My daughter and I made a long drive into the county and got lost a couple of days ago. We were trying to find a gentleman who was selling one of his cars. My daughter was in serious need of a reliable car. We did at last find the man’s house, haggled over and eventually agreed on a price, and closed the deal. Having done so, the man disappeared into the house to get the car’s title. It took him quite a while to do so, and while he was gone, we peeked into his workshop. We were rather taken aback by what we saw.
This man has a gift for making beautiful things out of wood. We saw beautiful, ornate, unfinished wooden columns, detailed archways, fireplace mantles, frames. All of it was precision built, with great attention given to every detail. When the man returned with the title, we confessed our trespass, complimented his work, and asked if this is what he does for a living. He informed us that he is a security guard, and the woodworking is just something he does as a hobby, simply for the love of it.
I could never even attempt to build something as beautiful as what this man builds. For me, it would be an exercise in frustration. No doubt it is work for this man, but he is working at something he loves. My youngest son coaches soccer professionally. It is work, but it is something he loves doing, so he studies, it, practices it, refines his craft, improves steadily over time.
I’m working on a series of articles on Bible Study Basics. So many people are fearful of engaging in Bible study because, like me with woodworking, it’s an exercise in frustration. My hope, with these articles, is to shed some light on how to approach the Bible so that reading and studying can be fun, exhilarating, something to look forward to rather than dread.
The Bible is bursting with expressions of God’s love for us. It is sweet honey to be savored and energized by. It is food for your soul. We must learn to approach the study of God’s word with the same love wood-crafter has for his art.
The Bible Study Basics articles are still in work, and at the time of this writing, the first draft of the first article is posted. Others will follow, and they will be refined over time.
You can find them here: https://www.damonjgray.org/Extras.aspx
Victoriously in Christ!
– damon
By commenting, you agree to the Long-View Living Comment Policy.