In the book "Miracles" by C.S.Lewis, he makes a very interesting comment on the nature of God's creative work...listen very carefully: "The theologians certainly tell us that He created nature freely. They mean that He was not forced to do so by any external necessity. But we must not interpret freedom negatively, as if Nature were a mere construction of parts arbitrarily stuck together. God's creative freedom is to be conceived as the freedom of a poet: the freedom to create a consistent, positive thing with its own inimitable flavor." I want you to key on the phrase "its own inimitable flavor." This means that everything God has created has a distinct nature all of it's own. Honey is made to be sweet, water is meant to be wet, and grass is green. And each aspect of nature has also been designed to have a unique proportionality to it. An ocean is enormous and provides the perfect environment for millions of creatures to live and thrive; but when the ocean turns nasty it can't be stopped as it crushes and destroys everything in it's path. It is both majestic in it's wonder and awesome in it's dread. God made it that way. This same unique design and proportionality God has also assigned to scripture. It was given to be an eternal blessing for all mankind; a doorway inviting us into the life of God himself: "Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3) "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God." (Romans 10:17) But just as the Bible is a great gift given to bless us, we must remember, it also has a proportional potential to curse. So please, handle it with care, because if it is abused, dismissed, mocked or perverted it can be dreadfully dangerous! "Danger, danger Will Robinson, hazardous material!" Here are some verses to prove the point... “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.” (Malachi 2:7-9) "Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." (Proverbs 30:6) Peter the Apostle got it! In 2 Peter 3:16, he strongly warned his listeners that if "you twist and torture the text it will lead to your destruction." The Greek word for destruction is 'apolia' which means a loss of being or wholeness. In other words if you handle it right, the scriptures bring wholeness to your life and body; but in a proportional way, if you ignore and even impugn scripture you will start getting "soul rot." I offer two modern day examples... 1) Amy Winehouse: On the plane as my wife and I traveled back home from Israel we watched a documentary on Amy Winehouse, the singer who was one of the top performing artists in 2005-2011. Amy was raised in Jewish home, went to Hebrew School every Sunday, and when she died her family "sat shiva"; which means to participate in a week long mourning period where those close to her didn't shower or change their clothes. But when it came to her life, Amy admitted to her friends that her love for drugs and parties had a stronger pull on her than seeking the blessing of God. Her story is devastating. Watching this 2 hour documentary was like being under the spell of a bad dream. Her willful choice not to follow what she knew to be "right and true" left her vulnerable to the ravaging effects of sin and death. Casting aside God and the wisdom found in his word sends one quickly down to feet of Sheol. Sadly, Amy experienced depravity in all of it's noxious color. 2) Rob Bell: For the past 17 years I have been fascinated with the life and times of this "Artist/Preacher" from Grand Rapids. In a short few years he garnered a tremendous following and grew a newly planted church into a mega-church of 11,000 members. He was truly a 'tour de force' in the religious life of Grand Rapids. But over time as he played with the doctrines of inerrancy & inspiration, as a child would with a box of Legos, it eventually led him to start questioning many of the core doctrines of the faith. After writing a comedy of 'exegetical' errors known as Love Wins, he soon left his church to pursue new religious adventures in California. Rob quickly turned into a fellow court jester with the snarky L. A. comedian Pete Holmes to becoming one of Oprah's religious bell hops. And now in his current pursuits he is fast morphing into another New Age guru cut out of the same fabric as Wayne Dyer, the mystic who sold metaphysical secrets on PBS during their weekend long fundraising campaigns. As both of these cases illustrates, .turning from God, his Word, and his Ways, is a dangerous proposition. Humiliation becomes the bi-product of twisting scripture. And "Soul Rot" will always be the human experience of treating God's Holy Word with contempt. How do you treat the Word of God? Do you ignore it, pass it off as insignificant, or does it guide you daily? Be warned - in proportion to its ability to bless, it also has the potential to curse. "God is not mocked."
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