My Story is just Beginning...

It's late. I'm tired. But I've been putting stuff off a lot lately so let me put some pen to paper (or more like fingers to keyboard). I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon during work yesterday (I think it was...it could've been Piper). But anywho, Dr. Keller explains how many people speak of JR Tolkien's literature the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings interchangeably. However, the Hobbit is more of a children's story; it is an adventure. The Lord of the Rings is grander in scale, it's a quest! While an adventure is a one and done event, a quest forever changes you and defines who you become. This was such a great illustration of our walk of faith. The world writes off Christianity and other religions as roller-coaster rides that are interchangeable for one another. But we know better, our God has not left us blind to the truth of the matter. Our faith in Christ is one amazing quest: we will face peril, we will persevere, we have our ultimate goal, and we already know His victorious ending.

While writing this up, I'm actually reminded of a John Piper sermon I heard today. The text he refers to is Hebrews 5:11-14 (ESV, gotta love BibleGateway.com):

¹¹About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹²For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, ¹³for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Man, this strikes me. I used to serve in my old church, teaching bible study to youth group students. But what a failure of a teacher I was. While the Word was not alive and powerful to me, while none of this convicted me, I tried to read it aloud and teach. It's one of my biggest regrets. At least now I am listening, slowly learning to hear and obey. I'm getting fed each day. And I can't wait for him to give me another opportunity.

"Milk, drink that milk. Eat the Word and get strong." Isn't it amazing how biblical our old Sunday School songs were? I used to think, what the deuce does milk have to do with God. But I can see now I was the fool, that God clearly uses milk as an illustration of how He uses such measures to nurture us and feed us. Thank you Lord for making your wisdom known to us. Humble us, enlighten us, and allow us to see You speaking to us (as juvenile or simple it may seem at the moment).