Saturday, January 18, 2014

Where's That Bible Verse?

I started reading the bible for real when I was in my late 20's.
Up until then it was too overwhelming for me in its entirety. Too many books, too many words, too unwieldy.
I couldn't make sense of it.
Ironically, I had written and recorded over 30 contemporary Christian songs by then - matching verses to themes that fit my melodies, and vice versa. It was solid, God-inspired work that has stood the test of time. But I was no bible scholar, just a capable, creative, verse browser.

When curiosity and the Holy Spirit finally got hold of me, I was on fire to learn more of the details.
I took notes, highlighted verses, made flash cards, and attended studies with heartfelt enthusiasm. It was a spectacular surge of spiritual growth and insight that surprises me to this day for its intensity.

Some of that motivation came from growing awareness of the competing spiritualities and non-spiritual philosophies surrounding our young family. My wife and I had experienced an eye-opening, and unsettling, tour of the mormon church's HQ in Utah. I had also been frustrated and embarrassed by my inability to converse intelligently with Jehovah Witnesses and even Christian evangelists who knocked on our six-paneled front door. I didn't know exactly what I believed, or "should" believe about Jesus. I was woefully unchurched, having attended church regularly for over 25 years.

But God made up for lost ground, with a flourish. And it all started with reading His inspired and revealed words in the bible. It turned my life upside down and nothing has ever been the same - for which I will be eternally grateful. Quite literally.

After all these years spent with my favorite book, I can recite quite a few of the most commonly referenced verses by memory. Others are starting to fade a bit, but I can triangulate the book or chapter and track them down. "Its somewhere in Matthew 24, I think."
For all the rest, there are word searches with my iPad app or....with Google!
That's right, you can no longer say, "I wish I knew my bible better," and let somebody do the heavy lifting. Just type it into your computer or tablet browser. Or download a bible app like Tecarta.
http://www.biblegateway.com
http://biblehub.com

As easy as it is now to find a bible - a Gideon pocket bible, a hotel version, or online browser -  there are still two camps of people who make the "I don't know where the particular bible verse is," statement.
One group is sincere, despite being without plausible reasons. It would be more accurate to say, "I'm really not motivated enough to actually track down where the verse and context might be."  Or, "I'm content enough to know some reference is there without having to see it."  Fair enough.  True enough.

The other group is less genuine - with a side agenda to let general bible references serve their own purpose, but without actually seeking the truth.  These are people who point out that the "bible says not to judge anyone," or "plenty of people have used the bible to say that slavery is acceptable." But will quickly change the subject if you offer to crack open a bible and discuss the details.

I spent many years listening to - and offering up - countless versions of both conversations.
Then I simply read the bible for myself. And everything changed.

2Tim 3:16
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

What do you believe?