Keeping the Tools Sharp and Ready
Keep Your Bible Skills Sharp and Ready
(Part 1)
By Bob Burridge ©2010
Even the most immature believer understands that the Bible should guide our lives, feed our minds, and stir our hearts to grateful obedience to God. It’s important to know what God has said.
There are times when fathers are separated from their families. It may be the needs of defending our country in times of war, or extended business trips that can’t be avoided. Loving fathers do their best to keep in-touch with their families back home. In the days before telephones and e-mail, letters were written and mailed to remind everyone of the father’s love and concern for them.
What if when he returned home he found out that his wife and children hadn’t even read his letters? Maybe they read a sentence or two here and there, but never really read one all the way through. Some were still in the sealed envelopes completely ignored. They explained that they meant to read them, but they were too busy and never got around to it.
Before you get too critical of such an uncaring family, you should ask if you’re guilty of treating God’s letters to you in the same way. Do you dabble in God’s word reading just portions of the Bible when you can find extra time? Are there some books in the Bible you can’t summarize briefly because you never read or studied them?
2 Peter 1:19 warns us not to ignore God’s prophetic word in the Scriptures: “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;”
In 2 Timothy 3:15-17 Paul reminded Timothy about this fact of life. There he wrote, “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
This means that the wisdom we find in the Bible, God’s own word, is profitable for us because …
It teaches us what is true
It reproves us when we do things that are wrong
It corrects us about what we should believe and practice
And it trains us in how to live so that we please the God who made and saved us.
Psalm 19:7-8 is very similar when it explains the great value of God’s word:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;”