God-Breath

 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

I remember memorizing this verse in 1st grade and it has stayed with me all these years.  I still have my first Bible with that verse highlighted in it.

Over the past few years I have written that I believe this verse is the very crux of the Bible. Every verse we read in the Bible can be passed through this and asked questions.  

• What is being taught?  
• What is being called out?  
• Where is it showing work needs to be done? 
• What sin needs to be repented of?

In this same God breath of ALL SCRIPTURE, are we reading all scripture?  One look at our churches today in America and I think the consensus is a resounding NO!  We are not reading our Bibles as a "training in doing right."  Nor are we reading to know the will of the Father in Heaven.  I'm the first to admit my guilt in this too.  While I may read a verse or two everyday, and a little devotional in my e-mail, my study time has waned tremendously.  I know the culprit of stealing all this time too and it's not work.  

I recently completed an assignment for my Learning Theories class in college.  I am still studying to get my Bachelors in Psychology with a minor in Early Childhood Education, but am in the last semester of my studies!  While this does take a lot of my time, the main culprit of time sucking is social media.  In my Learning Theories assignment I had to develop my own learning theory which I have called, "Meme Theory."  I have developed this theory from Connectivism Theory in which learning has been enhanced by technology and the internet creating new opportunities to gather information and share it using different devices.

I would suggest that there has been considerable acceleration in the Connectivism learning theory that has completely changed the way we are able to take in information and react to it.  Technology and social media has severely damaged our attention span.  I believe we are close to not being able to read textbook chapter assignments for classes as a result. A new way will have to be developed to “read” educational material.  Furthermore with the rise in artificial intelligence I believe we are no longer thinking critically but relying on AI to think for us.  We have seen this in the use of GPS devices.  We do what the robot tells us.  Information is being shared with us, but are we processing it, and do we know how to react to it?  We are living in what I would call “Meme Theory" where Generation-X to present generations learns and communicates through memes.  A meme as explained in the New York Times by a linguistic professor is a “chunk of information that replicates itself.”  It is a snapshot of information that is seen when scrolling on the phone.  Religious Christian devotionals have been reduced on Instagram of five to ten memes or pictures.  Other religious thinkers put their information or thoughts for their followers into a meme instead of human followers picking up a book or Bible to read, it has been reduced to a few words in a picture or background.  This solves the attention span problem while at the same time invoking critical thinking or emotion from the reader.  

This is where we are as a society. The Bible, God-Breath, has been deduced to to Meme level and that's all Christian followers are taking in of Scripture that gives us life.  We can't live like that!  We must counter the culture, live above the sun and pick up our Bibles and discipline ourselves to read His Word.  We must think critically for ourselves and base it off His Word.  Our steady diet of Instagram and what other people are saying or not saying isn't going to cut it.  So I'm calling you to go higher, lift your eyes to the one who breaths life into us and breathe it in deeply.  Pick up your Bible, read its words and do what it says.  This is how we become mature in our faith not remaining children in our knowledge of Christ and thus be "blown by every wind of doctrine tossing us about by cunning humans and deceit."  (Ephesians 4)  Get off your phone and into the Word of God.  We are living in the Apostate of the Church and the only way we will catch it is by staying firmly rooted in Jesus Christ Himself and breathing His air.  

It's Your Breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise to You only!

Great Are You Lord!