Who are the influencers in your life … who captivates your attention … who do you hang out with? What do you spend your time reading and listening to? And what do the answers to those questions have to do with where you have put your treasure? Before you answer … you might want to read today’s post!

Also, whether you are married or single, how contented are you? How can discontent in this area, especially if you are single, lead to disaster?

Today’s Readings:

Ecclesiastes 1 & 2
Psalm 102.1-11
Proverbs 24.1-2
1 Corinthians 7.20-40

Who Are Your Influencers?

Proverbs 24.1-2:

Where Is Your Treasure?

Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them (v. 1).

Perhaps your first thought was like mine, “I don’t hang out with evil people. I don’t go out drinking. I go to church and hang out with my Christian friends.” In fact, the list of ways we obey God might be a long one, at least in our own minds.

But we can be influenced by people, good and bad, in other ways, not just hanging out with them physically.

My Disciplers

I’ve learned so much from women like Elyse Fitzpatrick, Martha Peace, Susan Heck, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, and others. I’ve also learned from men like Jerry Bridges, Lou Priolo, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Charles Spurgeon, Jay Adams, Eric Metaxas, and many more.

Yet, I’ve only met a few of them. But I’ve read their books and listened to them teach. And consequently, they have influenced my life in profound ways.

Just as we learn and grow from mature believers, even those who have already gone to be with the Lord, by reading about them, reading their books, and hearing them teach, we can also be influenced by ungodly people.

Who Captivates Your Attention?

So, who captivates your attention? Who are your influencers? Whose stories are you reading? Are they Hollywood celebrities, pop stars, or committed Christians? Do you spend more time reading your Bible, Christian biographies, and other Christian books … or People magazine and the hottest new novel? Would you do better at The American Bible Challenge or a pop-culture version? Do you know more about J.Lo, Natalie Portman, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Justin Timberlake … or the Apostle Paul, Susanna Wesley, and Charles Spurgeon? Whom do you want to emulate?

Jesus said, “… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6.21).

What do your interests, where you spend your time, and how you use your money, tell you about where your treasure is? The Apostle Paul wrote this to his protege, Timothy:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2.1-2).

Discipleship and spiritual growth is a process that involves one spiritual generation learning from another.

So, how can we cultivate a desire to spend time with and be influenced by faithful people, those who can help us grow in the Lord?

Develop the Taste

Have you ever noticed how most of us have favorite foods from our childhood? We probably ate them often and developed a taste for them. It’s the same with what we read and listen to.

As we grow up and learn more about food and nutrition, we may choose to eat differently from what we enjoyed as teenagers. But we sometimes have to develop a taste for healthy food.

It’s the same with what we read and listen to.

Biographies & Autobiographies

Reading biographies of faithful Christians can impact our lives in profound ways. Years ago I read Eric Metaxas’ biography of Deitrich Bonhoeffer. Before that time, I was vaguely familiar with him. But as I read that book and the sacrifices and risks he took for the sake of the gospel, I was inspired in ways I could not have imagined.

We’ve all heard the song Amazing Grace, and maybe even watched the movie by the same name. But do you know how the man who wrote the song and the man who was the subject of the movie were connected? Do you know how one man, a faithful believer in Christ, almost single-handedly, and at the cost of his political future and eventually his health, worked to abolish slavery?

You may not apart from reading their stories.

Journals

Sometimes we feel like we’re the only ones who ever struggle with our faith or wonder if we’ll ever change. But when you read the journals of great men and women of faith, you realize that even the most mature believers sometimes had doubts and struggles.

Theologically Sound Books & Teachings

There has never been a time when there were more books, audios, videos, and other ways to learn. We can attend conferences in person and on the internet, read books on paper or electronically, listen to audios, and watch videos on our phones, our computers, and in our churches.

I make it a goal, besides reading my Bible, to read at least a few pages of a theologically sound book every day. I also have a favorite podcast that I listen to as I’m getting dressed and other things I watch, read, and listen to frequently.

Read the Bible as History & Story

We all know we should read our Bibles regularly and apply its commands and principles to our lives. But do you ever stop to think about the Bible as history and story? The Gospels, the book of Acts, and much of the Old Testament are filled with the stories of real people with real hopes and dreams, real heartaches, and real trials and temptations. Do you contemplate how it all fits together in one amazing story of God’s love?

