More Like Him
Recently my son Brian has been getting really interested in football and has started asking a lot of questions. At first, he didn’t understand anything about how each team played offense, defense, or what any of the penalties where for. He just seen a lot of chaos going on back and forth between two teams. However, over the last few months he has learned enough that he understands the majority of what is happening. This is because he has taken the time to ask questions, seek answers, and learn everything he can about all the rules. Because of this he is now learning how everything works on the football field. Over time, if he continues to seek more knowledge, he will gain an even better understanding of how all the rules work together to create order on the field. Without rules there would be nothing but chaos in any sport or in life as well!
Brian has been learning the rules as a spectator. He is learning a lot by watching and asking questions, but if he were to actually get involved and play on the field he would learn even more. He would not only learn what to do and not do, how to play on defense or offense, but he would learn firsthand the “WHY” behind everything! Take this even one step further to the coaching level and you would see an even bigger need to get into the rule book and learn everything you can so you could teach others.
If you were to evaluate yourself as a Christian would you be a spectator, participant, or a coach? How much time and effort do you spend getting to know God’s rules for our lives? How much time do you spend reading and studying His Word? Is it a 5- or 10-minute devotional or maybe a single chapter each day? Is it even daily? Do you dive deep and study each passage by reading the text in multiple translations, using a bible commentary to give you the history and context of who, when, and why this particular passage was written? We are all in different stages of our walk with Christ, so this will change as we grow more mature. Whether you are new in your faith or have a doctorate degree in theology, there is always more to learn…and to pass along to other believers. No matter where you are in your walk with Christ continually look for someone that is further along and more mature in their faith and ask them to help you. Find resources that will help you to understand each passage that you are reading and studying. Then, as you mature, look for those you can pour that knowledge into and help to grow as well.
The frequency and the way we study says a lot about the level of commitment we have to grow in our knowledge of God and His commands. We should have a desire to learn and grow……to be more like our Lord and Savior every day! We need to have a desire and a longing to learn more for our own growth, but also so we can teach others as well. Do you know more about a sport, hobby, or a particular topic than you do the Bible? What drives your daily desires…worldly things or Godly things? I heard a guy ask someone if they read their bible everyday and the persons response was “I try to”. The guy then said to this person “Did you eat everyday? Of course you have, that is a priority to you!” Is studying God’s Word a priority for you?
Take the next 30 minutes to evaluate how much you set studying God’s Word as a priority. No matter how you graded yourself stop and pray that God will make you desire Him even more!
Then listen to “My Desire” by Jeremy Camp. I pray that this is truly our desire…TO BE MORE LIKE HIM!
“My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, then inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” Isaiah 26:9
Jason Hughs