balanced diet

Several times recently I have heard the comment, usually made to justify changing churches, "I just wasn't being fed." Considering the fact that I have said this in the past myself, my reaction to hearing it lately is interesting to me.

"I just wasn't being fed." By that do you mean that there was no [spiritual] food made available? Or was the portion set before you too meager to satisfy? Was it there, and you merely did not "eat?"

When I was an infant, I of course depended on my mother to feed me. As I grew, increasingly I fed myself but my mother still specified and provided the food that I ate. As time went on, I could choose more and more what I ate, but largely it was still provided by someone else. Finally, in maturity, I'm largely responsible for feeding myself, even though there is almost always someone else involved in the provision of food.

One might initially be drawn to a local church because of a hunger to know the Lord; by feeding on the Word, one can learn who God is, who man really is, what God has accomplished to reconcile man to Himself, etc. As a [spiritual] infant, a person does not know what or how to eat, and the church, through the preached word, Bible classes, etc. can feed such a person until that person begins to learn to feed directly on the Word. From passages of Scripture such as Hebrews 5:12-14, we see that there is an expectation for the Christian to grow to maturity, but not every one does, and as Theodore Epp said,

It is a shame for a person to have been a Christian for years but not to have advanced beyond the knowledge of his salvation.

That aside, is occupying a seat and listening to sermons the reason ultimately for church attendance? The passage in Hebrews, as well as many others, points at our maturing to love one another as Christ commanded and to serve one another as Christ demonstrated. This is not at all to diminish the value or importance of the preached word, but the church is a family where we each have a responsibility to one another, and "eating" once a week will obviously not sustain us in our love and service to each other, much less to a needy world. We must daily see to our spiritual sustenance by making our mind available to God's Word. Viewed in this way, "I just wasn't being fed" seems a pretty selfish cop-out.

Last weekend, my wife and I were visiting the town where I grew up. As we drove by the church where I went as a child, we noticed the sign out front which carried this stinging rebuke:

Christians often expect the world to respect the book which they neglect.

and I gloat

You may think that I am about to brag on my kids since today is Father's Day and I've chosen a title for this post like "and I gloat." As their earthly father, I am very proud of them because they have grown into such fine people. The glory for that is properly reserved for their (and my) heavenly Father, who is the only character builder there is. What better Father's Day gift could there be than praising God and offering thanks for His accomplishments!

However, I have even more thanks to offer to the Lord today because today is not just Father's Day. It is an even more special day, the memory of which is brought about by two quotes:

I do.
--me

And,

I do.
--her

Thirty years ago today, my wife and I were married. I have no words to express how grateful I am that God put us together nor how much at this point I cherish the life we've had so far. She is my best friend, confidant, playmate, truly the greatest part of me. To say 'Thank you, Lord' seems so inadequate, as does 'I love you, dear.' Nevertheless, those heart-felt words are the best I have. Lord willing, I'll say them again in another thirty years (and every day until then!)

things

You know, at this point in my life, I don't want quite as many things as I once did, but there is still much that I do want. Not all of the things that we want are "stuff"--we want good health, the best for our kids, maybe to live in a certain place. Those who know me well know that my wife and I love to travel, and I certainly want to travel more and more. There are still things that as a child of God I don't want to want, but God is working on that. For the most part, things I want are fairly harmless, but I can get preoccupied with them. When preoccupation becomes obsession, neither the thing nor the want of it is harmless anymore.

With some amusement, some time ago I realized that there are many things that I want that, were I handed the cash and told, "go buy that," I wouldn't! Certainly I now think differently about spending money that I earn (better, that God provides;) the Bible calls that stewardship. And that's the point: As I've grown, as God has grown me, I think differently. I focus on different things and on things differently than I used to.

This was brought to mind by a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill all His promises . . . leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.

As I come to know God better and better, something I think about more and more are His promises, which make a most profound statement about His character and the depth of His love for us. That cuts the wants of this world down to size and makes every day a wonderful new adventure worth getting up for.

second verse

A phrase that I can no longer use with a straight face, one that people who know me won't let me get away with, is to refer to any passage of Scripture as "one of my favorites," since at one time or another I have said that of so many Bible verses. When I recently taught and preached at Grace Bible Church in Ripley, Mississippi, my wife needled me over whether the verses I taught on might already be marked in my friend Fredia's Bible, signifying that I had previously taught there on those passages. "Are these some of your favorite verses?" she inquired.

Reflecting on this, I realized that I do tend to return to certain passages when teaching and illustrating. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) we learn that all Scripture useful for teaching; in presenting the Gospel and in preaching Jesus, which is always my goal, I guess that I tend to use Scriptures that had the most impact on me. Does that make them my favorites?

I am like most in that I do not read my Bible as often as I think I should nor as much as I say that I would like to. When I read, a temptation I must avoid is to return to those "favorite" passages always, instead exposing my mind to the entirety of God's Word. I want to cherish all of the Word the way I do those "favorite" passages, but I rest assured that when I do return to those seemingly well-known verses, God always can teach me more through them. I guess that is what is meant by the Word being living and active.

This comment from Charles H. Spurgeon was another part of what got me thinking about this.

Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.

apologies, bard

To blog or not to blog, that is the question; whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer through silence as well as occasional outrageous comments, or to respond even to non sequitur and by responding, dignify them. To die, to blog no more; and by a post to say my thoughts might be on par with quotes from saints of old — 'tis a pride that flesh is prone to. To blog, to post; to post, perchance to influence. Ay, there's the rub.

quotpourri

The gospel is so simple that simple children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches.

Charles Hodge

misunderstanding

So, I've been wrestling with this thought for several weeks but (until now?) have not been able to come up with the concise expression I wanted. The idea is this: I've been a believer for a long time now, and while God has brought me a long way from the mire that was my life without Him, He is showing me areas of my life where I thought I had improved (whatever that means) but haven't, at least not as much as I might like. To illustrate, let me pick on some great passages of Scripture.

I've long known that if one stands on the street corner in downtown America and asks various people, "Do you know a verse from the Bible?" the answer will often be "yes," and frequently the known verse will be John 3:16. Many can recite it, but therein lies a frustration: It rolls off the tongue with little or no thought as to the enormity of what is being expressed. Even (or maybe especially) the first six words: "For God so loved the world..." Because we can so easily say it without hearing what we are saying, when I want to share God's love with someone, I like to point them to Romans 5:6-10, and expecially verse 8, which expresses basically the same idea as that fabulous verse in the Gospel of John.

One can get to know something (or someone) so well that it is taken for granted, not appreciated or no longer valued as it should be.

Now, consider another well-known passage of Scripture:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5,6 (NASB)

I have known and loved these verses for a long, long, long, long time now, but recently it came to me just how much I do lean on my understanding in so many things. To lean on one's own understanding (may I say, knowledge) lies in opposition to the walk of faith which is pleasing to God. As Henri Nouwen said,

I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not become my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.

I need Him to show me where the value and pursuit of knowledge necessarily ends (or better, yields to) the heart-felt faith and trust which is the basis for living dependently on Him.

Understanding and control are sought-after commodities in this world; we think that they are our best, or perhaps only, defense against the myriad problems and trials that characterize life on this earth. Always, the world is upside down from God's plan and way; "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways."  (Isaiah 55:8)  He may not calm the storm (although He can,) but he can calm my heart and fears and anxiety in the midst of any storm.  "But I need help, not platitudes!"  As has been said, let go and let God.

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.

Augustine