Word Games

Word relationships are a real thing. The relationship between the conversation and the words within the Bible are to be like the relationship between air and lungs. As the lungs can’t properly function without air, so too the devotional conversation cannot properly function without the Bible’s words. The better the conversation’s relationship with the Bible’s words, the better the lungs of the conversation will breathe. 

Our conversation is trained to take its substance from everything else but the Bible, and to take meaning from the Bible by a surface understanding of it. Our conversation puts much confidence in what it hears, and in its opinion of what it understands, but it never quite realizes that it needs to have an understanding beyond its trained belief. The thought to transcend worldly spiritual or philosophical thought never arises because the conversation is yet not aware of its own self. 

When it comes to the preferred way in which the conversation ought to be handled, the Bible gives us some advice:

“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee,” Proverbs 7:1. 

“ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart,” Proverbs 4:20,21.

“Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live,” Proverbs 4:4. 

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” Ephesians 4:23.

“I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings,” Hosea 6:6.

The greatest gift we can give to our self is a conversation that is mindful of its thoughts and feelings. Why? Because life occurs through the heart of whatever we hold as a religious, spiritual, or philosophical belief, to have the heart of our belief sober means the lens through which we view life will also be clear. This is why it says, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh,” Proverbs 14:30. 

The heart of a sound conversation means the heart of a sound human being. As simple, or as insane, or as ideal as that sounds, this can only take place as the individual is willing to ensure that the heart of their conversation’s mind is well. This involves an effort, but the result of such an effort leads to an edifying wisdom, which is why it says, “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth,” Proverbs 4:5. 

The conversation’s assignment is a task for wisdom. As the conversation retains wisdom, and wisdom fitting into its personal human being, the value behind the effort to grow fond of the Bible’s mind will be seen and appreciated. A sound and healthy inward person is at the heart of the Bible’s philosophy, and if we will pick up and engage the Bible’s intention, we can begin to have the type of health, and to fulfill the kind of lifestyle, that we know belongs to us.

The effort to develop a relationship with words is an effort developing a “map” of understanding. The Bible isn’t a book, unless transformed by human beings, about “religion.” The Bible’s philosophy is aimed at helping the human being understand positive devotional or philosophical habits of mind. While not easy to cultivate, the words of the Bible bring its student into the classroom of their Creator, allowing them to understand what it means to be a thinking and feeling creation. 

Personal and devotional awareness of the inward person is the Bible’s objective. The more time we give to the Bible’s words, and to exercising the wisdom acquired from them, the more full our conversation’s experience will be. This is a change in thought from how the conversation is traditionally formed, but if maintained, the saying will be fulfilled, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy,” Psalm 126:5, and, “Blessed are all they that wait for him,” Isaiah 30:18. 

Student Labor

There is an exercise to everything. Everything that has life within it, and everything that needs a spark of life to work, takes exercise. This scheme, concerning the growth and the development of our conversation, is no different. 

We shouldn’t think to breathe without exercising our lungs. We shouldn’t think to write without exercising mental and physical faculties. We shouldn’t think to love without exercising trust. We shouldn’t think to speak without first exercising thought. Yet, when it comes to our conversation’s belief, we do not think to exercise it. 

When it comes to our devotional conversation, it is acceptable to let another exercise it for us. When it comes to our faith’s intellect, it is acceptable to let a ritual handle it. Why is this acceptable? Why does a care for personal learning turn off when perceived belief arises? Why, when in the religious world, is there no heart to say to self, “Why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?” 1 Corinthians 10:29

Paul’s attitude is for the conversation desiring self-regulating learning. Paul understood the negligence in handing over the intellect of our faith to minds outside of our experience. In response to ministers seeking to not only rule the mind of other ministers, but also his own, Paul writes:

“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself,” 1 Corinthians 4:3,4.

Paul gives to us an exercise that is contrary to the exercise given to “the sons of men.” Making fun of “the sons of men,” concerning how they govern themselves, Paul writes, “…ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ,” 1 Corinthians 4:15. He is mocking them because, with so many instructors, he still has to say of them, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” 2 Timothy 3:7. 

The curse of “the sons of men” is a curse where they are forever learning and yet never able to understand, concerning the Bible’s philosophy, one bit of truth. Instead of giving one’s time to such a lifestyle, Paul advised minsters to collect their minds and to independently labor within the scriptures for understanding. He writes: 

“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,” 1 Thessalonians 4:11. 

