inductive becomes productive

Recently I have been learning all I can about a man who lived a long time ago. Toward the end of his adventurous and turbulent life, he was thrown in a squalid prison where he lanquished in the damp and cold. Because of the prevailing hatred of his cause, he had no assurance of release. Ever. His body must have reacted to his pitiful surroundings; malnutrition, neglect, arthritis and loneliness were surely his only companions. The painful memories of men whom he had trusted yet who had deserted him sometimes crowded his thoughts.
While in that hopeless pit, he was able to write a letter. It was addressed to a younger man; one whom he called son. Actually, beloved son.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

If only I had found this letter at the bottom of an old dresser drawer! Perhaps then I could read it afresh. The years of hearing it intoned from pulpits, coupled with scores of bleary-eyed early morning devotions have dulled my inner ear, my spiritual hearing. Somewhere from the hidden loops of my brain a little voice chimes along as I read. "yah-dah, yah-dah, yah-dah." The nerve of that little voice! My mission (should I choose to accept it) is to rewind that annoying tape, erase it, and with God's help, push record. Herein is the goal of Inductive Bible Study: to approach the Word freshly and without presupposition. Take it from a novice: it's harder than I thought it would be.
But in my attempts, certain words are becoming clearer, akin to the archeologist approaching a precious new find with a gentle brush and his own light breath. I blew away the two-thousand year-old dust to uncover this for myself: a poignant appeal from a man who knows his life is fast coming to a close. He is lastly preparing his spiritual son for the gale-force winds of persecution. Listen closely and you may hear the ring of emotion and passion in his words:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

So I read this and stop to soak it in. Paul's fatherly commands shake the rafters of my heart, as if he spoke them aloud. It is almost like I don't know the end of the story; like watching a favorite suspense-movie for the nth time. It really has gripped me, and that's encouraging.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)