Bad Behavior

     Do you have a problem with your behavior?  I do.  And I’ll bet you do, too.  That’s why it’s popular to make New Year’s resolutions.  Because we’re not the people we should be.

     We know what we should do but we don’t do it.  Children and adults both face this struggle.  It must be human to think we’re exempt from the rules others should keep.

     Like what?  Well what about texting on your cell phone while driving?  Or driving over the speed limit?  What about eating too much food with salt or sugar?   We all break the rules.

     People often pursue with abandon behaviors that have serious consequences.  Addictive behaviors.  Self-destructive behaviors.  Behaviors that steal time and maybe a bit of their souls.

     Part of the problem is that, while we’re often given the correct information, we don’t use it to change our lives.  We haven’t learned a thing.

     “Hold on just a minute!” you say.  “What’s the benefit of knowledge if it doesn’t change us?”

     Nothing. 

     In college I took a class on Principles and Methods of Teaching.  One thing I never forgot is this principle: “Teaching hasn’t occurred until learning has occurred and learning hasn’t occurred until there has been a change in behavior.”

     For me it was one of those rare “Aha!” moments.  In a flash I realized that most of my education was just a transfer of information.  Information that, by itself, changed nothing.

     But the Bible wasn’t given to us for information alone.  It was given for our transformation!

     Only the Bible contains the words of life.  Its words are living, active and powerful enough to transform the worst criminal into a godly saint.

     God’s solution is to change us through faith in Jesus Christ.  He changes us from the inside out. 

     When we accept that Jesus is the Son of God, Lord of all and that his crucifixion was for our sin, God forgives our failures, removes our guilt and gives us a totally new outlook on life.

     Then God begins the process of renewing our minds.  To do that, he uses his Word, the Bible.

     Jesus’ final instructions to his followers include one that said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

     Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Teaching them everything I have commanded you.”  That IS what many churches do.  But it’s NOT what he said.

     Jesus said, “Teaching them to OBEY everything I have commanded you.”  Big difference!

     It’s all about the behavior.  About bringing our obedience level up to our knowledge level.

     Don’t take my word on it.  Find out for yourself.  Pick up a Bible and check it out.  Start in the New Testament Gospel of John and then keep reading.

     You’ll discover that God can speak to you through the pages of his book.  That’s why the Gideons put Bibles in hotel rooms around the world.  To see lives transformed.

     When I give talks about the Bible, my goal is to see lives changed.  Sadly, not everyone who hears God’s Word allows it to change his or her behavior.  But that doesn’t diminish its power. 

     God changed my heart and his Word changes my behavior.  I work with him on it every day.  And if you’re troubled by your bad behavior, the Bible can transform your life, as well.

     Understanding this can transform church attendance from a pleasant past time to a life-changing event.  The truth will set you free if you obey it!

     Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!