When you watch strong men contests on TV (don't tell me you never saw one), or you watch a beauty contest (same thing here), you can see strong, lean, muscled, toned bodies! Do you think any of those people just got out of bed one morning and looked like that? Do you think any of the strong men could pick up a bull or pull a truck without ever having gone to the gym and working out? Can you imagine any of the beautiful people ever just eating with abandon without worrying about what they just ate? I can't speak to that personally but just using my vivid imagination here! OK Harolene, get to the point, we're wasting time and space here..Well here it is: People commit their life to the Lord and then suddenly expect to be Super Christians. People that I have known that have been Christians a LONG time STILL can't quote a scripture, with the possible exception of the Lord's Prayer, and yet they consider themselves mature Christians. Let's look at Hebrews 5:12 (NLT) You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need mild and cannot eat solid food. Christians are growing older without growing up! We make plans for everything in our life from what our next meal will be to saving for our retirements but we forget the most important thing in our life! Spiritual growth is not automatic...just look at that scripture again! If the people had been growing spiritually the writer would not have told them that they had been believers so long that they should be teaching, but were instead still needing to be taught! I watch people who rearrange scripture to fit their particular theology...like making Jesus Christ just "a" way to God and putting other spiritual leaders right there with him...'Scuse me, but Jesus is the ONLY way to the Throne and anyone who has accepted Him should already know that! Do we need to publish "Christianity for Dummies" to explain the basics? Maybe we should. I have found, and my own 92 year old dad said this very thing yesterday, that every time I read, even familiar scriptures, I see something new and different. The Word is living. The book of John opens with "In the beginning was the Word", well my dear reader, that Word was Jesus, Jesus is the Word, either way you say it is right! Pick up your copy of the Bible, if it is hard to understand get a translation that is easier, like the New Living Translation. Whatever you do, make this the year of learning more from the "Word," (both meanings apply here).
If there is a question in your mind about anything in the Word, write to me and tell me what it is. If I don't know the answer I know where to find it! One more thing, I am interested in what you consider to be the best "life lesson" you have ever had, write and tell me about it!
Be blessed, keep praying, pick up the Good Book and read!