Let Go of that Hobby Horse

One benefit of personally reading and teaching through the Bible verse by verse is gaining broad exposure to God's word and wisdom.  It is a good practice to observe points of emphasis and repetition in scripture that we might heed them.  It is true that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, yet it is possible in teaching and ordinary conversation we major on the minors and thus miss the mark.  Years ago I remember a man who was obsessed to discern the validity of a popular Christian book.  His troubled mental state would have been far more greatly helped to stop debating or fretting over that popular book and rely upon God's word that remains true and relevant forever.

A primary aim I have in teaching is to present an accurate depiction of God's word under His guidance.  The grand, overarching themes of scripture that God created all things, Jesus Christ is God with us, the Gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit and our duty to love God and others ought to be regularly emphasised.  I discipline myself to exercise caution to avoid reading into passages and taking liberty to claim the Bible says things it does not explicitly say.  As we read each chapter hungry for a revelation of God and His wisdom, He is faithful to provide all the timeless truth we need so we might glean and receive it, far more than Boaz left Ruth in his field.  Should we cling to a "hobby horse" instead of God's word this preoccupation can distract us from the truth, cause us to dismiss what is plainly said and lead to unbalanced extremes--and even error.

It is good when our favourite topics align with those in scripture, and when they do I would not view this as a hobby horse.  A hobby horse is a toy (a stick with a horse's head mounted on it) that is not necessary for the health, growth or development of a child, and thus a hobby horse in preaching is unnecessary to the exposition of a text.  It is as strange and foreign to scripture as it is to see literal hobby horses brought by congregants at a church gathering.  A hobby horse does not have legs or power of its own and must be carried around for fun.  It could be used as a walking stick or for beating other people over the head.  It could be a source of comfort for the one who parades it into conversations to demonstrate the benefits to others.  I am not immune from the tendency towards hobby horses of my own, yet I believe they are better suited for a nursery than a pulpit.  The Holy Spirit who knows the hearts and minds of men is able to reveal the hobby horses I have taken up, and He is also able to convince me and others to release our grip by faith in Christ our LORD.

It grieves me to say I have had a reputation for many things but not always Christ.  Would to God people would say of me, "There is someone who loves Jesus" and then talk about how wonderful Jesus is because His love, grace and goodness shone through me.  How easy it is to be caught up in troubles of the day or dramas in the lives of people and take that up as a hobby horse in our thoughts rather than looking to the LORD in prayer for salvation, hope and help.  Instead of crossing hobby horses like lightsabers with fellow Christians, let us raise our hands to the almighty God in praise and adoration.  Let us place our faith in God and read His word with hungry hearts, knowing we will be filled and sustained by His grace.  Proverbs 23:23 says, "Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding."  Jesus is the Truth, the One who has purchased us and is wisdom for us.  Unlike a hobby horse, we do not carry Him:  the One who was lifted up draws us and all to Himself.