Reading versus Entering Scriptures

     Sometimes we grow anxious to see evidence that God is working in our lives.  About twelve days ago, a verse found in the eighth chapter of 2 Corinthians came back for a visit this morning to move into my heart.  In his book, The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro, we are given a hint that there are two ways that we approach God through Scriptures:  (1) we either read it, or (2) we enter it.  Depending on what we do, we may experience one of three things: (1) we may find information, (2) we may become inspired, or (3) an incarnation occurs.  (The Divine Mentor, chapter 8, Fresh Bread).

     When we read Scripture with the desire to gain knowledge, we are seeking information.  Gaining knowledge or capturing information from God’s Word can be handy if we are planning on competing on a game show and need to answer questions under the category of Bible Trivia.  With this method of reading the Bible, we are treating God’s Word as just another history book.  Tell me the story.  Where were they?  What were they doing?  How did God respond to them?  How long did they suffer?  What was their disobedience?  We may even find ourselves looking up a few words to become a little more familiar with what we are attempting to learn, words like exhortation, justification, rabble, or utmost.  I have found myself doing this on more than one occasion to glean a better understanding of the text.  When I use some of these words that are typical Bible language, I often find my editing software tells me that I’m using words that 95% of their regular users never attempt.  (What does that do for one’s ego?)  

     Sometimes I try to make connections between people, places, and things to see where information overlaps.  I’ve invested in a Bible timeline to understand when this or that person lived.  I use maps to see where they have lived, moved, or journeyed.  I try to understand distance, navigation, and time.  Those reading my articles probably often see evidence of this.  When I teach  my students in Sunday school, I try to use relatable facts to help them visualize the lesson like, 'What if in the year 1269, a farmer standing in his field under the light of a full moon said, “someday, man will step on the surface of the moon,” and then it actually occurs 700 years later in 1969, that is what we call prophecy.  A prophet was required to have both near-term and far-term prophecy in order to gain credibility.  This is an example of far-term prophecy.  

     When I read God's Word in this way, I may find myself moving out of information and find myself smack-dab in inspiration.  As I put reference information on the people, places, and things I read about, I begin to imagine how I might have felt if I had walked in someone else’ shoes. What might it feel like to be the apostle Paul, having to check over my shoulder to see who was following me?  A person, I once thought of as a friend, now seeking me in a dark alley ready to beat me within an inch of my life for proclaiming publicly that Jesus is Lord and King.  How might it feel wandering through the desert for forty years and my sandals never wearing out? Even ‘Burkenstocks’ don’t have that much life in them!  How might I have also grumbled if asked to eat the same meal day after day?  Would I have seen the miracle of ‘manna from heaven’ or would I develop ‘group-think’ regarding the monotony?   Would I have grown weary of the travel and wished to return to a life of slavery in Egypt?  This way of reading Scriptures has given me a new perspective on culture, history, and how God spoke at various times.  

     Sometimes the stories are intriguing in themselves, but sometimes it takes a great teacher to pull an element out of a story to help me see it in a new light.  Sometimes a deeper understanding comes through sermon notes, commentaries, artwork, or videos.  In attempts to visualize the stories I have been known to create charts and graphs, or enjoy the creative pursuit of Bible Art adding color and texture.  Inspiration is good, and it keeps us coming back to learn one new fact or see something in a new way.  I remember the day when I discovered that ‘Jesus was standing, not sitting’ at the right hand of God when Stephen was martyred.  Wow, a standing ovation, I actually felt a little giddy in its discovery.  Not long ago I found myself intrigued by research to learn more about the timing of when Job lived, and that one of his friends was actually a descendant of Esau an Edomite.  It was fascinating; Inspiration will do that for us.  

     The third way we enter the Bible is incarnation, according to Wayne Cordeiro.  Incarnation is when we take Scripture, and then begin to experience a heart change from the information and inspiration we receive.  It moves the Word of God into a personal application causing within us the desire to change.  As long as I’ve been a Christian (over fifty years), it has been this last piece that has alluded me the most.  I had always expected good preachers or teachers to make the application available to me without discovering it on my own.  It is the dull look I sometimes see in one's eye when talking about Scripture that tells me that they have not yet received the joy of incarnation from their daily devotions.  I often experience this myself.  When I allow the Holy Spirits to guide me, I find that He allows the passages that I read to begin to change my life on any given day.  It is not just my Bible devotion, but my prayer life that changes too.  For me, it seems as though I’m learning these lessons layer by layer.

