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Hello my “Walking with Jesus’ Friends;
May I ask you this question… who is the wisest person you know? What is the source of their wisdom? Have you ever noticed how the first several chapters of Proverbs begin in the Bible?
Prov. 1:8 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom… Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Prov. 2:1,2 “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…”
Prov. 3:1,2 “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life for many years…”
Prov. 4 “Listen my son to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding…for I too was a son to my father…then he taught me…get wisdom, do not forget my words or turn away from them.”
Now, we know that king Solomon had an encounter with God as his father king David passed the mantle of leadership to him, and in that encounter Solomon asked God “…give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead this people for who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” (2 Chron. 1:10) And God did indeed bless Solomon with wisdom beyond that of anyone, so that people, including leaders of other nations, came to seek wisdom from king Solomon. The book of Proverbs is some of the God given wisdom king Solomon wrote to benefit all of humanity.
Joshua also was overwhelmed with the responsibility of leadership and sought God’s wisdom as he prepared to lead God’s people from the desert into the Promised Land. God’s instruction to Joshua was “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go…” (Joshua 1:1-9)
This week we are considering guiding Life Principles the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy as part of the epilogue of his life, as he was preparing to die in a Roman prison. 2 Timothy was the final letter Paul authored. These Life Principles are so significant and so applicable to life today in 2020, I’m taking one per day for us to ponder, and here’s the Principle for today: “Cherish God’s Scripture – it is lifelong wisdom.”
Every person, in every place in the world, lives their life according to their personal set of values, their world-view, their priorities and the standards of right and wrong they have been raised in. So a fundamental question we all face. . .where can I gain the wisdom I need to live my life with minimal regret? God has a clear answer… what’s your answer?
Let’s dig into 2 Timothy 3:14-17 together. Paul writes to Timothy: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” What do you hear my friends? Do you remember the Life Principle I gave you three days ago, from 2 Timothy 1:3-7 “Nurture the godly DNA you inherit”?
Timothy had been fortunate to grow up in a family with two generations of Faith filled women. His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. I presume Paul’s statement here about Timothy having known the Scriptures from infancy means they were also women with a profound respect for the Word of God who led Timothy in memorizing and understanding large portions of Scripture. As any young Jewish boy, Timothy would have had his early years of education with a Rabbi who would have used God’s Word as his primary teaching textbook.
Do you see Paul urging Timothy to understand that the more deeply he roots his life in God’s Scriptures the more those Scriptures will anchor him for the challenges of life he will face and guide him well in the decisions of his life. Do you see Paul challenging Timothy to value highly God’s Scriptures because, they are trustworthy in the practical things of life, and also they will give him wisdom needed to understand the Gospel of salvation found only in Jesus Christ? Have you ever spent much time in Psalm 119, the longest Psalm? Have you noticed almost every verse celebrates the practical power of God’s Word? Listen: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” Well, that’s a very practical question isn’t it? “By living according to Your Word. I seek You with all my heart, do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Ps. 119:9-11)
Now look closely at the next thing Paul writes to Timothy, it is profound: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Please link this with Peter’s statement from 2 Peter 1:20,21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Scripture is unique among all books in the world, for it is the only book authored by God Himself, as the Holy Spirit guided all the Biblical authors to write what God wanted mankind to know. The Bible is not simply a collection of interesting books and letters, Psalms and wisdom. It is God’s Word to mankind for understanding and living life as God has designed human life to be lived…as a child, a teenager, a single or married adult, a parent, an older person, an employee or employer, a leader or a follower, regardless of ethnicity, language, skin color or geography.
Do you see Paul challenges Timothy to far more than a cursory, occasional reading of some Scripture. Paul’s challenges Timothy to consider that he will be most valuable to all the people his life touches, in whatever parts of the world his feet take him, for his entire lifetime, IF every aspect of his thinking, his attitudes, his words, his choices, his relationships are ALL immersed in God’s Scriptures. In other words Timothy’s value to our world is determined simply by the degree to which his life is the practical living out of God’s Word!
Now lest you think the Scriptures only talk about our relationship with God, let me ask you a few closing questions… How would this Coronavirus crisis have been handled differently in your country if the leaders of your country had faced it from a Biblical perspective? How would the violent demonstrations in the streets of America be handled differently if handled from a Biblical perspective? How would the public rancor and viciousness among politicians, media and leaders across America, and around the world, be handled differently if communication was done by Biblical standards? How would the treatment of unborn children, or qualifications for marriage or gender identity be different if viewed from a Biblical perspective?
This is why Paul was so strong in his challenge that Timothy embrace the truth that “All Scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17)
So in closing today, I end where I started. Where do you get the wisdom you need for life, everyday? What does your Bible look like? What is the role of God’s Scriptures, the Bible, in your life, your marriage, your family, your vocation, your education, your relationships, your vacations, your future… every part of your life? It’s a daily choice, isn’t it? Are you pleased with the level of saturation of God’s Word in your life and the amount of Godly wisdom you have for facing the challenges of life these days?
Paul says “Cherish God’s Scripture – it is lifelong wisdom”.
Oh God, I thank you for the powerful, living, active Word of God available to each and all of us, and ready to saturate our lives and lead us every step of life.
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: 2 Timothy 3:14-17. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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