DAY 8

ADJUSTMENT

JOHN MACDONALD, LEAD PASTOR

Stop adjusting the Word of God to your life and start adjusting your life to the Word of God. —Personal prayer journal entry

By the time I was in junior high, I think I had moved a total of 8 times. I was born in Savannah, GA, lived in Wisconsin, the great state of Ohio, Texas, New Mexico, Australia, and finally Michigan. Those of you who have moved to a new city or country can attest to, can be quite an adjustment. Adjustment is all about trying to fit in and get yourself into a new rhythm that you hope can at some point feel normal. Whether it’s a new job, a new school, a new neighborhood or community, there is an adjustment period that everyone goes through. I googled the definition of adjust, and here is what I found:

ad·just (verb): To alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result

I want you to look at this definition and read it one more time. To alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result. As Christians, that is what many of us try to do. We take the holy, infallible, inspired word of God and choose a few things out of it to follow to make ourselves feel better. Basically we take what we like or what we agree with and apply it to our lives and call ourselves Christians. The hard things that Scripture talks about, those things that are an inconvenience or fly in the face of our cultural beliefs or go against our already established habits and lifestyle, we tend to just leave there in the Bible and turn the page, instead of taking action and applying God’s truth to our lives. We are a culture who likes to pick and choose according to our preferences.

I will take loving my neighbor to heart, but I won’t love my enemies. I’ll forgive most of the people that cross me, but some don’t deserve my forgiveness. I will give my tithe when it’s convenient or when I have extra, but I won’t commit to giving it every pay period. I will give up sin...well most of my sin except that which I don’t want to give up. I want to honor God with my life, but I'm not going to stop living with my boyfriend or girlfriend or practice sex in a committed marriage relationship like God intended. I want God’s best, but what I really want is what I think is best for me.

These are just some simple examples that I regularly see in people who try to take bits and pieces of God’s Word and adjust His Word into their lives. When in reality, Jesus called all of us to drop our nets and follow Him. We are to drop our old ways, old habits, old desires and wants, and our old life, so He can give us new life.

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. —2 Corinthians 5:15

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

—Romans 8:5

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

—Ephesians 4:17-24

Put off your old self and embrace the new self given to you
through Christ, characterized by holiness and righteousness. The sacrifice of Christ has granted you freedom from sin. Why would you ever want to adjust the Word of God to fit an old, sinful lifestyle? Unfortunately, many self-proclaimed Christians make this mistake. Jesus willingly went to the cross to provide us with new life. Therefore, we must adjust our lives to align with the truth of God’s Word. Scripture is clear that we demonstrate our love for God through our obedience (John 14:15). Out of our love for Jesus and our gratitude for His grace and mercy in providing new life for us through giving His life on the cross and forgiving our sins, our only response is to surrender ourselves and give our lives completely to Him.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, please reveal to me any areas where I have tried to adjust your precious Word to fit my selfish lifestyle. I will repent whenever you bring any of those areas up because I want my life to reflect You in all I say, do and think. Thank You for your forgiveness, for Your freedom, and the new life You have given me. Amen.