Life Hacks for the Road

Well, as we heard in the sermon at today, we are reminded of the fact that God the Father has called us to have a relationship with Him. It's a relationship defined by His Ten Commandments, which broadly define love toward God and love toward neighbor. God is love, we are told in 1 John 4.8, and He wants you and me, and ultimately every human being, to be love as He is love. It's the ultimate goal. Now, Scripture reveals that there are only two ways of life one can live. God's way, which does lead to eternal life, or what I call not God's way.

God's way or not God's way. And not God's way leads to eternal death. These two ways are described in various manners in the Bible. We find them described as the two trees, blessing and cursing, wisdom and folly. That's how they're described in the book of Proverbs. Sometimes they're described as life and death. And very often, they're described as two ways, sometimes referred to as two paths or two roads. Jesus described these two roads as one being wide, leading to destruction, and the other, narrow, leading to life. We're going to look at that. We'll be turning to that verse later today. But God wants us to have and to keep a right relationship with Him that, again, will last forever.

And we need to choose that way, that way that very few find, as Jesus says, and it's the road to everlasting life. During the sermon, I'm going to be saying way and path and roads, but mainly I'll probably be using the word road. My purpose today is to share some tips from the Bible that will help us to keep to God's way. Now I'm going to use a different phrase for tips, and it's an old word that in recent years has come to have new meaning.

And so I'm going to explain that because the older ones among us may not be as familiar with this new definition associated with this word. And so there is a different word, and that word defines advice or a tip for doing something, typically a tip for being more efficient and more effective.

And that word is a hack. A hack. Now I know hack means something different growing up. You can hack down a tree. Sometimes people that were not well-reputated—that's not a word either— people with a good reputation were sometimes called hacks.

That's a different sort of hack we're going to talk about today. I think the younger people may be familiar with this. Yeah, okay, they're going, yeah, all right. Well today we're going to consider three hacks, three tips for doing something better, for doing something more effectively. We're going to consider three hacks for walking in the way of life.

And so the title of today's sermon is Life Hacks for the Road. And hacks, by the way, is H-A-C-K-S. Life hacks for the road. I'm going to begin by giving you those three hacks, what they are. And perhaps this will begin to start forming meaning in your minds. And so here are the three life hacks we'll be considering today. Number one, the first one is get rid of the baggage. Get rid of the baggage on our road of life. Number two, number two is be ready for a hard road. Be ready for a hard road. The Bible sometimes calls it a difficult road, a difficult way.

And number three, the third life hack, only put on what matches. Only put on what matches. Now, some of you are smiling and wondering what is that? It'll make sense, I think. No, it will, I promise. It will make sense as we get to it. Only put on what matches.

So let's dive in. Life hack number one is get rid of the baggage. Now, I don't know about you, but if there's one thing that makes traveling of any kind, cumbersome and laborious and far more difficult and unpleasant than it needs to be, it has to be taking too much luggage. If I could travel without luggage, I would probably travel a lot more. That's how much I like to bring baggage. Well, there's a similar point to that in our spiritual walk with God. We need to get rid of that spiritual baggage that is unnecessary, that is cumbersome.

Baggage such as sin. The spiritual baggage that includes the enemies of faith, and I'm sure we remember fear, doubt, anxious care, and human reasoning apart from God. Human reasoning without the benefit of God's word and spirit. And then there's also that very heavy burden, that heavy weight of guilt. All of these things are cumbersome baggage that we don't need with us burdening us down as we walk on the road to life. Bearing this sort of needless baggage makes it tough to keep moving forward on that road.

But the good news is that we can get rid of it. We can get rid of it when we're faithful to God to humble ourselves, to repent and confess our sins, and to seek God's forgiveness through faith and Christ's sacrifice. These things can be rid of. Now, no doubt, there have been times in our lives when we have been burdened with sin, we have been burdened with doubt and fear and even guilt and other things. And there may be times when we look at scriptures and looking for inspiration in the Bible, to people described like Ruth, as we heard in the sermonette today, and other men and women that we make call the heroes of faith.

