Devotional Guide -- March 18

Monday, March 18, 2019
The Holy Bible: 

God Speaks to Man

“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.” II Timothy 3:16

We err when we think that we can just study the New Testament and be prepared to live the Christian life. When Paul wrote to his young protege, Timothy, the only Scripture available was what we today call the Old Testament – books of law, history, poetry and the prophets. He didn’t know what he was writing would become Scripture. So he was telling his young friend that the Old Testament was important for specific reasons.

Our desire as Christians is to do good work, to please God, to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to give cups of cold water to those who thirst. These are the things that Jesus tells us we can do for others in order to do for him. This is the New Testament lesson.

We would never send a man or woman out to do a job in business without the proper tools and training, yet we often think as Christians that we can “wing” it and get the job done. Paul says otherwise. We get our instructions from the Scripture, and that includes the Old Testament – God inspired words to teach, correct, reprove, and make us righteous for good work. Going to work without the proper training may result in our being unable to work well – both in the world’s business and in God’s.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the best possible training manual for the work you have left for us to do. Amen.

“I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25
Lenten Devotional Guide
prepared for Homosassa United Methodist Church, Spring 2009
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Director