Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition - Mentor's Guide

7 8 / C O R N E R S T O N E C U R R I C U L U M M E N T O R ’ S G U I D E

you open the Book. And the more clearly you understand it and the more you apply it to your life, the more spiritual needs it will reveal. It is the malleable heart that will glean the most from Scripture. Although the Bible contains enough to challenge the greatest minds to lifelong study (and even they can never exhaust its content!), it is the personal appropriation and ultimate application of its truths which are at issue. Vance Havner understood this when he said: The storehouse of God’s Word was never meant for mere scrutiny, not even primarily for study but for sustenance. It is not simply a collection of fine proverbs and noble teachings for men to admire and quote as they might Shakespeare. It is ration for the soul, resources of and for the spirit, treasure for the inner man. Its goods exhibited upon every page are ours, and we have no business merely moving respectfully amongst them and coming away none the richer. Truly, the Bible is not meant to be merely scrutinized, as if you can read its message and then calmly walk away from it. Rather, in order for biblical interpretation to transform us we must see it as brother Havner suggested: as “ration for our souls, resources of and for the spirit, treasure for the inner man.” Challenge your students to adopt the kind of serious, sober, and passionate vision toward the Word that Ezra possessed, and perhaps the Holy Spirit will be so gracious as to grant us the same kind of impact he had on the people of God, for the glory of the Lord. ~ Paul Karleen. The Handbook to Bible Study . (electronic ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

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