Leslie Nease, She Speaks! Graduate
"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused." Romans 1:21-22 (NLT)
A wave of regret swept over me as I looked up the nutrition information on the pumpkin muffin I’d just consumed. It had a whopping 530 calories, 20 fat grams and 80 carbohydrates! Stunned, I wondered why I would ever want to know this information? Why did I look this up? Now I wouldn’t be able to eat my pumpkin muffin in good conscience!
Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?
If I didn't know this nutritional information I would eat the muffin thinking that because it contains vegetable, it must be good for me! I mean, honestly - have you tasted one of these? But the truth is, eating a pumpkin muffin every day for the rest of my life might lead to some serious consequences. Heart disease, obesity, lack of energy and diabetes could be in my future. Now that I’m in the know, I can’t deny the potential negative affects this could have. I have a responsibility and a decision to make, whether I like it or not.
Similarly, it used to be easier for me to pretend God wasn't real--hell was made up and evil was something I could elude. But when faced with the reality that there is a God who I am accountable to, there is a hell, and evil is present; I knew I had some decisions to make. Instead of living in denial, I accepted that ignorance is not bliss and it was not doing me any favors. So I started to search for truth about God in the pages of His Word.
Scripture is the one place where we can be sure we will find all we need to know about God. However, many folks try to figure out God without the Bible; they want a god on their terms. This reminds me of diets that promise extreme weight loss while eating whatever you want without exercising. We would be in denial if we believed those promises. To lose weight, you have to know the nutritional value of food, work out regularly, and not eat pumpkin muffins every day! It’s a conscious decision to daily invest in our health and there are no short cuts.
Denying God’s existence is not going to change the fact that He is there either. Ignorance is not bliss - it is ignorance.
God makes Himself known to us through His Word. He says, "I Am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NIV). We must make a conscious decision daily to invest in our spiritual health through learning about God through time in the Bible. We must connect and remain with Him. With God’s Word lighting our path, we are armed with truth, so we can make informed decisions that will help us grow, not lead us into deception.
Dear Lord, I pray our minds and hearts will be opened and softened to the truth of Your Word. Help us embrace it and learn, grow and walk in the freedom of knowing that You are real and You desire a relationship with us. I pray we will take Your hand as we walk through this life. Instead of living in ignorance, may we walk forward, realizing that Your Truth is what sets us free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Pierced By the Word by John Piper
Perplexing Proverbs by Susanne Scheppmann
For more encouragement check out Hold It Up to the Light
Application Steps:
It’s important that we surround ourselves with people who will be truthful with us. Having godly, honest friends can ensure we have the accountability and tools to grow in our faith.
Spend some time in prayer and in God’s Word, asking Him to reveal any areas of your life you may be living in denial or deception. Be ready to respond to what He may reveal with humility and a desire to grow.
Reflections:
Is there a scripture that you find difficult to believe? Have you prayed and asked God to reveal the context and the reason He included this scripture in His Word? Spend time digging into different Bible Commentaries found on various websites to help understand God’s Word.
Can you think of a time in your life when you believed ignorance was bliss?
Power Verses:
Proverbs 4:13, "Take hold of my instructions, don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life." (NLT)
Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." (NLT)
© 2010 Leslie Nease. All rights reserved.
"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused." Romans 1:21-22 (NLT)
A wave of regret swept over me as I looked up the nutrition information on the pumpkin muffin I’d just consumed. It had a whopping 530 calories, 20 fat grams and 80 carbohydrates! Stunned, I wondered why I would ever want to know this information? Why did I look this up? Now I wouldn’t be able to eat my pumpkin muffin in good conscience!
Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?
If I didn't know this nutritional information I would eat the muffin thinking that because it contains vegetable, it must be good for me! I mean, honestly - have you tasted one of these? But the truth is, eating a pumpkin muffin every day for the rest of my life might lead to some serious consequences. Heart disease, obesity, lack of energy and diabetes could be in my future. Now that I’m in the know, I can’t deny the potential negative affects this could have. I have a responsibility and a decision to make, whether I like it or not.
