Self Inflicted Harm... Don't Read The Bible

Jeremiah 25:7 NLT — “But you would not listen to me,” says the LORD.... bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.]

“The very essence of Christ's teaching is that religion is not a mere province of life, but the whole empire of life both in the individual and throughout human society”

-George Washington Cable-

Published in 1891, I’ve started reading a book about how to study the Bible by George Washington Cable.

Its quotable opening paragraph hooked me into reading half of the short book within an hour.

The Christian life is not segmented. Rather it is a life that integrates faith and culture. Every day is an opportunity to live out a part of Scripture. It is the chance to know the working of the Holy Spirit in your life.

When we walk according to the Spirit, we cannot commit the works of the flesh. They are incompatible. Some Christians attempt to make each area of their life a segmented separate reality.

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men…

I can remember folks complaining about “jack Mormons” all while walking in fleshly pursuits. It is hypocrisy at its finest.

Growing up, many “Good Catholics”, felt their obligations fulfilled when attending Church on Christmas and Easter. After that, they were in good standing with God.

I’m not picking on the Catholics. Many “Christians” party all night on Saturday and attend Church Sunday with hangovers and headaches. Others are living in fornication and pretending to be married. Others may not have a pleasant bone in their bodies, and their tongues are full of poisonous blasphemies.

There have been seasons in my life where I have been a poor foreign affairs representative for the kingdom of heaven. As an ambassador of Christ, I am guilty of trying to live with dual citizenship or an alien status.

John Wesley called these folks “The Almost Christian”.

The entire letter of Jude addresses this problem as well. It’s too similar to the border crisis here in the USA. We have opened the gates to allow aliens and strangers into the land, many with criminal intent or histories.

In Jude, these “posers” are described as clouds without the promise of rain, fruitless trees twice dead and plucked up by the roots, raging waves, and wandering stars.

Think of these “believers” like Halley’s Comet, only coming around every 86 years. “They went out from us but they were not of us; if they had been of us they would still be with us: but they went out from us so that it might be made clear that they were not of us.” (1 John 2:19)

Ask yourself if there’s a single area of life where faith and life do not intersect. What area of a Christian life can stand alone? Are we not all one body in Christ? If we walk with Christ, then if we are doing it correctly, it is all of faith. Nothing is entirely of faith unless it is done in the Spirit and according to the mind of Christ.

Consider your faith. The Christian Walk is not grouped with the realms of daily activity. The Christian’s life is made up of and appropriates all other areas of life. The entirety of your life is hidden in Christ.

How can some say that the entirety of Christ is hidden in my life?

Arts and Science, reading and writing, the craftsman and the laborer, sleeping or waking, travel, camping, fishing, or hunting, and even the mundane or ordinary things like grocery shopping or fueling the car are consumed within the life of a believer.

There was a small devotional, popular 40 years ago by Brother Lawrence titled “Practicing the Presence of God”. He was a monastic and found that the mundane in life could be made meaningful if only one considered every task or action an act of worship.

Yes! Everything in his day was worthy of praise to God.

I’m 63 this month. On my birthday I worked at my normal job as a carpet cleaner. I was thankful to God that I could clean carpets and do the physical labor. I thanked him for his provision through that work.

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Without becoming thought provoking I think it’s safe to say that not a single area of daily life is unworthy of praise and worship.

Even suffering was found praiseworthy in the early Church

[Act 5:40-41 KJV] And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

So What Should

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

It’s better to think about a small portion of Scripture each day. If you are too busy to study large passages, a small portion will allow your mind to focus. Like a field animal ruminating on their cud, think through the passage.

The field animals will chew and digest that food until every bit of nutrition is extracted. When we dwell on the word and ask questions, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth.

Like Saul at his conversion, we too should ask…

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.