“You shall therefore follow My statutes and keep My judgments so as to carry them out, so that you may live securely in the land.” Leviticus 25:18
I love idioms. Those fun little bits of vernacular that seem to ooze the character, the culture, and the local flavor of a region. During our time in Guadalajara, we taught English lessons to tapatios (the name for someone living in Guadalajara) and we used English idioms as a fun icebreaker that would be guaranteed to generate some laughs as well as some head-scratching. Consider this, if you had no deep exposure to the english language, what would you think about someone “being on cloud 9”, the idea of it “raining cats and dogs”, or something “costing you an arm and a leg?” You see, in idioms, we have fun little ways of connecting unrelated word ideas that have taken on a meaning that stretches outside of just the meanings of the words themselves. But above all of these idioms, one of my absolute favorites is 6 little words that speaks volumes about the importance of not just hearing something or thinking of acting on that something…but actually rolling up your sleeves and getting it done. The proof is in the pudding.
That idiom in its full form is “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” and first surfaced in a British text published in 1623. Yet it became popular in its shortened form in the United States after it was first used in written form by non other than founding father and $10 dollar bill face (and Disney musical star), Alexander Hamilton. Regardless of its origin however, the message remains crystal clear after four hundred years, the only way to truly test something is to put it to its intended purpose and then personally evaluate the results. And believe it or not, God is all about us making pudding using His recipe and then heartily testing out the tasty goodness it creates.
One issue I see with how many Christians encounter and handle the Word of God is that they see it as a one step process. You open it up, you peruse it, and then you put it down and walk back into your normal life routine. But over and over God instructs us that encountering Him through His Word is not just about input, but more importantly output. You see, to truly have an encounter with a follower of Jesus Christ is to encounter not what they know, but what they do. It’s not how they say you should treat others, but how they actually treat others by loving all and placing all others above themselves (Philippians 2:3). It’s not just reading about loving your enemies, but actually doing it, even when it seems impossible (Matthew 5:43-44). And therein lies the rub with most Christians and the Word of God, not just hearing it, knowing it, or thinking about doing it…but doing the Word of God every minute of every day.
Here in the countless laws and regulations of the Biblical book of Leviticus lies this little gem of a verse in chapter 25. Yet again, God clearly tells us in His own Words how we are to process what He tells us in scripture. And within our study verse we see three items that call us to encounter His Word not academically, but practically, and with action.
1) Follow it. I have a question for you, how can you follow something unless you know what it is and what it is asking of you? Herein lies step one, know the Word of God. So many Christians today know so little about the One they profess to follow. God gives us everything we need in His Word to know everything He desires for us to know about Him and the plan He has for our lives. But to glean that info you must crack open the book and read. And for me, this is a daily process of me being still, removing all distractions, and simply sitting with the Lord and His Word to hear Him speak to my heart. God is always speaking. The question is, are you intentionally placing yourself at His feet each and every day to listen to what He is saying.
2) Keep it. If step one and three here are bricks, this step is the mortar that holds the two together. You see, without true conviction, the motivation to utilize the information will fall flat and nothing will ever happen. I feel this is where most Christians falter and fail in truly moving beyond a mediocre, dull life in Christ instead of propelling beyond the mundane and fully grasping the abundant life Christ promises those that commit to live in Him through the Holy Spirit (John 10:10). This step is where the redeemed in Christ decide in their hearts that they are willing to do what God has spoken to them through His Words to them. This step is all about offering reckless obedience to God before He even asks something of you. And this level of obedience is not easy for the sinner to offer. I mean be honest, how many times has someone asked you do something and before they even finished the last syllable you knew in your heart that you would not do it? This is the critical step in which God collides with a heart that is either ready to offer 100% obedience…or anything else. For friends, if you are not offering 100% obedience to the Lord, you are offering Him nothing.
3) Carry it out. Here is where we get to try out the tasty pudding the Lord has made. You see, God is always challenging us to taste and see that His ways are good (sometimes literally like in Psalm 34:8). God knows that His laws, statutes, commandments, and judgements are perfect for us. Why? Well, because He created us and then created those laws, statutes, commandments, and judgements to guide us into a life that will fit us like a happy little glove. A life that will see us steered far clear of the ravages and destruction that sin and disobedience will surely bring. Now that you learned His statutes in step 1 and then committed your heart to them in absolute obedience in step 2, the burning question posits here in step 3…will you do them? Will you do them no matter what it cost you, no matter where it takes you, and no matter what the results could be? Will you do them even if it cost you all of your treasured comfort and convenience that nestles you every so softly today? Will you do them even if it means taking up your cross and shadowing Christ’s pain-infused walk up to Calvary?
Folks, this ain’t rocket science. God’s Word is plainly printed in black letters on white paper and bound into the best-selling book in the history of the world. All that remains is what will you do with it? The proof is indeed in your pudding.
May your yes be on the table to do whatever the Lord asks of you in this day ~ Dan
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine anddoes not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
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