I wrote The Bible: Enter Here to answer God’s call to bring the Bible to teenagers and young adults—including my own children—so they can hear God’s Word in a way that is straightforward, entertaining, and relatable. In the process, it sent me on one of the richest and most valuable legs of my own spiritual journey.
In addition to poring over the most critically important and inspiring text ever written, this project also required me to research the cultural, historical, and religious underpinnings of God’s Holy Word. More than that, it required me to dig deep and contemplate what were the most important principals to communicate to my readers—how could I retell these amazing stories, while staying true to God’s message and making them relevant to today’s young people. What emerged was the realization that Jesus’ Gospel—and, in fact, the entire Bible—boils down to 10 fundamental principles for how we must live our lives.
In my devotional time with my kids, and even when working through the challenges in my own life, I keep these principles front of mind. Doing so keeps me rooted in Jesus’ message and firmly on the path that God has set before me so I can fulfill his plan for my life:
- Love: Have love in your heart for everyone, not just your family or closest friends, but even your enemies. It’s not always easy to comply with this one, but it’s repeated often in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, and is non-negotiable.
- Kindness and Service to Others: Love isn’t just a word—it requires action on our part. The Bible instructs us to be kind and compassionate to everyone, particularly those in need. At some point in our lives, every one of us needs a helping hand. So, we should devote ourselves to serving others and, if we do, we’ll experience the true and everlasting joy God promises to all his children who follow his commands.
- Surrender: Our lives here on Earth pass in just the blink of an eye when compared to eternity. So, we should devote ourselves and our entire lives to fulfilling God’s plan for us. Only then will we achieve our true potential and forever live in God’s magnificent light.
- Forgiveness: When we’re harboring feelings of anger, hatred, jealousy, or revenge toward our fellow human beings, we cannot live out Jesus’ Gospel of love, kindness, and service to others. When we’re having those negative feelings, we must lay them at God’s feet and pray that he helps us to cast out these destructive influences from our minds and hearts—and he will.
- Discipline: The Bible doesn’t pull any punches. It says quite clearly that the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death, but spiritual death as well. Thankfully, the Bible also gives us hope: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (WEB Romans 6:23). In other words, we have a choice. We can buy into the world’s biggest lie—that we can be happy and fulfilled even when we disobey our Creator and live separate from him. Or we can live disciplined lives, do our best to resist sin, and follow Jesus. Only then will the heavy burden of sin be removed from our backs and we will receive the gift of eternal life, one that is joyful, meaningful, and truly worth living.
- Respect for Authority: Jesus taught us to respect earthly authority, while reminding us that God is our ultimate authority. Those who constantly rebel against those who God placed in positions of leadership and refuse to accept the consequences for breaking the rules never quite develop, mature, or reach their full potential. But those who submit to authority, own their mistakes, and accept responsibility for their actions develop into respected and successful women and men who lead meaningful and honorable lives.
- Faith: Jesus said, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. (Matt. 20: 17). However, there will be times in our lives when our faith will be shaken. The fact is, we all have our moments of doubt. But when those moments come—and they will—we must remind ourselves of the times that God intervened when we needed him most. If we fix our eyes on Jesus and lay our doubts at his feet, he will help us overcome them.
- Gratitude: We must not take for granted God’s many blessings and intercessions in our lives. Instead, we must be grateful and give thanks to the Lord for his love and all that he does for us. There is a rapidly growing body of research that supports the view that regularly expressing gratitude reduces stress, helps us live longer, makes us happier, improves our relationships, and can even make us more successful. But, beyond those benefits, giving thanks to God makes us right with our Creator.
- Humility: Having confidence is a good thing. However, as children of God we must avoid having big egos, which often are expressed through self-promotion, worldly ambition, and unhealthy competition. In order for us to please God, live an honorable life, and truly earn the respect of those around us, we must have a humble heart, just as Jesus did.
- Pray: The Bible tells us to pray often and for everything, no matter how small or inconsequential it might seem (see Phil 4:6; Luke 12:6–7). God’s desire to communicate with us regularly is one of his greatest gifts to his children. So, when we pray, we should thank him for his many blessings, bring our requests to him, and seek his forgiveness for our sins. We also should sit quietly with our ears and hearts wide open so we can receive whatever guidance the Lord wants to bestow upon us.
As the Lord has a definite purpose for the lives of every one of us, I invite you to reflect upon and live out these principals as you travel down your own path that God has set before you. If you do, with our Lord Jesus Christ at your side, you will achieve joy, peace, and greatness beyond what you ever thought possible.
