In my scripture
learning experience, there was an expectation that God was present and that the
scripture and God’s personal message in and through the scripture would reach
into the persons present and make an inward difference that would produce
healing, deliverance, grace, strength, provision, transformation, and
revelation even to those who didn’t want to hear because it was always taught
to us that “God’s Word would not return void,” a direct reference from Isaiah
55:11 wherein God says through the prophet, “So will My word be which goes
forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what
I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (NASB) Our
teachers reasoned with us with their rapid-firing cross references: “The grass
withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever"(Isaiah
40:8) and in the same breath teaching Trinitarian theology by quoting Jesus
words in Matthew “Heaven and earth will
pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Whether the hermeneutical principles were
adequate or not, the apparent affect was noticeable in the lives of those
teachers personally and also in me. As I
reflect on those times, I ponder what instances were eisegetical and which were
exegetical. Nevertheless, it is my observation upon reflection that similar and
admirable methodology was used to exegete the text as was stated in the Osborne
text(The Hermeneutical Spiral)—to deal with the text which would include the
syntax and etymology or linguistics, the context—time, people, land—and the
intent of the writer.
My
approach to scripture is not just what I learned in Bible College nor seminary
but reaches back into the crucible of my formative years. It includes prayer, attention
to the text first, the context, and partaking of the Spirit of God’s movement
through that time with the Word and thus with God personally. I learned to do sentence diagramming—although I’m
not an expert—it did always help me to dig deeper not only with myself but with
those I taught. I can sometimes work in one passage for months. When I go to
the Caribbean, I find myself without distractions. As a result, I take my time
and come back refreshed when I commune with God through the scriptures. My
workbook is full of sentences and words with blocks and circles and arrows
showing word relationships, synthesis to timeless principles and notes. The challenge
in my life now where it relates to my scripture feeding disciplines is that of
swift transitions, trying to meet the expectations of others, and managing my
own time. My desire is to be immersed in
the scripture and the application of such truth manifest in my life every day.
I find myself making renewed commitments every three months. I also belong to a
couple of covenant groups as well. I am reminded that this is a journey and in
that I do find hope and grace.
In Eat
This Book, Peterson stated, “...every part of the revelation, every aspect,
every form is personal—God is relational at the core—and so whatever is said,
whatever is revealed is also personal and relational.” I greatly appreciate the
grace-filled opportunities the relational aspect of life, love, and God afford.
If relationships are part of the key to
Organizational Leadership, exegetical studies can reveal new insights, timeless
principles, and key learnings that would be beneficial in assessing
Organizational Leadership best practices particularly since context will differ
in how leadership is understood, and since every organizational leader has a context
in which she or he has developed.