And we look at them and think, they seem like they didn't have all the baggage I do. Now, if you delve into their lives, I think you'll find a different lesson there. To consider Abraham. Abraham is called the father of the faithful. He's one of our heroes. Job, Job is renowned for perseverance and suffering. Moses was the giver of God's law to Israel. David was known as a man after God's own heart. Peter, another hero of faith.

Peter was a small stone who became a rock in God's church. James and John, well, they were the zealous sons of thunder. Sounds like a name for a wrestling team or something. Sons of thunder. And Paul, Paul's inspired epistles comprise most of the New Testament. And remember, there are the Gospels in there. And yet the fact is, and Scripture bears it out, when we consider these men and these names I've shared with you what they're known for, we can sometimes forget that nonetheless they were human beings just like you and me.

These names, in many ways, are names they received after they made it, after they achieved their life's goal of being faithful to God, of enduring with God to the end. But when we look into their lives, and we're not going to look into all their lives, that would be quite a task to do in one sermon.

But when we look into their lives, we do see that they were imperfect human beings. They too were sinners. They too struggled with their own weaknesses and sin. And they too certainly had their own baggage. Abraham, for example, I'm not going to hang out dirty laundry today. I'm just going to share what Scripture also tells us about them. And I'm sure God does that to help us be encouraged to see where they were, what they struggled with, and they made it.

The point is, so can we. But Abraham had a proclivity in earlier years to lie about Sarah being his wife. And why did he do that? He did that to protect himself. And along with Sarah, he later tried to bring about a son and heir his own way, by giving birth to a child through Sarah's handmade Hagar. Job, renowned for his perseverance and suffering, was also the one who actually judged God. Job 32 verse 2 tells us that he justified himself rather than God. Moses murdered an Egyptian, then ran away. And then later he let his anger get the best of him at the rock of Miraba in Kadesh.

And that kept him. God did not allow him to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. David, that man after God's own heart, yes, but he was also the one... God told him he knew that he had killed Uriah the Hittite, and then taken Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, to be his own wife. Peter, of course, was oftentimes outspoken and confident at times, maybe overly so. He was outspoken and even reprimanded Jesus and received Jesus' sharp rebuke.

Jesus told him, Get behind me, Satan. James and John, those zealous sons of thunder, they asked Jesus once. They wanted to know if he wanted them to command fire, to come down from heaven, upon innocent villagers. And Paul, who wrote all those epistles and words from God, inspired by God, that we need so much, Paul had persecuted believers to death, binding to delivering into prisons both men and women, we were told, in Acts 22. So these faithful men were sinners. They had their own baggage, their own things, their own experiences, their own deeds that they had to learn to repent.

They had to learn about submitting willingly to God's law and commandments and to keep at it. One of the things we're going to learn, if you'll take time to go back and study the lives of those individuals and others, you will find that what makes their example helpful in this first life hack is that they were very quick to repent. They didn't prolong weeks and months to repent of a sin. When God helped them to see their sin, oftentimes they are very quick to act upon it, and they're very sincere in their repentance.

And that is a tip, some advice we can learn from their own life experiences. And so they had to learn to repent. They had to learn to forgive others because they also wanted to be forgiven. They had to learn to submit willingly to God's law and commandments. Let's turn to Colossians 3, verse 5 through 7. Colossians 3, verse 5 through 7, they had to learn to turn their lives, change from whatever human being in his own way, has to struggle with what we all must choose to turn away from. They had to learn to trust God completely and cast off the baggage of sin and its consequences.

Colossians 3, verse 5 through 7 just gives us a snippet here to remind us of the sort of things that they too had to put away, and that we are needing to be putting away. Colossians 3, verse 5, Paul writes, We can imagine Paul, under God's inspiration, is writing these words and no doubt putting himself using that as a mirror in his own life, what he had done and where he had been.

