Jump Start # 3030

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

One of the most profound struggles that Christians face is what I call the “head and heart” issue. This is an internal battle. And, the stronger of the two, either the head or the heart, wins the battle. And, the way this is often manifested is in the lives of our young people.

For years mom and dad have kept them safe. They have sheltered and protected them from ad shows, bad language and bad people. They have only known the truth. They haven’t looked very far outside the box. Their friends were chosen through the influence of the parents.

But a time comes when that child leaves the shelter of the home. Off to college. Off to start a new job, a “big-boy” job as we often called them. And, for the first time, that child is around more people that are not like him. There are those who are openly against religion and have a chip on their shoulder about that. There are those who are excited and very commitment to Jesus, but they worship in ways far differently than your child has ever seen. And, as your child makes friends, new ideas, new theories, new questions begin to cross his mind and even cloud his thinking.

Maybe there is more than just the way I was brought up, he begins to think. Maybe the arguments of others are right. And, for the first time, your child faces a “head and heart” conflict. Their head knows the facts. The facts do not change. The facts are Biblically based. The heart however, wants to accept others and in some ways even become like others. The head and the heart have a conflict. Facts verse feelings. Truth verse emotions. Head verse heart.

Many families go through this and in many ways, each of us have dealt with this head and heart difference. When the heart wins, it is an emotionally based decision. When the head wins, it is fact and faith based decision. What complicates all of this is when you start adding people into the equation. It’s his girlfriend, or her roommate, or his boss, or her best friend. Suddenly, the heart issues rise to the surface. The truths of the Bible become cloudy and not as clear as they once were. The Bible hasn’t changed, it’s the eyes of one being led by their heart. Surely, this person that I am in love with, could not be wrong? They are doing so much more than what we are doing? They focus more upon love and grace and they are making a difference in the community. And, all of a sudden, the needle points to the heart more than the head.

Parents who do not understand this, simply stack more and more verses into the argument. They do not realize that within their child, there is a struggle going on between what they know is right and what they want to be right.

I’ve had this discussion with many parents. How do you deal with head and heart issues?

First, don’t shout. The volume of your voice is not what will change the outcome of this discussion. Do not threaten. Do not say you’ll run and tell the elders of the church. Pressure and force is not the way to deal with this.

Second, let your child know that the struggle between the head and the heart is very common. You have had some of those internal battles. Praise them for wanting to do what is right and for their love for others.

Thirdly, in a proper setting, open Bibles and just look together. Let the Bible be the answer. Don’t color the conversation with articles from our fellowship. For instance, after the resurrection of Jesus, who was considered saved? What determined that? Was their any exceptions? Get some paper and pens out and together talk and look in the Scriptures. What is the big deal about instrumental music? Does it matter how often the Lord’s Supper is taken? Fair questions. Fast balls down the middle. Find the answers and then understand that the head knows what is right.

Fourth, realize one conversation, one study will likely not be enough. Be open to read what she is being influenced by. Look at the material together.

Let your child know that you love him and always will love him. Our foundation is built upon Scriptures. You may have to do your own homework as a parent. You may have to do some digging to find the answers before you sit down. Don’t chop away at everything. Not all things are false. But reason as adults. If your child gets upset, call it a day for the study. Give it a little time. Come back and look at it again. Ask for proof. Where is the evidence?

Head and heart…it’s something that has to be understood and dealt with.

Roger

Jump start # 2533

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

I have been teaching Isaiah. It’s a long book. Sections of it seem slow and repetitive. As I was working on Isaiah a thought occurred to me. Isaiah is sixty-six chapters or 1291 verses. (I looked that up). In contrast, Obadiah, is one chapter and 21 verses. Isaiah contains a little more than 37,000 words. Obadiah, 669 words. The average 30-minute speech (or sermon) is about 4,000 words (unless you talk fast like me). Obadiah is shorter than a 30 minute sermon. In fact, on average, a person speaks about 135 words a minute. Using that as a baseline, Obadiah was about a five minute lesson. Clearly an understanding of MAJOR prophet and MINOR prophet. But why did God do things this way? Why was there two inspired letters to Corinth and not two to Philippi? Why is Isaiah so long and Obadiah so short? Obadiah could have written his message in less than an hour. Isaiah was written over long sections of time, starting with the reign of Uzziah, through Jotham, Ahaz and ending with Hezekiah. We are talking about years. Now, that brings more questions. Did Isaiah deliver his message in pieces during the different time periods?

