Issue 1,144 – Fairy Castles – May 1, 2023
On the weekend, Kathy and I hiked in the Chilliwack Community Forest. Some gorgeous trails meander up and down the mountainside through groves of old-growth cedars. There are numerous benches along the trail if you need to stop and take a break or simply sit and soak up the ambience.
I snapped a photo of this near-dead cedar riddle with insect damage, woodpecker holes and rot. Seeing it in the shadows amongst the lush and ancient forest, I could imagine this tree as an old fairy castle. The holes weren’t bird damage but rather the doors and windows of the court.
Of course, fairies and other beings are the stuff of legends, myths and literature. There may or not be some beings that led to stories of dragons, but nothing like that roams the earth today.
As much as I enjoy the stories of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, they will never be more than stories. I have read the books numerous times for enjoyment, but they never truly enlighten my spirit. They can entertain and offer some great insights into the condition of the material world and offer hints about the spirit, but they still are stories.
On the other hand, the Scriptures are truth, inspired by God and given to us to help us know ourselves and the Lord better.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Every time I reread the Scriptures through, I gain fresh insights. I have read a passage many dozens of times. Suddenly the Spirit illuminates the words, and I read them with fresh eyes and understand a little better.
I have read Tolkien every few years since I was in the fifth or sixth grade. He never fails to entertain me, but the enrichment never deepens. Occasionally there is part of the story I had forgotten about. Still, my understanding of truth and God’s nature doesn’t change.
Although the Scriptures are inspired, we can make errors when we read them. We can read the Scriptures as if they were written personally to us and try to understand them through our own eyes. The Scriptures were written to specific audiences in equally specific historical and cultural contexts. We must first understand what the Word was intended to convey to them, then use that truth to apply to ourselves.
The other error is to read the Bible and put all of our emphasis on the people God uses. We talk of Moses, Jonah, Peter or Paul and what the biblical accounts are about them. Yes, they are significant players, but the truth is that they are stories about how God worked in and through them.
The Bible is the revelation of God to His creation. His plan has always been to be in relationships with His children, and He has made that possible.
A phrase occurs in the Scriptures perhaps a hundred times in several forms. “Then they will know that I am the Lord’. Here are some examples…
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Exodus 6:7
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. John 21:24
The Word is designed to reveal our LORD to us. Let us read it and come to know Him better.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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