This discussion began on Facebook, but moved here (Ahh, blessed silence. Isn’t it nice to escape the noise of FB?)
WARNING: Lots of spoilers. It is recommended you finish the novel before joining the discussion if you are planning on reading the book. If you are not planning on reading it, you are still welcome in the discussion. It is not necessary to have read the book to benefit from the Bible study questions.
Each weekday I will post a Bible study question related to the passages of Scripture I was trying to teach in the story. Please don’t hesitate to post your answers in the discussion. Your point of view may be just what someone else needs to make it click.
Interpretations:
The Half-Real World
The half-real world represents the physical realm. It’s only half real to illustrate the fact that the physical world around you that you can see is not all there is to reality. There is a vast spiritual realm that is every bit as real as the physical realm. If you live life as though the physical world makes up all of reality, you’re not living in reality.
The Cottage
The cottage represents God’s Word.
QUESTION: Why does it appear as a broken-down shack?
On the outside, the Bible looks just like any other book. But once you get inside, you see a word of divine revelation. That’s why in the story it appears as a cottage on the outside, but inside it’s a massive mansion with countless glorious rooms.
However, those who enter it without eyes to see (like Alexander) see nothing of note on the inside. Just an interesting historical landmark.
Adam feels drawn to the cottage as if it were beckoning him. This represents God drawing unbelievers to himself.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
The Colors
The colors of the cottage represent what is appealing about God (his glory).
The Birds
The colors of the birds represent what is appealing about this world (counterfeit glory), especially entertainment.
The birds and rain distract Adam from the cottage. They demonstrate Satan’s efforts to prevent the Word from taking root in someone’s heart as described in the parable of the sower.
The Fruit
The fruit represents sin—that which is forbidden by God. I chose fruit to represent sin because it had to be some form of food. God so frequently portrays himself in Scripture as being like food and drink for our souls. What food does for the body, God’s presence does for the soul. And sin is a rival of what God offers—a counterfeit. So it had to be some kind of food, because the choice between sin or God’s way has ultimately to do with appetites, not just actions. God wants us to choose him out of preference because he is more satisfying than what the world offers. So sin is like a diet of mere fruit—sweet at first, but lacking all the satisfying benefits of a full-blown feast, which is what God offers.
The Golden City and the King
The golden city represents the world. It appears at first to be a paradise because that’s what Satan always make us think about the world.
The king of the city (who is also the prince of darkness) represents Satan.
The Banquet Halls and the High Country
The halls represent individual churches, where God’s grace is “served up” by those doing ministry. The high country represents the church culture.
Not everyone in the high country, or even in the banquet halls, has gone through the cottage (not everyone in the church is born again). Inviting someone to a banquet hall represents inviting someone to church.
The Gold
The gold represents money and possessions.
Touching the gold represents loving money (or doing that which leads to the love of money)
QUESTION: Why does touching your own gold heal you but touching someone else’s gold burns?
When there is covetousness in the heart, it’s painful t see other people prosper. It actually hurts your soul to see someone else win the lottery or get some big windfall because you covet that money. But greedy people find it soothing to focus on their own money (counting it, watching the investment numbers go up, etc.)
But in the high country (the Church), people are soothed by touching other people’s gold. When you have love for your neighbor in your heart instead of covetousness, then it makes you happy to see them prosper.
The Great Ones/Prophets
Great Ones/Prophets represent naturalistic scientists and academics. They have huge eyes, representing their strong powers of observation of the natural world.
Our culture elevates celebrity experts, especially scientists, to the status of prophets in our culture. Their opinions are taken as gospel, even in areas outside of their expertise.
Bible Study Questions
5) How does loving money result in “many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9—10)?
MY ANSWER:
- It creates a new grief for each time it disappoints—each time it fails to bring the happiness it promised (which is always).
- Loving money creates grief by drawing me away from what I should love—true sources of joy.
- Loving money creates grief by damaging my relationships when I make decisions that place money above people.
- Loving money creates grief every time I lose money (or miss out on money I might have gained).
6) What practical steps could you take in your life to guard yourself against those dangers?