There is an exercise given to the conversation that would sincerely claim its experience. That exercise is an experience involving the conversation building a relationship with the Bible’s words. Above suffering the “judgment” or the commandment and theory of ministers, the Bible would have the mind personally active, which is why it says, “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread,” Proverbs 28:19. 

The “land” to till is the heart of our mind. This is understood from how it says, “Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you,” Hosea 10:12. 

What is to be rained on, according to the Bible, is the mind, meaning that words are to be poured out. This is also understood from how it says, “I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you,” Proverbs 1:23. 

The exercise given to the Bible’s student is an assignment where an outpouring of words is occurring upon the ground of the conversation’s heart. Again, it is understood that the “ground” spoken of is the heart of the mind from how it says, “On the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience,” Luke 8:15.

The previous blog post highlights the most fraudulent and vain experience we can have with the Bible. The lifestyle highlighted is for the mind having a concern not for human and inward wellbeing, but for the theatrics of theologians and philosophers. The mind within the Bible would have its student form a relationship with its words, even a bond wherein its words may become the healing influence within the life. 

The Sons of Men

What would you do if you came across an important secret? What if this secret could change the way you think about your self? What if this secret could offset the weather of your energy? What if you learned that, what you thought was for you, actually wasn’t? What would you do?

There are many secrets within the Bible: secrets that have to be searched out, translated, examined, and refined for understanding. But then there are secrets that are hidden in plain sight, secrets that if unconscious to, we will pass by them as if they aren’t there. I guess, then, such a secret, if passing by what is plainly in front of us, isn’t honestly a secret, but is a mistake on our part. 

The Bible tells us the secret exercise of theologians and scientists within the religious world. This secret really isn’t a secret, but because we may not give enough care to language and context within the Bible, we pass over two very telling verses:

“I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end,” Ecclesiastes 3:10,11.

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes put their self to the test, exercising themselves in the lifestyle of the sons of men. Who are the “sons of men”? The phrase is revealing, because these are men that are born from or conceived by men. This idea is put together from how it says, “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God,” Hebrews 5:1. 

“Son,” to the Bible’s mind, doesn’t actually mean a biological son to a father. “Son” is a term understood from how it says, “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith,” Titus 1:4, and, “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith,” 1 Timothy 1:2. 

When the Bible mentions “son,” in its truest context, the Bible is mentioning no literal or biological child, but a priest or a minister that has become the priest or the minister of a priest or minister, these two bound together by the passing down of doctrine or philosophy. This idea is again understood from how it says, “He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length,” Proverbs 29:21. 

The “sons of men” are a category of individuals within the Bible. The “sons of men” are priests born from priests; said in present terms, these are priests and ministers graduated from universities and seminaries with the “seed” of men within their mission and understanding. 

The Bible tells us a secret about this group. The author of Ecclesiastes spent time living the lifestyle of the “sons of men” and wrote a report on the experience; Ecclesiastes is that report. The author found out that the “sons of men” are given a curse from God. This “curse” is as its says:

“I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith,” Ecclesiastes 1:13.

The “sons of men” are plagued with a desire to only know what is within “the world” of religion and nothing more. Said again in present terms, the mind of the “sons of men” cannot extend beyond their philosophy or theology. It is not I that is making this report, but the Bible, and we do well, if our concern is inward growth and development, to take knowledge of what the Bible is saying. 

Why is this important? Why is the Bible saying this? Why is the Bible “hating” on “the sons of men”? There is a dislike for the “sons of men” because this group dislikes the actual philosophy within the Bible. Instead of understanding what the Bible is articulating, they meander through handwritten philosophy and theology. The Bible speaks ill of them because they speak ill of the Bible, even while professing to speak from it. 

This is important to know because the exercise of the “sons of men” is not our exercise. After living the delusion of the “sons of men,” the author of Ecclesiastes concluded that their religious or doctrinal lifestyle and habits were vanity. Taking their experience into consideration, the author writes:

“I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts,” Ecclesiastes 3:18. 

The exercise of the “sons of men” should be left to the “sons of men.” We spend our mind, time, and energy in the realm of the “sons of men,” peddling their theories, maintaining their approach, and consenting to their frame of mind. Our conversation does not know its self because the “sons of men” have control of it. True justification is resurrecting from the threshold of the “sons of men”; we have to know this.