Do You Treat Scripture Like a Salad Bar?

I enjoy reading quotes around various topics. For today’s post I sought salad quotes. Here are a few favorites.

“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” Miles Kingston¹

Kingston’s quote always makes me think about knowledge and wisdom. I guess that is what makes a great quote. They make you stop and think.

Here’s another one.

 “Some days you eat salads and go the gym, some days you eat cupcakes and refuse to put on pants. It’s called balance.”

I agree wholeheartedly. Of course, the quote shows two ends of the spectrum, doesn’t it? But in my experience, balance is good. It keeps you, well, balanced.

How about wishful thinking?

“I’m just a person standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a donut.”

Apparently, you can substitute your favorite food for donut in this saying. I saw cupcakes, chocolate, tacos, queso, and even alcohol. Then there is the one reflecting the art of rationalization.

“Chocolate comes from cocoa, which is a tree. That makes it a plant. Chocolate is salad.”

That’s a pretty long stretch, isn’t it? It’s humorous and light-hearted, yet we know we can’t indulge in chocolate salads very often. If we have to make that type of rationalization, the activity we are trying to justify is probably not very good for us.

That brings me to this headline.

“Scripture is Not a Salad Bar” by Alan Allegra, Special to the Morning Call, February 25, 2017²

Do You Treat Scripture Like a Salad Bar?. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

Have you ever read a verse in the Bible and said to yourself, “That doesn’t apply to me.”? It’s easy to do. Especially if the Scripture is convicting and we read it during a time of trying to hide from that conviction. We sometimes want to pick and choose the verses that make us feel good or reflect approval of our thoughts and actions.

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy we can’t do that. We can’t treat the Bible as if it were a huge theological salad bar where we sort through the word we like, discarding the rest or leaving them on the bar for “whomever they were meant for.” Chapter 3, verses 16 and 17 are clear on this topic.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (NASB)

All means all. God did not have writers throw in selective text so that it applied to some and not others. While Scripture may speak to us differently depending on what we are experiencing, all Scripture is valid and true for everyone. Part of our job when reading it is to allow God to pour Himself into us where we need it.

Do we need teaching? Reproof? Correction? Training? As you read, meditate on His word and ask Him to reveal to you what you need.

How do you make sure you listen for what God has for you?

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.

¹ I tried my best to find the author of all the sayings and give them credit. If you know of one I couldn’t find, let me know in the comments and I’ll edit the post.

² https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-faith-allegra-0226-20170225-story.html