MY ANSWER:
- I could do a periodic inventory of my heart and ask myself what I’m hoping in. What am I looking forward to the most? Something God promises, or something money promises?
- How does the energy I’m putting for to pursue God compare to the energy I put into chasing money?
- Is my concern about money putting strain on any of my relationships?
- I could watch my emotional responses when I lose money or miss out on gaining money. Does the way I feel reflect a possible problem of loving money?
EXCERPT:
| “Whenever children come to the city, they always try to convince people to go to the high country. They don’t get many takers.” -p.19 |
QUESTION 7:
When we invite people to come to Christ, few come. And many who think they have, haven’t (Matthew 7:13—14). Why are so few saved? See Matthew 18:3; John 3:19; Luke 14:26—33.
MY ANSWER:
Mt.18:3 – Entering the kingdom of God requires humbling oneself, and most people aren’t willing to do that.
Jn.3:19 – Coming into the light is painful for those who love their sin because the light exposes their evil.
Lk.14:26-33 – Following Christ requires giving up everything else. This is not possible when a person prefers something in this world to Christ.
QUESTION 8:
How does Jesus describe the path people naturally take (Matthew 7:13—14)? What are some examples of this?
MY ANSWER: The natural path is wide (easy to find and easy to travel).
Examples:
- People naturally assume their feelings reflect reality.
- People follow the impulses of their flesh.
- People construct their worldview based on what they think is best for them.
- People assume they know what is best for them.
- People follow the crowd.
- People live as though this life is all there is.
QUESTION 9
What is it about the journey toward God (narrow path) that is so much more difficult than the wide path that the world takes?
MY ANSWER:
- It’s hard to believe things that don’t seem real.
- It’s hard to say no to the flesh.
- It’s painful to humble myself.
- It’s hard to swim upstream.
- It’s hard to believe what I can’t see or what doesn’t seem true.
- It’s hard to love God (in fact impossible without being enabled by God).
EXCERPT:
| The prophets are known as the ‘Great Ones.’ … Their writings are the definitive revelation of history, the nature of the world, and the way to life and good days. … If it’s not in the writings, it is unknowable.” -p.22 |
QUESTION 10:
What examples of our culture’s over-reliance on experts (especially celebrity experts) have you observed—even to the point of treating them as if they were prophets?
MY ANSWER:
The most obvious examples are the times when scientists are interviewed on questions of morality. Pastors, who have extensive training in that area and deal with difficult ethical issues on a routine basis are never consulted, whereas doctors, experts in the hard sciences, movie actors, and athletes are held up as leaders. During the COVID crisis, Dr. Fauci was looked to by all as the final authority not only on questions in his field, but also issues of economics, business practices, policing, PR, work and family relationships, politics, and every other hot topic surrounding the crisis.
Another example is the fact that our culture looks to scientists to answer questions about origins. Theories of the origins of the earth, the universe, and life are not scientifically verifiable or testable (which means they are not in the realm of science). Yet most people rely on the opinions of scientists when answering such questions.
Another example is in the area of psychology. The science of psychology can be helpful in observing tendencies in human behavior, but no amount of psychological research can reveal the nature of spiritual realities. Yet even many Christians rely on the opinions of psychologists about matters that the Bible explicitly says are spiritual.
QUESTION 11:
We live in a culture that regards scientists as almost infallible. Has that influenced you? If a theory is accepted by the majority of scientists, but the Bible contradicts it, would your first impulse be to reinterpret the Bible passage to fit the science journal, or question the accuracy of the journal?
MY ANSWER:
The more time goes on, the lower my overall confidence in popular scientific consensus becomes. I specify “popular,” because the reporting about scientific research in the media is often very different from what the scientists themselves are saying.
And even the scientists very often overstate their level of certainty in some areas. There is immense cultural pressure, for example, for scientists to avoid any finding that would contradict the theory of evolution, whereas anything that seems to support it is presented as fact, even when it is little more than an educated guess that is driven more by the theory itself than by any data. In areas like that, I have very little confidence in anything they say. In other areas of science, where they are more honest about their level of certainty, I have greatr confidence.
But any time there is an apparent conflict between a scientific theory and the Bible, I cast suspicion on the theory, not on the Bible.
