Trivial Pursuit - Pt 3

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33-24 ESV).

Let’s end this little series with four simple things you can begin to do right now that will insure you are not caught in the trivial pursuit of our Great God. First, be part of a local church where the preaching is gospel centered, Jesus focused, and theological serious. Find a church where God-sought joy and not flippant silliness marks the wonders of the word of God. That’s first. Second, look carefully at your friendships. Who are you spending time with? This is the impact of our reading today. Superficiality is a very contagious disease. If you only hang out with superficial people, you will almost certainly be superficial people. If you only hang out with superficial social media and TV programs, you will almost certainly be a superficial person. The Wisdom of Solomon teaches us: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise.” (Proverbs 13:20). The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us consider” — think about, ponder — “how to stir up one another to love” (Hebrews 10:20). Love is the greatest thing in the universe; if we understand what God understands by love. One of the great evidences of our fall is that we are so easily bored with glorious reality. Refuse to follow that example. The last thing I would say is read. Read some of the great Reformed writers whose works are unlike anything you will find in the twentieth and twenty-first century, because they are so non-superficial, non-trivial, and God-centered. The works of Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Jeremiah Burroughs, John Bunyan, J.C. Ryle, Charles Spurgeon, and John Newton are just a few of these great writers. A steady diet of their writings will go a long way to reversing a superficial mind-set and replacing it with a deeply joyful mind, ready to discover wonders and be amazed everywhere we look. These authors, I think, will drive us back to the word of God with eyes that are able to see the glories that God really did put there. Some time ago I began to form the habit of noticing the environment I happened to be in at any given moment. I have traveled to some exotic and majestic places. They have yielded masterpieces of memories. However, I seem to return to the inspiration of the simpler vistas of my daily routine. It never fails to amaze. Some starlings nested in one of the eaves again this year. Sitting on the patio I noticed there were four chicks that had hatched. The pair responsible flew in and out with food for the chicks and I simply marveled at how God had insured their ability and knowledge to act on behalf of their offspring. Those are the simple things of life we must notice! They are not trivial!