The check-in process was quick, and I didn’t even sit down before my name was called. The orderly took me to the clinic, and within a couple a minutes, the technician called me in for the procedure. After telling me my pacemaker was working perfectly, I said something about God and this man responded to talk about his faith. We spent nearly half an hour sharing stories and praising the Lord. It was lovely. Then I returned to my car — no ticket.
Today’s devotional is about the power of Scripture to give God’s people what we need to guide our thoughts and actions. My first response is that God can use anything to teach me what I need to know — namely that He can grant my prayers for a parking space, but He can also say no because He has a better plan. With a staff of rotating technicians, He wanted me to talk to the right one, the blessing of rich fellowship with another Christian that I may have missed had I got there on time.
We learn by experience, yet without God’s teaching, my attitude would have far less calm when things were not going well. Because of this, I totally agree that:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)
Without knowing the Bible, I may have pounded my fists on the steering wheel, been totally upset to be late, and too crabby to chat or discover a fellow believer who encouraged my faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture teaches me that God works all things together for my good, and getting hyped is not it.
There are no Bible verses about full parking lots and nearly missing important appointments. However, the Holy Spirit lives in me and the anointing that I received from him abides in me, and I have no need that anyone should tell me how to react to minor upsets and what to do about them. His anointing teaches me about everything and is always true. He never lies to me. I can trust and abide in Him. (1 John 2:27)
Not only that, I have the mind of Christ. I do not need to let my fears and foibles ruin my ability to think or misunderstand God, or be upset with Him, or in foolishness teach Him what I want Him to know! (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Yet there is warning in Scripture too. Having the ability to understand spiritual truth doesn’t guarantee I will obey what I know. God said to the Israelites through His prophet Hosea:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)
In the revelation God gives of Himself, it is vital to realize, believe, and totally trust that He wants the best for His people. Disobedience demonstrates that I don’t know or don’t believe that. As MacArthur says, there are many who lament that they could have avoided much grief if only they had known the Bible more thoroughly — if only they had taken the time to learn what God expected of them in a particular situation. The only way to avoid that mistake is to saturate my mind with biblical truth and discipline myself to do what He says.
PRAY: Jesus, You never fail me. Even when I thought You would supply my need (for a parking place) You had a better plan and used the delay to create a situation for Your glory. Now we have a big day ahead of us and my prayer is that You will use the circumstances we face to draw us closer to You and to be glorified in our lives and the lives of those around us.
PONDER: Sometimes it is good to think of negatives, of what I would do if I didn’t know what the Bible said about many things. Tonight, we will be in a situation calling for wisdom and compassion. I need the mind of Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be able to do what God wants. I also need to be alert to my own ignorance and inability so I will say or do foolish things, but consciously rely on Jesus.
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