However, I do keep in mind that it is possible for interpretations of the Bible to be wrong. So if the scientific data is compelling, I will be willing to restudy the biblical passages to see if I have made an interpretive error. But I strive to never adjust my interpretation of the Bible to fit anything unless I can discover exactly what my previous interpretive error was.
EXCERPT:
| “If a prophet didn’t author it, it’s not verified—it’s just superstition. … Superstition is what makes the mountain people so dangerous. They use it to brainwash people—and to justify all their crimes.” -p.22 |
QUESTION 12:
Naturalists accuse Christians of superstition. Christians accuse fortune tellers, astrologers, and psychics of superstition. What is the difference between superstition and faith? See John 14:11; 1 John 1:1—2.
MY ANSWER: Superstition is believing without evidence. Faith is believing based on the evidence one deems trustworthy.
Sometimes critics accuse Christians of believing without evidence because there is no scientific evidence for much of what we believe. What they fail to understand is that scientific evidence isn’t the only kind of evidence. It’s not even the best kind. Most of what people believe (including scientists), they believe based on non-scientific forms of evidence (such as reliable testimony).
EXCERPT:
| “He’s not just the king of the city; he’s the king of the whole world. He has awesome power. He can bring rain or storms. The grass of the field and the birds of the air do his bidding. And he uses all of it to protect our freedom.” -p.22 |
QUESTION 14:
God has ultimate control of the weather and everything else (Psalm 135:6—7). But he does allow Satan to manipulate the creation. What are some examples of natural processes God has allowed Satan to influence? See Job 1:16—19; Exodus 8:6—7; 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
MY ANSWER:
Job 1:16-19 – Satan sent fire from the sky and a windstorm
Exodus 8:6-7 – Occultic magicians cause a plague of frogs to rise from the Nile.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 – Miracles, signs, and wonders.
QUESTION 15:
How do you harmonize passages that affirm God’s total supremacy over everyone and everything (such as Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11; Acts 17:24—30) with passages that speak of Satan ruling (such as 1 John 5:19. 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1—2)?
MY ANSWER:
God is so powerful that he is capable of allowing sentient beings to make choices by their own will and still see to it that their decisions end up accomplishing exactly what God had planned. We can’t conceive of how that is possible without controlling the person’s actions (which is why people object to the sovereignty of God on the ground that it would have to violate human free will). But God is capable of things we can’t conceive of.
Awesome thoughts and posts! Man Chapters 1 and 2 were packed! When I was first reading these chapters, it was still early enough in book where I didn’t know for sure who was good or bad. I wasn’t sure where the allegories were headed.
But as I said in a previous post, by the time I got to Ch. 11, I knew I had to start over. So, the second time through, here are the excepts I found particularly insightful, impactul, thought-provoking, or illustrative from Chs 1-2:
p. 18 – “No one in the city is poor – at least not as poor as the mountain people. I assume they’re poor. Their kids sure look like it – no gold, tattered clothes.”
p. 23 – “If a prophet didn’t write it, it’s not verified. Just superstition. People in this city don’t have much patience for that sort of thing.”
p. 25 – “Don’t touch the gold! It has been cursed–
The rest of her words were drowned out by the jeering crowd.
Go home!
Get out of here!
Tell your people to leave us alone!”
p. 25 – “You’re in danger here. You must escape while you still can.”
Weird, for some reason I didn’t post all of my highlighted sections. I was probably just trying to keep it succinct (ha! me?!). Anyway, here are some more sections I had highlighted (and some of these we’ve already discussed):
p. 7 – “Nothing was right. The stone was too light, pebbles too smooth. The soil didn’t dirty his hands. He examined the landscape. Everything beyond arm’s reach appeared… flat. Almost like pictures on the pages of a storybook.”
p. 8 – “The longer he studied it, the more his fascination grew. That cottage had to be his best chance of finding someone who might help him.”
p. 9 – “Something about [the colors] tugged at his spirit, drawing him despite his fear.”
p. 10 – “While the strange hues of the cottage had frightened Adam, these colors [of the birds] delighted him.”
