Overlook

When believers read the scriptures, we sometimes remember the statement, “Every writing which is written by The Spirit is profitable for teaching, for correction, for direction and for a course in righteousness,” – 2 Timothy 3:16 (Aramaic Bible in English). Yes, the Holy Spirit led men to record these thoughts in scripture, but we may have become insensitive to an issue that confuses our understanding of the message. Many times, some try to systematize all the teachings seeking complete harmony, struggling with, or ignoring the various nuances. The truths remain, but they can sometimes be stated in slightly different ways. Essentially, we forget that the letters were written to different groups of people in slightly different cultures with various and perhaps different struggles. The specific instructions in the letters remain invariable, but there are some different nuances based on the precise struggle of individual groups of people to whom many of the letters were written. Not only were the Jew and Gentile daily life activities somewhat intermixed, but also the local culture had bearing on the difficulties people faced at that time; not all groups of new Christians had the same struggles. Moreover, when we read the scriptures, we tend to compress the timeframe so that our perception becomes skewed. Jesus’ ministry lasted about three years, while the twelve and Paul’s over twenty. If we think about the time required for some of the described events in Jesus’ and the apostle’s ministries to occur, we find some were separated by months or even years. Our present culture is more focused on rapid action and response than that of the first century. This realization should guide us toward caution for comparing time to achieve desired life changes in ourselves - they might not always materializing quickly. As we traverse our unique individual spiritual journey, we must realize events and changes will probably not appear quickly, but are a gradual shift into another mindset. As we walk in the light as He is in the light, (1 John 1:7), we must recognize our pathways may not mirror those of others. We should extend grace to others while the Holy Spirit guides them on their unique pathway. We should, "Bear with on another," (Eph. 4:2). Since we are following God’s timeframe, the time between episodes of anyone's specific training by the Holy Spirit may not arrive as quickly as we might desire or expect. All of us must negotiate our unique individual journey to sanctification at the rate directed by the Holy Spirit. We need to continually watch for opportunities in which we can serve the direction of the Holy Spirit.