"The Proper Study"

    The poet Alexander Pope wrote, "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan.  The proper study of mankind is man."

    In stark contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ declared that the "scan" and "study" of God constitutes the very essence of our existence: "This is eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).  

    Our hearts exist for the habitation of God.  Our minds exist for the contemplation of God.  Only in His presence and light do we discover the Life of our lives, namely, to know God.  "To live is Christ" declared the Apostle Paul, proclaiming the Savior as the Source, Supply, and Significance of our existence (Philippians 1:21).  A beating heart, firing neurons in the brain, and flowing blood in our veins and arteries may comprise biological being for humanity.  However, Christ alone is life, as defined by God, within the hearts of those who trust Him.  Thereby we know the Father and the Son, as revealed by the Holy Spirit.  This comprises the  "study" whereby we genuinely live in the present and in the forevermore. 

    A Bible awaits us so filled with Light that a thousand lifetimes would provide but a beginning in the discovery of its Truth.  The Holy Spirit's eternal heart and mind accompanies the Scriptures for trusting believers who seek God in His Word.  The proper study of mankind is God, again, the knowledge of the Father and the Son, as revealed by the Holy Spirit.  Life begins in the new birth when we respond to the Spirit's revelation of the Lord Jesus as the Son sent by the Father for the purpose of our redemption from sin.  It continues as we discover the life given by such grace - "God… hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6).  Such vitality will never end as our infinite Lord forever displays new aspects of His glory and wonder.  This is the "scan" for this day.  This is "the proper study."  This is "life eternal."  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.

"He is thy life."

(Deuteronomy 30:20)

Weekly Memory Verse

   That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

(John 3:6)