p. 10 – “Enthralled, Adam followed, hardly aware he was walking.”
p. 10 – “He turned back toward the cottage, now a tiny dot in the distance. That’s impossible. I didn’t wander that far.”
p. 11 – “Adam realized he was hungry – ravenously hungry. And the void of longing seemed to arise from deeper inside than his stomach. The cottage can wait, he thought as he liberated the delicacy from the branch.”
p. 11 – “He bit into it. Pleasure coursed through him, head to toe. He had the strange through that he would fight to the death for this peach. And yet, he didn’t finish it. Exhilarating as the first bite was, he wanted another peach – a different peach. he dropped the first one in search of a bigger, juicier one.
pp. 11-12 – “With a sharp rock and a little determination, Adam soon had red juice running down his chin as he devoured one piece after another.”
p. 12 – “Each bite made him want two more. But even after stuffing himself, he didn’t feel full. In fact, he felt empty. Not hungry, but hollow and unsatisfied. He ate some more and felt even less satisfied. In fact, a growing nausea rose in his stomach as he ate. What’s wrong with this fruit? he bit into an apple. Sweet, but unsatisfying. He chomped another bite. His nausea worsened.”
p. 12 – “Adam stared at the thing and hated it. He went to kick it into the bushes, out of his sight. But when he reached it, he paused. He picked it up and examined it again. He cleaned the dirt off the best he could and devoured the rest of it.”
p. 15 – “He studied Adam for a moment, then pulled and orange from his bag and held it out, keeping his distance, as if offering a morsel to placate a dangerous animal.”
p. 15 – “The man watched as Adam peeled it, separated a section, and slipped it into his mouth.”
p. 15 – “The man smiled, relaxed his posture, and extended his hand. ‘I’m George.’ ”
p. 15 – “They looked to Adam like golden handcuffs.”
p. 17 – “It’s… the gold–it’s… amazing!”
p. 17 – “Adam…reached to touch one of the bands. Fire shot through Adam’s arm. He jerked it away, but the burning continued. Blisters had already formed on his fingers.”
p. 18 – “Why doesn’t it burn you? George laughed. Burn me? It’s my gold!”
p. 20 – “Everyone loves a story of magic. Myself, I’m a man of facts and hard evidence. I live in the real world.”
p. 20 – “Then he remembered the birds. It was almost like they were trying to protect him from going toward the high country.”
p. 22 – “The prophets are known as the Great Ones. They are the king’s council, and they built this city. Their writings are the definitive revelation of history, the nature of the world, and the way to life and good days.”
p. 22 – “The city has a king? He’s not just the king of the city. He’s the king of the whole world.”
p. 22 – “If it’s not in the writings, it’s unknowable.”
pp. 22-23 – “Is that all they have in the library – just the writings of the prophets? Nothing else? Nothing else is needed.”
p. 26 – “Don’t touch the gold!”
Q12 – Faith comes from “hearing the Word of God…” (Rom 10:17) but superstition comes from listening to the enemy of our souls, giving the impression or feeling of having faith.
I love this! It’s amazing how the word of God can be such a generator of faith.
Your post reminds me of a quote from the book:
p. 150 – “The more he considered it, the more he realized it described his entire life. He turned the idea over in his mind, allowing the eyes of his heart to adjust to the newly shed light.”
This is how the word of God generates faith (and tying in to Darrell’s point about evidence):
It sheds new light, allowing our hearts to finally see the evidence that was before us the whole time. Finally there is an answer to that longing in our souls, finally there is an explanation that actually *fits* the evidence that we’ve been unknowingly examining our entire lives.
Q12: I looked up the dictionary definition of superstition: a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such a belief. Pretty accurate I thought. To me, superstition has no backbone, nothing you can rely on or depend on. Strange that anyone would believe in such things!
Faith on the other hand is believing in something with assured hope. Heb 11:1,6 are great verses for me when I consider faith. 1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 6. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
When I consider faith and its definition, it has to be backed up with action also. The book of James is a great reference here. Believing with merely our mind is only part of the picture. I know scripture doesn’t say this specifically, and I don’t want to be seen as adding to scripture, but, from my perspective, when Jesus gave the greatest commandment, He didn’t say to love God with all our mind and stop there. I would imagine He would have something similar to say about only believing in God with only our minds. It must come from all of us. The way I see it, having faith in God is believing in God with all our minds, our hearts, our strength and our souls. Our faith must be evident.
