Words Of Encouragement For Your Day ( Monday 02/27/2012)

Know It For Yourself Don’t Just Repeat What You Hear…

2 Timothy 2:15 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

Deuteronomy 12:32 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³²Whatever I command you, be watchful to do it; you shall not add to it or diminish it.

            How often do we hear something across a pulpit,  from a friend or family member and instead of finding out the whole truth as it pertains to the situation we just settle into what we have heard, even when it comes to the Word of God.  How many times have we heard that someone was something that we later found out that they weren’t but we judged them or used the analysis of someone else to base our decision on and our positioning or belief?  There is a line in Marvin Gaye’s song “I heard it Through the Grapevine,” that states, “People say believe half of what you see, Son, and none of what you hear. I can't help bein' confused.”  Many of us have mistakenly placed people in a category that they did not belong in based upon assumptions and the allegations of others.  We do the same thing with God and His Word. 

            I was guilty for years of saying “work out your own soul salvation with fear and trembling,” but that is not what the Word of God says, it says in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” I had heard it across the pulpit for many years the wrong way I just adopted it the wrong way and began to repeat it the wrong way.  I have heard people refer to Malachi 3:10 as a responsibility and not something that God will reward or bless you for doing what you are supposed to do, but that is not what the scripture says.  It reads as follows: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”  God promises that if we would walk in the obedience to tithe that He would bless us, even though it is a command, and that He will prove it to us.  Just as people will take scriptures such as “the poor will be with us always, or Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” but do we understand the context in which these scriptures were written? In most cases no, this scripture in Mark 14:5-10 was referring to the when Jesus was about to be crucified and Mary came and poured the spices over Him and Judas made the comment that the spices could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  Jesus’ response was the poor will be with you always, because he was trying to get them to see that He was only there for a specified time and this act was necessary.  The scripture in I Corinthians 14:34-35 that speaks to the issue of women speaking church is about women being on one side of the synagogue and men being on the other side and when woman did not understand something being said by the priest they would stand up and ask a question while the service was being conducted and it was disruptive.  We have to understand why things are said what was meant by them instead of us just repeating or placing our own twists on things.

            The Bible instructs us to know the Word for ourselves that we as workmen in the Kingdom of God need to be able to rightly divide the word of truth, so that we aren’t ashamed and that we do not bring shame upon the Kingdom of God.  All too often we hear things and do not bother to search the scriptures out for ourselves and learn what the Word of God says and the context in which the scriptures were written we just, hear through the grapevine and repeat it, and live it as we have heard it.  This is one of the reasons many of us are missing the blessings of God and missing what God is saying and we are out of obedience and compliance with the Word of God because we have not bothered to learn what the Word of God says for ourselves.  Seek God first and His kingdom, seek His wisdom and His words, we should not take it as we hear it but know it as it is written and what its intent is.  It says that Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s word will stand, but it won’t stand as it is said or repeated but how God wrote it and meant it!