Even though God knows us better than we know ourselves – from our deepest longings to our greatest heartbreaks – he tells us to present our requests to him. I think now of the many times that his loving hand was on my life. Times he shielded me from things that I could not yet see (or possibly ever would).
In those times in particular, I’ve seen God as a Father…
Gil Moreno works as the International Coordinator for the Americas with the ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing; serving the poor and non-literate of Latin America and the Caribbean. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical Studies and a Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty University.
The idea of having rules for interpreting the Bible might seem offensive to some. Most of us don’t like rules that restrict our freedoms. We value independence. Of course we like certain rules that promote safety such as are displayed on road signs which warn us of upcoming danger; rules that promote order, security and the general well-being of the public. So maybe it’s not that we are against rules, just certain kinds of rules. With this in mind, we can proceed to the subject of Rules of Interpretation. From where did these rules come from? They were not so much created as they were discovered and observed. For many centuries, certain observations in the realm of interpretation have been made.
Let’s look at three of these rules as they apply to Biblical interpretation.
If you had to describe yourself using just 5 words, what would they be? Better yet, if I asked people who knew you, what would they say?
A few years ago I turned 40 and was telling a friend how good it felt. How it really seemed to be true what they say, you kind of “come into yourself” and don’t care so much about what people think about you. Her response was the following anecdote. Funny…and also, by and large, true. At least I think so…
She said: “When you’re 20 you worry about what other people think about you. When you’re 40 you don’t care what other people think about you. When you’re 60 you realize…other people AREN’T thinking about you!”* Interesting perspective…egocentric beings that we are.
*Thanks for the insight, Jeni! Hope I didn’t botch it too bad!
So, despite that fun little pearl of wisdom, what I’m wondering today is this: even if no one’s thinking about us (in the self-absorbed way we tend to view our teeny little existence in the world), how do we ultimately want to be perceived by our fellow inhabitants of planet earth? What kind of legacy do we want our lives to leave? How would we want people to describe what we represent? Think like this: “You’ve just got to meet ‘X’ (that’s YOU!). He/She is…”
