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Written by Amanda Weiss
When it comes to Bible study, am I a Rice-A-Roni Christian? Comparing three eating experiences gave me some insight into my spiritual diet as well.
Recently, my husband and I went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. The host showed us to our seats and even pulled out the chair for me. A very friendly waiter came over and took our drink order and described the special of the day, to which I replied, “That sounds delicious—I don’t even need to look at the menu.”
Dinner was wonderful. We finished it off with a shared dessert. It was so nice to enjoy the meal without having to worry about doing the dishes, cleaning up leftovers or other peripheral jobs that come with eating at home.
Of course, we don’t eat out for every meal. There are also those nights when we have been running here and there all day—school, then ballet, then the grocery store—only to get home and look in the cabinet for something fast and easy. I’m sure it was a busy mom that invented boxed meals: Rice-A-Roni, Hamburger Helper, microwave dinners.
Option No. 3 happens all too rarely, I admit. Sometimes I plan ahead. Sometimes I make an entire meal from scratch. Going into it, I know it is going to take time, and I’m going to have to drag out a lot of “equipment.” It isn’t easy.
But, honestly, if you backed me into a corner, I would say that eating a healthy meal that I cooked from scratch is much more fulfilling than a meal out of a box and more satisfying than going out and letting someone else do all the work for me.
Bible study: served, out of the box or made from scratch?
When it comes to Bible study, I think there’s a pretty good comparison to our meal planning.
Sitting in church, we have the privilege of being served a special meal someone else put the work into. Obviously, we don’t get our whole week’s worth of spiritual nourishment from that “restaurant”-type spiritual meal. Listening at church, there’s not much work on our part. In fact, it is easy to become the “little bobbing dog” as we listen to the sermon, never really questioning anything that is said.
But the ministers don’t want us to just listen and nod. They want us to dig into the Bible and use the sermons as springboards for further study and proving that these things are so (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Most of all, they want us to internalize the biblical messages by using the Bible to see how to apply the things we learn in our own lives.
I know I need to study the Bible every day. Sometimes I am tired and exhausted. Sometimes I am looking for a quick fix—something that I can do so that I can check Bible study off my list for the day. So, what do I do? I reach for that box of Rice-A-Roni—a study that someone else has already done for me.
I don’t have time for a thorough Bible study; besides, that great special is coming on TV in 30 minutes. I read an article or two or thumb through a booklet. When I do that kind of studying, it seems the Bible becomes just a resource. I use my Bible to look up scriptures that an author has cited. Instead of the Bible being front and center of my study, suddenly something else is taking the spotlight. It’s quick and easy. Prepackaged. Depending on the ingredients, it can be fairly healthy or not so much.
Then there’s made-from-scratch Bible study. Personal, focused Bible study takes time and effort. We have to go into it realizing that it’s going to take work and thought. We have to be willing to dirty up a few dishes. We start with a topic (or a person, verse, chapter, etc.), and we get into our Bibles and start looking. Certainly there are other tools involved—we can’t make a meal without measuring cups, bowls and spoons. But these tools play second fiddle to the most important book in our study—the Holy Bible.
To everything there is a season
I work full time and have two children. We have busy lives, and I live in the real world just like all of you. There are those nights that the best I can do is Rice-A-Roni, and that’s okay. Eating Rice-A-Roni is better than going to bed hungry. But am I eating Rice-A-Roni every night? Do I choose prepackaged meals as my main source of food? We should be choosing wholesome options made with fresh ingredients more often than not.
Bible study that is “from scratch” and personal is the kind of study that takes real time and energy on our part. It is hard work, but the Scripture tells us that those unwilling to work don’t deserve to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So let’s get to work and cook ourselves a meal fit for a king!
Amanda Weiss is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in East Texas and enjoys rolling up her sleeves in the kitchen and in her Bible study.
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