A week ago, we were hiking in Arches National Park. It's beautiful place, with miles and miles of sandstone formations sculpted by years of wind and rain. We didn't experience any rain, but we did get stung by the blowing sand. The rain comes in seasonal downpours and radically changes the landscape.

Here's a quick analogy:

• God sculpts and shapes us to be more and more like Christ.
• It's a long, ongoing process.
• To us, it may seem random and without a purpose but He has a plan.
• Sometimes it really stings. (Sometimes others get stung while He works on us.)
• In the right season, downpours come and reorder our lives.
• The results are a beautiful testimony to God's care and attention.

Unlike the sandstone, we have the ability to resist God's work in our lives. We rebel, and interfere, hindering the process, making it take even longer. Thankfully God keeps at it, determined to finish the job, just as He promised. (He who has begun a good work in you will complete it… Phil 1:6)

Why do you ask Me [My doctrine]?  John 18:21

Annas was searching for evidence of a hidden agenda, a secret motive, hypocrisy that was ripe for exposure. Jesus had none of those things. He taught with complete integrity. His public and private discourses were the same. He neither pulled punches with the outcasts of society nor with the pious religious establishment. His message was consistent, confrontational and convicting. And He lived what He taught. Even when He was hungry, tired, stressed or alone.

Like Annas, we hate that.

Too good to be TRUE
We dig for weasel words that allow us to self-justify. We hope for skeletons that indulge our self-righteousness. We want inconsistency that lets us off the hook. We want to be as good as Jesus, without having to "be" as good as Jesus.

Too good BUT true too
Jesus offers a trade. His righteous for ours. But only if we see our righteousness the way He does. That was His doctrine. Stop trying to be good enough. You can't. Stop weaseling, indulging, justifying.

Jesus doctrine – It is GOOD and it is TRUE

Something I’ve noticed in the course of reading and studying Scripture is how often God goes to extremes. By that I mean, when God says or does something, it is “all” or “none” or the “most” or the “least”. Paying attention to those little words are tremendous food for the soul when you study.

Try it on familiar verses like Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All of us are sinners. I cannot justify or excuse what I think or do. I am part of that ‘all’. All of us have rebelled and God laid the guilt, the consequences and the judgment on Jesus Christ. Not some, or even most. Every last one of us. No one is beyond the reach of Christ’s blood.

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” No evil. None. Not even the most terrifying, threatening, stomach-churning, heart-pounding evil. I will not fear it. That’s mighty big faith… but He’s a mighty big God who is there with rod and staff to comfort.

And one of my personal favorites- Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Middle of a sentence, I know, but I’m trying to stay focused here.) Worry about NOTHING. Pray about EVERYTHING. There are no exclusions. Worry and anxiety are a sign that we don’t believe God is in control. Of everything. Nothing has escaped His notice, and everything is part of His plan. But, none of our concerns are too small to bring Him. He is always ready and willing to hear our hearts.

So as you study and read this week, watch for extremes- all, nothing, everything, nothing, none, every…  and be assured that God never does anything halfway.

Welcome back to the blog and a new study tip. I think I have things in hand well enough to get back on schedule. Thank you for your patience!

Next time you begin a new study of a book of the Bible, sit down and read the book through in one sitting. (Okay, Genesis, Psalms, Jeremiah and some of the others may take more than one.) Don’t make any notes- just read it like you would any other pleasure book. Take the pressure off yourself to retain, or to analyze it. Just read it. This does two things for you. First, it makes Bible study less of a chore and more like enjoying time with your Father while you read this wonderful journal He left for you. Second, it gives you context for deeper study.

This quick, overview read is like a view from a helicopter. When you fly over an area, you get an idea of the topography, the roads or waterways, and the landmarks. In a quick read, you get the tone of the book – Job ’sounds’ different than Jeremiah. You also get the big themes and ideas. If you read the Kings, you see there were good kings and bad kings. In Leviticus, there’s a lot about offerings and feasts. In Luke, the Son of Man is on a mission. In Philippians, there is joy.

I admit, this is a tough one for me. I like the details, and I find myself easily pulled into a word by word examination. However, the overview is critical for a deeper understanding of Scripture, especially how the parts relate to the whole. It may help to read in a different translation than you typically use, especially for the narrative books like the Old Testament histories or Acts or even the Gospels.

Next week, we’ll try a ‘drive-by’ reading to follow the ‘fly-over’.

Yesterday, I finished reading The Giver, a Newbery winner from 1993, by Lois Lowry. I cannot wait to start discussing it in class! It’s a deep book with weighty themes. In fact, I’m shocked it’s a children’s book. There will probably be several posts about it in the coming days. The story is set in a tightly controlled society in the present or near future. Every facet of life is regulated by the Committee of the Elders. They choose your mates, your career, your children and even the day of your death (we find out later). In exchange for the regulation, people enjoy a safe, pleasurable life with no upsets. There is one elder, however, who carries within him the collective memories of the society throughout their history. He alone remembers pain, suffering, loneliness and grief. He is also the only one who knows true joy and love. A twelve year old boy is sent to train with him and eventually take the old man’s place. That’s the background.

The boy asks the old man why the community needs to remember pain and suffering. Wouldn’t they all be happier without it? The old man replies that the memories- which for him means reliving the events- bring wisdom. Proverbs in the sourcebook for wisdom, but one verse in particular 8:35 reads ‘For whoever finds [wisdom] finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.’ I admit, I don’t want pain or suffering. Most days, I don’t even want aggravation. But it’s the difficulties that make me depend on God’s grace, on His strength, not mine. It’s the suffering that allows me to become more Christlike, so I may know Him … and the fellowship of His sufferings. (Phil 3:10) Suffering and pain bring an intimacy into our relationship with Christ that cannot be achieved by any other means. And that realization is just a small sliver of wisdom.