Q11. For me, in one sense, the answer is extremely straight-forward: of course I believe God’s word over the scientists of this world. My faith is strong enough, I’ve God’s word enough, and he has touched my heart and manifested himself to me (John 14:21) that I *know* for sure his word is absolute truth and can be trusted beyond all doubt.
I’m reminded of the quote by Robert Jastrow – “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”
But in another sense, it’s not something to take lightly. Over the years I have thought very hard about what I believe and why, and what if I didn’t believe?
(And I realize my posts are long. If they are inappropriate for a forum like this, just let me know; I’ll completely understand and I’ll cease).
Some key verses have really influenced and clarified my thinking on this very topic:
Luke 11:23 – “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not *gather* with me *scatters.* ”
Psalm 86:11 – “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; *unite* my heart to fear your name.”
Luke 11:34 – “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is *single*, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.”
So I take from these verses that our hearts are either gathered or scattered, are either united or divided, are either single (clear) or blurry.
So to put an analogy to this, I believe our hearts can act either like a prism or a magnifying glass.
First the prism. When light shines on a prism, it *scatters*, it becomes divided. To put technical jargon to it, a physicist would tell us that the amount of overall refraction caused by the passage of a light ray through a prism is determined by the angle of deviation. The angle of deviation is the angle made between the ray of light entering the *first face* of the prism and the refracted ray that emerges from the *second face* of the prism. Therefore, a prism scatters light because it has more than one face. That is, it is not united, it is not single.
Now the magnifying glass. If you hold a magnifying glass up to the sunlight, the light becomes focused, it becomes even more unified. The same physicist would tell us that this happens because the photons are localized in the convex shape of the magnifying lens. This shape gathers photons on one side of the lens and draws them to a single point as they enter out the other side. Therefore, a magnifying glass focuses light because it has only a single surface that gathers the light.
So therefore, if we’re with Jesus, our hearts are like a magnifying glass. We are enlightened, gathered, single, focused, purposed and driven. If we’re not actively for Him, it means – by default – we are against Him, which means we are darkened, scattered, multiple, divided, confused and lost.
So back to the question at hand. If I’m tempted to doubt God’s word in the face of what some scientist says, I just need to recognize that my vision won’t get any clearer on the “other side.” Far from it, I’ll be even more confused and have even more doubt. The more my heart acts like a prism, the more scattered the truth will appear and the more darkened my understanding will become.
So if I think the “answer” to some doubt I’m having is to believe the scientists if they say something contrary to God’s word, that will never be the solution because I’ll just find myself further in doubt because things will be *less* clear, not more.
Long answers are welcome. The whole point of this exercise is to think deeply about these things. As always, concise answers tend to have greater impact than an unnecessarily wordy answer. But in some cases, lots of words are needed.
The contrast of a prism with a magnifier is an interesting one.
Q11 – Personally, I have never struggled in this area. I’m quite content to believe the bible over any scientific view if there is a contradiction. I know for some this can be quite an issue of contention. For me, God is far more believable. I guess we all struggle in different ways.
Q10: On a science/nature point of view, David Attenborough comes to mind. Because he has committed his life to this work and is televised so often, a wide majority believe he knows all there is to know on the subject and take whatever he says as fact. On another level, not naming one person as such, but it is strange how much influence a biased media outlet has on the general public’s belief or view on a topic. Ha, just look at your recent political elections! 🙂
Q9. Man I love this blog. The questions themselves and the answers everybody posts are extremely edifying to me – thank you!
I want to pick up on what Dean said:
“It takes concentrated effort and investment to walk the narrow path…”
This is so true! It brought to mind Colossians 1:24 –
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church”
When I was studying this verse years back, I struggled for *a long* time trying to understand the phrase ‘filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.’ What did that *mean*?
Finally, through prayer, I believed God allowed me to understand it by enabling me to recall something I belive I heard in one of your sermons once, Darrell.
