I like so many other
disciples, occasionally have had a hard time understanding the fullness
of Gods word. Often times I find I am good on one verse, but it can be
frustrating understanding how one verse relates to another. I know that
every word of the Bible is God breathed and inspired, so I never want
to go the way of taking out the bits and pieces I don't understand.
A
few years back my son was given a Rubik's Cube for Christmas. After
initially breaking the perfect colored sides he quickly went to work
twisting the cube trying to solve the puzzle. Every couple of
days he would come up to me having one side finished, to which I would
remind him that he had five more sides to solve. He responded back by
saying it was impossible. He would shake the cube in my face saying
every time I work on another color it messes up all the work I did on
the first side.
Just
because we don't understand something at first doesn't make that thing
impossible, some times it just takes a little illumination.
In
the case of the Rubik's Cube not only is it not impossible, it can be
done by some people in a matter of seconds. With a professionally
greased cube and a whole lot of practice, children and adults around the
world can solve the cube in less time it would take me to bend
down and pick one up off the floor.
Seeing my son's frustration
over the madding cube reminded me of my frustration in scripture. It's
easy to get upset and resort to picking the stickers, or breaking the
pieces to put them back in the solved position, like one might be
tempted to pick and choose what he or she wants to read in the Bible. If
we follow the Rubik's analogy we can also see why some people fail to
properly present the fullness of God's word. While some folks have
garnished a lot of media attention for their Church with their loud,
crude protests, what they fail to see is that they only have given one
side of God's word. They have worked so long and hard on a single
message laced with their agenda they have completely ignored the fact
the cube of truth they present is actually all out of whack.
Obviously God's word is much more impressive than a six sided cube, but
the point is unless all the sides match up and are in completely harmony
with each other, you don't get to say look what I solved.
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Thanks for sharing these thoughts, Dave. What a great image to think about the complexity of the puzzle that can be scripture. I guess if scripture reveals who God is, we should expect understanding it will not always come easy.
ReplyDeleteReally great post, Dave. There are so many parts of the Bible that are difficult. It's good to have this analogy to remind us that our understanding is incomplete, but when we finally go to God we will understand. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12 CEB:
ReplyDeleteNow we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known.