Here's a simple answer. Some would say too simple. But it helps to at least start with the basics. If we are to be salt and light to the world, and pass it on faithfully to the next generation, we need to start in the Word itself, the
Bible. We need to start by reading it!
By reading it!
How many of us do that? How many of us try to start our day by actually reading it? (And I'm not
talking about simply reading a page of "Our Daily Bread".) Surprisingly, most Christians don't! Research has shown that people who read the Bible at least four times a week are far more likely to actually be living Christian lives. In fact, the opposite is also true. Christians who do not read the Bible much typically live a life that is indistinguishable from non-believers! Is that you?
The next aspect is to believe the Bible as truth. It's one thing to say that we believe it, but it's another thing to believe it when the rubber meets the road! Or, is it perhaps that we believe just the things that are convenient to believe? Or the things that are easy to believe? Or the things that won't get us mocked by the world, or lose our jobs, .....or cause family division! Do we actually
believe it as literal truth? Or, do we let society bend it in our minds so it's a "rubber Bible"?
Do we teach it as truth? Are we leading by example? Do our children see us reading the Bible? Do our children think that reading our Bibles and teaching it to them is important? Can our children answer questions they might get from their
friends? Will they be able to stand against the onslaught they will certainly face if they go to secular universities?
All of the above, as important as they are, will mean nothing if we aren't actually living the Bible to our family and to society. In many ways, we might be the only "Bible" that people ever read. Are we living the Christian
life, as the Bible teaches us, at home and at work? Or is it just a facade when we go to church?
How bright is the torch of God's Word in our minds? In our hearts? How brightly are we shining that torch into the world around us? The Word of God is a constant! It doesn't change, even though the world does! It's a beacon of light in a dark night,
in a dark, angry sea! It remains the only standard for a moral compass! It's a light that points us back to the standard of God's character.
You have it! Read it as truth. Believe it as truth. Teach it as truth. And live it!
