Watchmen on the Walls

by Rocky Fleming

Day 2:  God’s Radar

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Psalm 119:9 (ESV)

“Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.”  Psalm 119:133 (ESV)

I am amazed every time I read God’s word.   It really is a living instrument.  What do I mean by this term?  It means that God’s word is relevant to the needs of God’s man today.  Now don’t get me wrong with the term relevancy.  I once heard a man say that Christians in America need to become more relevant to our society to make Christianity relevant.  I jumped on that one and asked,

“Since when has Christianity ever been relevant for any society?  Look at any society where real Christianity existed?  Did that society not persecute and kill those Christians? Did it not do its best to stamp Christianity out and silence it? Look at Israel, Rome, and Greece when Christianity began?  Look at the Middle East today?  Look at Western Europe today? Look at the persecuted Church in Muslim countries today because they are not relevant to their society?  On the contrary, I think that Christians should do as Jesus did and make our society grossly uncomfortable by the fact that we do not live a life relevant to its norms.  Then our society will see that what they need is what we have.  It is the contrast of a Christian living his or her life for Christ’s honor that speaks louder than words that are watered down to make God’s precepts acceptable, or the hypocrisy in us that hides behind a lame excuse of being relevant in order to make Christianity relevant.”

He got my point.   I believe that God’s word is indeed very relevant to the needs of today’s man.  How so?  God’s word educates us on how to spot threats, and as Guardians on the Wall we must have this knowledge.  Some people have mistakenly looked at God’s word as a book of rules.  It is much more than that.  It is a book of wisdom.  It is an instruction manual for life.  It is the plan of a Master Architect who has given us instructions for building our life and legacy.  It is a treasure map, and it will lead us to the Treasure of the Universe.  It is a necessary piece of armor in our battle against evil.

For instance, in God’s word we are told not to judge.  This becomes a powerful dilemma within us for we tend to be judge and jury if we discern someone has a hidden agenda to either divide or divert our attention from God’s ways and guidance in our life.  This is where our knowledge of God’s word becomes very important for us.  Since we have no right or wisdom for judging another person and we are given great caution there, we must have another standard other than our self to defer to.  God’s word keeps us from judging another person by providing us a contrast to God’s ways and man’s ways, which helps us see when someone, including ourself, strays from His truths.  If we did not have His word, we would be without this wisdom or discernment to know when we are off His path or being led astray.  Therefore, we cannot be ignorant of God’s word and the guidance we get from it, and still be effective “watchmen” for our family and other responsibilities that He has made us overseers of.

Like an enemy airplane on radar before it approaches us, the first alert we should have when a threat arises comes from the discernment we gain from God’s word.  It is imperative to read it and apply it to our lives so that we are equipped as watchmen for God’s family, including ourself.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)