In today's reading of John 5, the Bible tells us, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hearth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (vs. 24)
I love what Ellen White writes in Christ Object Lessons: "In every command and in every promise of the Word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who by faith receives the word is receiving the very life and character of God." (p. 38)
And even Christ when He was on earth, did not live for Himself, but for the will of His Father. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgements is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30)
Again, Inspiration writes: "So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will." (Desire of Ages, p. 208)
However, in contrast to what I've shared above, as I read in Jeremiah this morning, I saw a different picture, a people who had been given a great gift--God's Word in the form of His covenant, and yet they did not obey it, they did not reverence it. "Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant." (Jer. 11:3)
"Only as a reverence for God’s Holy Word was cherished in the hearts of the people, could they hope to fulfill the divine purpose. It was regard for the law of God that gave Israel strength during the reign of David and the earlier years of Solomon’s rule; it was through faith in the living word that reformation was wrought in the days of Elijah and of Josiah. And it was to these same Scriptures of truth, Israel’s richest heritage, that Jeremiah appealed in his efforts toward reform. Wherever he ministered he met the people with the earnest plea, “Hear ye the words of this covenant,” words which would bring them a full understanding of God’s purpose to extend to all nations a knowledge of saving truth. Jeremiah 11:2." (Prophets and Kings, p. 465)
Let's no neglect God's Word... it is what leads us to our source of life, God Himself! Let's cherish it in our hearts!
[Authors endnote: Many people ask me "How much time do you spend on these blogs each day? This must take you so much time?... Well, to be honest, sometimes it takes more time than others, especially when I bear my soul in lengthy testimonies, but the average time is not very long. This post took me less than 10 minutes to write and post. Just sharing tidbits of inspiration I find each day is a blessing and helps me remember what I've read... ]
Tomorrow's Reading: Jer. 13-14 and John 6
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