Mastering Scripture...or being Mastered by Scripture

Right now I'm journeying through the Gospels, studying the life of Jesus and his ministry. My beginning premise/idea was to master the gospels. I wanted to have an acute knowledge and understanding of every piece and detail of these books. I wanted to be well versed about Jesus' mission and his teachings. Ultimately, I wanted to do this so others would recognize my knowledge of Scripture. Doesn't this seem like a great idea? Not really. Immediately after I set out on this ambitious journey, I listened to D.A. Carson. I was humbled. It was a God thing. He said our goal for Scripture shouldn't be to master it, but rather to let it master us. Wow. I was struck down in my motivation for studying Scripture. Fortunately I was humbled and God desired to restructure my approach to his revelation. So, I am no longer trying to master the Gospels, but rather let them master me. I want them to proceed from my mind and penetrate the core of my will, soul & heart. I don't just want to know a bunch of stuff about the Gospels, but rather I want the Gospels to know me and own me at the core of who I am. This, I believe, is a much better approach.