Referring to 1 Peter 2:21, I believe you said something like, “Christ said, ‘Follow me!’ And then walked right through the middle of suffering.”
So back to Colossians 1:24, and connecting it to 1 Pet 2:21, it brought to mind the image of a young child trying to walk through deep snow and struggling and failing. He is only able to make it if his father goes before him, allowing him to carefully follow in his father’s footsteps.
So just as a shoe is “lacking” in the sense that it’s missing a foot, so the father’s footprints in the snow are “lacking” until the boy steps into them. By walking the same path, the boy “fills up” what was left lacking by his father.
To bring this back full circle to Dean’s comment on question 9:
Trudging through deep snow, trying find and match your father’s footprints, is HARD WORK!!! It’s treacherous! It requires very careful and intentional and thoughtful and dedicated steps!!
So no wonder no one wants to walk this path! The narrow road, the road of Jesus, is the road of *suffering!*
Q9: Following God’s way over the world’s way goes against my natural sinful nature. It seems opposite in just about every area. It takes concentrated effort and investment to walk the narrow path – yet even in this striving, it is by the Grace of God I have the strength to strive and follow him. Following the world is a way of pride, following God is a way of humble surrender. This surrendering control of my situations, my desires, my passions, my actions, my speech, my life… to God doesn’t come naturally. But when I am weak, in Him I am strong by His Grace. The difficulty for me is not only having the faith to believe in Him in day-to-day life but putting that faith into action in my every deed and thought. The attitude of ‘dependence on’ and ‘surrender to’ His will must be strong in me if I am to walk the narrow path. I thank God His Grace is sufficient for me each day. God, please forgive me when I lose focus of You so easily.
Q8-blogging is something totally new to me, hope I’m doing this right. The natural path is wide, easy and crowded. For example, countries that legislate a (false) religion. If someone wanted to follow Christ Jesus, he would run afoul of family, culture and government. It’s easier to just go along with the status quo.
Q9-what was hardest for me as a new believer, was the never ending lies from the enemy (you’ll never have friends again, you’ll never have fun again, blah, blah) until I knew enough Scripture to be able to call out lies and lean into Truth.
It’s new to me too! Facebook is a lot easier in some ways. One thing that’s not very clear is the difference between “reply” and “comment.” You clicked on reply, which made your comment a reply to Dean’s comment. To make yours its own comment, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click “submit comment.”
Sorry that it’s not more clear on the page. This blog format is a learning curve for me as well.
But more important than the layout are the comments themselves. I loved yours!
San Ben, you said countries legislate false religion.
How true! I believe this is one way we know this world is Satan’s domain.
He is able to keep people on the wide path by instituting national religions. The Church of England for example. I’m sure many people over the ages have thought to themselves, “Of course I’m a Christian! I’m English aren’t I?” All the while never having come to know Jesus (and never realizing there was even a missing piece!).
I believe the Catholic church and countless others are guilty of this as well.
Q8: He describes the path as easy. You don’t have to do anything to be on this path, you can just drift and go with the flow. You can believe what you want, follow who you want (even if just yourself), have no moral standard. No striving is involved. Because most people are on the wide path, you’re in good company, it will be easy to find someone who supports your view. Funny how it seems that “this way leads to destruction” doesn’t trigger alarms for people on the wide path.
As a carryover from the Facebook discussion, a question about the goop in the eyes led me to comment about Chapter 11, which *then* led to posting some quotes from that chapter that I had highlighted. Anyway, all that say this comment isn’t related to Chapters 1-2, but here goes, this is pasted from Facebook:
For starters I highlighted literally the entirety of page 93, lol!
But you’re probably looking for something more specific, so here are some passages that I found particularly insightful and/or impactful:
p. 93 – “Mere observation of events without comprehension of meaning is not a discovery of truth.”
p. 94 – “Why did the ‘powers’ only appear when they saw you?”
“They were there the whole time, but they only become visible to us when the light from the cottage pieces exposes them.”
p. 95 – “If you want to know someone’s true size, look at the footprints.”
