Today's workout? Invigorating and amazing. There is NOTHING like pushing yourself to the edge. Honestly, when I was done I felt energized and giddy like a school child who had just played on the school playground.
That said, I know for a fact that there's one thing I love more than exercising and that's studying and teaching the Bible. Maybe that's why Jesus used a rare verb in John 5:39.
The NIV says, "You study the Scriptures." That's kind of weak. The NLT is better: "You search the Scriptures." The NASB has, "You examine the Scriptures." And the HCSB? "You pore over the Scriptures."
Understanding the Bible takes a lifetime of effort. As you study the word, you will be asking yourself, "What does this mean? Is this translation correct? Has So-and-So interpreted this verse correctly"? Determining what a passage really means involves all we have. For accurate exegesis to happen, we not only need regeneration but a reverence for God's word. Above all, we must depend on the Holy Spirit. He is not only the Author of the written word but it's supreme Expositor. However, the Spirit's part in interpretation does not suggest some mysterious work that is unexplainable or unverifiable. The good Bible student will approach the text with sound judgment and reason, seeking to be as objective as possible as he approaches Scripture. The teachings of the word of God are not inaccessible to the Christian who will work. Study. Search. Examine. Pore over. All this is necessary to remove the obstacles to understanding that stand in our way.