Next Best Thing

8 years ago, Michele and I purchased a pug puppy from a wonderful local breeder. "Daisy" has turned out to be neurotic but highly amusing. She fusses about everything and is terrified that someone will drop a treat and she will miss it. Her great dream in life is to be in a home where she is the only pet. "Sharing" is not one of her strong attributes.

Anyway, what pushes Daisy to the point of a total meltdown is when everyone in the room has food. This forces her to evaluate the most likely place for food to fall within her grasp. Normally this would not be an issue since she has a chart listing everyone that normally eats in our house, ranked by messy eating habits and generous sharing records. She is into charts and graphs when it comes to evaluating strategic locations for possible snacks. This brings me great pride.

The result is, Daisy ends up flitting from person to person, looking for the NEXT BEST THING. Which is odd since we provide her healthy, veterinarian recommended food.

Daisy ends up being stressed, unstable, and lacking any sense of loyalty, out of fear that she will miss out on some tasty morsel. She is forever searching for the NEXT BEST THING and is never satisfied with the healthy food that is provided for her.

This has layers of spiritual applications.

For this blog, I am only going to focus on ONE simple observation:

I am going to begin with a weasel clause, so there is no confusion over my deep appreciation for Christian literature. No one has a higher appreciation for Biblically accurate Christian books than I.

However, when it comes to Bible study, Christian books are not a substitute for God's Word. Every single day, all Christians have a God given command to STUDY His Word. I do not believe the good Lord gives His people a pass if they simply bypass His Word and read a fine Christian devotional of some kind.

So my spiritual take-away from this point is, how much time every day do I spend reading, studying, and meditating on God's Word?

The flip side is revealing, "How much time do I spend reading, Biblically accurate Christian books every day?"

Now I will CONFESS that studying God's Word is not easy.
Studying God's Word is hard work.
But God repeatedly promised that He would bless the lives of those that faithfully study His Word.
Studying God's Word has an interesting balance that defies normal logic.
On one hand, studying God's Word is a skill that is developed over a lifetime and is never mastered.
On the other hand, as you faithfully study God's Word, the Holy Spirit reveals Truths to you and teaches how to practically apply what you are learning.
This is the transforming affect of God's Word.
And the end result is NOT ONLY a transformed life that pleases God
but you, a being corrupted by the affects of sin,
is able to KNOW the mind of God
and have a relationship with Him.
Now THAT is a true modern day miracle.

“Be strong and courageous,
for you are the one who will lead these people
to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors
I would give them.
Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.
Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left.
Then you will be successful in everything you do.
Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.
Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
This is my command—be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:6-9