices in life. We can make living or we can design life. It lies in your hands now on how you take risks. Believing in yourself that you can do something and commit yourself to it is a self-education and learning from school through formal education will make you a living and fortune to live. You will always have the things you wanted in life unless you change how you are.
We have uniqueness and individuality, and some of us have an innate character but if that differences will ruin your dream, start to change your perspective outlook in life to a bigger one and confidently show the gift entrusted to you.
People generally want to feel a sense of satisfaction, achievement in our goals, responsibility to take in, enjoyment for what we are doing and mostly we want appreciation to recognize our great job because we deserved to be appreciated. In other words, when we extend the scope of our expectation to a broader outlook to be initiated, to the levels of our performance, then we generally become more, engaged, self-motivated, and energized. Most of the people want to feel that their potential is being regularly challenged. Head-up to your great potential! And learn how to live in your secular priorities. Thus, Making God's word a priority is the essential component of our biblical system.
There are five emphasized things why we need to study the bible and make a personal covenant and meditation to intercede with God. I made a mnemonic device for us to constantly remember the vital role of studying the word of God.
B-Bread of life
I-Inspiration of God
B-Being different Christian
L-Lamp that gives light
E-Encouraging us to have hope
First, Bread of life. Jesus answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). Thus, Christ answered, and we may answer all the allegations against the deception of our enemy. That is, by whatever God commanded us, we must sustain him. Therefore, we shouldn't make any sense of miracle's work to procure the bread, without any intimation of God the father's will. The Lord our God uses the sword of the spirit in his responses. Moreover, if it is pleasing God to sustain by other means than bread, it will be done. The word of God is trusted. In the old testament, God fed Israel with manna, sent by his word, and we can trust his promises.
Second, Inspiration of God. The book of 2 Timothy 3:16 instructed us to govern by the word of God. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". All scripture is inspired by our all-knowing God. The spirit of God not only called those who once inspired to write, but continually inspires the many, supernaturally assists, and those who read it with earnest prayer. Hence, it is profitable for the doctrine of any religious groups, for an instruction of the ignorant people, for conviction of them of our sin or reproof, for correction of whatever amendment of our amiss, and for instructing or training up the all the children of God in all righteousness.
Third, Being different from others. According to 1 Peter 4:10-11, "As every man hath received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another, as good steward of the manifold grace of God. If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen." Everyone who received a gift- spiritual or temporal, ordinary or extra-ordinary employ it for the common good. The talents wherewith his free love has entrusted us, be a good steward of the manifold grace of God. Indeed, those whom God has given gifts must use them, not as their own, but as God's.
Fourth, Lamp that gives light. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". As a Christian and children of God, we are the lamp and the light of this world. We should keep our fire burning and let other people ignite and keep on lighting.
Lastly, Encourages us to have hope. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope: according to the book of Romans 15:4. The passage just quoted applies to Christ, and all things are written that through patience and consolation of the scripture may have hope. So, God reveals his will by the Word, and when the World is clothed in flesh, as the teacher of men, we recognize it as Jesus Christ. Then, YOU must be saved!