Anatomy of an Epiphany

Follow me as I chronicle my recent discovery of hidden treasure ...

I read John 7 and make it all the way to verse 31. I've missed something here. I can feel it. I read it again. Then I pray and ask God to please show me what I need to see. I start over yet again and stop at John 7:15 (NKJV):
And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"
I suspect that "letters" means "books," and look up the original Greek. The word used here is grámma, which can also be translated "writings." The definition* includes this contrast between the letter [of the law] and the spirit [of the law]:
"In the letters of Paul we have the antithesis between grámma, letter, and pneúma, spirit (Rom 2:29; Rom 7:6; 2Co 3:6). This antithesis may be explained thus: grámma denotes the law in its written form whereby the relation of the law to the man whom it concerns is the more inviolably established (Rom 2:27; 2Co 3:7). It is the external, fixed, and governing law; whereas the pneúma, the spirit, is the inner, effective, energizing, and divine principle of life (Rom 7:6)."
... the inner, effective, energizing, and divine principle of life ...

Other than time, the one resource I greatly covet is energy. My eyes blink and stick on one word.

... energizing ...

While I'm fixated on this distinction between letter and spirit, a quote comes to mind:
"Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else."
~ George Halas
And then a passage of the Bible I've long wanted to better understand suddenly becomes crystal clear.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
from Hebrews 4:1-9 (NKJV)
Too often I sigh and think, "I'd love a rest, yet I'll push on; eternal rest is coming someday." But God wants me to rest now. And it's as easy as merely embracing the spirit of His law.

The spirit of God's law could not be simpler—"love God, love thy neighbor." I'm willing to do that. If I'd rather be doing something else, this is work. But on the other hand, if I find pleasure in doing this, it's no work at all, and I'll have rest in it.

And therein lies "the inner, effective, energizing, and divine principle of life."

Maybe there was a shortcut for conveyance of that epiphany to you. This time, I thought I'd let you share the trip with me.

: : :

For more on this thought, see "Never Work Again."

* From The Complete Word Study Dictionary, © 1992 By AMG International, Inc., General Editor: Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D

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Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.