“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15
Last term, I had a college instructor who gave our class a quiz each week. One week, in the hope of bringing up the class scores, he decided to let us do the quiz in groups of four or five people. As the group I was in went through the quiz, we would each say what we thought the answer was to the particular question. If there were differing opinions, we each gave a reason why we thought ours was the right answer. Most of the group thought it was a good idea to vote on the answer and then write down the one with the most votes. However, I had read the textbook just the night before, and I knew for sure all the answers but one. The reasonable explanations given for the wrong answers could not persuade me to change my answers, nor could a majority vote by my fellow classmates. The distressing thing was that I could not convince the others in my group to write in the correct answers, even when I assured them that I had read the text and I knew. In the end, most of the members in my group failed the quiz.
Just so, when we are asked a question or when a life situation comes our way and we need to have an answer, it is a good thing to have been reading God’s Textbook—the Bible. We cannot count on coming up with the right answer by asking our friends or by relying on what the majority thinks—they could all be wrong. We cannot go with the answer that sounds reasonable—the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. Instead of taking the chance that we will somehow manage to get the answers right on our own, we must go to the Word of God and read it for ourselves.
Today, as we open God’s Book, let us ask Him to direct us in what we should read. He knows what answers we will need, and He will lead us in the way we should go.