More Than a Spiritual Check-In
The old service stations, or filling stations, were a “one-stop shop.” The attendants at these stations were often in uniform and ready to check your car from bumper to bumper. All the driver had to do was sit in the car while the attendant checked the fluid levels, checked the tire pressure, and washed the windshield. If any issues were detected, there was often a mechanic on duty who could immediately take care of the repairs.
In my early driving days, I enjoyed this model of service. But as cars became more computer-driven, this model of service and convenience changed. Service for our cars has shifted, but our hunger for convenience has not.
We are willing to pump our own gas, but we want the gas station to provide much more than gasoline for our cars. Think Buc-ee’s. You can shop for nearly anything when you enter the superstore inside! There you will find whatever beverage you want, fresh food, gourmet treats, more snack options than you can imagine, and some of the cleanest restrooms on the planet. We have traded service for our cars for a one-stop shop of personal indulgence.
What does any of this have to do with my devotional thoughts today? Indulge me for a minute.
I wonder if we might be guilty of treating our inner life of faith in a similar way. Do we sometimes think of our weekly trip to church in much the same way we think about our Buc-ee’s experience? We park our car and walk in, expecting to get our cup of coffee, have someone watch the kids and give them a physical and spiritual snack, enjoy the praise band, and hear a sermon that makes us feel good. Then we leave thinking we have filled our spiritual tank and are good to go until next week.
And what about our Bible reading? Are we sometimes guilty of reading a devotional, a verse or two of Scripture, and checking the box of spiritual replenishment for the day? Reading Scripture is a critical part of our spiritual formation, but simply reading a verse, saying a quick prayer, and moving on to other things will not, by itself, give us the mind of Christ that Paul writes about in his letters.
Reading Scripture is a good practice. In fact, it is essential to the process of being formed in Christ. As we read Psalm 119, we see that a deep hunger for God’s Word drives nearly every paragraph of the psalm. It is as if the writer believed what Jesus said in the wilderness:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
The early Christians did not have the convenience of Bible apps or pocket-sized Bibles to carry around with them. They often heard the Old Testament scriptures and the stories of Jesus read or told aloud. They repeated them over and over, committing many verses to memory. They did this not to win a contest but because they believed that the Word of God, planted in their minds and hearts, would transform the way they thought and, ultimately, the way they lived. They wanted to think and behave more like Jesus.
Don’t stop reading scripture! But maybe we could think less about the volume of scripture we consume and more about finding ways to slow down and ask ourselves how scripture is shaping the way we think and behave. Maybe the goal is not simply to get through a passage but to allow the passage to get into us.
And then we might get to the point where we understand what Jesus said at the end of the Sermon on the Mount:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Father, search our hearts today and help us see and hear from you the ways we need to change. Help us not only to hear your Word but to be transformed by it. We want to reflect Jesus to the world in all that we do.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 4:4, 7:24–27; Psalm 119 ESV
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