The Marginalization of God’s Word

They have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. —Isaiah 5:24

They have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. —Jeremiah 6:19

Have you wondered why the Bible no longer has the influence in America that it once did over a century ago?  One reason it has lost much of it’s influence is because it has been marginalized.

What does it mean to “marginalize” something?  It means to relegate it to an outer margin or fringe; to put in a lesser position, thereby removing it’s influence.  When someone in power stops giving credence to a person or an idea, that person/idea becomes marginalized.

Marginalization occurs in a business when a young new CEO doesn’t like the ideas of some older employee.  He can’t fire him because he has tenure, so he puts him in a position where he doesn’t have any influence—He marginalizes him.  Sadly, even some churches marginalize it’s senior saints. They are too old fashioned.  The Scriptural exhortation that the older are to teach the younger has been rejected and “the old paths” have been marginalized.

The prophecy of Amos 8:11 is being fulfilled before our eyes: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

What kind of influence does the Bible have upon the environment of your home?  Does it influence your schedule… your finances… your entertainment… your activities?

We can lose a lot of things in our families that wouldn’t hurt us. We could lose an additional car and it wouldn’t hurt us… part of our wardrobe… another piece of furniture… another electrical gadget. But if we lose God’s Word, we’ve lost the most important thing God has given to us.

Beware of marginalizing the Bible in your life and family. Keep it “front-and-center” in everything you do.