Greg Chandler
01/25/14
High school students have an uncanny ability to develop questions that can bring angst to their teachers. While the questions may vary, the one that irritates this teacher is posed by the student who has been absent. Approaching the podium, the offending child will ask “did I just miss notes?” The implication is that what was discussed in class and what the teacher gave for students to write down is really of little consequence. What the child is really asking is this: “Was their anything really ‘important’ that I need to make-up – anything that ‘will count for a grade?’” Perhaps such a statement illustrates a weakness in the education system. “Learning” is reduced to what is graded and recorded. The student fails to see that education is the learning process; what goes on in the exchange between teacher and student.
Sadly, the same attitude seen in an immature scholar can also be seen in an immature Christian. If not careful, those who seek to be right with God want to reduce following Him to only those things that can be “graded.” Outwardly visible activities such as church attendance, participation in Bible class, and communion become the standard by which one is considered religious and right with the Lord. While these things are certainly important and required by the Lord, there is much more to being a Christian than those activities that can be visibly monitored.
The Pharisees of Christ’s day had difficulty with this issue. This sect of the Jews had begun with great diligence in following the laws of God, but had allowed their spirituality to become an outward show. It is no surprise that Christ stated “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23). Christ in no way condemned their strict attention to detail, but He rejected the thought that this alone was sufficient. They had missed the heart of what it meant to be a child of God. Their faith was measured in terms of outward activity.
It is very easy for Christians to fall into the same trap. Consciences can be soothed by the type of focus described thus far. It is far more important; however, to evaluate the facets of spirituality that cannot so easily be observed. Each Christian must evaluate his or her own life to determine if there is love for God and fellow man. Evaluation must also be made concerning the crucifixion of the old man of sin. Have the thoughts that once permeated the heart been put to death so that the ways of Christ can live? As the wise man warned: “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Do the concepts of justice, mercy and faithfulness embody the decision making process? It is this type of thoughtful activity that must be tested in order to make sure a true change has been made.
When the heart is right, the visible actions will be right. There will be no question about church attendance because there is a deep desire to meet with other saints in worship of God. There will be no desire to miss opportunities for Bible study since there is a hungering and thirsting for righteousness. There will be no question about partaking in communion with fellow Christians due to the great desire to collectively remember the death of the Lord and His new covenant with the saved. As well, there will be no attempt to measure spirituality based on simple outward actions. These actions will flow naturally from a heart that has been transformed into the image of God.
Yes, it is more than just taking notes. The time for grading will come, but the education process is what prepares the wise student for that occasion. It is also more than “taking notes” spiritually. The time that is spent in preparing the heart will be manifest in actions that flow from a desire to please Him. When this is the outlook on spirituality, there will be nothing less than an A+ given for the faithful child of God.