Snapshots
Biblical Truth
OF
BIBLE REFERENCES:
Acts 17:11 (NIV) “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”.
2 Corinthians 11: 4 (LivBible) “You seem so gullible: you believe whatever anyone tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all.”
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”
Psalms 119:105 (NIV) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
APPLICATION:
The Apostle Paul instructed his young understudy, Timothy, to do his very best to interpret correctly the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). In reading the Scriptures It becomes quite apparent that gullibility was not a human characteristic Paul was particularly fond of. Neither was cynicism!
We all have choices to make concerning what information we allow to form our opinions and beliefs. These choices shape our belief system. The Bible talks about a group of people called the Bereans (see Acts 17:11) who stood out as stewards of the truth. These people would not even accept the words of the Apostle Paul without first examining the Scriptures. They wanted to make sure that what they were being told was the absolute truth. Was this a slam against the apostle? Absolutely not! This was a credit to the people who were trying to get things right.
The sharp words directed at the church in Corinth (see 2 Corinthians 11:4) were aimed at another group of people who Paul accused of being too gullible in their thinking. It seems these people were quick to accept and absorb everything coming through the front door that looked and sounded religious. These sharp words from Paul are directed at us today as well. You have to admit that in our modern society, we “sophisticated”, "deep" thinkers can sometimes get down right gullible in our thinking. Just look at all the get rich scams going around. Smart, educated people actually fall for them!
A PRAYER:
“God, help me not to be so gullible that I accept everything that I am told and help me not to be so cynical that I reject the truth when it comes my way. Instead, give me a clear understanding of your ways so that I can rightly divide your word of truth”
Rightly Divide the Word of Truth
Then, of course, there are those who slide all the way to the other end of the “believe-it-or-not” spectrum and become so cynical they refuse to believe anything they haven’t first thought of. They wouldn’t accept the truth if it landed in their lap.
So, where do you stand today? What God wants from us is for each one of us to “rightly divide the word of truth” using all of the resources he has made available to us. These resources include the common sense and intelligence he created within each one of us. It also includes the Holy Scriptures and His Holy Spirit to enlighten us and guide us along our path.
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