Whenever I am not mindful there are times that I get carried away with the internet. Nevertheless, I have 3 pet peeves with the system: One, intermittent connectivity; two, fake news; and three, info glut.
Similarly, our spiritual growth as a Christian depends on certain conditions:
One, connectivity. I use a particular provider. If I am in an area where the signal is weak, I am cut-off and lose my ability to receive or transmit data. Clearly, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”1 Are we certain that we are right before God; thus, accepted by the Beloved2?
Two, truth. The Father seeks people who worship him in spirit and truth. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.3 It is so easy to be deluded. In fact, the enemy continually spurns out lies for it is his nature, there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.4 Truth does not depend on our opinion. Just as a musician uses a tuning fork to calibrate his musical instrument, we have the Bible5 to educate us in truth.
Three, clarity. It is human nature to want to be with people who agree with us; most often, we hear only what we want to hear, right? We have preferences. Thus, it is important to guard our heart.6 In the book of Mark the author narrated an incident wherein the disciples were having a dispute among themselves and a scribe observed that Jesus answered them well. In his attempt to test Jesus, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”7 His answer was actually a direct quote from the Old Testament,8 but adding mind to the verse. Obviously, Jesus wanted to emphasize the importance of thinking!
From his book THINK, John Piper states, “We can’t love God without knowing God. And Jesus is the fullest revelation of God. If we know him truly, we know God. And the Bible is our only reliable access to knowing Jesus truly.”9
Notes:
1. John 14:6
2. Ephesians 1:5-6
3. John 4:23-24
4. John 8:44
5. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
6. Proverbs 4:23-27
7. Mark 12:28-30
8. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
9. Piper, John. THINK The Life of the Mind and the Love of God, p.80