The good news is that God is faithful to forgive us, and we must be faithful to forgive others. We need to let go of the guilt over past mistakes. Those are choices we can make. We need to let go of sins and grudges and anger. We need to let go of the guilt about our failures, our mistakes, our weaknesses of the flesh. And many of these things we need to let go of, especially when God has already forgiven us for some of these things, for perhaps all of these things.

And we can still be beating ourselves up about them years and years later. We need to let go of that baggage. Hebrews 12, verse 1 conveys this message of letting some things go. Hebrews 12, verse 1 makes reference to the cloud of witnesses, the witnesses of those faithful people, as we were looking at earlier here.

Hebrews 12, verse 1 gives us something to do here. It says, therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, again those people of faith, and there's more listed even without names in Hebrews 11, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. And so we can and need to trust God to forgive us when we repent.

Whether we're running down the path, the road to life, or walking, we need to be repenting of sin. We need to trust God to forgive us. He is faithful. And so on the road to life, we must learn to repent quickly. We must learn to forgive others so we may be forgiven.

That is the way of faith and trust in God, faith in Christ. So again, that's life hack number one. We need to get rid of the baggage. We need to get rid of the baggage. Life hack number two, let's be turning to Matthew 7. Life hack number two is be ready for a hard road. There's no easy way to say it. Be ready for a hard road. The road God has called upon us to take, that way of life, that way to salvation, that road God has called upon us to take is not an easy way.

It's not an easy road. Jesus makes that clear. Let's read that verse now, Matthew 7, verse 13. Matthew 7, 13-14, I was referring to it in the introduction, but now we're going to read it. He described to his followers the two ways of life. Remember God's way and not God's way. Here he says, verse 13, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Verse 14, Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Two ways. Now most people who live choose the broader, easier way of less resistance. That is the way of the flesh. That is the way of worldliness. That is a way of sin. That is the way of it feels good. Just do it. That's the world's way. But all of that is contrary to God and his law. Taking the narrow road to life and going contrary to the world is not an easy or a comfortable or convenient thing to do. Let's look at Matthew 8, verses 19-20. Perhaps the next page in your Bible.

Matthew 8, verses 19-20. And here we have an account of when one of the scribes approached Jesus, wanting to follow him. Become one of his followers. And Jesus makes clear, though, that it's not an easy road. Matthew 8, 19. Then a certain scribe came and said to him, said to Jesus, he said, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, And what did the scribe say to that?

I don't know. He doesn't say anything else. It sounds like that was enough for him. He didn't like the sound of the accommodations. What Jesus was telling this man and others who desire to follow him is that it's not an easy road. In his Bible commentary, Albert Barnes wrote his commentary over a century ago, if I remember correctly. And I like how he puts his explanation of what Jesus was telling the scribe.

Jesus was telling the scribe, and these words, he was telling him that there is no worldly advantage in following Christ. There is no worldly advantage in following Christ. Continuing, he says, See, the scribe was getting the sense he thought this would be a cushy job. This would be perhaps a way to make some income, a better life for himself in a more material way. The very foxes and birds says he have places of repose and shelter, but the son of man has no home and no pillow.

He is a stranger in his own world, a wanderer and an outcast from the homes of people. So when we follow Jesus Christ according to the instructions and guidance of God's Word, not according to the instructions and traditions and ways of churchianity in the world, it is not really of worldly advantage. It's actually not why we want to do it. We don't want any advantage in the world. We want our advantage, in that sense, to be in the kingdom.

In other words, following Jesus Christ, it will not bring us fame or fortune. It will never bring us complete comfort and peace. Not in this world. Nor will it bring us esteem in the eyes of the world. Most temporary things are sought and found often by those who walk the broad road to destruction. That's not the road we're on. We mustn't be shocked by this fact of walking on the road to life. After all, these transitory things are not the goals we are pursuing. Our aim is eternal life. When we choose to walk contrary to the world, we must also not be shocked to find that not everyone will like us or help us.

