excerpts from Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton ...............
This was the beginning of my life in Christian ministry, a life of studying, teaching, applying Scripture, and it was deeply satisfying.
To a point.
You see, something else was happening that was very subtle. Somewhere along the way I figured out that you could get really good at studying and memorizing verses, filling in the blanks of Bible study guides, checking chapters off a reading list, coming up with creative approaches for Bible study and message preparation. In my circles, you could get major brownie points for such things. Although I wouldn't have known how to talk about it then, slowly but surely the Scriptures were becoming a place of human striving and intellectual hard work. Somehow, I had fallen into a pattern of using the Scriptures as a tool to accomplish utilitarian purposes rather than experiencing them primarily as a place of intimacy with God for my own soul's sake.
And somewhere along the way I got tired. Very tired. When I was alone with the Scriptures, they began to feel lifeless and boring, irrelevant and obligatory. When I was with the Scriptures with others - in Bible studies, listening to sermons, reading books and commentaries - the Scripture felt ponderous, like a tool people were using to rein me in, or tell me what to do, or coerce me into their way of thinking.
This kind of admission doesn't go over very well in your average church setting or small group Bible study, but it was true nonetheless. The real surprise was not that this happened but the fact that the shift was so subtle. After all, the purposes for which I was using the Scriptures were not bad in and of themselves. Its just that over time, without my awareness, those purposes had trumped the greater purpose for which the Scriptures have been given: to allow my own heart and soul to be penetrated by an intimate word from God. My mind remained engaged, but my heart and soul had drifted far away.
Many of us approach the Scriptures more like a textbook than like a love letter.
When we engage the Scriptures for spiritual transformation .................. we open ourselves to a deeper level of understanding and insight that grows out of and leads us deeper into our personal relationship with the One behind the text.
When we engage the Scriptures for spiritual transformation, we make it our top priority to listen to God relationally rather than seeking only to learn more about God cognitively.
Then, as God speaks to us through Scripture, we respond to what we read with our heart and soul rather than just our intellect.
In addition to asking, What does it say? What does it mean? How do I apply it to my life? we might ask:
How do I feel about what is being said? Where do I find myself resonating deeply? Why do I feel this way? What do my reactions tell me about myself - my attitudes, my relating patterns, my perspectives, my behaviors? Am I willing to look at that in God's presence?
This was the beginning of my life in Christian ministry, a life of studying, teaching, applying Scripture, and it was deeply satisfying.
To a point.
You see, something else was happening that was very subtle. Somewhere along the way I figured out that you could get really good at studying and memorizing verses, filling in the blanks of Bible study guides, checking chapters off a reading list, coming up with creative approaches for Bible study and message preparation. In my circles, you could get major brownie points for such things. Although I wouldn't have known how to talk about it then, slowly but surely the Scriptures were becoming a place of human striving and intellectual hard work. Somehow, I had fallen into a pattern of using the Scriptures as a tool to accomplish utilitarian purposes rather than experiencing them primarily as a place of intimacy with God for my own soul's sake.
And somewhere along the way I got tired. Very tired. When I was alone with the Scriptures, they began to feel lifeless and boring, irrelevant and obligatory. When I was with the Scriptures with others - in Bible studies, listening to sermons, reading books and commentaries - the Scripture felt ponderous, like a tool people were using to rein me in, or tell me what to do, or coerce me into their way of thinking.
This kind of admission doesn't go over very well in your average church setting or small group Bible study, but it was true nonetheless. The real surprise was not that this happened but the fact that the shift was so subtle. After all, the purposes for which I was using the Scriptures were not bad in and of themselves. Its just that over time, without my awareness, those purposes had trumped the greater purpose for which the Scriptures have been given: to allow my own heart and soul to be penetrated by an intimate word from God. My mind remained engaged, but my heart and soul had drifted far away.
Many of us approach the Scriptures more like a textbook than like a love letter.
When we engage the Scriptures for spiritual transformation .................. we open ourselves to a deeper level of understanding and insight that grows out of and leads us deeper into our personal relationship with the One behind the text.
When we engage the Scriptures for spiritual transformation, we make it our top priority to listen to God relationally rather than seeking only to learn more about God cognitively.
Then, as God speaks to us through Scripture, we respond to what we read with our heart and soul rather than just our intellect.
In addition to asking, What does it say? What does it mean? How do I apply it to my life? we might ask:
How do I feel about what is being said? Where do I find myself resonating deeply? Why do I feel this way? What do my reactions tell me about myself - my attitudes, my relating patterns, my perspectives, my behaviors? Am I willing to look at that in God's presence?
Very familiar with that book and love the insight. Thanks for sharing!
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