Caveat Lector--Let the Reader Beware!

"Reading the Bible, if we do not do it right, can get us into a lot of trouble." Thus begins Eugene Peterson when introducing the how of Bible reading. In one of the four volumes to date in his spirituality series--Eat This Book--Peterson alerts us to one of the woes of poor reading. 

Caveat lector, let the reader beware. Peterson explains:

Just having print on the page and knowing how to distinguish nouns from verbs is not enough. I might own a morocco leather Bible, having paid fifty dollars for it, but I don't own the word of God to do with what I want; God is sovereign. The word of God is not my possession. The words printed on the pages of my Bible give witness to the living and active revelation of the God of creation and salvation, the God of love who became the Word made flesh in Jesus, and I had better not forget it. If in my Bible reading I lose touch with this livingness, if I fail to listen to this living Jesus, submit to this sovereignty, and respond to this love, I become arrogant in my knowing and impersonal in my behavior. An enormous amount of damage is done in the name of Christian living by bad Bible reading. Caveat lector, let the reader beware (pp. 82-83).

The question Jesus posed to the religion scholar in Luke 10 was not, "What did you read?" But "How do you read?" It was this very question which led Jesus to define "neighbor" in a way which left the scholar no wiggle room. Further, it led Jesus to reveal the legalist's most devastating flaw, his failure to connect the truth with participation in that truth. It is easy to know what the Bible teaches, quite another to actually live it. Caveat lector, let the reader beware!

Reading the Bible Is Not Enough!

Christians with any maturity behind them and especially those of us who serve in full time ministry, occasionally experience issues which on the surface seem harmless enough, but nonetheless, exude a certain disturbing "odor." We might remark-- "It just doesn't smell right." 

One of those issues is the reading of the Bible as an act of Christian devotion. It is the right thing to do. We should be busy about it (Psalm 1). We've often used it's habitual absence as a mark of spiritual decline. Seems I hear an old Sunday School song: "Read your Bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow." Hard to argue with that. Is it true? Yes! Well . . . sort of. In true college/seminary banter, we might need to retort, "Yes and No." Yes, in that Bible intake is absolutely necessary to the growth of the true believer. No, in that intake is not all that's required. Don Whitney seems to dispel such a misconception simply by a question he poses in his "Ten Questions To Diagnose Your Spiritual Health." In terms of Bible reading, he more than suggests the direction we need to take--"Are you governed increasingly by God's Word?" One can readily catch that more is inferred in this inquiry than merely the passing of the eyes across the pages of Scripture. Does it govern me, i.e., change me; do I obey it? 

Further, is this only a distant memory or can I honestly answer that this biblical governance has not grown dormant but is actually increasing? 

Now, that's probing, honest and proactive for the sincere pilgrim. It is this kind of progress that prompted Peter to pen: "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8). Our first hurdle as a new Christian is to learn to read the Bible. Granted. But somewhere along the pathway of grace we must become skilled at more than that! We must pursue grace in such a way that we graduate from "what" we read to "how" we read it. To become effective and fruitful as Peter outlines requires the possession of godly qualities, yes, but those in increasing measure--increased humility, increased submission, increased desire to obey.

I do not think it is too much of a grasp to claim that the superficial reading of Scripture has been a major contributor in the slow, continuous decrease in Christian maturity over the years. Indeed, mere reading though vital, is simply not enough! Take heed HOW you read!

Next, a follow up on this--with a twist--from Eugene Peterson

Tiny Tim, Scrooge & Proverbs 15:16

Last night at our Elders meeting, one of our brothers, Jim DeCoursey, drew a passing analogy that caught my attention. NOTE: We Elders, in order to "give ourselves to prayer and the Word of God" (Acts 6) are slowly working our way through Proverbs. Last night we reviewed 15:8-17. There's no particular order; we simply go as far as time permits. Our goal is to "milk" the Word for all it's nutrients, initially applying it to ourselves, then to the body at large (since we are spiritual leaders) and then more specifically to counseling. The Proverbs provide much wise guidance, so over the long haul we will hopefully gain a greater heart and be enabled to offer sane, godly advice and direction.-- 

Now, back to last night. We were discussing verse 16, "Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it." Jim pointed out the similarity between this and two central characters in Dicken's Christmas Carol-- Tiny Tim and Scrooge. Indeed, if one were to reflect on that timeless story, he could see in his mind's eye the satisfaction and contentment which radiated from the frail, diminutive Tim. It mattered little if food were scarce or skies gray, Tiny Tim exuded grace--a virtue he might not have been able to define but who's life embodied nonetheless. In stark contrast, one may recollect as well the cranky, miserly, heart-shrunken businessman who merely existed from day to day, skeptical lines etched into his hollowed out face (telltale ruts of a hollowed-out life). This picture plays in our minds while before us Proverbs 15:16 superimposes itself. And we see application pouring out in our day. If it were needed in Victorian England, how much more in this increasingly banal, materialistic culture to which we have grown so accustomed? We hardly realize how much like Scrooge we have become despite the fact that we attend pseudo Tiny Tim churches! The words are right, but the heart may often remain "hollowed-out" just the same. 

Oh, that we would fight by grace to enjoy the benefits of living simple lives. Diminutive in the eyes of the world--perhaps. But gloriously content, resting in the fear of the LORD. How timely is this word amidst personal struggles and world economies verging on collapse. Shall we not fancy the crutch to the silver spoon if only we too may pronounce that perennial yuletide benediction--"God bless us, every one." Indeed, better to have "little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it." 

25 Things About My Wife!

I am doing something a little bit different. I wrote my blog on my wife's site--sight unseen! She doesn't know it yet (10:50 a.m.). Please click on her site to read what I wrote about HER in Facebook fashion. Phyllis' blog -- Confessions Of A Pastor's Wife.

I love you!