Last night, as I set in our den with my wife, I was suddenly aware that I felt a great joy in my heart and mind. As I reflected on that sense of joy this morning, I speculated that it was God's way of letting me know that I was on the right path, and in my morning prayers I asked God to lead me to the truth about that feeling of joy.
The scripture reading for this morning was full of seeming contradictions, and I prayed about that, too. I believe that God is leading me to a way of understanding the scriptures that I am reading and about the Bible in general. Here is where I am right now: I believe that we are spending too much time debating, wondering, discussing, arguing about the contents of the Bible. I believe that we are taking much of the Bible way too literally. I believe that we need to start looking at the underlying meanings and reasons for some of the most controversial parts of the Bible rather than trying to explain away the Bible's inconsistencies. I believe that we need to allow God to write the Scriptures in and on our hearts rather than skimming the surface content of the written Word. I hasten to say that this is where I am now; these are not fixed conclusions. I am waiting for God to lead me to the truth, and my perceptions now may or may not be "the truth."
If God is a spirit, then we must truly worship him in spirit and in truth. The worship of the Bible cannot be a substitute for sensitivity to the spirit of God in us. The Bible is a source but God is the Teacher, and only the spirit's leading can teach us how to use the Bible as God intended and find its message for each of us individually and collectively.
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