Getting into the Word

Had a great discussion with my girlfriend yesterday.  Really love that woman.   She's one of my dear friends who will prompt, push and challenge me.

In our discussion she gently inquired into my relationship with the Word of God.  Now I love the Word.  I quote it all the time in my writing and certainly have had a lot revealed to me through the Word.  But I've resisted studying the Word for a couple reasons.

One: Just reading the bible, as anyone can attest, can be dang boring.   I'm more interested in studying it.

Two: I have a study bible, and it's a great one from Chuck Swindell but I want the Word from God, not as translated by man, even such a recognized one.    To extrapolate - my concern was getting caught up in some religious doctrain and dogma instead of just building a personal relationship with God.

Three:  At one point, for a while, when the Holy Spirit was particularly strong on me, I was able to read and receive so deeply from the Word.  Layer after layer after layer in each word of scripture.  In comparison, reading it now makes me feel like an idiot as I don't have that same intuitive depth.   I wish I could always recieve like that but that's not intended in this life I don't think.   I also wish I had written every revelation down, as now so much of it is lost to memory.   Regardless, 'it's never done', I will never stop learning, not in this life or what lies beyond.  So this is a somewhat silly, if prevelant feeling.   I only need to receive for where I am today, and accept more will be revealed tomorrow.   Also, I've realized, the more I pour out, the more I'll recieve so it's important to not try to just edify myself but to utilize whatever I've learned to benefit others as well.

As well, I don't need to read the bible front to back, as such, to receive the Word.   God/life has always had a way getting the Word to me in some form, as if to reenforce whatever God is teaching me at the moment.  So it's merely a matter of making that a more direct channel by keeping the Bible close by and referring to it often for additional inspiration, or as the spirit guides me to do so.

Now, you may be asking yourself why this is even news to me.  In hindsight, I don't even know.  It seems obvious now but that simply truth was hidden from me.