I quickly glanced at my watch to confirm the date was the 16^th, and that is what I saw. But it didn’t jibe with my devotional reading for the day. I rechecked my watch, and it read the 17^th. Things aren’t always how we first perceive them.

I was a nurse for many years. Once, working alongside a fellow nurse and friend, I quoted something I believed Christ had said.

“That was Benjamin Franklin!” my friend said.

I paused.

“Are you sure?”

“I was raised in the States. I should know!” my friend replied.

Feeling foolish and humbled, I went home and researched it for myself. She was right.

People often make assumptions. In our digital age, it is even easier to re-quote sayings or share memes without checking the source to see if they are true(valid?). One I particularly get a chuckle from is,

”Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

Abraham Lincoln

As followers of Christ, it is important to know what Scripture says. When we are sharing the gospel with others, we need to quote it correctly and in the proper context. It also helps us as hearers of the Word from pastors, speakers, fellow Christians and non-Christians, to discern what is the truth of God.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Act 17:11 NIV

This requires being IN the word, reading it daily, examining it and checking it against what we are reading and hearing. We can’t just trust that what we are being told is what God has said. Because we are all capable of making mistakes and wrongful assumptions. Even preachers and scholars.

All of Scripture is God-breathed. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and minds to understand what God is saying to us. It is important to prepare our hearts and minds to hear His voice. For me, I like to listen to a worship song to center my mind on the Lord. Our lives are busy and filled with all kinds of distractions. To take time and remember the glory and love of God calms us and reminds us of who we are.

Then I pray, asking the Holy Spirit to show me what He wants me to hear, today. I go over the scripture I am memorizing and then dive into whichever book of the Bible I feel led to read. Right now, I usually read only one small subheading, maybe two, and see what The Holy Spirit says to me. The Bible I use for this is a study Bible and I read their insights on the passage as well. It takes more time this way, but I want to absorb what God is saying, not just read it. Reading it this way also makes it easy to read in context. My highlighters and pencil are close by. I never wrote in my bible for years, but now I like to write comments in pencil, to remind myself of what I learned before. When I am truly studying a book, I journal what the Lord is opening my eyes to. I pray about what the Holy Spirit puts on my heart and thank Him for His Word.

This is my routine, but many other ways to read the Bible are possible. I have done it differently in other stages of my life. Try different methods and tweak them to find what works for you in the stage you are at. When I had littles, I did it in the evening, with teens it was after they left for school or when I got back from work. It may be 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes or more, but anytime is better than none!

God doesn’t want us to know Him second hand but personally, intimately.

In Luke 7:18-19, we see that John the Baptist also had expectations and assumptions about the Messiah, the Christ. But in his confusion, he sent his disciples to Jesus, THE Word, for clarity, and he got it.

It is good to listen to what others have to say about the Bible and the Lord, because God often uses the insights of others to grow our knowledge and encourage us. But assuming it is true is dangerous and a slippery slope. We check what we read and hear against the truth of God’s Word. And where there is confusion or disagreement, pray to the Holy Spirit, who resides within us for clarity and wisdom.

Sisters, let us not assume what we hear about our Lord is true but spend time getting to know Him, intimately. He is waiting patiently to spend time with you because you are His precious daughter whom He loves.

Be well!

Patricia