Daily Post Pursue
I have always liked the hunt, like a hound following the scent. Or like a detective working to take in all the facts, then assimilating the strands of information into a whole image, ultimately revealing some hidden or little known truth. I pursue the English language in search of new expressions or meanings which are secondary rather than primary to the readers first and obvious thought about a word. Using this method, writing becomes more challenging for me, and for you – the reader, because it demands that we get past the preconceived ideas that our language is one dimensional, or can only mean one thing.
For example, take the word “well.” It can me something “well” done, whether a behavior, or an over-cooked steak. Well can mean a hole from which water, oil, or gas are obtained. The hole could be maxed out at which time it becomes a dry well, like that over-cooked steak. Well can be an expression on its own. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming!”, or just “Well!” Fun stuff huh? Context, and usage, are determined by the speaker/writer; but interpretation must come from the hearer/reader. For those who use English as a second, third, or fourth language the nuances of interpretation are somewhat difficult at times.
Language and communication were designed by God to allow the human creature to interact within our species in meaningful and intelligent ways. These tools also allow for the human creature to interact with the Creator using language He instituted for this purpose. God’s Spirit pursued men whose hearts were tuned to His heart, and spoke to them in ways that resulted in a written record of what God wants us to know. Not just know on a cursory level or having read it once, or listened to it being read just once. The Bible has been given to us for the purpose of enhancing our relationship with the Creator of the universe.
When we peruse the Bible, flipping here and yon to re-read our favorite verses over and over, perseverating the same knowledge, like singing a song over and over until you sing it in your sleep, we miss the point of the whole. There is so much more than Romans 8:28, which most people I know use interpretively incorrectly anyway. There is so much more than Philippians 4:13 and the concept of “doing” things for God. It’s not about what I can do for Him, it’s about what He wants to do in me that is unimaginable to me without submitting to His Lordship in my life. Perusing is not the same as pursuing.
Yet, it is a good place to start. Perusing the Bible for a story you’ve never heard, now that is a good pursuit. Do you know the etymology of the words of Jesus in John 12:32, or John 3:14? Hint, it’s an Old Testament story which some may have heard, but never seen the connection. This is a good pursuit. God find it, and see what God says to you through your pursuit.
In Daniel 3, there is a great story about Daniel’s friends arrested because they wouldn’t bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol in worship. They get thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, yet come out not even smelling like smoke or fire. It makes for a great Sunday School lesson, but have you found the New Testament link in this narrative? Who is that fourth person in Daniel 3:25, and what if any application can I make from this story to my life today? This is a good pursuit.
One last example. I know people who read the same book, or watch the same movie, once a year because it is their favorite. There’s nothing wrong with this, I seem to watch the same Christmas movies over and over because I like them. But, here’s the thing. I don’t know anyone who watches the same movie even once a month, much less once a week, or every day of their lives, do you? I don’t know anyone who, once they’ve read the last page of their favorite novel, puts the book down and reads the same exact book over and over every day.
When we peruse the Bible, reading only those parts that have special meaning for us, we limit God’s ability to teach us all that He desires us to learn. My challenge to you today is to pursue all that God has in His word for you. Try just one month of getting outside the box of your favorite Bible verses, and dive deep into the parts you seldom read, to see if God may say something new and exciting to you today!
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As I was saying... 