Series: Inspired Word of God
Romans 15:4 ESV
When I was twenty I read somewhere that there are great benefits to memorizing scripture.
I thought about making a list and memorizing the scriptures on that list but I wasn’t very consistent about it.
Life was really crazy in those days because my children were small and I was pregnant (a lot). While we did have a lot of fun, it wasn’t usually quiet fun. We were (are) a noisy rowdy bunch!
Then about that time there was a series of movies that came out about the rapture and the tribulation. Those movies were a bit of a wake-up call for me. They made me think about what life in the future could be like.
Even though life where I lived didn’t change much, there were places that experienced different kinds of tribulation.
In Romans 15:4 Paul wrote, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
In many ways those movies made me re-think how I viewed scripture.
I eventually came to realize that owning my own Bible was one of the great privileges of my life.
It also made me wonder how previous generations viewed scripture, especially my dad. At the time I was living around 30 minutes away from my childhood home in Raytown, Missouri. Whenever I would visit my dad I would ask questions about scripture. I would pick his brain. I asked him everything I could think to ask, especially about the prophets in the Old Testament. He had studied scripture and especially the prophets and I wanted to know what he knew.
It’s hard (even for me today) to imagine but the internet was not available to everyone at that time.
There was no Google or Firefox.
Research was a painstaking task.
We did have books, and we had libraries and that’s primarily how we learned.
When I was twenty something I couldn’t even begin to imagine the tools that would be available later in life.
Since my da passed away in 1987 he did not really have any of the opportunities I would have at my disposal.
By the early 1990’s home computers were on the market. They were expensive and absolutely not portable, but we decided to invest in a computer for the home during that time.
My youngest son was born in 1983 and I remember thinking he would probably catch on quickly to the workings of the World Wide Web. I was correct.
As it turned out (thanks to the computer games that were available) my other children caught on very quickly as well. They caught on so quickly that they taught me how to do research online.
Today, it’s difficult for me to even remember what learning was like before we had the internet.
Suddenly, instruction and understanding about Biblical instruction from incredible source experts was readily available.
I don’t exactly remember when but when access was prevalent and portable, I switched to using a laptop when I studied.
We no longer needed a typewriter and typewriter ribbons. I still have one of my -older typewriters because I saved it so I could show my great-grandchildren what one looked like.
Studying scripture today is nothing like what I initially expected. Initially there were good resources but they were only available if you had a connection to the source. In other words if you graduated from a specific university you could use their online library.
The resources we have today are way beyond anything I could have imagined when we bought our first computer.
Today, if you can think of the question you have about a specific verse in scripture, you will get an answer.
Studying the original language scripture was written in is very do-able.
The amount of incredible resource material we have available is endless. We have open access to libraries and collections that we didn’t even know existed.
So, back to Romans 15:4. When I read the text I was suddenly struck by the words encouragement and hope.
For some strange reason I was instantly reminded and blessed to be living in ‘such a time as this’.
That’s when I remembered how my dad studied scripture sitting beside stacks of books.
I realized that one question and answer usually leads to another question and answer to another question and answer. I was encouraged that the Spirit of God is timeless and there is no end to God’s ability to be creative.
I was grateful that God gave and gives me tools that have been created and inspired by the divine.
In addition to that, I have hope that there is more to come.
I can’t imagine what the future of the study of scripture will mean, but I have hope that the generations that come after will see things I can’t even dream about.
I am reminded that God does know. God is a time traveler. God does NOT have limits.
Spiritual Practice: Be Thankful
Be thankful for what God has created and will create. Be inspired…
In God, Deborah
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