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Scripture: "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:13-15

While walking on the beach one day, recently, I was alone with my thoughts, a camera, and a head and heart full of conversation with the Lord.

I don't consider myself a photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but with my little digital camera, I find myself experimenting with angles. I will point and shoot at an object from below, above or eye level, just to see what I can come away with.

So there I was, walking along a very rocky beach. At the shoreline, as the waves roared back and forth near my feet, I was intrigued by the sounds of the waves rolling in over the rocks. As these thousands of rocks banged and rolled into each other, back and forth with the power of the waves, they would make a rumbling noise underneath the current.

As continued my stroll down the beach, talking to God the whole time, I took pictures of the waves, the rocks, sticks stuck in the sand. Many times I found myself taking pictures of the same rock or patch of rocks from different angles, as I mentioned before. At some point during my experimentation, I realized that this same practice can be applied to scripture.

I have fallen into a dangerous area in my life, of after being a Christian and belonging to the same church for 20 years, I find myself saying, "Yeah, I know that scripture. I know that story. I know where this sermon is going." Not with any arrogance or haughtiness, but with painful familiarity. However, I KNOW I certainly don't "know it all" because I couldn't tell you the "address" of very many scriptures. I don't know how many times I've thought of a scripture during bible study or a conversation, and have said, "Oh yeah, that scripture about Jesus feeding the 5,000 ...where is that?" or "There's a scripture somewhere that says something about "storing your riches in heaven" ... but I couldn't tell you where it is.

While laying my camera close to the sand to take a picture of a stone from the angle near my feet, I realized I could do the same thing with the bible. I can refresh my perspective, renew my interest in the "familiar" by looking at scripture from another "angle". How? I own at least 3 different versions of the bible. The New International Version Study Bible, The Message, and The Apologetics Study Bible. And why, some may ask, would I own so many versions? Because in the past, this is how I would study scripture. Each version is unique, and some have notations on the sides or bottom to give you more insight into what you're reading.

You can learn a lot by reading the bible. You can learn more by reading different versions along with study guides and commentaries. I can no longer read the bible like a good novel. I am eager for more "meat" so to speak. Questions come to mind that I try to find the answers to through research or asking others. Sometimes they have to do with meanings of words, phrases, or the customs of the time.

A while ago, I memorized John 15, and in so doing, it made me look up information about grape vines, and how they are raised and harvested. I've looked up how armor is worn, what each piece is used for, and how it is applied to Ephesians 6:14-17. Angles. Perspectives. Viewpoints.

I need to do more of that. I need to dig deeper and stop scratching the surface with disinterest. I'm once again finding the joy of learning Who God is and allowing Him to talk to me once more through scripture. Because no matter how often we read the bible or how many scriptures or chapters we memorize, He will NEVER stop teaching us through His word!

Prayer request: Pray for those who have grown cold in their faith or pulled away from God because life has gotten in the way, or they've grown disinterested and bored. Pray that the Lord will woo them back to Himself.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for always drawing us back to You. Continue making Your word fresh and new to each of us every day, and help us to learn more and more about You always. Amen