Scripture's Protection from the Wicked

2 Timothy 3:12-17—Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

 

The promise of God is not that we will have an easy life on earth, but rather that through our faith in Him we might be at peace no matter our circumstances.  When we take a moment to look around us, it doesn’t take long to see that we are living in difficult times.  When we read the Bible, though, we see that in a lot of ways the times haven’t changed at all.  In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy about the persecutions he has endured, about the friends who have turned their backs on him, and about the false teachings that are springing up all around distorting the Gospel message.  Paul is able to trust Timothy because Timothy grew up learning the Scriptures—Timothy cannot easily be led astray.  The same can be said for us—if we are educated in scripture, we, like Timothy, cannot be led astray.  I remember the first time I heard a “prosperity gospel” message and how it hit me like a car crashing into a brick wall.  Fortunately, my foundation in scripture was strong enough to send out an alert to be skeptical about this type of teaching.  God calls every Christian to know His Word personally in this way.  Teachers are important to our understanding of what scripture means, but as students we must also take responsibility for our own learning beyond what any teacher could possibly give us.  We should be reading the Bible for ourselves, questioning in a respectful way what our teachers tell us, and holding our teachers accountable to the scripture. 

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, give thanks to God for revealing His truth that He created each of us uniquely to be in relationship with Him—that He loves us, knows us, and wants us to know Him.  Thank Him for the gift of His Word.  Pray for discipline in your daily Bible study, prayer, and meditation.  Ask God to open your heart as you read His Word that He would reveal His will for your life.