Mar
29
Straight Up
Filed Under Devotional
I have written many book reports, term papers, research projects, and even a thesis. I actually read the source material for most of those, too. The truth is that I wrote my share of papers after watching the movie, reading Cliff’s Notes, or even just scanning the index. Those weren’t my best papers, but those were necessary shortcuts after severe procrastination.
What I wrote would show that I didn’t have a mastery of the subject matter. I didn’t know anything other than the surface issues involved. I couldn’t speak about the nuances or subtle connections because I just didn’t know it well enough.
Of course, watching the movie, reading a summary, or scanning an index necessarily loses all of that subtlety. You won’t get the same experience or information than if you had read the original material.
Now, we don’t have a deadline on a report to display our mastery of Scripture, but I think human nature is still in play. We tend to learn the Word by reading single verses (much like we use in these devotionals, so don’t let these be your only source of Scripture), but there’s always more than that. We look for information by scanning the concordance or searching on the Internet. Something is lost when studying the Bible that way.
If you don’t know Greek or Hebrew, find a good, accurate translation. The sentence structure may be a bit awkward, but the message is communicated more accurately.
Read the Word every day. Read through the Bible in a year or two. Read every book at least once. Read Proverbs, Psalms, and the New Testament repeatedly. This is what you claim to be using to guide your entire life and world view. Get to know it well. Know the flavor and theme. Know the subtle connections. Know the depth and richness of the living Word of God.
“[...]the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17b
“For the word of God is living and active. [...] ” Hebrews 4:12a
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23
“‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’ ” Jeremiah 23:29
Don’t try to boil it down. Don’t try to dumb it down. Don’t try to summarize it. Simply read it, learn it, and study it in a form as close as you can get to the original.
God has spoken to us. Are you interested in hearing what He has to say? Or, will you trust the two paragraph summary?