Where it is written!!

“It saddens me that I live (and raise children) in a world where we rely so heavily on the interpretations of others. We look to TV and movies to give us interpretations of books. We look to books to give us simplifications of other books (Cliff notes or abridged versions, anyone?). We get our news in sound bites and bullet points. All this because we either lack the time (or aren't willing to make the time) to deeply experience and process these things for ourselves. When I make these choices, I'm cheating myself (and sometimes my children as well).

What I find more grievous in my own life is when I take the same tactic spiritually. I've often found myself relying on sermons and books about the Word, rather than taking the time to experience the Word myself. While both sermons and Christian books are good things, unless I'm grounded in the Word, I'm not only cheating myself out of the richness of experience that the Lord has for me, I'm setting myself up to be caught up in the vain and foolish philosophies of the world that twist the Word and snare the undiscerning.”
Red-headed rants and rambles

Sometime ago I read the above from a portion of a blog delivered by a friend of mine. This past week I was led back to this very insightful observation as I read Tullian Tchividjian’s book, “unfashionable”. I am annoyed at the marginalization of the continual study of God’s Word. Tullian Tchividjian’s again piqued my annoyance.

The standard for Christians is the Bible and yet as my friend observed, “I've often found myself relying on sermons and books about the Word, rather than taking the time to experience the Word myself.” Tullian Tchividjian writes, “We have no problem affirming its’ (the Word) perfect truthfulness. But most of us struggle when it comes to the Bible’s timelessness, its relevance. That’s because God and His Word have been relegated to the fringe of what is important and defining in our society, a process identified by the term secularization.” (36)

I believe that the act of relying on those who speak for our Christian culture without studying the Scriptures or before consulting Scriptures is a substantial error. For me it is essential to have built my Christian worldview on the standards and principles of Scripture before consulting extra biblical forms. I cannot frame my worldview on the insights of others and I believe that we should not ask any Christian to do so. Scripture is first and continual. After Scripture let us then glean the wisdom of those who have also studied the Word and relish the truths observed.

Tullian Tchividjian writes, “The Bible teaches that Christians are called by God to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), to think Biblically about everything. It means developing a Christian mind to analyze what’s going on around us, to understand how the world thinks, and then to offer a distinctively Christian alternative.” (39) When we are involved in the above process, it is the Word and our study of the Word that is needed, NO, demanded.

“Lord, help me to always be in love with the Word as your Spirit impresses my heart, not as others interpret it for me. Help the richness of richness of reading Your Words forever "spoil" for me the dim shadow of eternity that this world is and keep me hungry for the reality of eternity with You.” Heather Nations

The above is also my desire.

(Eutychus)