With so much information at our finger tips, what to believe and how to decide what to believe has become quite a challenge.
In this post, I will share a few tips to help you decide what to believe and how to do it.
Our time, today, is defined as the “digital age” or “information age.” With the discovery of the internet in the 1970s and later (in the 1990s) making it accessible to the world, things have changed since then.
With just a click, a person can access a tremendous amount of information across the globe.
There is now so much information than we can truly handle. So, how do we know what to believe?
First, Acknowledge the Diversity Around You and Be Thankful for It.
The reality of the matter in life is that there will always be someone with a contrary opinion to what you have. And that’s OK! Also, because someone has something different to which we hold on does not necessarily mean we are wrong.
The above points out to what we know of as pluralism. This is “the plurality of religious traditions and cultures has come to characterize every part of the world today.” The beauty of the world is marked by diversity. However, this does not mean the suppression of who one is in order to be able to fit into one context. It is the ability to learn how to live with each other.
3 things to be aware of when it comes to diversity:
- Diversity in terms of religions, cultures, races, etc., should be gifts to be celebrated.
- Diversity represents an opportunity for one to learn from the other.
- Diversity could also be such a great way for one to witness about their faith as part of sharing what they believe.
Second, Know Who You Are.
Being aware of the reality that the world is a diverse place, also comes the danger of deserting away from one’s own fundamental values.
In order to avoid that to happen, it is very important to know one’s identity. A Scripture that Paul, for instance, uses in Galatians 1:1, says this:
The apostle Paul was clear that his identity:
- was grounded into what God did through Jesus Christ; and
- was not from humans through a human.
Paul’s claim to have found his identity in God could be based on his words when addressing the Areopagus in Athens:
There are four things Paul is raising here as he speaks to the people in Athens:
- Life;
- Body (movement);
- Being (mind and soul); and
- God’s image imprinted in us as His offspring.
Paul, as well as the other disciples of Jesus Christ, was even willing to die for what they believed because their identity was grounded in God.
Third, Hold Onto Your Values.
Because the disciples’ identity was grounded in God, their way of life derived from God too.
They lived according to what Jesus taught them. The teachings of Jesus became therefore the framework of their lifestyle.
Their values, in a lot of cases, were contrary to what the rest of the people believed.
In Jerusalem, for instance, and even among the first Christians, they struggled with the gentile believers being saved without following the Law Moses gave the Israelites.
The disciples were able to resolve tensions using God’s Word. They were very careful about the pressure from their counter-cultural values.
Even though, Paul was like a Jew among the Jews and a Gentile among the Gentiles, he never compromised with his values as an apostle and disciple of Jesus Christ.
What can help you hold onto your values, as a Christian, in a fast changing world?
If we go back to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he says this:
This statement derives from Paul’s personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is out of that relationship with Jesus Christ that he received the Gospel, which he had shared with Christians in Asia Minor.
There are therefore two things that can us hold onto our values as Christians.
First, Develop A Personal Relationship With God.
The more you learn about God, the more you learn about who you are and who you should be.
There is something that comes out of a daily attitude for desiring God in our lives. Make it not just a task to do everyday, but something that sets the tone of your entire life.
Make God be the reason why you do what you do. Remind yourself that the goal for being who you are is that God alone be glorified.
Second, Embrace A disciplined Way of Life As A Christian.
This is what supports the first thing you need to do in order to hold onto your values as a Christian.
It is something you have to be intentional about doing.
- You have to pray. Read “Prayer Life Made Easier” to find out how you can enhance your prayer life.
- Read Scripture as often as you can. I would encourage you to do it on a daily basis. Click The Devotional Upper Room, which is a good source of daily devotions. It has a variety of options for you to be getting scriptures everyday. You can find other online devotions such as: Our Daily Bread, Daily Hope with Rick Warren, Daily Devotions with Max Lucado, etc. You can also do it from your smartphone using the following apps: YouVersion Bible, Daily Bible Inspirations, Bible.is, Bible Study DVO: Daily Devotionals, Verses and Inspirational. Just to name a few.
- Find a small community of good Christians to join in case you don’t have any. The importance of a small group is that what you cannot do on your own, with other people on your side, it becomes a little bit easier.
No matter how fast things change around you, if you hold onto who you are and whose you are (a child and servant of the Living God), you will always know what to believe!
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