Similarly, it used to be easier for me to pretend God wasn't real--hell was made up and evil was something I could elude. But when faced with the reality that there is a God who I am accountable to, there is a hell, and evil is present; I knew I had some decisions to make. Instead of living in denial, I accepted that ignorance is not bliss and it was not doing me any favors. So I started to search for truth about God in the pages of His Word.
Scripture is the one place where we can be sure we will find all we need to know about God. However, many folks try to figure out God without the Bible; they want a god on their terms. This reminds me of diets that promise extreme weight loss while eating whatever you want without exercising. We would be in denial if we believed those promises. To lose weight, you have to know the nutritional value of food, work out regularly, and not eat pumpkin muffins every day! It’s a conscious decision to daily invest in our health and there are no short cuts.
Denying God’s existence is not going to change the fact that He is there either. Ignorance is not bliss - it is ignorance.
God makes Himself known to us through His Word. He says, "I Am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NIV). We must make a conscious decision daily to invest in our spiritual health through learning about God through time in the Bible. We must connect and remain with Him. With God’s Word lighting our path, we are armed with truth, so we can make informed decisions that will help us grow, not lead us into deception.
Dear Lord, I pray our minds and hearts will be opened and softened to the truth of Your Word. Help us embrace it and learn, grow and walk in the freedom of knowing that You are real and You desire a relationship with us. I pray we will take Your hand as we walk through this life. Instead of living in ignorance, may we walk forward, realizing that Your Truth is what sets us free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Pierced By the Word by John Piper
Perplexing Proverbs by Susanne Scheppmann
For more encouragement check out Hold It Up to the Light
Application Steps:
It’s important that we surround ourselves with people who will be truthful with us. Having godly, honest friends can ensure we have the accountability and tools to grow in our faith.
Spend some time in prayer and in God’s Word, asking Him to reveal any areas of your life you may be living in denial or deception. Be ready to respond to what He may reveal with humility and a desire to grow.
Reflections:
Is there a scripture that you find difficult to believe? Have you prayed and asked God to reveal the context and the reason He included this scripture in His Word? Spend time digging into different Bible Commentaries found on various websites to help understand God’s Word.
Can you think of a time in your life when you believed ignorance was bliss?
Power Verses:
Proverbs 4:13, "Take hold of my instructions, don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life." (NLT)
Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." (NLT)
© 2010 Leslie Nease. All rights reserved.
Labels: Balance, God's Perspective, Overcoming, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare, Trusting God, Waiting On God, Walking in Faith
11 Comments:
the Bible is our road map through life. our lamp for our feet. a joy for our eyes. I thank God for His word and his gentle hand that leads me. search me Lord and may i always answer yes when you call me.
There is no substitute for His Word! Thanks for the reminder!
i have been trying to find a way to know god i guess the answer has been there all along but darn it i like pumkin muffins...... no excuses i need to read the bible
God was talking to me also in this devotion. Thank you for the reminder.
So glad to be a part of the P31 Devotions to encourage you! You can contact me at lnease@leslienease.com and find my blog at www.leslienease.blogspot.com.
Many blessings to you! May God open the eyes of your understanding as you seek Him in His Word!
Leslie Nease
Awesome truth for today! Thank You for sharing!!!! I will pass this along to many. :)
Gotta tell you that you lost me with the comment about eating one pumpkin muffin every day for the rest of your life creating severe consequences. Seriously? Some of you folks on this site are way too obsessed with food.
Awesome word for the day. HIS Word is truly the daily planner for our lives.
Thank you for encouraging me. The "pumpkin muffin" can really be anything in our lives that distracts us from focusing on God's Word. I so appreciate your reminder of the importance of grounding ourselves in the Bible each day.
This is marvelous! I didn't know a blog site like this existed! People need to be encouraged to study God's word.
Please also check out my Web site at realspiritualspinach.com
You may read excerpts from my book on there. The book is a compilation of columns that I've written for the Fremont Tribune newspaper in Nebraska. You also may read columns by visiting fremonttribune.com
Thanks and may God bless you greatly in the days ahead!
Tammy
Good brief and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you on your information.
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