Discipleship Episode 5, Be in The Word

 

¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 English Standard Version

               “Well lieutenant, care to explain why you had your platoon deploy over the hill?” We all waited to hear what the young officer would say. It was sometime in the early 90s at what was then Fort Hood, now Fort Cavazos. The brigade commander, a full colonel, had showed up to watch an exercise in preparation for a deployment to the National Training Center (NTC). In those days a deployment to the NTC was considered a mandatory rite of passage for maneuver commanders. In sending his armored platoon over the hill, instead of around the flank, the lieutenant violated several tenants of armored doctrine and lost his entire platoon in the resulting mele. Just so you know, you try to never silhouette your vehicles against the sky and never, ever, ever, expose the bottom of your hull to enemy anti-tank fire. So, there we were in the After Action Review with the Brigade Commander, the Battalion Commander, the Company Commander, and associated strap hangers waiting for the young LTs answer.

               “Well, Sir…I was thinking outside the box,” he replied.

               “Thinking OUTSIDE the Box!!!! Son, first you must know where the box is before you can think outside of it!” The Brigade Commander, being a good trainer, proceeded to explain to all of us how to properly employ a platoon in that situation. As a signal officer, this was not especially important for me; but, I listened and learned. The lessons he taught me that day helped me out quite a bit in later years while deployed to various locations around the globe. But, the biggest lesson I learned was that you had to have a good grounding in doctrine first. In a like fashion, as Christians, we need to be well versed in scripture. Jesus felt that this was so important that He put scripture above food.

⁴ But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

               Sadly, many of us fail to spend time in God’s word, and unlike Jesus, we face the temptations and turmoil of life without the benefit of knowing God’s word. When engaged in fending off satan’s temptations, Jesus turned to scripture. As a young Jewish man, he’d memorized much of the Old Testament. As He faced satan, he did so armed with Holy Scripture, quoting passages with which He rebuked the tempter. Unfortunately, we often enter into combat with satan ill prepared. Scripture provides a wealth of help in not only fending off satan’s attacks, but also in navigating the challenging portions of this worldly existence. This is why we need to regularly present ourselves to the word of God, approaching the Bible with an open and teachable heart. If we do so, we will find that through the work of the Holy Spirit, the word of God speaks to us in our deepest needs. Today, we will examine three reasons why we, as disciples of Jesus, need to regularly examine scripture.

1.  To Keep Away from Sin: ¹ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 Regular reading of scripture helps me to understand what pleases God and what angers Him. It is much easier to avoid sin if I know what it is. Returning to my previous example. The young lieutenant had failed to fully apprehend Army doctrine regarding the employment of tanks. He failed because he acted out of ignorance. And while God does not engage in a cosmic game of “gottcha,” He is holy and my failure departs from His standard. While sin has significant relational consequences with God, it also has significant consequences in the quality of my life. As I read God’s word, He teaches me how to live, how to avoid the pain of poor choices in my daily walk. Looking back over my own life, much of the pain and frustration I faced stemmed from my own sinful actions, and could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, had I embraced God’s design for human existence. But scripture is much more than a list of do’s and don’ts.

2.  Be Good Workman: ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-17 We all have a role to play in the Church, the body of Christ. Your role is quite different from mine. Our roles change over time. Scripture equips us for all these works, and continual exposure to God’s word helps make us useful vessels in the kingdom. In the world, a good workman must understand how to employ his tools. I have often found myself making multiple trips to Lowes, Home-Depot, or other hardware store to finish a home project largely because I was unaware of the exact tools which I needed. Had I been competent in what I was doing, I would have saved time and gasoline. In a like fashion, a thorough understanding of scripture equips me to serve God well. Daily exposure to scripture provides a wealth of knowledge and in a supernatural way, gives the Holy Spirit information, tools as it were, to draw upon when we face those unexpected or unplanned moments of service. Scripture also helps us navigate this world.

3.  Understanding Life: ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 Buried deep within this lengthy psalm is a key passage, one that we often hear. God’s word helps us move about in this world. Life can be quite rough. We must deal with disappointment and pain. People fail us. We fail those we love. We face many different choices, some quite desperate and fraught with peril. God’s word lights the way. Reading scripture, we find that many of the problems we face were faced by every generation that came before us. As the author of Ecclesiastes said, “⁹ What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 Oh our toys may be different, but the challenges we face and the pitfalls that lurk around every corner remain the same. God’s word shines a light into those dark places that threaten to waylay us, dragging us into struggle and despair. When we spend time in scripture, we find that God speaks to us in refreshingly frank and open ways, helping us to avoid problems. Daily immersion in scripture helps us untangle the knots of daily human interaction.

               Setting aside time to open our Bibles presents quite a challenge in our busy world. All of us must juggle competing priorities. But, if we make time for daily devotions in our schedule, we will find that God rewards us in ways we could not imagine. He will reveal His ways to us. He will equip us for the good works He has planned for us. He will shine His light into the dark sin-sick world we inhabit, making the good path clear. For years I relegated my daily devotions to “when I had time,” which was not nearly as often as I needed. When I finally broke down and started opening His word on a regular basis, I found that it gave me discernment concerning sin, it provided tools I did not even know I needed and illuminated the way before me. I urge you, start setting aside time for reading…or listening to…His word. The rewards will be great.

 

Thought Questions:

1.      How much time do you spend reading the Bible each week?

2.     How much time do you spend on social media, gaming, or watching TV?

3.     Think of a time in which God’s word spoke directly to a situation you were dealing with, what did that feel like?

4.     What are of your life do you find most challenging, work, home life, money management, or personal relationships?

5.     Why do you think we find it so hard to set aside time for regular Bible study?