The following is an excerpt from Jonathan Malm’s new book, Created for More, a 30-day devotional to help you see your world in a new way. Pick up the book on Amazon, the iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble or other book retailers. Thought for the day: Curiosity killed the cat. But it’s worth the risk. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. —Proverbs 25:2 (ASV)
Spiritual Development
I’m fascinated by olives. They’re such an important fruit in the Bible and in all of history. The tree’s wood, the fruit’s oil … all very important. But did you know the olive by itself is extremely bitter? It’s unpalatable. It’s only through the fermenting and curing of the olive that it becomes the tasty treat so many enjoy today. Who was the first person to eat a raw olive, then experiment with it to discover how it could taste good? How did he decide to rinse the fruit excessively, then stick it in salt water for a couple of days? It had to be someone very curious. Look at the passage above. I love it. It almost shows a hide-and-seek playing God. He delights in hiding things for us to discover. God wants us to be curious. He created an enormous universe for us to explore. Then He gave us the intellect and resources to do just that! And we’ll never fully understand the universe. We aren’t even close to understanding our own planet—the depths of the sea, the make up of our core. This tells me one big thing about God: He isn’t threatened by our questions. He wants us to explore and ponder—to challenge and question. Christianity isn’t meant to be a blind faith. Obviously, we will never have all the answers—just like science will never have all the answers. But we also shouldn’t be afraid to delve into and test our faith. It does hold up to God-fearing scrutiny. The world needs more curious Christians—Christians willing to explore their faith. We need to be delving into the mysteries of God and His Word. There’s more than just history and pithy proverbs inside. There are stories and mysteries that rival J.J. Abram’s greatest masterpiece. So I encourage you. Be curious about your faith.
Prayer Starter
I’m so glad I don’t have to check my brain at the door when it comes to my faith. Thank you, God, that You aren’t threatened when I ask questions and search for You. I pray that you’d put a God-fearing curiosity in me that searches out the matters You’ve concealed for Your own glory. Help me to have faith in you when those matters are beyond my comprehension.
