What is your core theology? It might be your beliefs about the Bible, life after death, mixing with the world's ways, or a variety of things. Knowing what you believe and why you believe it is a pretty necessary thing in life. Too many people flip-flop on their beliefs at the hint of pushback, which compromises you as an individual. It is best to know what you believe and why you believe it and have an established faith walk that is firm and concrete. In other words, have a standard. Standard (def) - something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example. As born-again believers, our standard is set by the authority of God. Without a standard, you have chaos, which is what we are seeing all over our country as I write this blog.
For years we thought our standard as a country was "we are free, patriotic Americans who always do the right thing. And now that reality shows that isn't the case we are looking for a firm standard that we can rely on. David wrote in Psalms 25: 1 O Lord, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. 3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. 4 Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. God IS the standard and to know what that standard is means we have to get into the book of our standard, the Bible.
For me, the standard for my life is built around a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. God isn't a source of strength. He IS MY STRENGTH. It seems almost like I am straining a gnat, but actually, it is a clarification in my life of who I am. I was born-again at age 11 in a worship service at First Baptist Church, West Plains, Missouri, and in that decision, God became my Savior and my Lord. At the time, the Holy Spirit took over my life and set me on a course to follow God and His standard. I wasn't discipled much after that decision and it wasn't until I was 19 years old that God really started calling me to a higher commitment. It was after some searching in the Bible and some life circumstances that I realized there was more to life than what I was living and I recommitted my life to Christ. Not much later I surrendered to full-time ministry and in March of 1980 committed to going wherever God called me to go. After almost 28,000 miles of travel with numerous locations from California to North Carolina God has called me out to different locations where I joined hands with other believers in service for our God. My service in ministry has basically always been in Southern Baptist Churches and I am currently serving in one today.
It has been my standard to follow God's Word, regardless of what my denomination believes. ALL of God's Word has been my guide for my life, my marriage, and my ministry. God has always been faithful to keep my fire burning and the Holy Spirit has been a constant friend for me on this journey. God holds true to the "perfect" standard of living and He has blessed me with a wonderful Godly wife and a great family. It is my prayer that they will choose for themselves the standard of the Bible as their guide and I am sure of my children's faith relationship with Jesus. I now pray for my grandchildren to know Jesus as Savior and Lord and hope they will seek God with all their hearts.
All of this is possible when God is at the core of our theology. The results will be seen in the future that only God can give us. Make your core theology and your life vision to be guided by God and His Word and your core will be secure and strong. Once again, Psalms 25:Psalms 25: 1 O Lord, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God!
The Pilgrimage Continues...
David Warren
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