God’s faithfulness
September 1st, 2005 by boon
It’s been awhile since I’ve done an inductive bible study. We used to do it all the time during my college days, and I remember it being really refreshing because God really did speak to us at each and every meeting. Sadly, over the years, I’ve begun to lapse in this area, to the point of thinking that I would draw no real benefit from diving deep into the Scriptures.
Well, I just have to praise God for a wife’s rebuke. Husbands, if you don’t know how to turn your wife’s rebuke into something positive, you’re really missing out. And it really was hard to swallow the fact that I had not been leading us as a spiritual head as I should. But I’m glad that I made a choice to study the word together and get to know God again from the bible.
So this week, we decided to start an inductive bible study on Mark. Taking about 8 to 10 verses a day, we would just spend time studying the Scriptures and trying to go beyond our common understanding of those gospel stories we had been so used to hearing and reading about over and over again. It was a really great thing to know that God’s Word continues to be fresh as ever, even though we had read the passage again and again so many times. It just showed us that the Spirit was present and ministering to us.
For example, the first passage we did really taught me about how repentance and forgiveness were essential to the message of the gospel, and not just salvation alone. And it was that turning back to God that made the gospel such a celebration, because this time God was there to receive us forever. It takes two hands to clap.
Anyway, it just feels a lot better now that we have committed to a time in the Word. And experiencing that the time spent was worth more than other things we would have used that time for was almost a reward in and of itself. It wasn’t flashes of lightning, nor was it a great revelation, but the steady faithfulness of the Lord that kept me wanting to come back, to keep going back to his Word.
So, God… I just want to thank you, for faithfully showing yourself to us during those bible studies, revealing to us who you are through those words. Yeah… I guess I know it’s a lot better than big flashy lightning zaps or outrageous signs… though you do those things as well sometimes.