Do you trust everything you hear at church or on TV about God and the Bible as true or do you research it against what the Bible says? In Jeremiah 14 we see the problem with Judah is they listened to those that told them what they wanted to hear which was not from God as if it was.
Man is fallible. The only way we can make sure what we hear about God is to fact check it against the Bible which is the infallible Word of God. In Acts 17, Paul and Silas were in Berea the people there were eager to hear what they had to say. However, they searched the Scriptures themselves to see if what Paul and Silas said was true to what God had said.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul tells him to remind the people of how a Christian should live. He goes on to say in verse 15 AMP,
Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.
The King James Version says, “Study to show yourself approved…” While the English Standard Version says, “Do your best…” Maybe it is me but the phrase “Do you best…” doesn’t line up with what Paul is saying. It very well maybe because of the political correctness in youth sports that it seems to have lost its power. When you tell a child that even though their best and lost the game, then give them a trophy for participating isn’t teaching them principles based on the Bible. When it comes to a trial do you go so far and give up, you did your best but can’t continue anymore? No, you have press on to learn what God is teaching you through the trial, God doesn’t give you a trophy for attempting to make it through the trial. I have experienced that if you don’t pass the first time you’ll have to go through a similar trial until you pass it.
The Greek word for study is spoudazō, which means — to make effort, be prompt or earnest:—do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavor, labor, study. The main usage in the Bible is — to exert one’s self, endeavor, give diligence. When a college student is studying for an exam it is a diligent labor of studying. They exert themselves fully into learning all that they need to know for that exam. It is a trial for them to get a passing grade but when it is over they are not ashamed of the effort the endeavor took to get that grade.
In the end, we have studied the Word of God, we have labored the way through trials without any shame, and through all that, we know and understand the Bible.
Bonnie Sue Writes 