The times that I have really delved into the Bible are those times that I have had to prepare sermons for church. I work my buns off trying to follow what God is asking of me. Unfortunately the burning bush doesn't jump up and tell me exactly what verses and words to say. I think God likes for me to work at finding what I need to say. I wouldn't have bought a Bible or utilize it to the extent I've already used it if God didn't want me to explore these words.
Sometimes I know what I want to say and feel God is giving me these inspirations. AND I am not sure what scriptures to which I should tie these thoughts. I start digging into the concordance at the back of my Bible, trying to find the scripture that really speaks to the ideas that I have. I usually don't find what I am to use until I've looked at many different verses and subjects.
Other times the minister assigns me a scripture and I have to find a way to make it relevant to modern life. I read the notes associated with the verses and try to find discussion and commentary by others. I may read back several chapters to see what led to this particular story or compare the story with the other Gospels' versions. Now that I have some of Christopher's books, I also read in them seeing what information I can find that will help me.
When I finally complete the sermon or at least my notes because I don't usually write the sermon into complete paragraphs, I feel as though I understand a tiny little bit more about the Bible and God. It's not that I think I know everything about this one scripture. The feeling I have is that I've started to peel back a layer or two of the Bible. Next time I use these verses I will peel another layer. Each time I examine the scriptures I learn something new.
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