exegesis!?!

I am now a Grad Student. I love every thing about the program and I am already learning new insights and techniques for my study of God's word. It is a thrill to be excited about school again.

One of the things I am learning again is Exegesis. This is not new to me. Exegesis is "the careful historical, literary, and theological analysis of a text." (Elements of Biblical Exegesis by Michael J. Gorman pg. 10.) I learned this as an undergrad. In fact, I had to use these techniques in most of my bible classes. Yet, this time it is different. I am older. I am not in a hurry to get-r-done. I am also at a point that I want to learn and can take the time to absorb the concepts. Being a graduate is different and exhilarating.

I wonder how many of us (Christ-followers) forget the adjective "careful" in our study of God's word. Just this morning I was in a discussion of how God desires us to come to Him and then to be a light to the world around us. The point was that our approach is to leave everything behind and peal away all that we are so all that is left is God. Yet, I don't see this as a biblical concept. The reality is that God desires us to come as we are....with all our baggage, all our emotions, all our hopes and dreams, all of everything that we have. He just says...maybe even pleads, "Come."

Our lack of careful study takes the reader to a place that separates us from the truth. The example above is one of those moments when the cultural thing is to leave everything behind and make our only focus on Jesus in worship. Yes, Jesus is to be our sole focus in worship, yet Jesus never intended us to check our life at the door when we decide to declare His worth in our lives. In contrast, Jesus fully calls for us to bring all our "stuff" with us. That "stuff" defines who we are and allowing Jesus to work through our lives defines our relationship with our Friend and Savior. When our lives are present with us in worship, He is able to address the problems in our lives and celebrate the successes our lives.

In Matthew 11:30 Jesus states, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." It is our task to study His word carefully and allow for His love to bring us to new abundance in life. Take the tools of good exegesis and make them a habit. He is a God that lifts our burdens and shares in our life experience. May we never forget this truth and may we never get so complacent that we take Him for granted.

You know I love ya, Don