[Faith-talk] A Guiding Principle by Sheridan Voysey

[Paul Smith]

Hello and greetings to you all out there.  Hope your day is doing well 
today, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

How many of you have ever heard of Sheridan Voysey? I must admit that I 
haven't, although what he wrote below makes a lot of sense in my 
opinion.  Read more to find out.

Some years ago I had a sobering moment about my Christian life.  After 
fifteen years of believing and serving, I realized I didn't know God 
very well.  Of course I knew God was good and holy and that Jesus died 
for my sins.  God had changed my life profoundly, but did I really know 
His character well--His personality?

I was working in a church and was desperately seeking direction on how 
to lead and serve people.  I read the Bible looking for leadership 
tips.  The Bible is a good place to find them, and it has plenty to say 
about Christian living.  But in my pursuit of tips and topics I missed 
something very important:  I missed God.

The hypocritical religious leaders who Jesus warned about made the same 
mistake but in a more serious way.  They rigorously studied Scripture 
for its principles and laws but made those laws more important than God 
Himself (see John 5:39).  Their study didn't produce love in their 
hearts.  They were so consumed with laws that they didn't recognize who 
Jesus was (John 5:45-46).

Scripture is foundational for making wise choices.  But we can 
sometimes read into it what we want and miss what's really there.  So 
how do we best read it?

Jesus has given us a guiding principle by telling us _He is the 
fulfillment of the Scriptures (Matt. 5:12).  The Bible is a story, and 
the story is all about Jesus.

I'm reading Scripture differently these days.  I no longer ask first 
what principles I can find, but rather what is tells me about God, the 
story He's telling, and who I should become as a result.  The Bible 
isn't a self-help book but a guide to knowing God.  First go deeper 
into Him, then find all the principles you need.

The foregoing was adapted from a work entitled _Resilient, copyright 
2015 by Sheridan Voysey.

And there you have today's reading.  Tomorrow's reading will be posted 
a little earlier than usual, as the undersigned is going to attend a 
Calvary Chapel men's Bible conference from tomorrow evening until 
Saturday afternoon at the Meadowkirk Retreat Center some six miles (10 
km) north of the small town of Middleburg VA
(http://www.meadowkirk.org).
Please pray that God will have His way in our deliberations.  On behalf 
of all attendees, including the undersigned and Pastor Jason Meyerson 
who will read this, thanks for your prayers, as I know they will be 
appreciated.

And that will do for today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another 
fruitful spiritual article will be posted, may the God of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in 
these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul