Sometimes I think I read too many books. It reminds me of the line in Ecclesiastes, probably the most often quoted verse by Bible college and seminary students, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:12b). However, my issue is not weariness with reading too many books. It is, more so, the effect of reading too many books that are spiritually challenging.
Why can I not be content with the Sunday morning comics? Doesn’t another great piece of wisdom literature reveal, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful” (Proverbs 15:13). And I confess I am currently finding much enjoyment from Dorothy Sayers’ detective stories written in the early 1920s. Comics and good fiction—this is the kind of reading which makes my heart happy.
However, time and again, I find myself getting sucked into books which challenge, convict, and call me to be a more fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. I think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, The Cost of Discipleship; A.W. Tozer’s, The Pursuit of God; and Jerry Bridges’, The Pursuit of Holiness. These are the kind of books that do exactly what any good prophetic preacher should do, “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” However, though I know they are good for me, sometimes such writings can be tough to swallow. No matter how good my vegetables might be for me, somehow it is always the sweets and snacks that catch my eye (and my taste buds).
Of course, there is nothing wrong with sweets and snacks in moderation, but if our diet does not include a regular intake of healthier options our systems will not function well. And the same is true with our “literary” consumption. Magazines, comics and fiction are fine in moderation, but at the center of a healthy diet is the Word of God and books which help us to live it out.
I am thinking, today, of just such a book which I have only begun reading entitled Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt. Books like this really should come with some sort of warning. Warning: Reading this book may result in conviction and severe discomfort!!! Obviously, the title alone is enough to make a sane person break out in hives. But consider what the author writes about our tendency to redefine Christianity:
And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream.
Do you see what I mean by convicting?
However, as tough as books like this may be, as difficult as they may be to swallow, I know I need them. I know I need men and women of God using the Word of God for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” in my life (2 Timothy 3:16). Sure, it might be easier to only take in media which entertains or tells me what I want to hear. But I am thankful for the Godly individuals who call me to something greater than myself, who call me to a more authentic relationship with my Creator, who call me to learn to love sacrificially. And so, I guess I will keep reading those books, in spite of their tendency to convict, and be thankful that I have a God who is not finished with me yet.
Pastor Dan
Click to hear Pastor Dan’s recent sermon on Prophetic Preaching