The Wednesday Word 8.03.2022

 

2 Timothy 3:14-17 New Living Translation

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Believing in God is a choice. Plain and simple. Like the majority of the choices we make every day of our lives, it must be consciously made. Happily, I grew up with parents who believed and tried to instill that belief within me. Nevertheless, I had to make up my own mind once I grew up. World Religion, Christianity from the perspective of races not my own, and multiple philosophy classes in college expanded my horizons. No matter the interesting subject matter, the belief in God remained central in my mind.

Believing in God’s existence, even embracing his omniscient power and glory as the Creator and Master of all, is just the starting point. It is not the finish line. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus told us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” He goes in to say in Verse 7:26, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”

This passage from 2 Timothy makes that abundantly clear. Scriptures are meant to prepare us for the life God intends for us to live. How can we know Our Creator if we don’t read the Bible? How can we realize what is truly right and wrong in our own behavior? How could we possibly comprehend what his will for us might be if we don’t learn from His Word? I don’t want to be the one whose life is built on shifting sands…something to pray about.

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.



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