Welcome to Tuesday!!! It is time once again to delve into the annals of musical history and retrieve an iconic musical interlude, while seeking the overarching spiritual principle to which could be applied to said interlude. It's Tuesday and it's time for The Notes! Welcome! Please move your tray table to its upright position, the pilot has turned on the "fasten seat belts" sign and we are entering our approach for landing...
Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, this #1 hit from The Box Tops became a radio staple in 1967. It went top 40 in record charts all over the world and peaked at #1 for 4 weeks, beginning on September 23, 1967, on Billboard's Hot 100. It finished 2nd on the year end countdown behind Lulu's "To Sir With Love" It is #372 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Box Tops, formerly known as The Devilles, can still be seen on tour with a lineup that features 2 original members. The engagements are limited as each band member over the years has gone on to other vocational endeavors, mostly in and around the Memphis area.
"Well, she wrote me a letter and she said she couldn't live without me no more". In 1967, English teachers around the country would cringe with the grammar of this lyric. This was a time when writing letters in and of themselves were included in most English courses at the high school level. Letter writing had even been considered an artistic endeavor when writing letters reflected one's educational level as well as the desire to communicate with folks from far away.
The art of letter writing is something we have lost in our day of digital, mass communication. We can speak with someone completely around the world in a matter of minutes, whereas in 1967, that conveyance would takes days, if not weeks, to reach the end user. I suspect that the basics are the same with regards to letter/communication styles and standards, yet I ponder sometimes, if we have over complicated something (communication) that should be an easier thing to do. It is the rare occasion that an email, text, or other form of digital communication has the capacity to improve one's vocabulary, patience with just the right phrase, or carry the feeling to which the writer wishes to emote. It really is easier to just type whatever comes into our minds than to think or even contemplate about what it is exactly we wish to say in a communique.
Enter the best selling, and because of the price of many of them, most shoplifted Book of all times, The Bible. Regardless of the translation/paraphrase you prefer, it is the most incredible example of a love letter ever written to mankind. Even if you do not wish to have a Biblical worldview, it is difficult to diminish the impact the Bible has on the world. It is a venerated religious text to Jews and Christians alike. There is much respect given to the Bible as a historic account of man's existence on the planet by scholars of both the religious and nonreligious bend. There is more historical evidence to prove many of the names and places found in the Bible than there is empirical evidence of Julius Caesar...yet no one seems to ever doubt Caesar existed..,
It may come as a surprise to you that in spite of the accolades and reverence given to the Bible that it is quickly growing into the most sold/stolen, but least read book in existence. A Christianity Today article from September 07 by Jeremy Webber contends that while 90% of Christians "desire to please an honor Jesus in all I do", only 19% read the Bible every day. ("80% of Churchgoers Don't Read Bible Daily, LifeWay Survey Suggests" christianitytoday.com)
How can this be?
How can this be?
All of these verses from the Bible attest to the importance of reading it to know how we are to live our lives. They all provide a rationale for reading the Bible. The King James Version of Paul's 2 letter to Timothy, however places a weighted reasoning to not just reading the Bible, but consue it. You are probably familiar with this passage: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2nd Timothy 2:14-18 King James Version of the Bible/The Message
Paul not only tells us what to do, "study", but gives a motivation for doing it, "to show yourself approved". He is encouraging Timothy to be in the Word as much as possible, so Timothy can quickly and easily defend the challenges that he will face as a Christian, as well as live a life that is becoming more like Jesus.
Many may consider reading/studying the Bible a task best suited for theologians/pastors/
The Lifeway study referenced above could be disheartening. Imagine how God must feel. He has written the best love letter ever penned to those He cares the most about, yet many, who profess to want to hear from Him, follow Him, and trust Him for their eternal destination, chose to not read His instructions for how to hear from Him, follow Him and trust Him.
You may be having a Michael Jackson moment, looking at the man in the mirror and asking him to make a change, with regards to your own reading and study of the Bible. Please allow the following encouragements:
1) If you don't think you have the time, is there something of less importance you could stop so you could prioritize the importance of Bible reading?
2) If you think the Bible is hard to understand, you are absolutely right! There are difficult passages for us to wrap our minds around. Find a translation/paraphrase that communicates effectively with you and then pray for Holy Spirit to provide understanding for that day. (Did you know that there is even a graphic novel version of the Bible? The Action Bible) We don't have to comprehend the entirety of the Bible in one sitting. Just get what God is wanting to say to you through that day's specific passage. Don't place so much pressure on yourself!!!
3) If you find yourself being distracted, put away your mobile device, get up when no one else does (or stay up later than everyone else), find a solitary, quiet place and pray again for God's direction as you read.
4) If you find yourself struggling to maintain a daily plan, don't be so legalistic. Read the Bible how it comes naturally to you. If a Bible plan provides you the right structure, go for it. If reading 1 chapter a day is the easiest for you, then just do it!
5) If you find yourself in Numbers, Job, Isaiah, or Revelation, keep on, keepin' on. These are very challenging passages due to their statistics, complicated poetry, wrath of God predictions, and symbolism. God has put ALL the Scripture together for us. He speaks through different passages, in different ways, at different times in our lives to be exactly what we need at that moment. I have found incredible insight for specific times/seasons of my life through the books mentioned above, even though they were sometimes intimidating. Keep reading. Keep studying. Most of all keep praying for God's guidance in what it is He wants you to know through the hard spots. Get started...TODAY!!!
The point is: To effectively know how to live the life that God has called you to live, to be able to take up your cross daily, to present yourself as a living sacrifice, you have to know what God says about how to do each of those things. By doing so, ultimately, you begin to see yourself transformed more into Christlikeness. After all, isn't that the goal of all those who claim the name of Jesus?
How do you do this? You don't have to have a ticket on an aeroplane, or take a fast train. Your loneliness can be gone, and one day you'll go home...Just take the time to read HIS letter....
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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