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Food, Fads and Folly (Deuteronomy 8:3)
It was said of the people Paul met on Mars Hill:
All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived
there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to
the latest ideas (Acts 17:21)
Certainly this is a reflection of many people's interest in spiritual
things today, a sort of eclectic approach that sees people flocking to
hear about the latest fad designed to guide them through deeper meditation,
more meaningful prayer, self-fulfilment, career success, cosmic weight
loss and simply satisfying idle curiosity. The church is not immune to
this and, as I survey the shelves of Christian bookshops I am disturbed
to see so many trends and fads vying for people's attention. From books
on how to look good and feel great, to prayers used as incantations designed
to prosper the prayer, to courses guaranteed to give purpose and grow
churches. Last year it was something else and next year it will be something
different again.
Now I am not someone who denounces everything new, and nor am I suggesting
that none of these things have value but it does concern me that Christians
can be so distracted as to miss what God has provided for believers of
all ages and at all times. God is concerned for our wellbeing, both spiritual
and temporal. Our text shows as much when it recognises that man needs
bread but then it goes on to remind us that our lives are not fed by bread
alone but by God's Word.
When our youth are tempted and tested by this world the Bible has the
answer:
How can a young man keep himself pure? By living according to your word
(Psalm 119:9)
How is this achieved?
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your command. I
have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you (vv 10-11)
When faced with difficult decisions about life's choices and beset with
temptations that cloud our vision:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light
for my path (v105)
When Jesus prayed for his followers before Gethsemane he prayed:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is
truth (John 17:17)
Paul, writing to Colossian believers, wrote:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom (Colossians 3:16)
Yet, with all this clear advice and instruction, we can be Athenians talking
about and listening to the latest ideas instead of like the Bereans who,
earlier in Acts, examined the Scriptures
daily to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11).
This, according to Luke, made them of more noble character.
The Word of God has the answers to so many of the questions we ask and
if someone writes or speaks in such a way as to point us back to the Word
and so as to clarify the Word we should welcome such teaching and help.
All else must be regarded with caution and brought to the Word of God
in order to be tested. The prophet declared:
To the law and to the testimony! If they
do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn (Isaiah:8:20)
May we be found to be of more noble character as we walk by God's Word,
testing all things by its wisdom.