What are
you looking for? In His Word- 4-13-15
When he arrived there, a man from the area
noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he
asked. Genesis 37:15
Every day
as I sit and read my Bible I am seeking for something. To be brutally honest; I
don’t always know what I am going to find, but I am always searching for that
special ‘that’s it’ moment when I know I have gleaned a nugget from Gods Word.
I am not
encouraging anyone to flip through playing what my son calls “Bible Roulette”
but lately I have been following my own ‘rabbit trails’ of notes through one of
my study Bibles. I find it extremely fulfilling to read even my own notes, and
follow the highlights that I noted while sitting in church, or at conference
listening to some Godly woman or man teach.
Sometimes
we do not see what God wants us to see the first time we go through the
scriptures.
A while
back while teaching a ladies Bible group I sought out little known people in
the Word. I followed the women of the Bible that we read portions of their story
and tried to find out just who they were and why did God put them in the Word.
Other
times I have sought the simple mention of something that happened and asked
God; “why did you put this there?”
We can make our
own plans but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own
eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
The Lord has made everything for his own
purposes… When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace
with them…We can make our
plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
How much better to get wisdom than
gold, and good judgment than silver!
Proverbs 16:1-16
When you
read the Bible are you looking for gold, or wisdom for your life? Personally I
would love the gold, but the wisdom to live by is much more fruitful and I have
found that wisdom is something that will bring you the gold you need, and the
silver you desire!
I would
rather read for wisdom and gain knowledge in the Word than to receive gold the
world would give,
Even when
we think we have read it all; we still have a lot to glean from His Word.
Some
people may think that the time that they sit and read, or re read the Word of
God is a waist of time they could use making money, getting a job done or
helping other people. I say that it is most important to glean from the Word as
often as you can because you never know when you will need what God has given
you there.
Sally
went camping with her family. Her parents were always pushing the Bible on her
and even gave her a small one that she kept in her back pack supposedly so she
could read when she was camping. One day
she was taking a little camp side hike and she slipped and fell down a short
but crumbly cliff. She called up for help but no one was there to hear. She
knew she should have taken her little brother with her but she just wanted to
be alone. While there she pulled her
back pack off and took out the bandages she kept in a little first aide kit her
mom had also given her. She had a couple of scratches that looked bad but she
would be okay if she could just get up.
Below her
was about a fifty foot drop. Above her was a grass and rock climb of about
twenty to thirty feet she figured.
While
sitting there on the two foot wide ledge she dug around in her bag, there was a
sweatshirt, a note book and pen and her tiny bible. Great! What would she do
now? The sweatshirt was not long enough to throw up to the branch she could
pull her self up on but it was early too and eventually more hikers would come
out. She started to get scared that no one would come after waiting for an hour
or so and finally she opened the Bible thinking at least she could do something.
She read
the story of Noah and how he sent birds out to find land. It was kind of neat
that God used animals to fly around and check things out for Noah that way. It
was encouraging; maybe God would send a bird for her?
Looking
at her notebook she realized she could make birds of flight with a note written
on it on it to get people to find her. She began creating paper air planes and
left notes of her name and where she was. She threw them up and down and all
around her figuring someone on one of the trails would find it.
She could
hear people coming and prayed. “God please let them find my notes”
“Mommy” Look!
A paper air plane!” A little boy cried out as he ran up the trail ahead of his
mom and older brother.
“Pick it
up son, someone probably left the trash up here, I can’t believe some people.” The
mom was disgusted at what she thought was trash.
“It has
words on it Mommy, it says H- E- L- P!” The five year old spelled out the words
letter by letter.
The
mother grabbed it to read the words and sent her older child to get the ranger
to bring some rope.
“Hello
down there where are you?” The mother and little boy started yelling downward.
“I’m down
here right under your voice I think. Don’t get too close it’s dangerous!”
“We sent
for help, are you okay?”
Sally
told her what happened and was grateful to God for bringing this family along.
The story
was relayed and both the rangers and Sally’s parents came to help get her to
safety. She told them how she found the idea to send paper birds through her
Bible reading and thanked her parents for giving her the Word of God to keep
her safe and calm.
What is the
point of this story? Wisdom in the Word, and reading it will help us today, and who knows when we will need to find peace,
hope or directions in His Word for our lives?
I choose
wisdom,
I choose
to read my Bible as often as I can and try to apply it to my life.
And I
choose to follow Jesus’ example and live what I learn.
What
about you? What will you choose today, wisdom or gold?
Dear
Heavenly Father, thank you for the wisdom in your Word. Help us today to use
the wisdom we glean each reading we have to produce more peace, love and joy in
Your kingdom and that we would bring others in to Your love. In Jesus name,
amen.
Suggested
Reading: Genesis 37:1-36, Proverbs 16:1-33, 1 John 5:1-21, Titus 2:1-15, Ephesians
5:1-35