(And subsequently page 97 – “True size. It is the measure of a man as judged by the ruler.”
NOTE: This idea of “footprints” and “true size” was one of the most profound allegories of the entire book, in my opinion.
p. 96 – “And the mind, no matter how intelligent, cannot draw accurate conclusions when there is a diseased soul.”
Thanks Austin. Fantastic stuff!
Thank you! It’s so refreshing to find a forum like this!
I realized I’m not quite sure how to post the others. I don’t want to get ahead of you, so at first I was just going to post the quotes from Chs 1-2, but wasn’t sure if I should wait, because some of them might be ones you use for these discussions.
I agree with Austin about the footprints. It was one of the most profound allegories. I actually said aloud as I read, “Wow…”
Q7: I think there are two levels at which we can think about this:
The first is the basic human-will level. Combining Matt 7 and John 3, the way is *hard* and people love the darkness. It’s hard to leave what you love.
The second is the God-will level. I believe not many come because not many are called. I’ll amend what I said above – it’s not hard to leave what you love, it’s IMPOSSIBLE!
In fact, I would argue we *never* leave what we love. Instead, God opens the eyes of our heart to something much better, allowing us to see that better thing for what it is, allowing our love to flow to him instead.
So when we turn from darkness to light, it’s because God exposes us to something our souls can love *even more*. But without that God-induced exposure, we would always remain in darkness.
And I think God doesn’t call many because there is something beautiful about knowing you’ve been redeemed. That is, my praise for God (now, but especially in Heaven) will be greater than it otherwise would have been *had I not known I was snatched from the pit of destruction!*
(Psalm 40:2 is one of my all time favorite verses!)
Why, oh God, would you choose to save *me?!* But I am eternally grateful, in a way I’ll never be able to articulate or express, that you did!
Q7: We are born with a sinful nature; it is like we are born in a prison cell, and we know no different. We don’t feel captive to sin, we feel free to do what we like. If someone tells us different, it doesn’t make sense. A majority of people want to live a happy and comfortable life free of trouble as much as they can. Cruising along the “wide Path” suits them just fine, even if the pursuit of happiness seems elusive. For someone to tell them there is a better way, that the way they are going will lead to death, but the narrow way will lead to life and true freedom, just doesn’t sit right with them. If they do show some interest but then realise that following Jesus is an ‘all or nothing’ choice and they can’t have the best of both worlds – suddenly the prison cell they were born in seems more like home. Other reasons why people aren’t saved are peer pressure, what other think of us; what I might lose or have to give up in the process; its just too hard…
Be grateful often in prayer to God for what we already have. I find thankfulness a good way to appreciate what I have already been blessed with and to take my focus off wanting more.
Look for opportunities to give financially. Knowing and experiencing the joy of giving (with a cheerful heart) will minimise the joy of receiving (with a greedy heart).
Great answers Dean. Thanks for your response.
For the sake of others, go ahead and put the question number each time you give a response so they know which one’s you’re responding to.
Thanks!
I used to be a real Scrooge before I was a Christian. Money was my security.
I WAS MISERABLE!!
Things that were supposed to bring joy, like taking a family member out to dinner for their birthday for example, caused me so much grief because I couldn’t focus on the joyous occasion, but only on how much *money* it was costing me!
It created great conflict in my soul because I knew, per the terms of “society,” I was SUPPOSED to be generous, but every time I gave my money away I was angry and resented the thing or person that it was going to.
God has transformed my heart in countless ways, but one of the ones I am most grateful for is curing me of the love for money.
I can sure relate to that. I used to be the same way. It’s funny, money can buy so many amazing things, and yet people who love it tend to be so miserable. Scrouges are never happy.
It keeps our focus worldly, temporal, selfish and away from God.
Thank you, Darrell, for all you do to help glorify God.
You’re welcome Kathie. And thank you for all you do to glorify him as well!
Question 6: Personally, I guard against these dangers my intentionally and constantly exercising my “giving muscles” to keep them strong.
Any time there is an opportunity to give to a righteous cause I take it! Because I know that, although God has cured me, sin is lying in wait, ready to pounce. I feel if I get into the habit of being miserly, it will take me over.