If your life feels unstable right now, ask yourself, what is your foundation?
If you’ve gone through a few of the different topics and subtopics we have on RezLife, then you are probably starting to get the idea that every day prayer and Bible study are pretty important, as well as getting involved with a community of other believers and helping those around you. That’s because these things are part of what forms the foundation of our faith and life. When we are followers of Christ, we are instructed to exercise spiritual discipline regularly throughout our lives.
Why? Because these little daily things can open up the doors to a whole new world of truth and understanding. In Scripture we find God and the truth behind everything. Through prayer and fellowship we gain understanding of this information as well as the world around us, and communion and worship is how we give and receive help with this process and work to put what we have learned into practice. This is the foundation we build upon—the Rock of Jesus Christ—and it is how believers can find stability in any circumstance. So wherever you are in your life, whether you have committed to living as a follower of Christ or not, I would encourage you to take the plunge and introduce some of these concepts and spiritual disciplines into your life. You will find that your understanding of God and the whole universe will deepen, and you will attain a stability in your life you have never had before.
Story:
When I was younger I really screwed up, and my life was in total ruins. I thought I knew the rights things. I thought I knew better than anyone else. And I tried to live my life according to my best judgment, doing what I thought was right, and all of it quickly fell apart. My parents offered to help and one thing they asked of me was that I commit to a small list of daily tasks like spending 20 minutes reading the Bible, and another 10 praying or journaling my prayers to God, going to church every week, joining a small group, and meeting one on one with an older Christian to talk about life issues.
When my parents asked this of me, what could I say? I mean I was already a Christian, and it wasn’t like I had a good excuse. I had already said I believed that Jesus was my Lord and Savior and that God knew the best way for us to live our lives and had a plan for the entire world. I already said I believed all that. It’s not like I could back out and be like “uh, I believe that but I don’t think that we should actually, like, do what you say!?!”
So I committed to giving it a real try. I didn’t do all of these things at once; but I started doing one of them and then another and then another, slowly building them into my life. And even though they usually didn’t take more than an hour of my time, I was surprised to see how these little daily tasks brought a great amount of stability and peace to my life.
It was really amazing how doing a few things each day with regularity and commitment brought a huge change into my life. I never ever would have guessed that these small disciplines would usher in God’s transformation in my life. I can honestly say, with a few years behind me, that these small things have changed my life and opened up my relationship with God in ways I never dreamed possible. Through Christ I have been able to tackle problems in my life and understand the brokenness of the world around me in new ways.
That’s the truth that at is offered through a relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s the truth that we find in Scripture—a God who offers the REAL solution. The world has come up with so many ways of figuring out how to get through the crap that is our lives. But none of them are real solutions because they are all built upon lies. It’s very accurate that we call Satan the Father of Lies. Because when we start to look at sin and our motivation, then we see the true brokenness of this world and the true brokenness of each of us as we come in to it.
We are not born good, we are born broken. That doesn’t mean bad. That means separated from God. That means without the TRUTH of what a real life is. And so we come up with all of these solutions that have nothing to do with the truth. We manufacture these solutions out of our own broken and sinful nature, and unfortunately the Devil is all too happy to provide us with other half truths and deceptive perspectives.
That’s the nature of lies. They are so insidious. So manipulative. They are so hard to spot because they often are disguised as almost truths, coated with real stories, with bits and pieces that are factual; but when you taint even a piece of the truth with a lie, the entire thing becomes false. It’s just like that whole brownie thing—would you eat a brownie from a batch with a little cat poop mixed in? It’s only a little piece but it ruins the whole batch. That’s what a lie is! And our world doesn’t just have one piece of it; it has mounds and mounds poured into it. And we are no different.
What these spiritual disciplines bring into our lives is a daily injection of God’s truth. It’s what helps us continuously to see the world through his eyes and understand our purpose because we understand his greater purpose is through Jesus Christ coming down specifically to have a relationship with each and every one of us so that we may know him and know the truth. That means this is very important and we should dedicate a great amount of time to it, not just less than an hour a day. But really, just a small difference can bring about a great change.
Bible Intro:
If you have spent some time in Scripture before today, you are probably used to the unique way it’s worded and the distinct “Bible speech” we read there. Today though, take a second and wipe the slate clean of it all and read this passage with fresh eyes. Consider what a vital part truth plays in our faith and understanding of God. When the Bible says things like “those who believe” and “acting in faith” or “trusting in God,” what it’s actually talking about is TRUTH. Jesus came to tell us the truth about this world and who we are—that’s what frees us! When we believe that what he says is really the truth and everything else we have believed up until now is a lie—or at least tainted with lies (remember those brownies!) So when we “act in faith” we are living according to truth rather than the lies everyone else is still fooled by—that’s something to celebrate!
Scripture: Romans 1:16–25
Personal Questions:
- Have you already decided to believe the truth that Jesus tells us?
- Have you acknowledged that Jesus is Lord and your Savior? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that the truth of God is the real complete truth? Why or why not?
- How is the lack of truth affecting your life?
- What sins do you continue to struggle with because you believe the lie that they are telling you? (ex. I continue to get angry because I don’t believe God will protect me and make things right. I continue to overeat because I don’t believe that I am precious and adored by the Creator.)
- Do you believe that small daily disciplines can really make a difference?
- Are you willing to commit to trying regardless of what you think? Why or why not?
Continue interacting with this topic here.
Prayer:
Father God, I do believe in you. I believe in Jesus and the salvation he offers us. I believe all of these things in my head but it’s so easy to forget them in my heart. Help me to learn your truth more every day. Let it sink in, seep into my soul and begin to change me! I want a life filled with your truth and the light and peace that come with it. Help me! Guide me and give me courage! I trust in you. Amen.
