KNOWING AND DOING

A young, energetic salesman approached a wise, old farmer and offered to sell him a set of newly published books on “Farming: Things You Need to Know.”

“If you buy them, read them carefully, and study them thoroughly,” said the confident young man, “you’ll farm twice as good as you do now.”

“Listen, young fellow,” said the farmer, “I ain’t farming half as good as I know how now!”

It’s not what I do not know or understand about the Bible that troubles me; it’s what I know about the Bible and often do not apply its teachings as I go about my daily responsibilities.

At the conclusion of one of His lessons about applying His teachings to their lives, Jesus said to His disciples, “You know these things – now do them! This the path to a happy life.”

Often we are anxious to purchase a new Bible that promises to provide new insights and knowledge about the teachings of Scripture. And, it seems as though there are more new study Bibles published every month that promise “easy-to-understand” interpretations of difficult passages. Other editions promise to teach the reader how to study the Bible “inductively” or “deductively.” Others focus on timelines and prophecies, culture and geography.

What is most helpful, however, is to simply read the Bible every day, think about what we have read, meditate on its content, and ask God, through His Holy Spirit, to teach us His ways.

Prayer:  Father, help us to understand the teachings of Your Word.  May we look to You for Your guidance and insights that will enable us to live lives that please You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   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. 2 Timothy 3:16