Lately I have been challenged with this question from one of my textbook readings: "How am I applying the Word of God to my life?"
I know what all of you pre or post-college students may be thinking...why read on? She said she found it in a textbook, must not be for me. Look beyond the surface and hear my heart on this.
So often we sit in a service or a chapel, a worship concert and we do simply that, we just sit there. Sure we may engage in worship and even feel things in our hearts but what happens to our hearts as soon as we break open the Word? Does your mind wonder to the tasks of the day and what you will be doing next, or are you truly engaged? Always??
Personally, my eyes have been opened to this area of struggle in my life. I've begun to realize that I simply cannot be an effective minister of the Lord without allowing His Word to root itself deeply within me, without meditating on His Word, His truth and claiming them over and over again through life's daily battles.
My roomate made a comment last night that struck me. I was dumfounded at my easy nod and passivity in the moment. While discussing Encounter, our evening campus service, she remarked " I guess I am just happy seeing students up there preaching. It is okay to not get anything out of what they say. It is basically the same thing every week anyway. I know that we just go to support them and help them practice. I'm not there to get anything from the message and that is okay, I can't expect to."
NO!!!!! That is so wrong! This is our greatest problem in churches and on Christian campuses today. We don't come expectant before the God of the universe. We don't allow training leaders to be empowered because we have closed our ears and even worse than that we have have closed off our hearts. We go simply to go. We sing because worship is obviously the "best" part of the service. Joshua 1:8 commands us to meditate on the Law day and night. This law being the Word.
Bottom line: it is NOT okay to not "get anything" from the message. A good minister of the word will leave those with open hearts, to go home after the service still meditating on the deep truths of scripture, challenging themselves to apply them to their lives. It is not okay to be okay with just going.
My heart breaks and is absolutely frightened by this non-chalant approach to church and especially to the Word of God. I myself have been convicted with this truth. To be the Lord's hand extended and to feed His sheep, I myself must know His word. From the abundance of my heart I wish for His word to come and to dwell continually. To minister to the world, I have to first know WHO God is, and WHAT His Word says and HOW to apply it to my life.
So I ask you my beloved friends and loved ones, are you satisfied? Are you applying the Word to your life, or are you okay with not "getting anything" because it is good enough to simply "go".
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2 comments:
Christy...thanks so much for his post. I've been recognizing an intensifying need for His Word in my life as well. I've discovered that, as I soak in it more, I find myself praying His Word more. And I know that the Lord responds to His Word being prayed back to Him.
" Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Col.3:16)
We've allowed interaction with the Word to be reduced to reading Bible passages and moving on. We must remember, though, what John 1 tells us. The Word was with God in the beginning, and the Word is God. The Bible is the Word of God, but the Bible is not God. Only the Word itself is God. I'm not trying to be convoluted. I'm trying to say that we've sacrificed our pursuit of Christ in favor of our pursuit of some good writing. Pursue the Word with all your heart, sister. Even if you're alone among people who think their faith is another part of their soon-to-be "profession," pursue Him!
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