It is time for back to school! There is always a change in the air when Back to School hits. There’s a different energy. It’s hard to describe it as excitement, as not everyone is always excited to go back to school, but there is an energy. Lynchburg is getting busier as the University of Lynchburg and Liberty University students are coming back into town. Even though there is a change with the Coronavirus, school is still happening. Children and students will still be learning. In fact, under some crazy circumstances, I am even going back to school. Next week I will begin my doctoral studies in Theology and Apologetics. I am both excited and stressed already! The 16 books for my two classes seems crazy! But I am excited to learn. If you ask those close to me, especially my wife, they will tell you I love learning. I am always researching things and trying to learn something new.
When I started dating my wife, there were things I learned about her. I learned her favorite color, where she grew up, stories about her childhood, hobbies, activities, and eventually her ring size. But even now, I am still learning about my wife, and now it’s things that are even deeper, like what she values and what actions I do that makes her angry…or happy.
The same can be said about my relationship with Jesus. I am always trying to learn and grow in my relationship. I don’t mean learning just as studying the biblical languages or reading commentaries on the Bible. The author of Hebrews urges his readers to move past the basics of the Christian faith and go deeper, to eat the meat! The good stuff, the hearty and filling stuff.
11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14 CSB).
Think about how awful my relationship with my wife would be if all I knew 2 years into marriage was her favorite color and that she grew up in Florida. We wouldn’t be having any meaningful conversation. Let’s be honest, that would be awful. But those things are learned early on are still important, they have become foundations for future growth and better conversations. Knowing my wife’s favorite color helps me to pick out flowers. Knowing the places that she loves, lets me plan trips she enjoys. Knowing she likes certain things, helps me do those things more often. You see, our relationship grows when we continue to learn about each other, and the same is true about our relationship with Jesus. It’s not that we forget about the gospel or move on from repenting of our sins. We build on that foundation. We understand the gospel, and then begin to live out its implications. We keep repenting of our sins, but we also begin to keep ourselves out of situations that would cause us to sin in the first place. As we grow in our understanding of God’s grace in our lives, we begin to worship Him even more and extend that grace to others.
The more we learn about our Savior, the more our relationship with Jesus grows. So, what are you learning in this season? And how is it changing your relationship with Jesus?
In His Love,
Sean Best
College Pastor