We have our Bibles as they are, but there are many things about this that just makes us wonder. Didn’t God have more for Obadiah than simply 21 verses? Was that enough? Why did Isaiah have to be so long? Was that necessary?

Now, some thoughts:

First, God always knows what He is doing and He always does what is right. Always. Obadiah is 669 words and Isaiah is 37,000 words because God wanted it that way. Obadiah had a small, limited and specific target audience. Isaiah was dealing with Israel, Judah, Assyria, Babylon and neighboring nations. Isaiah covers a large segment of Biblical history. The value of the book is not in it’s size. Every book of the Bible is necessary and is profitable as our passage today reminds us.

Second, God’s message is not about fairness to those who penned the books. Obadiah got 669 words from the Holy Spirit and Isaiah got 37,000. In our thinking we would have divided this up some and given both about an equal amount from the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t operate the way we think. There was a reason and God used these writers as He saw best.

Third, there is value in each book of the Bible. Our verse tells us that God’s inspired word is profitable. It’s not a waste of time to read. When one reads the Bible, they are diving into the heart and the mind of God. With an open mind, our hearts are touched, challenged, taught and moved by the word of God. Far too many today would rather hear jokes from the preacher than to hear him read Scriptures. Jokes makes us feel good but they don’t do anything for us. God’s word is powerful. It leads to salvation. It opens the gates to freedom. It builds faith. It shores the soul. It enables us to know the Lord, overcome fear, chase worry away and stand firm against Satan. Reading the Bible is a lifelong journey. The guy who carries a worn out Bible likely does not have a worn out heart. He has learned through those wonderful pages the love of God. He knows what’s coming. He knows how to please God. His life is wrapped around the pages of God’s word and that word will lift up when troubles come.

Fourth, every book of the Bible has an immediate purpose and place. God didn’t just pick men to write so He could have a big book. There is no “filler” or unnecessary parts of the Bible. Most of us today are not as strong as we’d like to be when it comes to the prophets. It’s hard to understand Hebrew poetry and prophetic language. It takes some digging. It takes some homework. It takes some effort. Some books, such as Proverbs or James, are so plain and straight forward, one can’t miss the point. The hard thing about those books are not understanding, but the doing.

Fifth, there is a place for outside reference books that brings insight into understanding the times, the words and the culture in which the Bible was written. When we look at the Bible through American eyes, we often miss the point God is trying to make. However, one must realize that external books are written by man and not God and they may or may not always be true. And, we must appreciate that God’s word stands alone. A person living a long time ago, without any of these modern reference books was capable of knowing God’s will. If it takes modern reference books to know God’s will, then for centuries and centuries no one really knew what God was saying. That thought is troublesome and relies too heavily upon modern scholars.

Finally, God’s word is only as good as we use it. A Bible on the shelf that is never opened does one very little good. It is shocking to me in our times that when a death occurs in the family that no one knows a preacher to call. No one in the family worships. No one in the family has any religious ties. So, some guy at work, or some neighbor, who happens to go to some church is called. They want their preacher to come and put mamma in Heaven. They have no idea what the preacher believes. They don’t know if that even matters. A stranger preaching a stranger’s funeral. I’ve been that preacher. Very awkward. Very odd. Very sad. In the families mind, mamma is dancing with Elvis up in Heaven, having a blast and having a cold beer. They don’t know. They have never opened their Bibles up to read.

Our times would be much better if people opened the Bible and followed it. Instead, we have trained professors telling our young people that God didn’t write the Bible. We have modern preachers telling their audiences, that culture changes the Bible. We have political candidates who try to convince the nation that abortion is a wonderful right and choice, and, homosexuality is just the way God made you. And, the foolish nation agrees. Why not? With Bibles closed they will never know.

God’s word is powerful, profitable and pleasing to Him. We must be sure that it is pleasing to us. We do this by knowing it, believing it, following it, trusting it and sharing it.

Roger