May this be an encouragement for your time in the Scripture, whether seasoned, or newly beginning to read the Word. For Inductive Study Helps, there are three older posts from May 2014 that break down steps as a reference.
An absolute beauty of greater understanding comes from the words first penned on John’s papyrus of Jesus in Chapter 4:14 and 7:38;
“but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life… Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
The cultural context was significant as opposed to the cistern water that could be stagnant. There’s something about that living, abiding relationship and intimacy with God that is like a stream of living water, always available, always constant when we stop and acknowledge Him.
A sweet epiphany occurred last year. I am not sure if it was inspired by reading Tozer, this Scripture below leaping out found in John 5:39, or a combination of both with the Holy Spirit, but a beautiful “eureka moment” happened concerning an even greater beauty of Scripture.
Jesus said,
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life.
But the Scriptures point to me!”
What an enlightenment to glimpse a visual timeline, a bigger picture that:
before Scripture was canonized, God spoke,
He inspired men who wrote, which the inspired Word is in physical form
… and is still speaking beyond the words in Scripture (that will always align with what is in Scripture).
It’s the intimate relationship of knowing God through the Scriptures and especially the words of Jesus that help us know more of his character and cultivate the relationship with him. Reading the Scripture is not a place to end, but one to begin as he said, they “… point to me”. It was around 1996, in my mid 20’s about two years after serving on staff at the first church that I felt led for the first time to do a three week fast. At that time, I felt I had a specific portion of Scripture that included “consecrate, dedicate, and wait” that was resonating strongly. I was excited of course to see what would commence the fast. I reserved a cozy Bed and Breakfast in Glen Rose, Texas.
At the ending of those three weeks, I anticipated… Of course, I was still single at the time and the Inn was filled with couples, and I felt a little peculiar, but focused on knowing God more that weekend. I ate the delightful snacks and stuffed blueberry French toast with cream cheese with acknowledgement of God the whole weekend. I was anticipating what I felt was that God would speak to me. Would I cross paths with someone who would tell me something? Would there be a specific Scripture? Something even perhaps supernatural happen?
As I sat in the white Adirondack chair reading my Bible and overlooking the river, the same place where Elvis was to have written a song, I felt that God was asking a question to me. “Do you want to know me more?” Of course, that is why I am here, I thought and silently prayed. “Read my word.”
I remember being caught off guard because I had the Bible lay open in my lap and reading. Then it was if it became very clear. It was an invitation to read the “red letters” of Jesus with new wonder and seeing God through Jesus in a new way. It was in that way, I would know more of what God was like and felt a revelation of fresh awareness of reading the Scriptures.
I share that story to encourage you that no matter where you are on your faith journey, know that reading Scripture in whatever way speaks most to you, lectio divina, the chronological One Year Bible, listening to the animated version (I love the NLT one), memorizing Scripture, inductive reading with study, or just reading and pondering slowly, that it is a starting point, to point to the intimacy with the Father through Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Be encouraged to read and meet God in that time, taking time to reflect and be open to what He would want to say with a journal close by to write what comes to mind so you can go return to it as a memorial stone and see His work and ways!
“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t”. – Charles Spurgeon
