In my last article about Biblical Truth and Careful Reading, I wanted to spark your interest in good books, authors, and your own personal meditation on the things that you read. God’s glory is all around us and we can discover it more readily if we read, meditate, discuss, share and live according to Biblical principles.
In Romans we read that God’s glory can be clearly seen throughout the world. The Apostle Paul writes:
“… because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)
If this is a true claim, that, “God is not hidden and God’s invisible attributes can be seen,” then it seems that Scripture is telling us that God is able to be discovered, so finding Christ in every facet of our lives shouldn’t be as hard as we might think.
Could it be that Biblical truth is, indeed, everywhere? Could it be that you and I are simply unfocused or too distracted to see it?
Our culture is constantly bombarding us with ungodly messages via the Internet, TV, magazines and movies, so becoming distracted is all too easy. One of the ways that I think we can learn to look for the divine in the midst of the seemingly mundane is by measuring our Biblical knowledge through our reading. Reading quality literature allows us to turn our focus back towards those things that are true, good, and beautiful. You might be wondering, how? And, why books?
When reading a book, you are in charge. You become the director; you control the flow, tempo, volume, and texture of the voices. The author provided the details, but you’re in charge now. You get to tell the story. Think of a story told in movie, or video format. It will be told through the director’s eyes. It will be told with the speed, tempo and music that he envisions.
When you read a book that connection becomes your intimate opportunity. You gain control. You get to slow down, meditate and reflect on the characters in the story, and this is extremely important. This is where we avoid conforming to the patterns of this world and become transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Our desire should be to fit every loose thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). You can accomplish this by using God’s Word to help focus your mind as you contemplate what you’ve read.
After you’ve read a bit, stop and think about the characters, their circumstances and their interactions. Why did they say what they said? What decisions were made and why? How do you see God working in the story, even when there is no allusion to God’s active involvement? Do you see honor, integrity, or fallenness?
Take for example, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, a story oft mistaken as a children’s book. In the very first chapter, our hero describes his dilemma, “in which I do not heed my father’s advice”:
“[Facing perplexing circumstances] …my head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts… my inclination… led me so strongly against the will, nay the commands of my father, and against all the entreaties of my mother and other friends…
“But one day… I went casually, and without any purpose… I consulted neither father or mother… without asking God’s blessing, or my father’s, without any consideration of circumstances or consequences, and in an ill hour, God knows.”
Now, in your mind’s eye, try to recall memories that echo these circumstances – self-centered desire and will, wise counter-counsel, obstinacy or casual enticement without appropriate consideration. Are these events similar, or dissimilar, to anything you’ve experienced? Do these words describe a friend or family member’s recent situation?
Defoe’s crisp moral insights provide us with a timeless perspective encased in an engaging story. In fact, these paragraphs could easily be used to describe any of us in high school, or college. Or, maybe these words fit an episode in your life where you are currently perplexed.
Our goal should be to interpret what we read through a Biblical framework. We should think critically about the stories we hear and read through the prism of God’s Word.
For example:
- Can you relate these paragraphs to any Bible verse?
- Any from the New Testament?
- Any from the Old Testament?
- In your reading, do you recognize characters that relate positively to Biblical truth?
- Do you find any encouragement in the realization that others have faced the same spiritual struggles that we face today? (Young Crusoe, in the mid-1600’s, faced dilemmas familiar to each of us.)
- Your thoughts are worth sharing and discussing. Are you willing to engage others?
Even young Crusoe meditates on his experience, which I’m sure many of us can relate to, and he recounts his thoughts, as follows:
“I began now seriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I was overtaken by the judgment of Heaven for… leaving my father’s house, and abandoning my duty; all the good counsel of my parents, my father’s tears and my mother’s entreaties came now fresh into my mind, and my conscience, which… reproached me with the contempt of advice, and the breach of my duty to God and my father.”
By reading a fictional story about a headstrong young man and his adventures at sea, I found pieces of wisdom regarding thoughts that I could take captive to Christ. These observations, in turn, become powerful reminders of my own personal journey as a believer.
I challenge you to give it a try with a good book. Endeavor to see Him in everything. Try using literature as a tool for focusing your thoughts and looking for God’s glory in all things. Then, watch and see how your view of the world changes. Your journey, relationships and conversations should reflect transformative qualities when seen in the light of His attributes.
In my next post, I’ll help you walk through more of these truths by using other illustrations from timeless literature. Along the way, remember to share your thoughts with others, as we continue this journey together, discovering the mind of Christ in all that we encounter.