A Soul Ready to Listen

I've been pulling off a major "no-no" lately.

I've been reading the Bible without any sort of guide (well, other than the Holy Spirit).

Typically, I'm an "imbibe all the information" kind of gal, but over several months, I've been listening less to what the talking heads have to say and much more to what our Lord speaks through His Word.

My issue, really, is three-fold:

• Man will never really understand all the mysteries of God (just ask Job). And I think this is why Christ makes it so clear for us: love God, love others. Otherwise, we could end up falling into the trap of my second point below. ↓
• I think it's pretty prideful to label ourselves and pretend we know the "right way" to interpret Scripture. Yes, I think there is God's way of understanding His Word, but this comes through the Holy Spirit and prayer, not man's incessant need to label and categorize and be on the "right" team.
• When Philip offers to interpret Scripture for the Ethiopian, He breaks down Isaiah through the lens of the Gospel—that Jesus suffered and died for our sins and paid the price for our iniquity. He didn't give him a ten-point breakdown on the intricacies of believing one way over the other. He just offered a fellow brother in Christ the truth in love.

So no, I'm not a Calvinist or an Arminian or a dispensationalist or any other theological "My Name Is" sticker that certain circles like to pass out.

I am a child of God.

Too often in my life have I added an "and also" to that particular identity, pridefully clinging to my own intellectual gifting. And guess what? It's gotten me pretty much right where I am now.

We all just need Jesus, you guys. Really. And yes, there are absolute truths when it comes to following Him. But I promise, He will NEVER steer you wrong if you're willing to read His Word with a contrite heart and a soul ready to listen.