This morning I woke thinking of simple scriptural truths about temptation and felt a need to go refresh myself in them (What was unusual is that I’m not especially tempted right now so those moments always poke a ‘heads-up’ sort of response from me. You know, a quick look around just in case).
Sure enough, as I thoughtfully began to read, I encountered old truth in new light. I thought ‘I’ve never seen that. I didn’t know that. Hmmmm when was the last time I sat down and just read James to read James?’ I said further ‘Lord, I can’t even live up fully to what I think I know from Paul’s epistles…or the gospels. I can’t even keep myself perfectly oriented on all the truths I’ve worked so hard to build into me and others for your Church’s sake. How will I ever get all of this in proper order?’
It was such an amazing (look it up) moment it required me in my stuck spot to put my Bible down and go make another cup of coffee. When I came back and sat down,I heard within:
‘One needs a working knowledge and understanding of my Script as an entity communicated in it’s fullness.
In that though, you must remember that the Book was written in and for good times and bad- it contains crisis, disasters near and averted, and was written by men and women who did not have the book or the fullness of it’s knowledge in their time or at their disposal. It was written ‘in part’ because they only saw ‘in part.’ They only needed to see in part in order to communicate the moment in which they lived or which they saw.
If a person knew it all, evenly, he still wouldn’t know which or what part to apply simply because he knew it. It’s not possible for you to contain all of the knowledge in the book any more than it was possible for those who wrote it. One at a time they wrote it, over life-times, ultimately over centuries, unaware of what the time coming after them would exactly look like. They were people just like you. People trying to hear, to understand and make my Wisdom clear to the others in their world. If you could know them, you’d be surprised at how much you held in common.
Without excluding any part of the Book of Truth(s), without disregarding another’s message of truth, rely on the True Author and Teacher to take you on your own, personally designed, course of education. That’s the knowledge and wisdom that will enable you and those around you to flourish.
Do stay sensitive to divine diversions though. Take a different course now and again but always know that it’s shining light will bring you back to your own familiar, and increasingly treasured singular pathway…’
Hmmmmm. I’m going to go back and finish James now. At least the first chapter anyway.