Sometimes that is a shocker. If we spend most of our time with God's people and working with God's people, we get along. We work things out. Sometimes we go out and deal with other people who do not believe what we believe, who do not know the Father and Jesus Christ.

We can be shocked. We can be shocked by thinking, well, I'm being nice. Why aren't they being nice to me? Well, that's the gospel of niceness. That's actually a gospel called the Gospel of Winsome. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is not the gospel one follows on the road to life.

Now, there are some people out there, and we know it, there are some people out there who will and do help us. But there will come a point where others do hate us, and they will hate us. Though especially hate us when our resolve to obey God threatens their existing state of affairs. When our insistence on holding to God's truth upsets the way things are, that is the status quo.

People do not like the status quo being upset. Jesus Christ lived and taught the God the Father what God the Father told him to say and to teach. We see that referred to oftentimes. Jesus said, these are not my words, these are the words of the Father. In God's way that Jesus taught, disturbed the status quo of his time. And especially for the upset the religious and political leaders, as we can see in the Bible in the account of the Gospels.

Let's recall what Jesus said. Let's look at John chapter 15 verse 18 through 19. John 15, 18 through 19.

The world oftentimes teaches a Christ that is nice. And I'm sure he was, but that's not the Gospel. He was much more than just nice. John 15 verse 18 through 19. Jesus told his disciples, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, we're not to be of the world. Because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So we're shocked by the way we are treated sometimes, and we're just following God's way of life, keeping his commandments, trying to love our neighbor. We're not always going to get that love back in return. Don't be shocked. That's part of the road we're on. Let's also read John 16 verse 2 through 3. Again, perhaps across the page, John 16 verse 2 through 3. Jesus also told them this. He's telling us we should recall in the very small, his most closest disciples. Verse 2, they will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor me. Remember, we live in a world of spiritual darkness. Their minds have not yet been opened to the light of Jesus Christ, as our minds have been.

And that is not of our own, that doing. That is because God the Father has called us and opened our minds, according to his will and time and way. So Jesus said these words to his closest disciples, but yes, they still apply to all of his disciples today. Persecution will arise against Christ's followers to the degree that their obedience to Christ threatens the existing state of affairs. Persecution will arise against Christ's followers to the degree that their obedience to Christ threatens the status quo.

The New Testament tells us that is what happened in Jerusalem.

And then later in Gentile cities where the church took root, as in Ephesus.

And brethren, we know it still happens today. Even today, the United Church of God members living among Hindu villagers in Bangladesh. If you haven't had a chance to read the latest Home Office Weekly Update, there is an article in there about our brethren, 18 of them who live in a little village in Bangladesh, and they are being persecuted. Now, because of their faith in Jesus Christ and their determination to hold fast to the Word of God and continue forward on the road to life.

By no means is persecution an easy thing, especially not for Christ's followers. And that's why this life hack tells us that we need to be ready for a hard road. We need to be ready and prepared to be hated for our determination to follow Christ, because we cannot allow ourselves to compromise our belief in faithful obedience to God. And though the road of life is hard and difficult, it is. But there is always that light, there is always that hope that goes along with our walk. Christ's followers have the reassurance of God's Word that those who keep his way will be blessed. Those are the words of God. Let's look at Matthew 5, verse 10 through 12. Matthew 5, verse 10 through 12. So this sermon is by no means intended to be a discouraging sermon. It's a sermon about life as we know it through Jesus Christ, through the Scripture, the biblical truth we are told that we need to be ready for. Note what Jesus said in Matthew 5, verse 10 through 12. And these words are part of what is often called the Beatitudes.

Jesus said, It's a blessing, he says. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. And rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. And so the point here, holding fast to God's way, though God's way is difficult, it is well worth our eternal reward for faithfulness to God. The same message is conveyed in 1 Peter, chapter 2. Let's turn back there, please. 1 Peter 2, verses 19 through 21. 1 Peter 2, verses 19 through 21.

Again, it's a message that is realistic. It's stating the facts.

God and his Bible, through his inspired word, through the men he recorded these truths, they're not throwing shade. They're not trying to hide the truth from us. They're stating this is the way it is in this world. It's not the way it's always going to be, because our goal is a kingdom of God, a better place, and a better time. 1 Peter 2, 19. For this is commendable. This is commendable. The word commendable is for the Greek word here called charis, or charis. C-H-A-R-I-S. You know that word. It's the word for grace. It also means acceptable. For this is commendable. If because of conscience toward God one endures griefs, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently? If we're doing something wrong, we get what we deserve in that sense. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. New English translation says, this finds favor with God. God is pleased to see us hold firm even when we're persecuted or treated wrongly for living his way of life. Verse 21. For to this you were called. This is part of the walk of life we need to be prepared for. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. And so on the road to life, any suffering we incur for righteousness' sake is most commendable and pleasing to God. The road to life, of living our lives with steadfast belief and obedience to God, it's going to likely require that we endure discomfort and hardship, unfairness and justice, even persecution. It's all possible. Yet we willingly accept these things because we understand and humbly accept that Christ suffered and endured for us. We get it. It's a big picture. And so we must continue to follow his example. And for this reason, it's also very vital, very important, that we do not compromise and obey him.

Look what Paul writes. Again, we've turned this a number of times. Romans 12, verse 2, and the messages I've given. Romans 12, verse 2. It's vital that we not compromise and obey God. Paul wrote in Romans 12, verse 2 that we must no longer conform ourselves to the ways of the world. Romans 12, verse 2, And do not be conformed to this world, do not march along in its ways, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Likewise, in James 4, verse 4. James 4, verse 4. We cannot conform the world. When I went to college many years ago, we read Henry David Thoreau's poem about conformity, his essay. And the message then was, we need to march by the beat of our own drum. That's not what the world teaches now. The world says, we're beating the drum. You follow us. That is the road, the broad road, to destruction. God wants us to follow Him. James 4, verse 4. It tells us that we cannot be friends with the world. To reject friendship with the world, to choose not to walk arm in arms with the world's views and beliefs and ways, that's tough. That's hard to do for us. Especially when it makes us targets of anger and hate. But there is something far worse than the anger and hate of human beings. Here's what James writes, James 4, verse 4. Adultruses and adultruses. These become typical or symbolic of unfaithful ones. Continuing, he says, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Do we understand what he's saying? Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. There's only two ways. And these are powerful words.

But these are not my words. These are God's words. And these are the words of life.

So we're going to face times when we're tempted to just fit in. Sometimes we think of temptation as being tempted by things in society, being tempted to sexual immorality, and being tempted to take another drink, and being tempted by this and that. Perhaps one of the greatest temptations we face is the temptation to compromise.

The temptation to compromise in our faith and trust and obedience to God.

So we'll face times when we're tempted to just fit in. We're just going to go along with the crowd. In the old days we said, what? Go with the flow. We want to be like everyone else. But that's not what we are called for. That is not our calling. That's the way of compromise that leads to the Broadway road to destruction. We must remain faithful to God, and we can know that we're not alone. God has our back. We have each other as a church, as a body of Christ, to help each other along the way. 1 Corinthians 10.13. Let's look there, please. 1 Corinthians 10.13. God reassures us through Paul's words that He will always provide us a way out. A way out. A way to avoid giving in to temptation to sin, even to the temptation of compromising our faithful obedience to God. 1 Corinthians 10.13. Paul wrote, no temptation is overtaken you except as is common to man.

But God is faithful. God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Paul's words suggest that God will give us the help and strength we need to confront and overcome temptation, even to avoid compromising and obeying God.

Perhaps it will mean not putting ourselves in a compromising position in the first place. We human beings are very good at that, putting ourselves in situations that we really should not be doing. It may mean if our friends and acquaintances are known for causing trouble and giving us grief, and they're not repentant, they just keep it up. Maybe that means we need to choose not to hang out with them anymore. Likewise, if the company we work for is intentionally unethical in breaking the law, then we need to look for another job. We need to get away from temptations, even as those. Let's notice this encouragement in James 1, verse 12.

The resisting various temptations is part of what makes the road to life hard at times. When we don't give in to them, we don't give in to temptations, again, we receive God's approval. James 1, verse 12. Blessed is a man who endures temptations, perseveres through it. For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. And that's what the road takes us to, that road of life.

And so though the road to life is hard and challenging, we need to stick to it. Because it's the only road with rewards worth having. And so it is life hack number two. Be ready for the hard road. Life hack number three. Only put on what matches. Only put on what matches.

Let me cause this little thing. What is he talking about? Well, let me show you. Let me explain myself. Let's turn to Galatians 3, 27. Only put on what matches. Galatians 3, 27. This is our third life hack.

In Galatians 3, 27, Paul states that at baptism, we put on Christ. We put on Christ at baptism. He writes here, Well, what does put on mean? The Greek word is enduo. E-N-D-Y-O. E-N-D-Y-O, enduo. And it means literally or figuratively to clothe oneself. To clothe oneself. So when we put on Christ, we figuratively clothe ourselves with Him. And the Amplified Bible explains that that means that when we clothe ourselves with Christ, that one has taken on His characteristics and values. Let's look at Romans 13, 13. Romans 13, 13. Go back a bit. Romans 13, 13 through 14. Here, Paul describes the marked change and how we're to live. The Broadway versus the narrow way when we put on Christ. Romans 13, 13 through verse 14. Just two verses here. Romans 13, verse 13. Paul writes, Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on, enduo, the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust.

And then again, let's go again to Colossians 3. This time, verse 8. Colossians 3, verse 8. Here, Paul makes the contrast in how we're to live even more distinct. Colossians 3, verses 8 through 10. Here he describes the things in a little more detail that we should be putting off and putting on. And again, he uses the word enduo, that idea of clothing ourselves. Colossians 3, verse 8. But now, you yourselves are to put off all these. It's interesting, I don't have the spelling for that Greek word, but the Greek word for put off means to strip off. It does contain this idea of taking off the old shabby ratty clothes, you might say, and putting on something better.

And so you are to put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy. You're to put the language out of your mouth. Verse 9, do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man and his deeds. That's no longer part of us in our road of life. And that you have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. And verse 12, more details. What does this mean, put on? Christ. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, be clothed in it. Kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, you also must do. But above all these things, put on, clothe ourselves, put on love, which is a bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you are called in one body, and be thankful. And so on the road to life, we must be stripping ourselves of our old sinful ways and putting on that new clothing, clothing ourselves with Christ. We're going to be putting on Christ's mindset, his manner of love and kindness and mercy, all of God's righteous character. Everything we think, do, or say needs to match the righteous character and value of Christ we are putting on. We are clothing ourselves with. That's what I'm talking about, putting on what matches. You know, rather than worrying so much about whether our shoes match our shirt or our shirt matches our shoes, we'd better ask whether our attitude or behavior matches the attitude and behavior of Christ who we are to be putting on.

Now, I want to be coordinated, color coordinated, but I need to give better attention to making sure my attitude, my approach matches Jesus Christ who I am putting on. And so we must also be aware of those things that we hear and read and see. We need to be aware and careful. What are we putting into this gray matter, into our minds, into our hearts? Do the things we hear, read, and see, do they match with the mindset of Jesus Christ that we are putting on? Philippians 4 verse 8, Paul gives us some excellent guidance, some very beneficial guidance we need to practice about the sort of things we should be putting in our minds, things we should be putting on that should match with Christ. He says, finally, brethren, Philippians 4 verse 8, finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praise-worthy, meditate on these things. And so that tells us that we have to be on guard about what we're putting on. Does it match? So no matter how attractive or appealing a particular thought or belief system or actions or attitudes or philosophies or principles or opinions and beliefs in politics, people's behavior, pictures, images, or even a meme, no matter how attractive and appealing it may be to us, we've got to ask, how does it match with the mindset of Christ we're putting on?

