I saw a meme on FB the other day that said something like that, “The Bible is not granola mix, you can’t pick out only the pieces you like.”
For those of you who are suddenly wondering what a meme is, its contemporary definition is “a humorous image, video, piece or text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.”
Memes are everywhere, and I must admit that while some are humorous, I am still not sure I like them. They often attempt to define complex issues with few words. I think they have trivialized and shallowed the way in which we think. We no longer take the time or effort to read long passages or articles that investigate issues to help us form legitimate positions. They lead us to think that all we need for understanding is a cute saying or “piece of text.”
My next thought is a question … is that the way we treat the Word of God? Do we find cute little Scripture verses that we can pull out and turn into a meme and then think that we know what God is saying? Paul was quite clear to Timothy that it was going to take more than memes to handle the Word of God correctly. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” [2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV]
The KJV translates it this way, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God ….”
Study. Be diligent. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. There is an implied work ethic in those words. We are to spend time in the Word not just reading, or searching for memes to post, we are to study diligently. That means picking up reference books alongside our Bibles, reading things in context, understanding original word meanings, and seeing what great commentators down through the centuries have said about those passages.
Let’s not treat the Word of God like a FB post, let’s dig into it and discover all it holds for us so that we need not be ashamed before our God.
