The Monarch butterfly lives a remarkable life cycle. It is an unusual species that experiences both the worm's eye and bird's eye view during its existence.
Imagine, for a moment, the vast landscapes it observes and the individual flowers it pollinates as it migrates from Canada to Mexico and back again.
Let's not forget, it begins as a worm...
God designed the worm to emerge as a beautiful new creation with a new set of goals, abilities, and responsibilities.
The remarkable YouTube clip shows the Monarch's time lapse transformation from a worm to a butterfly.
No short-cuts exist. It does take time and effort to travel from observation to interpretation to application.
5. Trust God for Transformation
A useful habit to develop during the application process is to prayerfully ask God and listen for answers, "What needs to change? What shall I do?"
When God confronts us with truth, He can have an impact on 3 domains:
1. How we think
2. How we feel
3. How we act
Alone or in a group, God loves to teach and draw people to Jesus Christ (Jn 6:44-45). Joy accompanies first-hand discoveries & obedience should follow. The transformation that follows adds more joy.
Another useful habit involves sharing our discoveries with others. We also need to ask the Lord and ourselves, "Who will I tell?"
God desires multiplication. Jesus' initial followers were called "disciples" because they learned from Him. God wants learners to apply and communicate. Sharing discoveries with others is an important way to be a disciple who makes disciples (Matt. 28:16-20).
When we discover the Scriptures in full view, we have the added advantage of shifting between both analysis and synthesis. As a result, focusing on the parts and surveying the whole can produce more truths from the Word.
The Spirit of God uses the tasks of observation, interpretation and application to reward seekers with knowledge, wisdom and understanding. The overall goal of Bible study is application that glorifies God (Matt. 7:24-27).
Key passages like Ephesians 2:8-10 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 unlock the reality of God's desire to foster transformation in learners, by grace, through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
His Holy Spirit wants to produce remarkable changes in our character that alter attitudes and actions (Gal. 2:20; 5:16-25). At times it may feel like a slow process or like an impossible struggle. But God plans to create change in the lives of those who learn from Him (2 Cor. 5:17).
