God's Word a Timeless Pursuit

[Ramez5]

I have seen an end of all perfection
but your commandment is exceeding broad
Psalm 119:96

I have seen. That is, I have seen that all human wisdom or knowledge, however extensive, noble, and excellent, has it sounds, and limits, and end; but Thy law, a transcript of Thine own mind, is infinite, and extends to eternity. ~Treasury of Scripture by Charles Spurgeon
The bounds of created perfection may be defined, but those of God's law in its nature, application, and influence, are infinite. There is no human thing so perfect but that something is wanting to it; its limits are narrow, whereas God's law is of infinite breadth, reaching to all cases, perfectly meeting what each requires, and to all times (Ps 19:3, 6, 7-11; Ec 3:11).
...Man never outgrows the Word. It does not shock the ignorant man with declared anticipations of discoveries which he had not yet made; while in it the man of science finds his newest discoveries by tacit anticipations provided for. ~James Fausset-Brown

Last night, my friend, Nate, was telling me he'd been up all night till 5am reading God's word! He just could not stop marveling at the beauty of it's truth and what it told him of himself and God and God's working in our lives.

I knew just what he was feeling! I had to fight that urge last year, when I first discovered that there is no more thrilling, captivating, or compelling pursuit than to love and adore God's word.. hearing it as if written that moment from Him to us.

God's word and his laws are personal, unchanging, applicable in a million situations, so deep you can never sound the depths.

Last year, I began to understand the bible like I have never understood it in all my whole life!

Now, I am constantly underlining verses... meditating on words...praying for the Holy Spirit to explain it and make it real in my life that day. I remember the day I decided that my bible was a 'workbook' and that rather than preserve it in pristine perfection, I would underline to my heart's content.

Every day I am amazed that the one book I keep with me constantly and read for fun in my spare time, is God's word. I used to feel it was dry and hard to understand. Now, it's like daily letters to help me through my walk with the Lord each day. It's my how-to manual for daily life. It's love letters from my Lord to me.

The more you pursue the Lord and obey His Word as it challenges you, the more you understand. Obedience and embracing His truth brings such understanding!

2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively(actively) accepting what is available (offered). 2983 /lambánō ("accept with initiative") emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.

Reading, praying, meditating, and obeying God's word is the most irresistible pursuit you can ever spend time on. The Holy Spirit will not fail to make your reading real, if you ask Him to. He will teach you just as the Lord promised in John 17.

They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. John 17:7-8
17Sanctify them byd the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17


I was looking at some online courses and considering the possibility of doing one. But to think of how that might cut in to my study time and focus on the Word, made it hard to want to spend that much time elsewhere.

I don't mind reading great literature or learning more in the fields of art and science... but they are, as the scripture says, not perfect.. not timeless enough, not satisfying enough. They have inherent limits.

Everything and every pursuit on earth has limits in terms of value and beauty. And none of it is perfect.

It is our love for the Lord and a heart willing to obey that opens wide the doors to God's word in all it's glorious perfection. Read God's word like you would any other book, and you will not get much.
Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
To all perfection I see a limit,
but your commands are boundless. Psalm 119:89-96
Just pick one of these simple truths from God's word to meditate on and imagine yourself actually doing what is suggests, just for a few minutes like...
Love your enemies...
It is better to give than receive...
God so loved the world...
Love suffers long and is still kind...
Do not be afraid! Do not worry.
The very hairs of your head are all numbered...
Ask and you shall receive...
Seek first the kingdom of God..
Forgive one another...
Pray without ceasing..
Count it all joy..
If you love me, you'll obey me.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Faith is.. the evidence of things not seen.
I am the way the truth and the life...
Jesus wept...

Spend a day just thinking about even one of these timeless truths, ask the Lord to make it real in your life today.

Set your heart to live it out in God's grace and you will not and cannot be the same. This is the essence of true bible study that changes you.
If applied ideas change the world, and they certainly do, then God's ideas are the most powerful ones of all.. and the most effective in bringing true joy to our lives and the lives of those around us.

Every post this last year has been the result of my 'hobby'. I cannot get to the end of God's word even when I've studied it through all year.

I just can't quit marveling at the incredible privilege we have of spending time at the Lord's feet, letting Him make real and dynamic his commands, his truth, and his ways of thinking.

Just a thought... if you have some spare time, you cannot spend it better than on the Lord's timeless perfect words and truths.

As King Solomon said, so many other pursuits are simply empty. However glorious or satisfying other delights in this world might be, they cannot compare to God's perfect law.

His word is life to us. It's our daily bread. It should and can be your delight.

It is perfect and it will last for eternity.

Dear Lord,
Help us Lord to make time for your precious Word... life giving and life changing. May we hunger and thirst for righteousness... and meditate on and delight in your Word. May we obey it by your grace... and marvel at it's glorious beauty and perfection as you work it out in our daily lives.
Amen.

[Mary Naeem]

Thanks Ramez