Get anything out of it?

Alot of us interact with "sermons" or bible reading with the over-arching question "Did I/you get anything out of it?". This is not an evil question, but I think it is a question that is used by the evil one that causes us to: 1) dismiss certain parts of scripture 2) dismiss the teaching of the pastor God has put in your life at this present time 3) put ourselves on the throne of accepting/rejecting the truth of scripture (i.e. we judge the bible's effectiveness)

There are a few things to help us here:

1) All scripture was not written TO you. There is an immediate context of scripture that may not be your context. But, all scripture was written FOR you. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture is "useful" and much more importantly, all scripture is "God-breathed".

2) The "getting anything out of it" mindset is a consumeristic mindset that doesn't view God's word as always practical, the teaching of it as helpful, and ourselves as always sinful.

We don't know what we "need to get out" of any text or sermon. God knows that. We're not always aware of what we "need" spiritually. So, perhaps we "need" what God is placing before us, right now.

3) Many times we are pushing out all God-sent messages except the one we want to hear. We keep our minds, hearts, and worst of all, joy from God until he answers "THIS question!". Perhaps God does not want to address that issue right now. Perhaps there is a deeper heart issue that God is after that is underneath your question.

Perhaps that heart issue is what this particular bible passage or sermon is about. . . . . . . .

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I'm not saying we don't read the bible with personal application in view. We should. There are bible passages that speak to specific situations that we might happen to be in.

This might even happen often for us in a certain season. . . . absolutely.

But, let's not take a season of "in-direct-ness" in our bible reading or church life as God being silent, or our preacher stinks, or church is boring, etc. . . . . . . .

Perhaps it is us who has put the wall up ("God you must speak to me in THIS way") and us who are blind and deaf to what God is saying to us as we sit there, bored. I'm not trying to be harsh, I've been there, (I am there right now, . . .as we all are in certain areas,. . . .no one has zero blind spots).

God is working/speaking/using things with the goal of making us more like Christ.

Aaron