Spiritual Pursuit

On this day in 1963, the world was shocked by the news that John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, had been killed by an assassin's bullet. Though it's not as well known or remembered, Christian author C. S. Lewis passed away the very same day. Even fewer will remember that Aldous Huxley, author of the book Brave New World, died from cancer during those same 24 hours.

In 1954, Huxley published a lesser-known book titled The Doors of Perception, which described his experimental use of the mind-altering drug mescaline. Huxley was one of the first to write about using hallucinogens to pursue spirituality. His book inspired the popular rock band The Doors, known for their use of LSD, to name their group after Huxley's book.

Granted, Huxley and his admirers were looking in all the wrong places, but they were on an important pursuit. God made us in such a way that we're naturally drawn to spirituality (Job 32:8). And there is no greater spiritual pursuit than worshiping God.

A Samaritan woman once asked Jesus to settle an ancient dispute about the best place to worship God (John 4:19-20). Samaritans contended it was on the top of Mount Gerizim, while the Jews said it was on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Jesus told her that a day was coming where people could worship God anywhere they wanted to as long as they worshiped "in spirit and in truth" (vv.21-24).

There's no denying that people can get high on LSD or some other mindaltering drug, but they will never enter the heights of true spirituality by taking that path, not to mention the devastating effects it can have on the mind and body. It's only by worshiping God wholeheartedly, on the basis of who Jesus is, that we experience His life-altering power and presence. , Jeff Olson

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