The problem for most Christians today is our culture and the circumstances of our life influence our daily decisions more than God’s word. It’s not that we purposely choose to ignore God’s word, but the reality is what we hear the most is what we believe. And what we believe determines what we do.
It used to be a cuss word was forbidden in the media. Gone With the Wind was edgy because it had one bad word: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a d_ _ _!” Today, though, we don’t think anything of it. In fact, prime time TV constantly has words and situations that would make our grandparents gasp in disbelief. Yet for most of us not only does it not bother us, but we don’t even notice it. We’ve been desensitized by our culture.
Unless we meditate diligently in God’s word every day, seeking Him with a whole heart and loving Him enough to do what He has told us to do, we invariably fall into the trap of making bad decisions based on the influences of our culture.
I have a friend who is a committed Christian. He and his wife raised their children in a Christ-centered home. Yet one of his daughters, a believer who goes to church regularly, lives with her boyfriend. Why? As she said, “it’s not that bad. Lots of Christians are doing it.”
It’s a sad statement, but it shows the power of the culture to influence our lives contrary to God’s word. And what we hear the most is what we believe. Unless we drown out the culture with the pure word of God, how can we expect to make decisions that honor Him?
As my pastor recently said, “if our belief and following God included intentional obedience out of a love for Christ, it would amaze us how many personal, marital and church issues would not only be solved but would never occur.”
So, let me ask you: what are YOU doing daily to soak your mind and your heart in God’s word? And if you have children, what are you doing each day to soak THEIR minds and hearts in God’s word?
It’s more than just going to church and being “good.” It’s being deliberate with what you do and why. It’s having a plan.
For us, this is a high priority. Our responsibility as parents is to train our children to know God, experience Him personally, to obey us (authority) so they will obey the Lord as they grow up, and soak their hearts and minds constantly in God’s word. We accomplish this by playing the Bible on tape (now on mp3) every night for several hours as they sleep, letting God’s word saturate their minds. Every night before bedtime we read God’s word directly from the Bible and explain it to them. Daily they see us live our lives righteously before the Lord, and we guide and correct them in love. They see me and my wife having a daily quiet time, practicing what we preach. In other words, our life reflects our words. We teach them to pray. When they lose something special, we pray they will find it, and in most cases they find it immediately, reinforcing that God loves them and can help them. We teach them to thank the Lord for good things and to pray for others as needs arise. When we go through tough times as a family we are quick to point out how God continues to provide for all our needs … and they SEE it themselves.
If you live your life merely as a drive-by Christian, doing “Christian” things only when you think about it, the culture will influence your life. If you live your life by deliberately following Christ, seeking Him daily and meditating in His word, you will influence your culture. You have only one life to live. Choose to live it wisely.
… Beatty Carmichael