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| Photo source: mycity-web.com |
My family and I had the pleasure of hosting our pastoral intern, Dae Kim, for dinner the other night. In addition to subjecting him to a spirited game of Survive Escape from Atlantis (a game which is effective in showcasing the theological tenet of the depravity of man), we were able to learn more about the Korean church and life as a seminary student.
One of the profound things Dae mentioned about seminary came from one of his professors, outside of class. He told us that this professor mentioned that in order to stop growing as a Christian, you need only to stop looking at your heart.
I have thought more about that truth in the days since our dinner with Dae, and it has resonated deeply with me.
You see, I have taught children a song in Vacation Bible School that goes like this:
"Read your Bible, pray everyday, pray everyday, pray everyday. Read your Bible pray everyday, and you grow, grow, grow. And you grow, grow, grow. And you grow, grow, grow. Read your Bible pray everyday, and you grow, grow, grow.
Don't read your Bible, forget to pray, forget to pray, forget to pray. Don't read your Bible, forget to pray, and you shrink, shrink, shrink. And you shrink, shrink, shrink. And you shrink, shrink, shrink. Don't read your Bible, forget to pray, and you shrink, shrink, shrink."
And while there is truth in this, there is something missing. Now, don't misunderstand me. It is imperative that you read your Bible and pray regularly to grow in Christ. And as we've discussed before, you absolutely need to grow in the context of a faith community, the church. But I would submit to you that if we do not take the time to look at our hearts--to see our sin and confess it to the Lord--we will not grow in our faith. Period.
In order to stop growing as a Christian, you need only to stop looking at your heart.
How about you, dear one? Do you take the time out of your busy day, your busy week, your busy month, or even your busy year to look into your heart and consider the sin that needs to be confessed so you can grow in the Lord? I readily admit that this is difficult for me! It is too easy to keep reading my Bible, praying for my family and my immediate needs and concerns of the day, go to Bible study week-after-week, and not take the time to truly consider my heart.
So today, I'd like to challenge all of us to follow David's example, as he penned in Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Let's go there today, dear friend, and let us gaze into our hearts, knowing we stand as fully accepted and loved children of God. Let us ask God to reveal to us our sin and our grievous ways and offer them up in confession and repentance before the throne of Him who is able to cleanse and restore us. Because only in this way will we really grow in faith and love of God.
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