Are We Just Ordering Omelets?

What’s the difference in ordering an omelet in French and being able to speak French?

John Bohlinger is a top-rank, first-call musician in Nashville when he’s not on tour with a top recording artist.  He recently started taking jazz classes.

“Some jazz instructors teach common musical phrases that students memorize and then apply to songs,” he writes in the January 2015 issue of Premier Guitar.  “This is the equivalent of learning a few key words in another language.

“Anyone can quickly learn how to order an omelet in French, but it takes a lot more to communicate any complex thoughts that may jump into your head when you move to Paris.”

Big difference.

What’s the difference in reciting a Bible verse and being fluent in the things of Christ?

Again, big difference.

From a character in Pulp Fiction to people you and I know, there are some who have learned a few key Scriptures but don’t know what they mean or what to do with them.

What’s the alternative?

“I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you” is the prayer of Psalm 119:11.  Memorizing Scripture is important.

“Let the mind of Christ dwell in you richly” is the directive of Colossians 3:16.  Understanding Scripture is also important.

Or, to paraphrase John Bohlinger, “Anyone can quickly learn how to say some Bible verses, but it takes a lot more to live them.”

May God’s own Holy Spirit help us to both learn and properly apply Scripture in the real world of everyday life.