If you are like me, you tend to go through life thinking you have to face your battles alone. Whether it is your relationships, your finances, your losses or your misunderstandings of reason and purpose. As I continue my journey of truly trying to understand life’s purpose I am drawing closer to God and the comfort He offers. For having been introduced to God as a child followed by some knowledge gained as a young adult I admit I did not understand just how important a relationship with God was. I leaned heavily on just listening to others and not putting myself to the task of finding answers for myself. I owned a bible. As a matter of fact there are a few that have sat on my book shelves over the years. But I rarely opened it and when I did I would read but not with a real intent. I have heard from some close to me that “everyone interprets the Bible differently” and I reckon I believed that as well for a long time however, as I slow down and really pay attention to what I am reading I can tell you that it is not interpretive but quite literal and direct. The lessons provided by the authors of the Old Testament, the accountings of the followers of Jesus in the New Testament as well as the words of Jesus himself come with clear, concise instructions and guidance. You just have to begin the journey with a desire to feel God’s presence and experience His love and care. The Bible is often referred to as the living word. This, I believe, is because God truly will speak to you as you study it. No, I do not mean you are going to hear some deep heavenly voice from the sky. I mean you will recognize His presence within as the words travel deep within you. God did not provide His words to cause you confusion but rather clarity, purpose and guidance. But you literally have to open it and experience it for yourself. I now begin and end my day with scripture. I always knew there was more to life than the chaos of this world. I just did not realize until recently that the answers were just sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust. I did not realize that I needed to stop relying on belief and actually take the time to know. There are so many “beliefs” out there…for instance over 200 different religious denominations just in the United States but the one guide that we have had through the ages provides the knowledge provided by our one creator. I now cringe at words like religion, denomination and even the word believe. Man has a tendency to manipulate things to set themselves apart from others. To try to “interpret” rather than rely on the literal statements they read. I believe this is foolish and devisive. So if you are going to rely on someone else’s word rather than take the time to discover for yourself then ask them, you believe that based on what? Even ask yourself, why do I believe what I believe? What have I discovered as evidence for such beliefs? Do I really know what I believe or does the thoughts just make me feel good? These are the questions I had to pose to myself and I realized I had not taken the time to discover for myself. I took others at their word and felt that their “beliefs” made enough sense to make me feel good….or rather good enough.

I have been watching alot of videos by a man named Ray Comfort. They are very eye opening as to how much us people rely on beliefs rather than facts that are available. I encourage you to watch some of his interactions with people from all walks of life. Each video is only about 15 minutes long but they will make you realize how much we vary in “beliefs.” https://www.youtube.com/@LivingWaters

My pastor gave me some real understanding in the most simplest of terms…you must realize that Jesus must be the Lord of your life.

Heavenly Father thank you for another day of life. May you encourage each of us to seek your Word and to understand that your guidance is clear and concise and should not be altered but simply understood and relied on as a resource to your grace and salvation. As more winter weather moves in today please keep each of us safe as we travel to work, school , etc. In Jesus’ name, Amen.