Listen to the Scripture's Teaching

Thought   

The primitive church made the living and active word of God the foundation of their community. Today, the Bible must hold similar weight for us. It is our anchor that constantly points us to Jesus. 

The early disciples believed, as we do today, that all of the Scriptures (that is, the Bible) are God’s words to us. 

As Paul reminds and encourages Timothy in the passage from 2 Timothy, the Bible is not an impersonal and objective rulebook. It’s not there to judge us and declare to us: “you have broken the rules”. Rather, it is a God-breathed runway towards our loving Father.

Just as a coach trains an athlete to become better and fitter in their sport, so God, through the Bible, lovingly teaches us to “train in righteousness” so that we can become like Jesus, living exactly as God intended: a full and abundant life.

Ultimately, all biblical teaching and correction leads back to one thing: God. The disciples knew this and were joyful in their reception of correction and teaching, and joyful in their dispensing of correction and teaching no matter the season they were in. 

Action   

Today, allow God’s word to speak to you and confront you.

Be honest and ask yourself: is there somewhere where my thinking doesn’t align with what God says in his Word? This may be somewhere where you’ve accepted the world’s explanation or definition of something instead of the Bible’s, or where past experience has shaped your view detrimentally. Perhaps your view of yourself doesn’t line up with what God says about you – a masterpiece, a child of God, made in His image.

This can, and probably will get uncomfortable – embrace that. Take 5 minutes and reflect on it for a moment, repent if you need, but also thank God for his grace and love that he lovingly corrects us so we receive more of him as we become more like Jesus. 

This process led the disciples to love God and each other more deeply. Let it do the same for you today