I am much more of a reader than I’ve ever been. In high school, reading was more of a chore than a joy. The popular thing to do in those days when given a lengthy book reading assignment was to find a copy of Cliff’s Notes and just read that. Cliff’s Notes were a series of paraphrased overviews of popular books. It would give you the main ideas, highlight key themes and characters and summarize the story so as to hopefully give you enough info to be able to pass a test on the text. If you were disinterested in the material, too busy to read or had simply procrastinated to the ‘eleventh hour,’ Cliff’s Notes were there to help you squeak by. Though, I’m sure, the summaries, overviews and outlines provided by ‘Cliff’ would be helpful to anyone preparing to take a test that had actually read the assigned book, typically, it was used as a last minute rescue.
All too often, I feel this is the approach of many Christians in our day. We can view the Bible as this burdensome assignment. In turn, that causes us to look for the Cliff’s Notes version of Scripture. We know Scripture is important but we feel it’s too boring or cumbersome to actually read. We expect Pastors and Teachers to give us the highlights on the weekend. This is all based on the idea that as long as I have the basic idea, I’m good. There are so many problems with this idea. Not only does it reveal our true perspective of Scripture, but it also reveals our true attitude toward the Author. This approach exposes our disinterest, our apathy and our lack of priority.
The irony is, there will be a test. The test won’t cover how many of the Old Testament prophets you can name, or how many parables you can locate in sixty-seconds. The test is a test of the heart and on our priority of knowing and relating to God. A low view of the Bible leads to a low view of God’s ways and order. A low view of God’s ways and order, leads to a low view of God, Himself. It is entirely possible to consider yourself a Christian or a worshiper of God and, in actuality, have a low view of God and His Word. Be reminded, considering yourself to be a follower of Jesus and a lover of God doesn’t make you one. And, though it may be possible to know God while having a low view of Him, it is not possible to live a victorious life in Christ with a low view of God.
Too many Christians are ‘cliff-hanging,’ when God made a way for us to stand on the solid rock of His Word. Don’t let the busyness of life, the apathy of this present age or a perception that the Bible is too hard to understand, keep you from God’s Holy Word. Thank God for Pastors and Teachers that can assist you in your pursuit of God. Use and engage devotionals and other tools for exploring God’s Word, but don’t be content to allow everyone else do the work for you. Invest yourself into the reading of the Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and teach you as you study God’s Word. Do this and watch how high the sun will rise over the horizon of the status quo. Your legs are much stronger than your fingers. Don’t hang on the side of the cliff, constantly hoping for rescue, stand on the sure foundation and help rescue others. There’s nothing like it!
Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees. Psalm 119:43-48
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