'Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. ' Colossians 2:8-9
Maybe you are like me. I love to learn and that leads me to love to research. Not like me? That’s okay. Keep reading, you might be more like me than you think!
I worked in a middle school library for almost ten years, and I loved it! First, I love books. I have always enjoyed good fiction. But I also loved having all those reference books so easily accessible. For example, my Mom and Dad traveled to Australia. “Cool! I can follow their itinerary on a map in this atlas and learn more about Australia from these books. Oh yeah! I also have access to some research websites through our library computers or I can just Google every place they are going. Maybe I’ll even find some photos! It will be almost like I am going with them!”
If it was a slow day (which wasn’t often!) I could fill the day learning about Australia and where Mom and Dad were traveling to, but if I wasn’t careful, I could also get bogged down in repeating information or even in opinion pieces on the places they were visiting. Then it would be time to apply a good rule of thumb that we gave the students: Make sure it’s a reliable source! If it’s someone’s opinion or the story of their own trip that doesn’t qualify for research.
So, where am I going with this? When it comes to learning about God what sources do you rely on? The internet? A TV preacher? A YouTube worship channel? Your own pastor? A good friend or family member? Social media? Are you certain that you are learning from a reliable source?
The most reliable resource for learning about God is the one He provided us with, the one source of truth that never changes: The Word of God. If you want to know what God is like, then take a look at the Living Word as described in the Bible. Take a look at Jesus. The Scriptures declare that the fulness of God lived in Jesus’ human body. If you want to know God, then you need to know Jesus. Are your sources helping you know Jesus?
Here are a few things to consider in evaluating your sources.
Is it really good just because it sounds good? Your favorite TV or internet preacher may be passionate, intelligent and articulate, but she may not be your best source of truth. Be like the Bereans. They listened to the Apostle Paul (the guy who wrote most of what we call the New Testament!) and then studied the Scriptures for themselves to see if what he was saying was true. (Acts 17:11) That’s an example I want to follow! I want Scripture to be my primary source. (All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16-7)
Biblical spirituality is practical. The more I have learned the Bible for myself, the more certain I am that the early Jesus-followers didn’t behave differently than their neighbors because they walked in some special spiritual aura. They behaved differently because they believed differently. They did business and interacted with their community and other believers in ways that were counter-cultural, but not weird. Some people seem to think that anything truly spiritual must have a high and lofty “other-worldly” quality. It’s as if they believe that to be spiritual it must feel spiritual. Evaluate your sources by Scripture, not spiritual feeling. Feelings may fail or mislead us. Scripture is trustworthy and true. (Psalm 33:4, Matthew 24:35)
If Jesus Himself is not at the center of the message, steer clear! Just because a source is labeled as Christian doesn’t mean that it is an accurate representation of Christianity. At the heart of true Christianity is always Christ Himself. Period. If a spiritual topic is being preached and you don’t hear the name of Jesus, is it truly Christian? If the lyrics of a worship song don’t point to the Gospel and lift up Jesus Christ, is it really a worship song? If a preacher is telling you more of what you get out of following Jesus rather than encouraging you to love Jesus, is that about following Jesus, or is it about you?
Dear Friend, I don’t want you to miss the joy of Jesus Himself at the center of your life and experience. If the enemy can’t dissuade you from faith, he’ll distract you from Truth. His goal is to take your focus off Jesus. Multiple media streams can be a great help in building our faith, but if our primary learning source is not our own interaction with the Scriptures then we can become easily distracted. When you know truth, you will recognize what is true and what is not. Study and learn the truth for yourself. Stay focused on Jesus Himself.
If you want to know what God thinks and what He is like, then look to Jesus Christ. Everything else is just a distraction.
Key Thought: Jesus Christ is the essence of God Himself.
A Scripture to Consider: 'Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. ' Colossians 2:8-9
A YES Challenge: Make a commitment to spend at least 15 minutes a day in the Scriptures. There are plenty of resources to help you do that. Take some time to evaluate your favorite spiritual sources with this one question: Where is Jesus in this?
Prayer: Father, there is so much I need to learn about You. I have so far to go. Help me to go to the best possible source to learn what You are like. Help me to get to know Jesus in the Scripture so that I can recognize what is true and what is not. Amen.