What you don't know about the Bible may hurt you!

Nearly 2 years ago I needed to kill some honeysuckle and poison ivy that had grown up the side of one of our hay sheds. I needed to be about 10 feet up in the air so I could spray weed killer on all of the weeds. So I did like any responsible parent would do. I drove the tractor up to the side of the shed and placed at the controls my son who had been 8 years old for a total of 4 days. I climbed in the bucket, gave him directions on what I needed him to do, and then I stated a variation of a phrase I've used more times than I can count while working with my boys around the farm. I told him "You have to be very careful or I could get hurt or even killed." He did a great job, we got the job done, and we all went home in one piece that day.

Now some would say this was irresponsible, foolish, or down right reckless for me to trust my safety and even my life to the hands of an 8 year old. I would disagree. I have worked with my boys from a young age to teach them how to do things right so they or others won't be hurt. This wasn't the first time Dru operated the tractor and it wasn't the last. I've let him and Cooper drive my farm truck without me in it and 2 round bales of hay in the bed. But I didn't just throw them the keys at 6 and 7 and say "Have at it." I first taught them what they needed to know so they would know how to be safe and not get hurt. Its what they didn't know that could have gotten them hurt.

It's the same way with the Bible. When we don't know what the Bible says it can hurt our relationship with God. God expects us to study the scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15) and then apply them to our life. He wants us to know what it means to pursue holiness in a world ruined by sin. He wants us to trust in Christ not only for salvation but also for support in this life. He wants us to know that His grace is sufficient for anything we will ever face in this life (2 Corinthians 12:9). He wants us to know that He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). The best way for us to grasp the truths He wants us to take hold of is to spend time in His Word. His Word is living and active as Hebrews 4:12 puts it. That means God will speak to you through His Word but only if you open it up and allow Him to do so. When we don't spend time reading and studying the Bible we are basically telling God that we aren't concerned about our relationship with Him. We're telling Him we don't want to hear from Him. And in the end that will cause us more hurt because we won't know what God is telling us through the Bible. It will lead us into sin and damage our relationship with Him.

My encouragement to you today is this: If you haven't been reading your Bible like you know you should, then start back today. Find a book in the Bible and start reading. The Gospel of John is a great place to start. Ask God to speak to you as you read and you'll be amazed at what He'll say!

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