Start

But none of these things will impact us unless we read and listen to them. So, unless you already do, buy a good book today. Make it a goal to read at least a few pages every day. Find and subscribe to good podcasts. Check out teachings that are available on your church’s website and others.

Here are a few suggestions that have impacted my life and help me grow.

Audios, Teachings & Podcasts:

Grace to You, Pastor John MacArthur

Ligonier Ministries, R.C. Sproul & others

The Briefing, Dr. Al Mohler

The Association of Biblical Counselors, podcasts, blog posts & more

Revive Our Hearts, Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth & others

Books:

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

The Complete Husband by Lou Priolo

A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

Today’s Other Readings:

Ecclesiastes 1 & 2:

Finding Satisfaction in the Daily Activities of Life

Solomon most likely wrote this book during the later years of his life after he had squandered much of his energy on earthly pursuits. He wrote this book to others, especially young people, to warn them about the futility of trying to find happiness in the things of this world. As he points out the “vanity” of such pursuits, he shares many nuggets of wisdom.

In chapters 1 and 2, he warns that even wisdom for wisdom’s sake is vanity, as are seeking after pleasure, building projects, and accumulating possessions. He tried and failed to find satisfaction in power, great wealth, and fame. Work for work’s sake didn’t bring satisfaction either. In fact, he came to realize that all his accomplishments meant nothing in light of eternity. Everything he accumulated here on earth would someday be left to others.

In the midst of all this, we read this nugget:

Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God (2.24).

Instead of seeking satisfaction in success, wealth, power, and other pursuits, we should learn to find satisfaction in the daily activities of life.

Psalm 102.1-11:

Living by Feelings

Here in the first part of this psalm, the writer focuses almost entirely on his feelings. When he did, he felt as if God had abandoned him. The same thing can happen to us.

Feelings are not sinful in and of themselves, but if we live by our feelings and not God’s principles, we will end up shipwrecked in our faith. Feelings can cause us to justify anger and bitterness and sin of every sort. Instead of living life based on our feelings, we must trust God and obey Him in spite of our feelings.

But as the psalm continues, we’ll see the psalmist turn his focus from his feelings to the character of God. When we’re struggling with feelings of doubt, self-pity, or anger toward God for our circumstances, we would do well to do the same.

Three good books on that subject are:

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin

It’s Not Fair! by Wayne Mack

The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink

1 Corinthians 7.20-40:

Content or Discontent

These remaining verses of chapter 7 talk about being content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in—whether married or single. Paul points out the advantages of being single when it comes to the freedom to serve the Lord. He also says that it is perfectly acceptable to marry as long as we marry another believer.

But being discontent in this area is often disastrous!

As a counselor and as a mom, grandmother, and friend, I can tell you that I’ve seen many people I love and care about make poor choices about marriage because they were not content with waiting on God’s timing or taking Him at His Word.

When we really want to be married, we will accept “he goes to church with me” or “I’m sure she’ll get saved” or “he respects my desire to go to church” in place of a fruit-bearing walk with Christ. Only to find out after we are in the covenant relationship of marriage that our new spouse has no real interest in the things of God and is often resentful or antagonistic about our involvement in church.

Once We’re Married

Once a person is married, even if the other person is an unbeliever, God says, “Don’t divorce him or her” (1 Cor. 7.10-11). As Lou Priolo says, “For a Christian, a marriage is a hard thing to get out of without sinning.”

I tell unmarried people all the time, “Right now you have a choice whether or not to marry this person. Be wise! But if you marry them, my counsel to you will have to be entirely different. Once you’re married, you must seek to make it work unless you have biblical grounds for divorce, possibly, for the next 20, 30, or 40 years!” That can be a long time when unequally yoked!

So, if you’re single, where is your treasure? Do you treasure what Christ says is important? Are you content where you are? And, if you’re married, do you treasure the spouse God has given you? Or is your treasure in some idealized spouse? Instead, look for ways to grow in thankfulness and seek to be the best husband, wife, or single person you can be and find contentment there.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we will talk about the balance between freedom and stumbling blocks, wise counsel, money, God’s promise in trials, and 21 dating and premarital red flags.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.