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May 28, 2013

Letter #4: God is Not a Subject

Dear Jonathan,

Congratulations! I’m so excited to hear that you have been accepted by Beeson Divinity School and will begin classes this fall! Your life is about to change, and I pray it is for the better.

I’m glad that all your preparations seem to be coming along smoothly. It is amazing that your house sold in the midst of this market…that is truly a blessing from the Lord. But, as you go through all the practical, physical preparations of moving…I would encourage you to be preparing your mind as well.

You might be changing the physical, geographical location of your family, but you are also moving your mind into new territory and it needs to be prepared. For the next three to four years you will be studying/mastering theology. Theos = God. Logos = word (or in this case, study of). Theology = the study of God. How does one prepare their mind to “study God” or “master theology.” I would suggest that you begin with one simple, anchoring fact…

God is not a subject to be mastered.

Studying theology is different from any other discipline, for God is not an object to be put under a microscope, prodded, and analyzed until you can fit the discovered data into your head. No. The more you come to know God through study, the more he should be mastering you…not the other way around.

Your degree program is ironically called “Master of Divinity.” I would give you the same advice that one of my profs, Ken Matthews, gave to my class on our first day of seminary. He looked at all of us and simply said, “So…you’re future masters of divinity huh?…Don’t you believe it!”

Jonathan…don’t you believe it!

God is not a class to be aced or a subject to be mastered. Humble your heart and ask that through your studies he would be mastering you more and more! That is the point of seminary…not to become a master, but to be mastered! As you prepare to move your family to another state, prepare to move your mind into a state of submission to the Lord. Because…

God is not a subject to be mastered…he is the master over his subjects.

Grace and Peace,

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

May 27, 2013

Confession…

Confession: I am overweight.

Some people might not think so, but medical experts would disagree. I’ve got a good 40 pounds that it would not hurt me to shed. Yet, the real confession is…

I am overweight as a result of sin.

Many people struggle with weight issues and for all sorts of reasons. For some, it can stem from a genetic issue, a health problem, an illness, etc. However, none of these things are the reason I have a spare tire around my mid section. For me, it ultimately boils down to one simple, sinful action…overeating.

I eat too much and I know it.

I like food and I like to eat…and that is a natural. Food was originally given to us by God as a good gift. It was not only his designed manner of sustaining life, but one of the countless ways he called us to enjoy life! With food we can create, we can taste, we smell, we touch…we build relationships over food, we celebrate, we share, we laugh, we love.

Through food we can literally taste and see that the Lord is good.

Food is a good gift from God and it is meant to be enjoyed. However, like all God’s good gifts, food has always been meant to be used in God’s ordained manner and when we take it beyond those bounds we sin…and sin always brings destruction and death.

It’s like this with all God’s gifts. For example, consider not only food, but also wine and sex. God has set bounds around all these gifts, not to rob us of joy, but to maximize our joy and always point us to him. Wine is meant to be enjoyed and point us to the Lord who bountifully provides, but when we go beyond enjoyment to indulgence it can literally wreak destruction! Likewise, sex is meant to be enjoyed within the context of a one-man, one-woman marriage, but when taken outside that context is can literally bring death. Food also has been given to us to be enjoyed within moderation and when taken beyond proper bounds (in either direction…over/under-eating) it can bring destruction to our bodies and even death. Sin always brings destruction and death.

Scripture identifies gluttony (overeating) as sin, and yet we ignored this issue…I have ignored this issue. It is taboo to talk about gluttony. Well…as a glutton, I want to confess the sin of which the Holy Spirit has convicted me. I want to repent for abusing God’s good gifts, and I want to love and desire him more than I love and desire food.

Ultimately, the real problem with gluttony is that it is a sin in which I put myself in the place of God (this is the root of all sin). Instead of using food the way in which God has prescribed, I use it the way in which I prescribe. I know best and am in charge…not God. As a result, food becomes about satisfying my desires (which it cannot really do)…food becomes about me.

However, food is meant to be about God. When used in the way God designed it to be consumed, food reminds us that God is a good provider who has given us what we need. This leaves us wanting more of God…not more of food. In this way, food helps us satisfy our real desire, namely, our desire for God and enjoyment of him. God is the only one who can truly fill us up and satisfy our souls. All of a sudden, food is not about me, it is about God!

Food reminds me that I do not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. It reminds me that as the deer pants for streams of water so my soul should thirst for the living God!

Jesus is the bread of life and the giver of living water! May our souls eternally feast on him!

So I confess…I’m overweight. But, my desire is to no longer be overweight, but overjoyed! Being overweight came through my sinful satisfaction found in food…now I will pursue being overjoyed through soul-satisfaction found in Jesus!