Keep This In Mind

I was reminded about something recently.

There’s a school of thought that suggests there are two approaches to learning in the compulsory educational system. One approach to learning is because you love the subject, the other approach is to learn to be able to pass the particular subject.

Those who love the subject do not need much in the way of motivation for the subject. They will note the course requirements and do more than enough to get through. They will be looking to get as great a mark as possible as a reflection of their enjoyment and love for the subject. They don’t have to be told twice to study and revise. It’s a delight and a joy and for some acquiring the information and relaying it either through coursework or a final exam is no chore at all.

Meanwhile those who just to be able to pass the subject in question take a minimalist approach. They just need want to know the least possible to know. Even this can be a challenge because retaining certain processes and methods in the subject can call for more application than they are willing to invest in something they have little love for. There is a motivation and a confidence issue to overcome to attain that minimal standard that they are aiming for. Being able to stir them to action is quite a challenge.

Overcoming that barrier for the minimalist requires a skill in making it easier to retain. Developing techniques that the minimalist can take responsibility for. They can see it, apply it and through those techniques, their approach to the subject matter can be slight less onerous and even to some degree enjoyable so that the information can be digested and retained.

Whether it’s the lover of the subject or the minimalist, however, both know full well that to pass they have to keep certain things in mind.

The walk with Jesus, meanwhile is not a compulsory one. Those who are on it can sometimes feel compelled to be on it and sometimes need to submit their will almost reluctantly to obey God’s instructions and directions. Yet they are there on that walk because they choose to do so. That choice to do so is best based on a revelation of the awesome nature of God in His holiness and grace. Seeing that in the Son, Jesus Christ and noting that eternal purpose that’s centred on the Kingdom and His righteousness should in itself motivate believing faith.

The knowledge that we are the children of God and are part of the family by the glorious reality of the Good News should have us on the road to following Him because we love to do so, rather than taking a minimalist approach. The point of fellowship and mutual edification is to challenge each other to not take a minimalist approach when it comes to the journey. Knowing Christ is about delving into the riches and depths of who He is and seeing their magnificent application to all areas of life.

It is not about passing an exam at the end of it and hoping to just pass. It is about a response to the amazing grace and the divine love that makes life sold out completely to Him a reasonable response.

It is why we need His Word, His Spirit and His people to ever remind us. It is why in life we ever need to keep it in mind.

How will you keep it in mind today? How will you help someone else keep this in mind?

(Photo by Aaron Huber on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden