OCTOBER 16, 2012
No
More; No Less
Read: 2 Timothy 2:14-26
Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not
need to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the Word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15
Recently
I was reading about how easy it is to mishandle the message
of the Bible. We
may try to make it support what we already believe is
true instead of allowing
it to speak to us with God’s intended message.
Some people use the Bible to
defend one side of an issue, while others
use the Bible to attack that same
issue. Both quote scripture to support
their views, but both can’t be right.
It
is important as we use God’s Word that we are committed to saying
no more and
no less than the scriptures actually say. If we mishandle
the Word, we
misrepresent it, which ultimately misrepresents God’s
character. This is why
Paul challenged Timothy, “Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, a
worker who does not need to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2
Tim. 2:15). A key priority for
unashamed, approved workers for Christ is to
accurately interpret
(“rightly divide”) God’s Word. As we study, we can depend
on the
Spirit, who inspired it, to give us understanding and wisdom.
Through
our words and actions, we have opportunity to represent
God’s Word in ways that
genuinely reflect God’s heart. That is one
of the greatest privileges of the
Christian life.
Father, thank You for giving us Your Word to guide
our lives. May we give it the serious care and
handling it so richly deserves, and may we live it
out daily through our actions and attitudes. Amen.
God’s Word— handle with care.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
