Spin that over into Bible study. I love to read and cross-reference and go
look up the greek and everything that goes into study. I’m a nerd. I know this. I’m the guy that read the Almanac in high
school just because it was there to read.
Literally, every three or four years for Christmas my parents would get
me a new one. Because there were more
facts now than there were 3 or 4 years ago.
And some of that Almanac reading has really paid off. I mean this one time I actually won a game of
Trivial Pursuit because I knew the significance of West Quoddy Head, Maine and
Cape Alava, Washington. (Those, of
course, are the Easternmost and Westernmost points of the continental United
States) But except Trivial Pursuit, that
almanac reading was useless until it came up as a question. So now I’m reading my Study Bible and
cross-referencing these concepts and Bible verses, and until this devotional
series started roughly a year ago, was largely sharing it with nobody.
If ever there was a great purpose to Social Media, it’s
the passing on things you might have learned doing your own Bible Study. I’ve seen lots of people posting reflections
and things they’ve realized in the reading they’ve been doing. And if ever there was a higher purpose to
Social Media, that would be it. Not calls
for boycotts, or accusations of racism or hate-mongering, or
political/religious ideological arguments (or getting drug into one sideways
like I had happen to me once), or any of the other “reasons to argue” that gets
spread through Facebook and Twitter and the like these days. Of course, the other thing is the
proliferation of the funny pictures…with obscene language typed all over in
huge font so that when Cameron walks up to tell me something while I’m looking
at Facebook, I have to either stop him where he’s at or minimize the
screen. Facebook and iPads…teaching kids
profanity one dirty word at a time.
But what if, instead, there were post after post of
people discussing things they’d read.
Not arguing over it, but genuinely sharing enlightenments they’d
had. Sports talk radio has spent the
entire summer discussing what MIGHT happen with this steroid case. What wasted breath. I mean, I know they’re paid to talk about
something, but I meant it just as a general illustration. If you read something, and it makes a
lightbulb go off, share it with someone.
Ask yourself this: If you can sit
down and talk for hours about baseball, or football, or Harry Potter movies, or
scrapbooking, or some murder trial that’s 12 states away from you, why can’t
you spend 15 minutes discussing the Bible with someone? Or worse yet, do you not spend 15 minutes
discussing Bible with someone because you rarely spend 15 minutes alone reading
a Bible? Or sadly, maybe you don’t know
enough Bible to carry on a 15 minute conversation about it? If so, then ask questions for 15 minutes.
Listen for the Whisper that tells you that really need to
study your Bible. Don’t take someone
else’s word for the Word says. Read it
yourself. The next time you hear
yourself lament, “there’s NOTHING on tv tonight,” do yourself a favor and open
your Bible and read it a bit. Instead of
falling back on what you THINK the Bible says, actually read it and SEE what it
actually says. Because let’s just put it
out there, most of the people that I hear talking about how they think they’re
saved because they think that Jesus would be ok with whatever it is…haven’t got
a clue what Jesus would think. Because
they’ve never read the Bible for 15 minutes in their lives. Don’t mean to step on toes, but I’m not
backing away from the statement, either.
These are usually the same people that can rattle off the tops of their
heads all of the worst of television, because to them that’s more important
than God’s Word. But they’ll throw out
the “I Believe in Jesus” phrase that pays every so often. Mixed up priorities. Put God first. And if God’s first, then you’ll want to get
to know Him. You wouldn’t say “Man, I
LOVE those Duck Dynasty guys!”
Really? What’s your favorite
episode? “Oh, I don’t actually watch it
or know any of the people in the show, but I hear this one guy at work talk
about Duck Dynasty all the time, so I figure I love it, too!” Because that just sounds crazy. But it’s the same way with Bible. “I LOVE Jesus. I believe Jesus can SAVE me from my
sins!” Really? What’s your favorite story? “Oh, I don’t actually read the Bible or know
any of Jesus’ specific lessons, but I hear this one guy at church talk about
Jesus all the time, so I figure I love Him, too!”
This is one of those that when I texted the “your on is
off” reminder to myself, I had no idea it would be so preachy by the end. But when I look at the world today and wonder
why there’s not more Jesus in it, my next look is at the people who are
supposed to BE Jesus in this world. And
it bothers me that few of them actually KNOW Jesus, rather than simply knowing
OF Jesus. He took the time to die on a
cross for you. If you claim that
salvation, and you try to sound like it’s important to you, then you need to
take the time to actually get to know Him.
Read His words. Read the words
that tell what God has done for his people.
Read the Word that He’s given to us to use as a guide to live by. Then share what you learn with someone. Like Yoda told Luke in Return of the Jedi just
before the little froggy dude croaked, “You must pass on what you have
learned.” But before you can pass on
what you have learned, you have to learn it yourself.
~Dwayne
ListenForTheWhisper@comcast.nethttp://listenforthewhisper.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment