Stability
by Dr. Ken Matto
(Josh 1:8 KJV) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and
then thou shalt have good success.
In the above verse we read that God had commanded Joshua to meditate in the book
of the law and if he did, then he would prosper. This of course does not mean
that if a person studies the Bible then they are going to become rich in money
and worldly goods. After all, if God tells us not to love the things of the
world, then why would He contradict Himself by throwing all that temptation in
front of His children? What God seeks are those who are going to meditate in His
word which will result in spiritual prosperity. When a Christian is spiritually
prosperous they are spiritually strong, and if we look at the life of Joshua we
will see a man who became a champion for the Lord because he followed God’s
counsel on remaining in the Word of God.
This is a valuable lesson for us also. Nothing has changed in the Kingdom of
God. Spiritual prosperity comes to a Christian by means of being immersed in the
Scriptures. I think in our modern day we have lost the belief that the Bible is
more than just a guidebook for Christian living, but that it is the revelation
of the mind of God and that means even though it contradicts the ways of the
world, we can never go wrong because God is absolute wisdom and that wisdom is
always contrary to the world. We have all heard the saying that in the Kingdom
of God, the way up is down. In other words, the humble are the exalted in the
Kingdom of God. (Mat 23:12 KJV) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. The world elevates
its disciples by teaching them to walk over others.
A real question for Christians is “why do we study the Bible?” Now I know all
the usual answers one would get in response to that question. However, the
reality is that many Christians, probably the majority, study the Bible but when
a situation arises in the life of that believer, they abandon the Bible’s wisdom
and run to the nearest Christian book store and buy a “self-help” book normally
written by some famous Christian psycho-babbler who tends to mix the truths of
Scripture with the worldly teachings of Freud, Rogers, Skinner, or others. Could
we do that because we simply do not trust the teachings of Scripture as
sufficient for our lives? Oh yes, we study the Bible to learn about salvation,
Heaven, the teachings of Christ, eschatology, and other such gems within the
pages of holy writ but when it comes to personalization of issues, how much do
we really depend on the Scriptures? If we look at our libraries, it will give us
a good indication of what we are truly placing our trust in.
The Scriptures tend to do some things that these self-help books do not.
Probably the main thing that the Scriptures have over the self-help books is
that they demand accountability. Self-help books tend to make excuses for people
so they may sin with a clear conscience (if that is possible). Remember,
self-help books are written by authors for the purpose of making money. God did
not write the Bible to make money. (Psa 24:1
KJV) The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that
dwell therein. The Lord already owns it all, including
the fortunes made by those who write self-help books. God wrote the Bible for
our benefit. The Bible is our personal guidebook from the mind of God. As
Christians, we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. There are so many snares
which can take hold of us if we are not armed. The Bible has been written in a
way that helps us identify any snares which could stultify our Christian walk.
This is why God has written the Bible with so many narratives of real people who
had real struggles in their walk. This makes comparison of our lives to theirs
much easier. For example, Peter obviously had a struggle with his mouth, since
we read many times, "Peter answered and said," when no one asked him anything. I
identify with Peter many times in my life, as I have opened mouth and inserted
foot. God has given His children the Bible as a guidebook through this
wilderness.
These self-help books really do not prepare us to face opposition in our lives
either. It is obvious that just being Christians in this world will cause
opposition. This is why God has given us so much in the Bible which deals with
opposition so when it comes we will know exactly how to handle it. Every day
brings something new into our life, whether it is something small or something
big. When these things come into our life, who or what is the first thing we
turn to. The reason we study the Bible is not only to make sure that we are
saved but the essence of many teachings in the Scripture is “preparedness.” The
word “prepare” is used 81 times in the Scriptures. When God uses a word 81
times, I think we should sit up and take notice. When we are spiritually
prepared by our study of the Scriptures, then we are able to deal sufficiently
with any and all situations which come into our lives.
None of us knows what a day may hold. Whenever we read the Scriptures, they give
us comfort, because we realize that God cares for us and will strengthen us in
times of affliction. We read the Scriptures and see what the Bible characters
went through and how God cared for them during their lowest times. I am
convinced that whatever we read from the Scriptures in the morning, will be
needed for that day. (Deu 33:25 KJV) Thy
shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
This verse also reveals that God will strengthen us but it is
according to His word. If we do not read and study the Bible, we may not
identify areas of strength that God is giving us. That strength may be in
humility, defense, or confrontation, and it is imperative we know the
difference, and how to engage each one properly.
Unlike the man-centered cult books, you will find the Bible brings stability to
the Christian walk. (Isa 40:3-4 KJV) The
voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God. {4} Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places plain: If you look at
these verses, you will see, in metaphoric language, that God promises to
stabilize the Christian walk. He says the mountains will be made low and the
valleys will be exalted. Picture what you have if a mountain is made low and the
valley is raised. Instead of having a roller coaster existence, the road will be
made flat and straight for the Christian. This does not mean there will be no
tribulation in the life of the Christian, it means simply, that through rough
times, God can stabilize the Christian’s walk. This would control disbelief,
anxiety, thoughts of hopelessness, and other destructive elements. The Christian
walk is a continuum because salvation is a continuum. As a child of God,
whenever we find something in Scripture which pertains to our situation, we may
bring it before the throne of Grace. Our Christian walk may seem marred, but
because of the character of God and His Word, we can be stable.
How this world would love to become a stable world. Unfortunately, stability is
not something we can expect from a world that has been thrown into instability
because of sin. As Christians, no matter what comes into our lives, we will be
able to live that stable life simply because the Holy Spirit, who indwells the
true believer, will give us that stability that we so need during times of
trials and other situations which life may bring. This will also confuse the
world when they see us going through rough times with a stabilized outlook. How
many times have we heard someone tell us, “I would go crazy in your situation.”
You see, when we have the mind of Christ, it gives us stability rather than
chaos which the world normally lives in. (Isa
33:6 KJV) And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and
strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
This is the only time in the Bible that the word “stability” is used. Do you
notice where it will come from? It comes from “wisdom and knowledge.” Now is
that the wisdom and knowledge of worldly things or is it the wisdom and
knowledge which comes from the Scriptures? Let the Scriptures answer that
question. (Josh 1:8 KJV) This book of the
law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:
for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success. Yes, the Christian can prosper, even in the
darkest of times. (4/29/05)