You ever felt the need for speed in Bible study. You are working through your study, be it a fill in the blank or independent study and you are running out of time. You have to finish, the pressure’s on, so you begin to push yourself to finish. After all you have to get done…
Why?
We do not want to be embarrassed, at least I don’t, by showing up unprepared. Now that is a great reason to rush a study… Do not want to look bad (take a peek at Galatians 1:10).
Tomorrow morning I meet with three men whom I have known for about a collective 120 years. They are some of the better Bible students I know. I may have an advanced degree in theology, but when they are sharing what they see in the scripture, I am taking notes. Sure do not want to show up unprepared for those men.
Why?
Ditto above…
We are in Hebrews 2 tomorrow morning. I was sick most of the time from last Thursday until today so I have not spent a lot of time in prep. This morning I had an early meeting and then took my car in to get fixed. I had another meeting at 11 at a coffee shop so rather than go home I went to the coffee shop, donned my noise canceling headphones and dug in to Hebrews 2. Three hours later I was on verse 3.
What? At that pace I will finish Hebrews 2 sometime around, looking at my schedule, 9 PM tomorrow night. Got to speed up! Right! Normally that is my response. But not today. I was having so much fun and seeing so much in those three verses that frankly I did not care if I finished or not. Frankly, I don’t think I scratched the surface in those three hours.
The Lord showed me much about Himself in those three verses. It made me reflect on the times I succumbed to the pressure to finish. I wonder what riches I have missed by not taking the time to listen, to linger, to ask about what He really wants me to see.
So my learning this morning – actually it was a reinforcement of an older lesson – do not succumb to the pressure to rush. It is much more important for me to see what the Lord wants me to see, than it is for me to “finish” the study.
Why?
Tomorrow morning I meet with three men whom I have known for about a collective 120 years. They are some of the better Bible students I know. I may have an advanced degree in theology, but when they are sharing what they see in the scripture, I am taking notes. Sure do not want to show up unprepared for those men.
Why?
Ditto above…
We are in Hebrews 2 tomorrow morning. I was sick most of the time from last Thursday until today so I have not spent a lot of time in prep. This morning I had an early meeting and then took my car in to get fixed. I had another meeting at 11 at a coffee shop so rather than go home I went to the coffee shop, donned my noise canceling headphones and dug in to Hebrews 2. Three hours later I was on verse 3.
What? At that pace I will finish Hebrews 2 sometime around, looking at my schedule, 9 PM tomorrow night. Got to speed up! Right! Normally that is my response. But not today. I was having so much fun and seeing so much in those three verses that frankly I did not care if I finished or not. Frankly, I don’t think I scratched the surface in those three hours.
The Lord showed me much about Himself in those three verses. It made me reflect on the times I succumbed to the pressure to finish. I wonder what riches I have missed by not taking the time to listen, to linger, to ask about what He really wants me to see.
So my learning this morning – actually it was a reinforcement of an older lesson – do not succumb to the pressure to rush. It is much more important for me to see what the Lord wants me to see, than it is for me to “finish” the study.
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