Welcome to Day 1469 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Bible Study – Attention To Detail – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1469 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, Meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on study habits to build a strong foundation. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Attention to Detail

·      Insight Seventeen: The Guidance of the Spirit Is Neither a Remedy nor an Excuse for Lackluster Bible Study

If you’ve watched a baseball or football game on television at some point this century, there’s no doubt you’ve seen players either ask God for success or thank him for it. Athletes today regularly do things like point to the heavens after crossing home plate or finding themselves in the end zone. Some will bow in a short prayer. It’s a nice sentiment and, for many, a testimony that transcends a token gesture.

Let’s be honest. Unless that football player gets in shape and memorizes the playbook, all the pointing to heaven in the world isn’t going to lead to success. You can say a short prayer on the mound or in the batter’s box, but unless you can hit the strike zone or a curveball, you’re going to fail. Pretty badly, in fact.

It’s the same in Bible study. All too often, people who sincerely want the feeling of knowing Scripture aren’t willing to put in the time it takes to get there. Instead, they’ll take short cuts and then expect the Spirit to take up the slack. The assumption seems to be that the promise of the Spirit to guide us into truth means the third person of the Trinity will excuse a lack of effort and give us the answers we need. The analogy that comes to my mind when I hear that is a little disturbing. The Spirit isn’t the kid sitting next to you in high school that lets you cheat off their exam. You must do your own work.

Setting aside for the moment the fact that passages like John 16:13 really aren’t about personal Bible study, the truth is that God expects effort in the pursuit of truth. The Spirit of God works in our hearts and minds, which are the terms Scripture uses for our intellectual faculties (i.e., our brains). He generally makes use of the content you’ve put there (in your mind) in your pursuit of the truths of Scripture. There’s no mental download from heaven coming. Rather than substitute the Spirit for personal effort, my advice is this: as you do the hard work of Bible study, ask the Spirit for insight to expose flawed thinking (your own or whoever you’re reading) and for the right questions to ask about the biblical text. The more of God’s Word you’ve devoted attention to, the more the Spirit can help you recall for understanding.

·      Insight EIghteen: Attention to Detail and Clear Thinking Are Not Antithetical to Loving Jesus

Sometimes people mistake inquisitiveness for criticism. Early in my adult life in my own spiritual journey, I was consumed with knowing Scripture. I’d ask questions, listen to answers, and then follow up with more questions. Sometimes the pastors or Bible teachers were uncomfortable with my inquiries. After all, I was told, the real point of Bible study was learning about Jesus and how to follow him.

I disagreed then and still do. Wanting to know why women who had their periods were considered unclean, what the Urim and Thummim were, or why some English translations of John 5 don’t include verse 4 isn’t about wanting to know more about Jesus. I consider these good questions. Frankly, there are a lot of passages in the Bible that have nothing to do with Jesus. The fact that they are in the Bible means they’re just as inspired as any passage that is about Jesus. We either believe what we are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right,” or we don’t.

You don’t need to repent if you’re not content with someone’s explanation of a passage. It’s not a spiritual flaw to want details and precise answers, especially regarding something as important as the Bible. Saying the goal of Bible study is about being a better disciple misrepresents both Bible study and discipleship. They’re related but not synonyms. Dampening someone’s thirst for knowing Scripture by making them feel less spiritual isn’t part of discipleship. In my experience, it’s more a sign of personal insecurity. We should be thrilled when we encounter someone who just can’t get enough of the Bible.

Bible study is about learning what this book that we say is inspired actually means. Knowing what all its parts mean will give us a deeper appreciation for the plan of God for humanity, the salvation history of God’s people, and the character of God. Jesus is at the core of all that, but there’s more to the Bible than the story of his life, death, and resurrection. If that was all God wanted us to know, he’d have given us only the four Gospels. It’s evident he had more in mind.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

That is a wrap for today’s Meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’  If you would like to listen to any of the past 1468 daily treks or read the daily Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and Journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow!