Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
This passage of scripture sums up the whole duty of man, in that we are to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The word of God is often very different to the word of man, and therefore we are cautioned not to surrender God's revealed will in favor of man's wisdom or his teachings, if they conflict with what is written. But beyond the shadow of a doubt, the sayings, doings, and teachings of men are often contrary to what God says, and therefore we are called as Christians to make deliberate choices for the right, and to resolutely refuse all that is not in harmony with the scriptures.
For instance, God says that wine is a mocker, and that it should not be ingested as drink for our daily diet, because the effects on the body and mind are deleterious at best and harmful in many instances. But the wisdom of man begs to differ, and we now have several studies done by the leading universities of the day which teach the direct opposite of what God said. Some have even gone so far as to conclude that positive benefits accrue to those who disobey the instructions of God on this point, and have now suggested that several glasses of wine each week will promote health and longevity, because of the abundant presence of antioxidants in wine. But those very same antioxidants can be found in grapes that are not fermented, so God is not against the antioxidants, but He condemns the alcohol that goes along with it, for the results of the combination are not good. Let's read:
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
The conclusions of science therefore sets up an affront to the word of God, and because of this many people are either bewildered or misled as to which course of action to pursue. Again, on the issue of marriage, God says that the union between a man and one "Female" woman should be for life, only being dissolved in cases of infidelity, if forgiveness and restoration are not possible. But the laws of men make provision for marriages to be dis-annulled for the most trivial of reasons, and so the sacred institution has been dragged in the dust for thousands of years, with Hollywood stars now getting married today and being divorced tomorrow, as if the whole thing were a mere game of luck and chance.
The question for us then is would we fall for the erroneous allowances of men, or will we walk by faith, believing and living by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God? We should settle it once and for all in our hearts that God is not going to take anyone to heaven who cultivates the habit of going with plan "B", meaning that the various substitutions, amendments, alterations, and outright changes to what God has plainly stated, if adopted and practiced in violation of the plainest teachings of God's word, will be reckoned as a form of rebellion in the books of heaven, and as such will debar those persons from entering the pearly gates. This is also written in the scriptures so that we may not be deceived as to the stated qualifications for candidacy in the heavenly courts. Let's read:
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Let us therefore as Christians stand firmly upon the written word of God without turning to the right hand or to the left, by the subversive teachings of mortal men, because in the final analysis, it would be seen that the instructions of God in every area of life were given for our very best good, and if we adhere to them we will reap the blessings that are promised to the faithful of all ages. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to live by every word of God, for they pertain to life, health, longevity and eternal salvation. Let's read:
2nd Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!