Every day we’re influenced by our culture. Society’s prevailing philosophies and attitudes are everywhere— on radio and TV, in books and magazines, and even in conversations at the workplace and corner coffee shop. It’s difficult for believers to avoid the pressure to be and think like everyone else. But the Bible calls us to live in our culture without becoming part of it.
In his letter to Titus, Paul explained how we’re to accomplish this. Titus 1:9 says those who won’t participate in the sins of the culture must hold “fast the faithful word.” To survive the pull of our present culture, we must cling to God’s Word and apply His principles. The Bible is the revelation of God. He tells us what He thinks, how He acts, and what He expects of us. Reading and obeying the Bible ensures that believers will live righteously, identify error, and avoid sin.
The Bible can’t do any of these things if we never open it. Obeying God’s Word is a practical matter. We’re to read Scripture carefully and meditate upon it daily. In other words, we must think about the meaning of passages and apply their lessons to our daily life. To apply scriptural truths, we must not only believe the Word wholeheartedly but also obey it consistently. When we take practical steps to keep Scripture as the anchor of our belief system, we will not be swayed by culture.
Book: My Utmost For His Highest
by Oswald Chambers
The Conditions of Discipleship
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple
Luke 14:26-27, 33
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has "poured out in our hearts" the very "love of God" (Romans 5:5 ). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.
