Long ago when I first really seriously came to God, I learned to read the Bible and I was able to quote many verses just because I read them a lot. Then I backslid. After a very long period, I tried to come back to God. At first it seemed like He never would receive me. But He did and I have a very long testimony about that which I won't get into here.
When I did come back to God, something was missing from me. All of my memorized verses. Today I cannot quote John 3:16 from memory without messing it up. I came back to God in about 2002 and I've done a lot of reading, studying and praying since then, but my retention of Bible verses is still missing. It's not all bad, because the precise words are not as important as I once thought they were. What is important is that God write His Word in our heart. When I answer someone's question, it is God that provides the answer if it is correct. If I have gone astray even momentarily I may then be wrong. Yes, sometimes I am wrong, but God never is. I do know the Bible and can find things that I know are there even if I cannot quote them. That is, I believe, being led by the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, I am in a whole lot of trouble. God's truth is not found by study alone. Without the Holy Ghost quickening the scripture to us or in us that scripture is dead.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". He is also the Word of God and if we are heading toward Him, it means we are becoming like Him. The Word of God is alive. A Bible without the Holy Spirit is not alive, but like the dead body of Jesus on the cross, it can be.
Absolutely, that is really getting to the heart of the message. When we really understand without exception what God is saying to us with the scriptures then we really understand and are able to see God. That is the "face to face" of I Cor 13:12
If people are really walking toward God, they eventually stop yelling at other believers because of differences. That is part of growing. If they do not then there is ultimately something wrong with their walk. God can fix this, but we need to give Him room to work.
How is your wife ? I hope she is improving each and every day. Praise the Lord, that it went well for her.
I was so happy to see, in the midst of all the various 'contentions' on the forum, that almost all joined in prayers for your wife. That's more like it ! Thank you very much again, have a glorious day, and please give your lovely wife a hug and hello from West Australia.................... Joy and blessings in the Lord always Pia
She's using her back brace to get up and walk. She started with 5 minutes each walk twice daily. Today after gradual increases she is up to 10 minutes per walk.
When her pain was quite severe she had to work hard not to be impatient with me. I am a slow plodder. I get a lot done at times, but I was never fast even as a young man and now in my 70's I've slowed down a bit more. She has learned that that is just the way that I am.
For a long time already, she was my primary driver. With her health issues during the last few years I was necessarily reclaiming my old position as the primary driver. Even though long ago I taught her to drive, she has had little patience with me behind the wheel. Now with me as the only driver, she will have to bite her tongue a bit more often. She still has not been out of the home since her surgery, but next Wednesday she must go to have the line of staples on her back removed.
