"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17)
ALL scripture is useful. ALL. Not just the familiar parts.. not just the easy-to-read portions. Not just the parts that are easy to agree with or comply to. ALL. All of the Bible is God's inspired Word. His message, imparted through the Holy Spirit, written by many hands, yet authored by the One Almighty God.
God wants us to be equipped for every situation that comes our way. He expects us to have a hunger for knowledge; not just so that we can recite the answers to the assigned questions in Sabbath Class or Sunday School; but, so that we will have knowledge to share with unbelievers and skeptics and fellow-believers. Knowledge isn't useful unless it's shared and applied.
When should we be prepared to share our knowledge" The answer is just a few verses away from today's "3:16"
"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct and rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." II Timothy 4:2,3 NIV
Paul wrote the book of II Timothy almost 2,000 years ago, warning of a time when people would be unwilling to listen to the truth. If that isn't the case today, I don't know what is! PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! Many preachers nowadays have "compromised" to the point that there is very little Scriptural basis to what they are saying. Naturally, the itchy-eared people are "happy" because they are being told that whatever they do, it's okay... This, of course, is not true - as evidenced by these same people's attempts at escape through drugs, alcohol abuse, pornography, etc.
It's not easy being corrected or rebuked. None of us wants to hear that we need to change. And yet, we all need to improve. There is so VERY much to learn. The Bible is the Word of God; it contains advice about everything under the heavens. It gives us advice on every important question we people ca come up with. It gives animated examples of how to live life, with unique and unforgettable characters throughout its' chapters and books. It's all right there;;; waiting for you... Read it.
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