Jim White, long-time Christian and Navigator, spoke at church this morning. Instead of explaining a passage to us, or presenting a nice exegesis of a book, he preached the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7. From memory. Straight through.

He did this at the Navigators’ Key Man’s conference last year. He explained to us that while Scripture memory is very important, it’s the meditation on Scripture that makes the Word alive in our lives. It’s a compelling sermon, the longest continuous piece of text that we have that came directly from Jesus Christ’s mouth (as recounted by witnesses, of course). It deals with some of the deepest heart issues and the practice of holiness that arises from a foundation built upon the Rock of Salvation. Jesus promises rewards for those who suffer, who are maligned, who are humble, and He indicts us with His emphasis of being holy in attitude as well as in action. He challenged us to “store up treasures in heaven,” and to be fully obedient to His Word.

“Delayed obedience is disobedience.” As I examine the heart attitudes that reign in my life, I know that there are so many areas of unrepentance and disobedience that just hearing the words of God make me fidget. But that’s the beauty of the Word – it’s living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates, even dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow – it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

I don’t really know what else to say. For those who know Christ, do what He says. For those who don’t know Christ, it’d probably be good to get to know Him – He’s “everything we’ve ever imagined,” to quote the movie adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Anyways, back to studying Neuroscience and Physiology.