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18 August 2007

Intellectual Satisfaction

I'm reading a book that has taken me years to finally get around to reading. It's titled Discipline: The Glad Surrender, written by Elisabeth Elliot. It was given to me as a gift some years back, and I had one failed attempt at reading it through. How discouraging: a failed attempt to read a book about living a disciplined life! But I haven't let it get the better of me: I've been able to chunk away at some books that I would have otherwise been unable to read because I've been making use of the time that I nurse Rosalind. The 10-15 minute segments add up to about an hour a day, and before I realize it, I'm well into finishing, and reluctant to put it down! If you keep your eye on the book list at the left side of this page, you'll see a couple of titles that you'll understand are not the result of pleasure reading with the boys. It's those that I am most proud of accomplishing, since those have been read during Rosalind time.



All that to say that I came across this statement from the book by Mrs. Elliot, and thought it was worth sharing with others:
"The Bible does not explain everything necessary for our intellectual satisfaction, but it explains everything necessary for our obedience and hence for God's satisfaction."
Some people get hung up on those things in the Scriptures that they cannot understand or fathom. Or they might tend to not give any of it much deep thought or consideration because they don't consider themselves to be intellectual heavy-hitters. Others may even forgo studying and applying the truth of God's word to their lives, claiming "it's a mystery" as an excuse for intellectual slothfulness and moral indifference. So they either become inoculated to the gospel and believe that knowing is believing, or they dismiss the Bible altogether and live to please themselves and make up their own way. But what this quote suggests is that it is God's satisfaction that we are to be striving for, not our own. The Bible may seem unclear on some things, but it is very clear when it comes to everyday obedience, and that is what God is pleased with. "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:21-23

Just a thought for you to chew on. Your comments are always welcome!

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