Many years ago my father-in-law (now deceased) had a blood disorder
that required blood transfusions. As the transfusions increased in frequency it
became apparent that the best he would ever feel would be on the day of the IV
and as soon as the transfusion was complete, his energy would begin
deteriorating until the next IV. Spiritually speaking the same can be said for
me as a believer. The moment I’m no longer being transfused with the Word I
begin to deteriorate. “Remain in me, and
I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the
vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 NIV)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----In my early twenties, I became enamored with the same idea. So, beginning with Romans, I started memorizing Scripture. I typed sections of it onto index cards, five a day, and carried them with me everywhere. Every moment I wasn’t engaged with some business of life I was either typing, memorizing, or reviewing those cards. Eventually I could recite Romans through Galatians mentally, but not quite verbally; Ephesians through Hebrews I knew conceptually; and for James through Revelation I had developed a good mental outline.
-----That’s when I noticed I was becoming very strange. Even though life went on in that I did the things I needed to do, almost every other free moment of my mental time was given to memorizing and rehearsing. And you know, the mind just has to have its time to contemplate its current affairs for mixing them into the attitudes and feelings and meanings which well up from its past myths and histories. It's all part of a process for developing and maintaining a straightness while living in a stressful and crooked place. During several months I denied this process, then I decided my sanity was important. I ended the perpetual memorizing. I stopped the transfusion.
-----Sometimes I wish I had bucked it up to the end - insanity or no! But then other times I think what I chose in its place made more sense, although it’s taking decades longer. My purpose for wanting to memorize the Bible was for being able to think it, like putting it on a warehouse shelf to use as a product in forming who I am and what I think. My alternative was to practice living what amounts of it I could work through my defenses and let that well up into my thought-life. Rather than the transfusion, I'm more like sitting down to good meals. Now if I would focus more on eating than playing with my food, I might finally get somewhere. For a muffin-head like me there's always an obstacle!
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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