Once upon a time, my thought processes were influenced by parental guidance, formal education, life experiences, and choices. These formed the lens or paradigm through which I viewed life. My thinking is now being challenged. It can be uncomfortable, even jarring to be pushed from the established ruts running throughout my brain.
At present, a craving has risen in me for reading classic Christian literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In part, this was spawned by adding audiobooks to my reading list. I’m reading or listening to great teachers like Oswald Chambers, C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Dwight L. Moody, Andrew Murray, and others. Through their writings, I’m being summoned to rethink biblical truths outside my customary perceptions.
The first jolt out of my well-worn rut occurred when I took a class “How to Study Your Bible” it rattled all my years of Sunday School lessons and sermons heard from the pulpit; followed by reading through the Bible in chronological order. By means of these events, I began to see God as never before. There were times I felt as if I didn’t know Him at all. I questioned as Paul did at his conversion, “Who are You, Lord?”
God is still answering and revealing Himself to me. This week, I got a fresh glimpse of God’s majesty in some of my readings:
“Waiting for the vision that tarries is the test of our loyalty to God. It is at the peril of our soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical work and miss the fulfillment of the vision.” — Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
I can easily get sidetracked by “practical work” but I don’t want to miss the fulfillment of God’s vision, plan, or purpose for life becoming distracted by duties like Martha (Luke 10:38-42).
Another God-sighting came through an author’s comments about the familiar scripture, “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3, ESV).
“ ‘Magnify’ may mean one of two things: ‘make it look bigger than it is,’ or ‘see it as big as it is.’ The latter is what ‘magnify’ means as the psalmist used it.
If you want to examine a very small amount of matter, you put it under a microscope and magnify it to make it look bigger than it is. But it is impossible to make God look bigger than He is. When we say ‘Magnify the Lord,’ we mean try to see God somewhere near as big as He is.” — A.W. Tozer, The Attributes of God
Dear Reader, are you aware of your inclinations to Scripture interpretation? Are you willing to let God change established mindsets? Creating a god of our own liking by a long-held bias is idolatry.
Prayer:
Dear Father God, You are highly exalted and worthy of all adoration and praise. There is none like You. I cannot give You anything that You have not first given me. If I give you time, it first comes from You the creator of time. If I give You gifts from my treasures, they are benefactions first received from You. If I give You a song, it’s because You gave me life and a voice to sing. If I offer to yield myself to You, that too can only be done because You first gave humanity free will—the option to choose. LORD, I choose You. Help me, LORD, I know I will fall and fail. I need You and want to know You. Thank You for revealing Yourself to those who seek You. Amen.
Author Bio
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, grandmother, great-grandmother, foster care parent, and trauma survivor. I enjoy sipping tea, writing devotionals, prayers, short stories, and unburdening my heart to the Lord. Check the About page if you want to read more of my story.
Would you like to know more about the afterlife and how you can be assured of eternity in Heaven? Check the Questions page.
Check the Free Gifts page for downloadable/printable study guides and resources.
Copyright © 2020-2023 Musings of Manette Kay™ All rights reserved. Requests to the author and publisher, Manette Kay, for permission.
Graphic illustration of ancient blind boys by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.
musingsofmanettekay.com 
Excellent. 👍
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Being open to God’s continuous leading and teaching is not easy. All too often we can fall into the world’s trap of thinking that we have things all under control…that we know it. How wrong we would be to believe so! Lately I have read the R.A. Torrey book “How To Study The Bible For Greatest Profit” which blew my mind big time; it showed me my weaknesses in true study of God’s Word.
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Alan, it sounds like we had a similar experience. I told a friend I felt as if I were back to pre-school in regard to my knowledge of the Bible. The great news is God is infinite, immutable thus we have all our earthly years plus all eternity to get to know Him.
Thanks, for mentioning the book that you read. Yehovah bless you.
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I never understood Magnify the Lord as seeing him for as big as he is. I too can get busy with practical stuff Manette. It is not the easiest thing to unlearn a certain way of thinking or understanding.
Blessings Manette 💙💐
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Manu, I’m in good company and not alone in my ignorance. Once, I began to “see” what I hadn’t before, the evil accussor began to whisper the lie, “you’re so stupid. . .”
I love the illustration at the top. None of the blind boys describing the elephant were completely wrong. But neither were their descriptions of a big elephant right, because each was “seeing” only a small portion. They were missing the overall grand view in it’s entirety. This parallels a believers knowledge of our BIG infinite God. Yehovah bless you.
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What a blessing to be given a lifetime and all of eternity to get to know our Creator!
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Yes, the greatest gift we can ever receive! Yehovah bless you, Mama Lava.
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Amen.
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Thanks for reading, Robert. Yehovah bless you.
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One thing I enjoy most about the authors that you have listed is that when I read their works I stand amazed at its timelessness. Often I find myself flipping to the front to check the copyright as what they wrote applies today as if the author had just penned it yesterday. For me that is the seal that their writing aligns to Biblical truth. As the Word says, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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Well said, Beth, I agree. Yehovah bless you.
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You’re a poster child for remaining child-like in your faith, Manette: teachable and eager to learn! I too greatly appreciate the authors of the past. Including the ones you mentioned, I’ve been influenced by Charles Spurgeon, L. B. Cowman, Elisabeth Elliot, J. I. Packer, and more. Isn’t it a glorious realization that we’ll never run out of inspirational reading!
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Awe, what a kind thing to say. I’m familiar with Charles Spurgeon and Elisabeth Elliot but I need to add Cowman and Packer to my list of future reads. Thanks for sharing, Nancy. Yehovah bless you.
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