It’s There, Just Bubbling Below the Surface

This official image from "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV
comedy shows them after finding "bubblin' crude" oil.

Remember the theme song of the classic TV comedy, “The Beverly Hillbillies”? It told how Jed Clampett and his family struck it rich on their homestead: “And up through the ground come a bubblin’ crude. Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.” Wouldn’t it be fun to make a similar discovery in our own back yards?

But the “Hillbillies” ditty didn’t tell the whole story. Finding crude oil is just the beginning of a complex process. Typically, it’s not “bubblin’” out of the ground. There’s a lot involved in discovering where raw petroleum can be located, then extracted from the ground, refined for a wide array of uses, including gasoline and motor oil, and only then taken to market.

My friend, Clarence, and I were talking about this as he shared the idea for a book he’s hoping to write. (I won’t elaborate on that – I’ll wait until it’s published.) But as we talked, it occurred to us that this process – exploration and discovery, extraction, refining, and implementation – applies to many areas of life.

For instance, recently I’ve learned two friends have daughters with great artistic promise. Their talents seem almost prodigious. But knowing they have innate abilities in the arts isn’t enough. They’ll need to draw it out, pursue ways to develop it, and then learn how to utilize it not only for personal enjoyment but also as a potential livelihood.

The same can be said of people with natural leadership abilities, people skilled in various crafts, schoolteachers, accountants, scientists, chefs and so on. What do they have a knack for – and a passion? How can they start “extracting” those abilities that lie within, refining them, and putting them to use for the benefit of many?

The psalmist wrote of God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16).

I believe this passage speaks of much more than prenatal development. It also refers to how God has uniquely designed each of us, providing unique personalities, talents and traits for use in life. Our challenge is to discover them (the “crude oil” the Lord has instilled in us), draw them out (with the help of others), nurture them for usefulness, and then put them to use.

There’s one other important application for this process of exploration, extraction, refining and implementation. It involves the Bible, the Word of God.

As a teen I read through the Scriptures, cover to cover, as a personal project. Just so I could say, “I’ve read the Bible.” But during that endeavor, I didn’t discover anything. I didn’t extract anything. I certainly didn’t refine, or implement anything I read. I simply read the 66 books to say that I had.

Only years later, desiring to know God better and understand what being a follower of Jesus Christ means, did I begin the digging and learning, understanding and applying.

The Navigators' "Hand Illustration"

The Scriptures clearly address these crucial steps: To believers in the city of Colossae, the apostle Paul wrote of discovery: “…the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27).

What are we to do with God’s truth after it’s been discovered? We’re to extract and dig into it deeply: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-1-2).

Next comes the “refining” of wisdom and understanding of what God has entrusted to us. Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Finally, the Scriptures instruct us, don’t just hold onto God’s truth and ponder it. Use it, as Paul admonished followers of Christ in the ancient city of Philippi: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice” (Philippians 4:9).

Years ago, The Navigators, a ministry of evangelism and discipleship, developed “the Hand Illustration.” It depicts five steps in mastering and utilizing biblical truth: Hear, read, study, memorize, meditate. This visual is helpful because if we’re faithful in implementing each, we can’t help but do what the apostle told the Philippians. To offer a paraphrase, he was saying, “Okay, you know it. Now do what it says!” The Bible’s not intended to remain just “bubblin’ crude.”

Exercise Your Body?…What About Your Spirit?

Last week I wrote about the importance of physical exercise, for weight control and fitness. But while we talk about taking care of our bodies, especially in the wake of weeks of holiday gluttony, we rarely consider the need to exercise our spirits.

Each of us is a complex mix: physical, mental, emotional – and spiritual. The first three facets of our identity receive a lot of our attention, but many of us fail to give much recognition to the latter, if any. However, in Ecclesiastes 3:11 we read, “(God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Like it or not, deep down – maybe in the recesses of our human DNA – God has provided an awareness that we, and this life, are not all there is.

So it’s interesting that as we resolve to work our bodies into submission, pursue intellectual stimulation, and strive to improve attitudes and relationships, our spiritual side suffers from neglect – to the point of atrophy.

As 1 Timothy 4:8 points out, "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come" (New Living Translation).

Bibles today come in a variety of translations, styles
and even themes. There's one to fit any need.

That sounds good, but even as professing followers of Jesus we tend to think an hour of institutional church activity suffices for spiritual health. But it’s not about religion – it’s about relationship, getting to know the God of all creation who desires to spend time with us.

I’m not one that believes in ritualistically or legalistically reading the Bible each day. But we know from experience that to strengthen relationships – with our spouse, children, or friends – it takes time. The same is true in cultivating a strong, growing relationship with God. There is no substitute for time, ideally on a daily basis.

How much time? I don’t know – certainly more than a minute. Years ago a friend, Robert Foster, wrote a little booklet called “7 Minutes a Day With God” (it’s still is published by The Navigators). In essence, he suggested, anyone can set aside that much time – a couple of minutes in prayer, a few minutes in the Scriptures, and a few moments in meditation. The kicker, he noted, is if you diligently devote just seven minutes a day to doing that, you’ll soon discover it’s not enough.

Early in my days as a disciple of Christ, I also learned what The Navigators called “the hand illustration” to show how to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible. Each finger on the hand represents a different aspect: Listening; reading; studying; memorizing; and meditating. Through the years, I’ve found all of these useful, not only for understanding what the Bible says, but also for discovering who God really is – and who, as one of His adopted children, I am.

So as you’re thinking about working out to get into better shape physically, reading more widely to grow mentally, and seeking to enhance your life emotionally, don’t let your spiritual side suffer. You owe it to yourself!