Is the attitude we pick up from the world, is that something that God would approve of and commend us for? Now here's a very important question, and we need to know the answer. How do we know if our discernment is right? How do we know if our discernment of right and wrong, or of good or evil, is godly and compatible with Christ's mindset in that road of life we're trying to walk on?

How do we know if we're thinking straight? How do we know we're not getting off track and tutoring down the Broadway instead of the narrow way? Where do we go? What's our source? You know. It's only with the light of God's Word, in the help of God's Holy Spirit, that we can correctly evaluate and perceive whether the things we hear or read or think or do or believe match the mindset of Christ, the mindset we are putting on. In Psalm 119 verse 105, the psalmist declares to God, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

God's Word is the light that we must use, no matter we're young or old. We must keep using God's Word as a light, as our guide, to help us to discern truth from lies and falsehood, because we can't figure it out on our own. If we use anything other than God's Word to examine ourselves spiritually, then we will likely find ourselves with attitudes and thoughts that do not match the mindset of Christ.

If you allow me to borrow the analogy from Paul's clothing imagery to use anything other than God's Bible to help us define whether what we're thinking or believing or doing is right or wrong, then we may end up with a strange attire. It would be like us wearing plaid pants with a striped shirt. In my day and age when I was younger, that was a heinous crime against fashion. Plaid pants. I had to ask, is plaid and striped still a no-no, and it is. So it seems. We have to use God's Word to know what we're thinking, doing, believing, our attitudes, our opinions match with what Christ is about, because sometimes we forget.

Let's look at Isaiah 5.20. What we're having to deal with, young and old, is not necessarily unprecedented. This kind of craziness, this upside, the world turned upside down. It's not the first time, but perhaps it is for us anyway. But we are living in a time when humanity essentially tossed God aside, and it's throwing away, it's losing its moral footing. Now, Isaiah 5, verse 20, is written over 2,500 years ago, and yet it aptly describes the warped reasoning that is taking hold of American society, a reasoning we cannot live with and be a part of.

It reads, See, God inspired Isaiah to help us understand that such twisted human reasoning that has nothing to do with God's way is not compatible with the mindset of Christ. It's not compatible with the mindset we're putting on. Living in a world that is thoroughly confused about truism, about right and wrong, it's dangerous, spiritually, and we dare not be confused ourselves about it. Instead, let's look at Isaiah 20. God provides us with this principle that helps us to discern truth from falsehood.

Isaiah 8, 20. It's a principle we need to practice and teach our children and never forget ourselves. To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, this word, it is because there is no light in them. When we speak, when we give our opinions, when we take our stand about issues and things in our lives, we need to make sure that we have studied God's law and testimony.

Primarily at that time, originally context had to do with the Old Testament, but we understand it's talking about the Bible, the entire Bible, the entire inspired word of God. So we've got to make time to dig into our Bibles, to test and prove those things, being promoted in our society, things that can even confuse us because they're so unusual and different. When we do that, brethren, we're going to find that we can quickly discern those things that are compatible with God's law and way and those that are not God's way. And so on the road to life, we must be careful always, cast away those things that are contrary to God.

We must cast away those things that do not match, not to put on what does not match with the mind of Christ. We must hold fast to what is true and only put on what matches with the mindset of Jesus Christ. And that is life hack number three, only put on what matches.

So three life hacks for the road, the road we're traveling on to life. God has called us now to choose that road and to stay on it. Of course, we understand in time every human being will have that same opportunity. God wants us to choose his way and to stick to it so that we can help others now, yes, and others especially in the future to have that right relationship with him. And again, to live far happier lives and a far better place than what we are experiencing today in this life. So, brethren, I encourage all of us to think about the life hacks we've talked about today. I encourage all of us to apply these life hacks for the road in our lives. And I pray that these tips may help us now and always in drawing closer to our Father, Jesus Christ, and unto salvation in the kingdom of God.