Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! or Ah-Ha!

I was reading from a somewhat obscure 1906 translation of the Apostle Paul’s letters along with the letter to the Hebrews entitled “The Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews”* this morning, and in particular in Hebrews 4:11 where the writer stated,

“For God’s Word, in which I base my argument, is not a thing of the past nor something external to us: it is still living; it is instinct with energy; it is keener than any two-edged sword: that can but pierce flesh, but this finds its way to the dividing line between the animal life and the immortal spirit: it pierces the deepest recesses of our nature; it analyses the very emotions and purposes of the inmost heart.”

And what immediately caught my eye was, number one, that the writer made the point to begin with, by declaring that he was basing the argument that he was making to his readers on the Word of God, and secondly, in defense of that statement, he quickly explained that God’s Word was not something that should be seen as external to him nor to the subjects of his letter.  Then he stated what he considered to be the true definition of what the Word of God should be… or how it should be seen and understood by those who read and study it.

With that… I paused and found myself lost in thought as I gazed out across our cul-de-sac at the beautiful, luscious green golf course beyond.  The one statement that kept bouncing around in my mind was “How do you process the Word when you read it?”

How do you receive the Word that’s coming into your mind?  Do you process it with a sense of urgency, with passion, with a humble and teachable heart that is hungry to learn new things and change when needed?  Do you come to the Word with a pre-established determination that it is the real truth, the final Word… no matter what your natural circumstances are shouting to you… OR… do you simply see and understand it as another point of view for the various events going on in your life… that may… or may not… have any influence on those events?

That thought kept rambling around inside of me as I finished my study, fed the dog, took a shower, grabbed the dog’s harness and headed out the door for our morning trek along the golf course and the neighborhood park beyond.  On the way back we came up to three golfers totally absorbed in their game.  We watched one of them as he swung his club down to the ball and observed the whack of its contact and corresponding trajectory… as it sliced to the left and fell far short of the next hole, a ways up the course.

I thought “Whoops!” as I raised my eyebrows to the dog and burst out laughing as the guy yelled out a loud and distressed “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”  Then the next golfer hit his ball, and although I didn’t see where it went, we knew it also wasn’t the shot that the player was desiring when he started complaining about the landing of the ball.  But then something happened…

The third player immediately changed the atmosphere of the moment by explaining to his friend the things that were actually done well with that particular drive.  By then we were beyond audible range of their conversation but I could tell that the second golfer was happy and receiving the advice from his friend as a learning experience 

As Fiver and I continued on our walk, I couldn’t help but to compare what we just experienced against my Bible Study earlier in the day.  It looked to me that the first two golfers were simply out there playing a round of golf and just taking for granted (and getting upset about it in the process) that they were going to make bad shots and accept it as part of their game… while the third member of the group was definitely looking at every shot he took as an opportunity for improvement!

If I were to use their specific example for myself… I would have to admit that I approach my daily Bible study as the third player on the golf course seemed to approach his game… with the desire to learn and grow!  I mean… I don’t want to be just the same as I was yesterday… I want to be better.  I want to know more and therefore have a greater array of tools in my personal toolbox in order to be more proficient in the game of life!  To be a better man, dad, grandpa, friend and minister of the good news of the Gospel message. Would you agree for all of that in your life as well?

You see… like the writer of the book of Hebrews, as expressed in this translation, I see or process the Bible as a vital part of who I am.  It is not something that is external to me.  It is what I have come to believe and experience as the very truth of God that I have allowed inside in order to help me make changes, to let go of harmful habits, activities, thoughts or preconceived ideas of people, places or things and continue to strive to be Christ-like in everything I do.

So then… let me ask you again… “How do you process the Bible when you personally read and study the it?  Is it an outward ‘Ahhhhhhhhhhh!’ experience or a personal ‘Ah-Ha!’ and intimate ‘Thank you Lord for showing me how to be more like You!’

Have a wonderful weekend… and as you do… keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

 

 

*The Seven Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews,” Aurthur S. Way, MA, Copyright © BiblioLife, LLC