You Make Beautiful Things

For a couple of months now, I’ve been contemplating a ‘what if ‘.

What if I forget what is behind and ‘press toward the mark’ by just living the red letters? You know…the red lettered words that Jesus spoke and still speaks to us today.

Let’s consider two interesting words.

Exegesis: an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively, starting with the text and moving out from there.

Eisegesis: to import a subjective, pre-conceived meaning into the text.

After thinking about these words, I have decided that eisegesis is erroneous and just plain scary. You know why? You start with an idea or conviction and then look for scripture to prove your point. Bad deal. If we start with scripture and then let the Holy Spirit teach us, it has to be better than looking for something to “prove” our own point of view…which probably is just someone else’s point of view that we picked up along the way.

So how about this thing? Reading a red letter portion of the Bible and asking God If I’m living it and then adjusting my life to conform with His truths? Walking away from my thinking and living His? Wouldn’t that satisfy a simple “follow Me”?

I’m very weary of CAWKI (church as we know it). I’ve had my own part in CAWKI, which I cannot go back and redo. If I could, I’d focus on the teachings of Jesus. I’m coming to grips with the thought that so much is preference. How careful we must be when we operate in preferences. Therein lies the flesh. So, if our lives revolve around walking in the red, will that form CAGWI (church as God wants it)? I believe it’s worth serious consideration.