11.20.2008

The Glass is only half full:

This past Tuesday marked the ending of a very enjoyable, educational, and challenging Bible Study. The book was Jeremiah, and Dr. Glen Schaefer plowed through it. For those of you who don't know Dr. Schaefer, let me sum him up by saying he's the real deal. Not only has he been an Old Testament Bible teacher for Simpson college since the first world war (mild exaggeration for dramatic purposes), he also helped translate The New King James Version of the Bible. The proof's in the pudding. "Dr. Schaefer's the Real Deal!" Simply put, the guy knows what he's talking about.
That Said, the past 8 weeks has been an exhaustive discussion: We've Discussed the historical background of the times and setting of which during Jeremiah, who arguably may have used his scribe Baruch, wrote and recorded his accounts. We've looked at God's relationship with the isrealites,during this specific time and his Love/Frustrated relationship with them. Babylonian Exile, Destruction of Solomon's Temple, and so on and so forth. Etc, Etc. I've learned more than I can remember...
The greatest thing I learned is that I don't know half of what Dr. Schaefer knows. Granted he has a many more year of walking this green earth under his belt, but there's nothing different about him. He doesn't have an inside track with God or the Bible. He's an ordinary man with an ordinary background. 10 fingers 10 toes. It's a humbling and challenging relationship. For me I can only think to myself that I'm mildly embarassed to know so little when I have all of this information at my fingertips. I don't lack the brain power, or the capability to learn, I simply lack the drive.
The Challenge: Do I lack the Drive to know my God, who sent his son to pay the ransom for our sin. Do I think I know enough about the intricacies of God's Holy Scripture/Word/Bible that he freely has given us. I can read...
It's humbling every time I get the reality checks that remind me I don't have it all figured out and I don't know everything.
My Goal: is to know God more. I need and want to study The Bible much more earnestly than I ever have. I really want to take Bible/Theology classes.
This may be too much of a rambling... If you didn't even make it here (the end) I apologize. But I think it's super important for those of us who are Christians to know where we're coming from, and why we think and believe all the different stuff that we do.

4 comments:

noah! said...

nice. i get frustrated with where i'm at spiritually a lot and then realize that its because i don't put any effort into it. like spiritual enlightenment is just going to come down from a magical cloud. no, its not. i spend practically no time in the Word and it's one of the most engaging pieces of literature ever written. how bizarre.

scott J tyler said...

Absolutely. Isn't their an old adage that goes something like "the more you know the more you realize you don't know." I think the first step to acquiring great knowledge or rather, becoming a lifetime learner (especially when it comes to God) is being violently awakened to the fact that you know nothing.

Lauren said...

i find comfort in not knowing all there is to know. after all, what kind of God would he be if he revealed everything there was to know...

JUAN said...

Amen!