There it was. Another graphic on social media about the Bible. It looked like a flow-chart or a recipe you might find in grandma’s kitchen. “If you need peace…turn to (bible verse). If you’re discouraged…turn to (bible verse). And on. And on. And on.
Lists or guides like this are not bad in themselves. I have a similar reference tool that I use sometimes when counseling. But what stirred my heart was this: “Have we (in our information-saturated society) reduced the Bible to another information outlet merely to be mined for tidbits of information that we think we need?
Imagine with me for a moment. What if my interactions with Jodi (my wife of more than thirty years) were only for such “transactional purposes?” I speak to her when I need laundry. I call her when I want to schedule dinner. She gets a text from me when I have a question about the activities. If this represented the backbone of my marriage communication…how would you evaluate the relationship? You might say, “What relationship? You simply treat your wife like a commodity or a human ATM machine…where you push a few buttons to get what you want out of her!” You’d be right.
The problem is…this is often the relationship we foster with God through Scripture. We hear a sermon on five or six verses. Then, again the next week…same pattern. We look up information on children, divorce, money, or a host of other subjects…only to push the Bible aside afterwards until the next occasion when we want it to speak to a specific need we have. But where is the relationship? Where is the time spent listening to God tell us a story about what’s on His heart? Where is the deep consideration of otherwise random nuggets of wisdom, poetic pictures of God’s creative work, or stories of His interactions with a wandering people over thousands of years?
God’s people need to know Him. We cannot do so without a firm resolve to spend time…without agenda…just listening to the Lord speak to us…through His Word. An unhurried encounter with the Divine. A listening ear and a longing heart…simply to know Him more deeply. This is what the people of God must have!
Consequently, this is why, at Englewood (the church I am privileged to serve), we encourage everyone to be part of a Connect Group, so there is time to reflect on and share about those relational encounters with friends. This is why we use a curriculum structure which walks us through the entire Bible over three years…story by story, not just the stories we think we need or have piqued our curiosity.
If you’re not investing in this…in spending time in the Lord’s living room listening to His stories and hearing His heart…why not start today? You don’t know what you might be missing.
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