Training Diet and Exercise
Hebrews
5:11-14 – “11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to
explain because you are slow to learn. 12In Fact, though by this
time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary
truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching
about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Unless
we are able to enter the Holy of Holies on our accord, every time we consume
scripture we should feel at least the a pinprick of conviction, both that the
Word is true and that we are falling short. I was pinched by verse eleven.
I
am slow to learn and always have been, especially where academics are
concerned. I read slowly and methodically but with high comprehension. This flummoxed
certain teachers during my school years and they assumed I wasn’t learning
because I wasn’t learning at their pace. There are times when I set aside texts
meant to teach because I’m inching along and would like to race. The Bible is
tough for me to be consistent in. It takes time for me to work through the verbiage
and so my discipline here is weak.
I
put up a self-deprecating post on FB a few minutes ago and was rewarded by the
following comment from my best-friend Jim:
“I am a steadfast believer that it is
the responsibility of the teacher to teach the student in the manner and
delivery in which the student can best receive the instruction. This is to the
teacher's ultimate advantage, in that the teacher then is afforded the
opportunities from his or her students to learn (woo-hoo!) an endless number of
manners and deliveries. Count it all joy.”
I
do count it all joy. The most fulfilling times of my Christian walk have been
when I’ve taught – scriptures, building, cooking, the fundamentals of
basketball – all teaching leads to learning for both teacher and student.
In
all areas of our life we need to progress from a diet of mother’s milk to
protein rich foods. We do this by the process of maturation in both the
physical and spiritual realms. The lamb in the field goes from taking mother’s
milk to eating grasses. Our puppies are weaned and go onto puppy food and a
progression of foods that dazzle most dog owners. Walk down the pet food aisle
of any store and you’ll see a progression of foods designed for every stage of
a dog’s life. Go into Petco and be overwhelmed at aisle after aisle of foods
for every size, age, and dietary need for your dog.
While
we consider this and what it means to us in our personal spiritual state we
cannot escape verse fourteen, “But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Our
maturity as Christians is a training issue. We must have a training regimen
that includes a specific diet if we are to excel. The best training regimens
have a regular interval and opportunities to adapt as our conditioning
improves. Distance runners carbo-load before a big race. Basketball players
ease into maintenance mode in the weight room as the season nears and govern
their diets according to the schedule of games. We pace the intake of scripture
with our need to teach, worship, and pray.
We
need to attach ourselves to a teacher/trainer that will encourage us, set up
our personal regimen, and kick our butts when we need it. The Holy Spirit is
just such a teacher. It is up to us to come to the table, it is up to the Holy
Spirit to teach us, convict us, goad us, and confirm us.
We
also need a place to exercise our maturity. To do that we need to identify our
call and pursue it while teaching and feeding the spiritually young.
Find
your level, work toward a pace, and come to the table to eat. Then ‘count it
all joy’ as you lift a heavier burden or watch a student exceed your own
skills.
In
His grip,
jerry
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