Every time I write a blog, I never know how to start, and once I begin, I never know where it will lead me. Each blog is a venture into the unknown – unknown to me but already charted in God’s mind before time began. I know that apart from Jesus, I can do nothing and as usual, I ask God to give me His words for every blog I write. I stand amazed at His faithfulness to answer our prayers when we seek Him with a sincere heart.
My goal is to apply a spiritual connection between explorers and excavators of the world to explorers and excavators of the Word – to change one’s focus from worldly ambitions to spiritual victories.
Stories of explorers often highlight their courage, perseverance, and the transforming impact of their findings in both the world and in their own lives. These stories of adventure in uncharted territory give insight into their pursuit of knowledge in order to understand the world around them.
Ranulph Fiennes is such an explorer. This British man is the first person to visit both North and South Poles using only surface means. This showcases his remarkable endurance and commitment to exploration. In addition to his ventures to the North and South Poles, he is the first person to completely cross Antarctica on foot. And at age 65, he reached the summit of Mount Everest on his third try.
His motivation? His desire to achieve the seemingly impossible. He succeeded.
Man expanded his exploration from the world to outer space in order to gain even more knowledge beyond the world to the universe. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first astronauts to walk on the moon through the Apollo Space Program.
Neil Armstrong made this most memorable statement while on the moon, “One small step for a man; one giant step for mankind.”
Their mission? To walk on the moon and return safely. Mission accomplished.
Excavators (archeologists), on the other hand are known to be curious, methodical and analytical, detail-oriented, and persistent with a deep interest in understanding the past with a drive to gain new knowledge and understanding.
Howard Carter, a British archeologist, discovered the mostly intact, Egyptian tomb of King Tut (Tutankhamun) located in the Valley of the Kings. His persistent efforts led to the discovery in 1922 and provided Egypt with knowledge of ancient burial practices, art, and culture of Egypt.
His goal? To find King Tut’s tomb. Goal achieved.
Man attained many, amazing worldly achievements, but as pertinent as that is for the betterment of mankind, that is all they are – worldly achievements.
However, when man changes his focus from worldly accomplishments to spiritual victories, we see a purpose for man that lasts for eternity. A person can gain knowledge by reading the Bible but when he is able to understand the knowledge, God’s will and purpose, that results in sound judgment, that is wisdom!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10) God is the source of wisdom, which goes beyond simply knowing facts. It is knowing God’s nature and power that goes beyond knowledge and is key to true wisdom. Wisdom is a godly gift, a capacity of the mind to understand life from God’s perspective. He is the source of all wisdom. The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5)
So, let us not be just explorers of God’s Word, but let us be excavators – digging deep like searching for a vein of gold and finding the greater treasure. Let us rejoice to discover God’s hidden treasures of truth and wisdom.
God’s key message is that His deliverance and salvation are coming soon. So believers, “Look up! Your redemption draws near.” (Luke 218)