So in trying to attain more of God, I am reading "Biblical Exegesis" by John Piper. It is good. It is not always easy, but it is aiding me in my understanding of scripture. I always find it interesting when people who rarely read their bible try to give their own "account" of what a verse, passage, or book truly means. I want to know the Truth. I will get more of It by knowing what the Word really says. The preface of "Biblical Exegesis" is interesting to me.
"John Wesley once said, 'I have thought I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God, just hovering over the great gulf, till a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into a unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing---the way to heaven, how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that Book at any price, give me the Book of God!'
This Book has been costly. Martyrs wrote it and others have suffered intensely for their faithfulness to it. The book has been preserved and passed down through painstaking efforts. It has been translated into the vernacular of thousands of peoples, sometimes at the costs of life, not to mention time, energy and money.
This Book is a 'treasure chest of holy joy'. It is from this Book that we learn what the apostles taught concerning the ultimate sacrifice of the Son of God. It's from this Book that we learn about the supremacy of God in all things. It is from this Book that we learn about what our sovereign and good Father requires of us, His dependent children...
Because the Bible alone is the inerrant, infallible authority for what we are to believe about God and how He wants us to live, it is no surprise that we bring a lot of baggage to the text. By nature, we don't like the thought of absolute authority residing in anyone outside of ourselves. What if God commands me to do something I don't want to do? Or, what if He portrays Himself in a way that differs from the way I think He should be? This would lead to a tremendous pressure to import our own meanings into the text rather than content ourselves with the author's intended meaning wherever it leads us.
Thus, we need three things to be careful interpreters of the Word of God. First, we must admit that we need help and that we will die without it. Left to ourselves, and our own unaided human reason, we-are-hopeless. We need revelation from above. Our eternal life hangs on this! Secondly, we need faith in the sovereign goodness of the Author. This faith not only frees us to go where the Bible leads us, but it impels us to go where the Bible leads us. Thirdly, we need to learn how to read with the kind of care that corresponds to the preciousness of the Book."
I know that was long, but for me it was really revealing. The Word of God is in my home, sits in many places in this house. Sometimes unopened for days. A precious treasure here for me to find. I pray I treat it as such. My precious Treasure, may I find more of You!
Neal and Cindy, our awesome new neighbors!
Doug and David...a little too close for David's comfort!
Stephanie and me. Stephanie you are amazing and I am so thankful you put this day together for us!
Chris and David...we can't wait to be neighbors to the Praters!!
Beautiful Jennifer and Jessica
Sweet fun.
So excited I think she is gonna burst!
Emma and Jacob's new friend.
The look on his face is just funny to me!
Emma's Birthday Blessing
