The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren—A Synopsis (continued). Chapter 24—Transformed by Truth (pages 185-192) Summary To be able to fulfill God’s purpose in life, the believer must be nourished by the Word of God. It is absolutely essential in the spiritually maturing process otherwise known as sanctification. The Christian must regularly feed on God’s Word and abide in it, which entails the following activities: · Accept its authority. Unlike culture (“everyone is doing it”), tradition (“we’ve always done it”), reason (“it seemed logical”), or emotion (“it just felt right”), all of which are flawed by the “Fall of man;” the Bible is the only perfect standard for one’s life. It must be the Christian’s ultimate authority for his life. To reflect on Scripture is another way of saying meditate on it. Meditation is simply focused thinking; it is the mulling over again and again the truths of God’s Words. When these all are made a part of the Christian’s life, he will find that he will be increasingly transformed into the image of Christ. · Assimilate its truth. This requires more than the casual reading of a few verses daily. It is more than simply hearing it from some preacher’s mouth once a week. The believer must develop a hunger and thirst to study, research, memorize and reflect on (meditate on) Bible doctrine in a concentrated and persistent manner, and on a regular basis. · Apply its principles. It is not enough simply to read and study God’s Word. The Christian must also be a doer of God’s Word. This is the practical application step that is the result of the Christian who internalizes God’s Word in his life. This in fact is the most difficult of all the steps pertaining to Bible doctrine, because it can cause discomfort, conviction and pain. Because of this, Christians sometimes chose to avoid this most important step. But only by doing God’s Word, which is altogether more than possible when the Holy Spirit provides empowerment, can the Christian ever achieve greater degrees of sanctification and assure himself of eternal rewards. Quotes “Sanctification requires revelation. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God.” (pg. 185) “We cannot live without the Word of God! Never take it for granted. You should consider it as essential to your life as food.” (pg. 186) “What we need is a perfect standard that will never lead us in the wrong direction. Only God’s Word meets that need.” (pg. 187) “Worry is focused thinking on something negative. Meditation is doing the same thing, only focusing on God’s Word instead of your problem.” (pg. 190) “No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture.” (pg. 190) “We fool ourselves when we assume that just because we have heard or read or studied a truth, we have internalized it.” (pg. 191) “Without implementation, all our Bible studies are worthless.” (pg. 191) “God’s blessing comes form obeying the truth, not just knowing it.” (pg. 191) Scriptures Matthew 4:4; Acts 20:32; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:17; Hebrew 4:12; Acts 7:38; 1 Peter 1:23; John 6:63; James 1:18; Job 23:12; 1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 4:4; 1 Corinthians 3:2; Psalm 119:103; 1 Peter 2:2; John 8:31; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; Acts 24:14: Luke 8:18; James 1:2b; Deuteronomy 17:19a; James 1:25; Psalms 119:11, 105, 49, 50; Jeremiah 15:16; Proverbs 22:18; 1 Peter 3:15; Colossians 3:16a; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Acts 13:22; Psalm 119:97; John 15:7; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2, 3; James 1:22; Matthew 7:24; John 13:17. Conclusion/Comments Nothing can take the place of consistent consumption of God’s Word for spiritual growth. It is absolutely pivotal in the process of sanctification, in becoming increasingly like Christ. Regular and persistent Bible reading, study, research and meditation must be followed by the believer if he would be transformed into the image (character) of Christ.