Size up your head Bible Reading: Hebrews 5
My parents really wanted me to study medicine & surgery in the university, but I diligently fought against the idea. By the time I had spent some years in the university, I was already grateful to God I didn’t study surgery. Why? I realized that it would have been difficult for me to grow up in the profession. First, I saw my friends in medical class reading some giant textbooks on anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. Then later I noticed that they performed experiments using dead bodies (which they prefer to call cadaver). As the years went by, they introduced them to the clinic, and made them to have real life experiences with live patients. Though I know I may have found it difficult studying the course, I still appreciate the way my friends in medical class were taught. It reminds me of how God deals with Christians to enable them grow spiritually.
After regular study of God’s word and prayers, it is expedient for us to express our knowledge in order to grow. Like medical students, sometimes some cadavers in the form of life challenges are presented to us so we can practice what we have learnt without the fear of mistakes. Later on, greater challenges are then introduced to us. Therefore, we should approach life challenges as an opportunity for growth. Being a doer of God’s word is vital to our spiritual growth, and that comes with every challenge we face. Like some of us may know, a medical student who doesn’t do well at the stage of handling cadavers may not be exposed to real life patients even in school. Consequently, no challenge of ours is insignificant and we should approach them with the right attitude.
I have never seen anyone who eats food in order to have a big stomach, but I have seen many Christians who read their bibles in order to have a big head. Their studies have improved their speeches and quoting ability, but their lives doesn’t reflect the practical side of what they read. That’s really dangerous to our spiritual health because it is synonymous to eating foods regularly that just ends up in the stomach and are not absorbed by the body tissues. We need to avoid such and engage in the godly exercise of living the word. Hebrews 5:14 (GW) – says “solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil”. There is a training/spiritual growth you receive by practice. Spiritual growth cannot be effective without the practice of the word just as my medical friends wouldn’t have advanced academically without passing many practical courses.
Therefore, when next you face a challenge, remember that it is an opportunity for you to grow spiritually. It has come to enable you practice what you have learnt. No challenge can be bigger than the learning you already have. I Cor 10:13 (MSG) says “God will never let you be pushed past your limit”. Always take that word from your head and inject it into your life. Sometimes I think we need to size up our heads to be sure it is not bigger than our lives. “Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within” Proverbs 20:5 (MSG). Be a wise Christian.
– tope aladenusi