     If you noticed at the beginning of this article, I used the phrase ‘about twelve days ago I found a verse.’ This application has taken about twelve days to germinate within me.  It has now produced a deeper understanding of how to apply a particular passage to my life even though I wrote about this chapter days ago.  The layers of information that I have been receiving through daily devotions have started to give me a glimmer of inspiration.  That inspiration caused me to want to share it with others.  We typically don’t keep inspiration to ourselves.  Have you noticed Facebook lately?  With gratitude this morning, I recognized that God was giving me a deeper revelation, a richer application, and greater appreciation for what the passage in 2 Corinthians 8 was ready to reveal.  Who said, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears?"   Yes I had to look that up . . . Trivia:  Buddah must have been inspired by the Holy Spirit too.  I was ready to learn.  Here are the verses that inspired me so many days ago and incarnated this morning:  “And in this matter, I give my judgment, this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also desired to do it.  So now, finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.  For the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:10-12 ESV)

     In this passage, Paul was talking to the church of Corinth about their promised generosity to the church in Jerusalem.  Paul was exhorting these saints to follow through on what they had committed to do over a year ago.  It was time to finish.  It was not time to do more fundraising, they were not being told to go door-to-door selling overpriced candy bars,  they didn't need to create a new campaign.  The apostle Paul said that they already had everything within their possession to complete the task.  The financial resources were already there hidden in plain sight. 

     That is how it is with God’s Word.  The resource we need is already there hidden in plain sight, waiting for its unveiling.  This story for me resembled the same lesson taught to the disciples when Jesus called them to feed the five thousand.  He didn’t ask the disciples to go out and purchase food; he told them to bring what they had.  That is when the miracle occurred.  

     My personal application came with an understanding that God was talking about my writing.  As I’ve attempted to put words behind my Biblical study and share the inspiration that I have received, I have often felt the need to continue to equip myself with better writing skills.  I need to refresh my memory of proper grammar, and I need to invest in software to help me see the editing errors I cannot detect with my own eyes.  The writing world will tell me that I need a platform, a website, a landing page, and pop-ups that will monetize my work.  However, in the process of writing, God has reinforced to me that perfection is not required.  He also tells me in His Word that He has given me the desires of my heart to be used for His glory (Psalm 37:4)

     As I read 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 again this morning, the word ‘desire’ jumped out of this passage and landed as evidence that the Holy Spirit had something more for me to consider.  Verse 11 says that 'my readiness in desiring this will be matched by my willingness to complete it.’  I did not see this as a calling to write a book, but more as a resolve to continue doing what I feel called in my heart to do which is simply write.  God is assuring me through His Spirit that each piece I write will fulfill its purpose.  Although I have subscribed readers, I do not flag each article I write and send out an email.  Sometimes I just place an article on my blog and allow it to sit idle letting others discover it on their own without a prompting.  My confidence increases as I realize that the Holy Spirit is guiding me with both past and present Bible study to provide relevant content allowing others to see the Hand of God.  

     The world would tell a writer many things:  (1) you have to draw a readers to your writing with catchy titles, (2) you have to have an attractive website, (3) you have to build a huge following, and in order to publish a book, you have to have lots of interactions from your reading community on your platform.  The most common objective for a writer is to be published, but what if it is not?  Publishing companies want us to believe that it is what they can do for us that counts.  This causes the Christian writer to rely less on what God wants to do through us, than for us.   A passage that inspired me is beginning to change me as I read, “for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has.”  With this, I feel certain that God will use my writing in whatever way He plans for His glory.  I do not need to fret over the details of who God wants His audience to be.  This belongs to Him. 

     Sometimes I get the joy of a little good humor as I reflect on how God will use me.  In my ear I hear . . . “if you build it, they will come.”   

QUESTION:
     What is God calling you to do (a hearts desire), that you already have everything you need to see it to completion?