God (probably) didn’t give you a verse

They say all who wander are not lost. Well, I am.

Of all the nonsense I embody, none is more profound than my non-sense of direction.

I can get lost in the WalMart parking lot.

Part of my dad’s manly prowess as a hunter is the fact that you could drop him in the middle of the Yukon wearing nothing but boxer shorts and tennis shoes, and he’d walk to a McDonalds in a matter of hours with a dead moose in tow.

Drop me in the middle of the 20 acre wood plot across from my suburban neighborhood and I will never be heard from again.

True story. Several years ago I was hunting on a wooded hillside in Pennsylvania State Game Lands about 5 miles from my house. I technically knew “where I was” but not exactly “where I was” if you know what I mean. I was forced to call my wife from my “lost” position in the woods and tell her I would be home late because I was (kinda…) lost.

To make matters worse, my young son was with me and followed me circuitously throughout the forest, looking at me as if to say, “It must be embarrassing to be you…”

Sometimes, I’m surprised he still calls me “Dad.”

After several hours of this, we reached the road and (eventually) the car.

There have been times—a recent spring turkey hunt comes to mind—when I thought I was lost, but suddenly recognized my surroundings and realized, “this is where I want to be!” What a great feeling. A great feeling, but not much of a “found” strategy: “Keep walking until you recognize your surroundings.”

I’ve been thinking about how this serendipitous sort of “finding” creeps into the way we sometimes study the Bible. I recently read this article and was challenged by the authors opening words. “The purpose of reading the Bible is not self-fulfillment, although that’s an easy trap to fall into. There are some questions we can ask ourselves as we read Scripture to make sure we are reading for the right reasons.”

He goes on to share these questions which I’ll include at the end. His words here are needed. While we might not actually open the Bible randomly, plant our index finger on a verse and claim it from God, we often do search and apply the Scriptures that way.

This morning I was with a group of men and we discussed this; beginning with what the author means by “reading for self-fulfillment.” I think it describes the verses we pick and choose to apply because they make us happy. Perhaps we deduce a meaning that meets our need without qualification. One brother noted his fear of any word that begins with “self.” It often means we’re on the wrong track. Indeed.

I loved @JohnPiper’s tweet on January 14: “Only God is more valuable than the Word of God.” Yes…

Which means, that God’s “value” is at stake in our journey through the Scriptures. Beware of your haphazard and (worse) self-centered meander through the holy text.

When you “tiptoe through the truth” and your foot comes down on some warm and therefore assumed  "takeaway from God," make sure it’s not just a verse you gave yourself.

Here are the suggested questions from the article:

1. What does this passage teach about God?

2. What attributes are on display?

3. What work is God doing?

4. How does the biblical author point us to God in this text?

5. Even though God may not be explicitly mentioned in this text, how is he at work in what is happening? How is he directing "behind the scenes?"

6. How does this passage either reveal or reflect the glory of God?

7. Does this passage over any models of those who miss the point by not seeing God at work and by not focusing on his glory?

8. Does this passage over any models of those who get the point?

9. What can I learn from these negative and positive models?

10. What does this text teach me about my own pursuits and agendas?

11. What selfish ambitions and pursuits do I need to repent of in light of what I just read in God's Word?

12. What have I learned from this text that helps me keep God and his glory at the center of my life?