"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2: 15, NASB)
The importance of cultivating a close relationship with the
Lord Jesus Christ should be every saint's primary focus. Unfortunately it is
not. Many Christians today do not want to read God's Word, nor do they want to
spend time in prayer and meditation. consider these three examples: (1.) For many, their idea of getting close to
God is to listen and follow popular preachers and teachers of God's Word. The
sad reality is that many of these so called popular teachers of the Bible are
false teachers. (2.) Another popular way that some saints like to get close to God
is through popular Christian Rock bands. But again, many such Christian bands
are known to promote messages in their lyrics that contradict the message of
the Scriptures. (3.) Then finally, there are popular Christian books and magazines
that some Christians substitute in place of reading their Bibles and praying. I
am sure I could list a number of other things that some believers use as a
means of getting closer to God instead of adhering to the sound teachings of
God's Word, study, meditation, and prayer. Noted author, Oswald Chambers gives
this interesting assessment of such Christians who do not want to study and
struggle to know the truths of God's Word.
"If you cannot express yourself well on each of your
beliefs, work and study until you can. If you don't, other people may miss out
on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. Strive to re-express a truth
of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same
explanation when you share it with someone else. But you must be willing to go
through God's winepress where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle,
experiment, and rehearse your words to express God's truth clearly. Then the
time will come when that very expression will become God's wine of strength to
someone else. But if you are not diligent and say, "I'm not going to study
and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I'll just borrow my words
from someone else," then the words will be of no value to you or to
others. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of
God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to
someone else.
Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to
think through what you have easily believed. Your position is really not yours
until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from
whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn't
know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly
struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly."[1]
As you can see from the comments by Oswald Chambers above,
there is no easy way to learn the truths of God and to develop a close
relationship with Christ. It takes work, struggles, and study to really know
intimately the truths of God. Hence, many Christians would rather make a holy
show of themselves, rather than truly showing themselves to be holy. Many would
rather be "approved unto men," or "approved unto themselves," instead of seeking to be "approved
unto God." (2 Tim. 2: 15). However, such standards are not of God, but of men. God's standard is always holiness. Peter writes, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1: 16; Lev. 11: 44). How can such holiness be applied to our lives? By obedience to God's Word, Will, and Ways.
Perhaps one of the reasons why a lot of Christians don't want to really get close to God is because they do not want to change. They want to live unto themselves instead of unto God. They want to outwardly show they are Christians without an inward change. The fact is, such believers end up living with the guilt of not being authentic about the faith they profess to have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Another reason is spiritual laziness. Many such Christians do not want to work and study the truths of God until it becomes their own. Hence, there attitude is like what Oswald Chambers said in his comment above: "I'm not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I'll just borrow my words from someone else." So we see here that many believers are really just "spoon fed" saints who seek to live off the hard work and convictions of other Christians who have taken the time to struggle to make the truths of God their own. Sure, such Christians may believe what their favorite Christian authors teach, and such teachings may well be biblically solid. But such believers have never really made the effort to make such teachings their own convictions by study and struggle as their favorite authors have done. May God help us to take His Holy Word seriously by taking the time to study and struggle to know the truths and make them our own!
Perhaps one of the reasons why a lot of Christians don't want to really get close to God is because they do not want to change. They want to live unto themselves instead of unto God. They want to outwardly show they are Christians without an inward change. The fact is, such believers end up living with the guilt of not being authentic about the faith they profess to have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Another reason is spiritual laziness. Many such Christians do not want to work and study the truths of God until it becomes their own. Hence, there attitude is like what Oswald Chambers said in his comment above: "I'm not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I'll just borrow my words from someone else." So we see here that many believers are really just "spoon fed" saints who seek to live off the hard work and convictions of other Christians who have taken the time to struggle to make the truths of God their own. Sure, such Christians may believe what their favorite Christian authors teach, and such teachings may well be biblically solid. But such believers have never really made the effort to make such teachings their own convictions by study and struggle as their favorite authors have done. May God help us to take His Holy Word seriously by taking the time to study and struggle to know the truths and make them our own!
[1]
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, (Discovery House Publishers,
Grand Rapids, MI, 1992), Dec. 15.
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