The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 16:17-19,
"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
It seems to me that today we have many that fall into that group of "those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned." With all the divisions, the --isms and schisms among those who refer to themselves as "Christian", many are those that are the culprits Paul speaks of here. How is it that what Paul warned of has exactly happened?
The writer of Hebrews admonished his readers of their culpability in their ignorance of the teachings in Scripture, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14.
It is only by knowing God's word that we can protect ourselves from being deceived by others. There are those who have the appetite to lead us astray. We need to know God's truth to enable us to distinguish who those people are and to distinguish good from evil. I would not follow anyone, including me, without verifying what is said by comparing it to the Scriptures. Paul told his protege, Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
It seems to me that today we have many that fall into that group of "those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned." With all the divisions, the --isms and schisms among those who refer to themselves as "Christian", many are those that are the culprits Paul speaks of here. How is it that what Paul warned of has exactly happened?
The writer of Hebrews admonished his readers of their culpability in their ignorance of the teachings in Scripture, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14.
It is only by knowing God's word that we can protect ourselves from being deceived by others. There are those who have the appetite to lead us astray. We need to know God's truth to enable us to distinguish who those people are and to distinguish good from evil. I would not follow anyone, including me, without verifying what is said by comparing it to the Scriptures. Paul told his protege, Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
We must know the Scriptures or we will become fodder for the appetites of those who would lead us astray. We need to pick up that Bible off our coffee table, dust it off and study it well. If you don't know where to start, try the Gospel of John or the book of Ephesians. There are a number of great places to dive into to start the journey of knowing God's word.
Learning God's word really is more of a journey than a destination. Where do we find ourselves on that journey? As long as we are on that journey, it really doesn't matter how far we have made it so far, just that we are making that journey.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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