Craig T. Owens

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This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Unchecked Imaginations 

     The day we live in is a day of wild imaginations everywhere, unchecked imaginations in music, in literature, and, worst of all, in the interpretation of Scripture. People are going off on wild speculations, they get hold of one line and run clean off at a tangent and try to explain everything on that line, then they go off on another line: none of it is in accordance with the Spirit of God.

From Biblical Psychology

We must be so cautious about not reading into Scripture what we want it to say. In other words, we cannot say, “This is what I believe to be true, now let me find a verse or two that will support that belief.” Instead, we must let the living Word of God speak. As the prophet Samuel approached God, so must we with the humble attitude, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. The truth into which He will lead us is objectively true. That means it’s not true because we think it’s true, but it’s true because it’s God’s Word.

Make sure you don’t interpret Scripture through your feelings, or through the commentary of another human; rather let Scripture be its own commentary on other Scripture, and let the Spirit guide you. I love this insight from the habits of the Berean Christians—

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

Watch your imagination. Don’t get caught up in others’ ideas of what God said. Read the Scriptures—or better yet, let the Scriptures read you—with the help of the Holy Spirit.

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