The musings of Peter

A friend of mine recently joined a Bible study. She asked me for some help in understanding the passage and the groups direction. So I sat down to help her and looked through the course materials. They were reading and studying the opening 18 lines of Joshua.

You can study the bible from many perspectives. Historical, literal, spiritual and many others. You can read it in its original form and than try and understand the different interpretations. For example…Do courage and bravery, which were translated from the same Aramaic word into Greek and now into English hold the same meaning? Or can i just flip the bible open and read the verse in front of me, assuming that God inspired me to open to this very spot and that the words would hold meaning for me, at that moment?

To me, anything is possible. I have studied the Bible from all types of angles and I have randomly opened it looking for a God moment of inspiration. After all is the word of God, inspired by God, filled with wisdom. Like most of us, if the inspiration isn’t what I was looking for, I can always open it again. That is really the issue.

We lead with our heart. If our heart is looking to know love and serve God, than the Bible is a treasure trove spanning centuries of detailed accounts of how God interacted with us humans. We can see His love, His frustrations, His caring, His commitment. We can see how He reacts to all sorts of situations. From that we can draw inspiration, gain wisdom and understanding. Find peace.

To those who tell me that you only do things that you find in the Bible… you will have a confusing life. The old Testament was put together over centuries. Early adherents who worshipped the God of Abraham only had the story up to Abraham. After Moses more was put together. The early Christian Church didn’t have the Gospels for a hundred years, they had the letters from Paul before that. In fact the new testament wasn’t put into the form we see today for 300+ years after Jesus walked the earth. During that time, they developed other customs, like the Eucharist, Easter, Baptism, Confession, and many others. They did that without the Bible that you hold in your hands. So if you think that the early Christians, who were persecuted and martyred, were inspired by the Bible you would be wrong.

The Bible is there as a tool to help us know and love God. When it becomes a hindrance to that, it is being used improperly. When used properly it is a source of hope. It brings peace. It build our Faith. Our understanding and appreciation for God. When it is used properly you will see a difference in your everyday life. You will join your story to the story of Creation and your life will be an inspiration to the those around you. They will be able to read the Bible, and understand why you have the Faith that you do and why you act like you do.

The best place to start? Buy a Bible and read the Gospel of John.