Transformed By the Truth
In John 8:12 & 32, we read, “Then Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’… Jesus was saying to those who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free.’” In our culture today, it’s become more and more essential for us to abide in His Word and know the Truth, allowing God’s Word to transform us—protecting us from being infected and influenced by our secular society.
Here’s an interesting testimony that is also very encouraging!
At age 19, Christopher Parkening signed a contract with Capitol Records, and was asked to start the guitardepartment at the University of Southern California. The following year he signed with Columbia Artists Managementand began a rigorous concert schedule touring the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. During that time, hebecame known as one of the most talented classical guitarists in the world.
The combination of teaching and recording obligations brought tremendous stress to his life. He was miserable ontour, hated the hotel rooms, the airplanes, the monotony of one concert after the next. But, he thought, there will come a day when he would be happy. He planned to become a multi–millionaire and own a ranch with his own trout stream where he could retire, by the age of 30. And that was the goal he pursued.
It happened—he achieved his goal, and his life’s dream! He stopped playing the guitar, found a ranch with a beautiful trout stream in Montana, and moved there from Southern California. He called Capitol Records, USC, and Columbia Artists Management to thank them, and to let them know that he wouldn’t be playing the guitar anymore. For the next four years, he did everything he wanted to do: fishing to his heart’s content, and going back to Southern California in the winter to escape the snow and cold weather. He was living the good life—or so he thought.
But, soon after retirement, he became bored with life and felt empty inside, but he didn’t know why. His “ideal” life was turning out to be not so ideal after all. He needed something more, something to provide the fulfillment his musical success and early retirement hadn’t given him. During one of his winter visits to Southern California a neighbor leaned over the backyard fence and invited him to a Bible teaching church where he heard a sermon that changed his life. That sermon caused his whole life to flash in front of him and he realized he would stand before Christ and hear Him say, “You never cared about glorifying Me with your life or with your music—all you cared about were your ranches and your trout streams. Depart from Me!”
He realized that he had believed some basic facts about Christ, and that he even wanted to be saved from hell, but he had never been willing to submit to the Lord’s authority! In his own words, he explained, “That night I realized that my life was a total washout. Knowing I was a sinner before God, I gave my life to Christ that night for real and I asked Him to forgive me of my sins and to be my Lord and Savior. And by His grace alone He saved me. My new commitment to Christ gave me a great desire to read the Bible and learn more about the Word of God. Soon it became evident that the Lord wanted me to return to playing the guitar again, but this time for a different purpose—to honor and glorify my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!”
Please allow me to draw a brief conclusion (or a personal application). I often hear various people comment about the stress and tension they feel because of all that’s happening in this fast–paced world around us. I admit that it can become very overwhelming. The best response I can give points to the words of Jesus (in John 8 above) encouraging us to abide in His Word, and that requires us to take the time to allow it to sink in and saturate our minds. It might be beneficial to recognize that we live in a “microwave world” where we often expect instant results. But if we want to properly abide in God’s Word, it’s necessary for us to use a “crock pot.” In Psalm 1 and throughout Psalm 119, we’re encouraged to meditate on the Word. That means we read it over and over, allowing it to fill our thoughts and transform our thinking. That’s how we can obtain an increasing sense of freedom from the stressful conflicts and controversies thrust on us by our culture! Beyond that, we’ll become more and more transformed by God’s Truth!
As always, with prayer for God’s glory and praise for His grace, Pastor Greg