Verse of the Day 8/19

 

Acts 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

In our church, "sermon notes" are passed out with the bulletins.  They contain the scripture passages/verses that will be in the message along with room for taking notes.  They are a handy tool to follow along with the message, but how often do we take them home, review them and "examine the Scriptures" to gain a better understanding and hopefully apply what we've heard and learned in our lives?  Today's verse indicates that the Berean's did so and Paul referred to them as being noble.  It was commendable.

 

The Amplified Bible states, "for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed the message".  It starts with  having hearts and minds that are prepared to welcome the message that His Word will bring to us. not only in the form of sermons, but any time we venture into the Bible.   Part of that preparation should be prayer.

 

As children in Sunday School, we may have learned the song that went like this:

 

Read your Bible, pray every day,

And you'll grow, grow, grow.

 

Don't read your Bible, forget to pray,

And you'll shrink, shrink, shrink.

 

Those words are a reminder for us as  adults as much as they were a lesson to be taught to us as children.  May we receive those words that we hear on Sunday, or perhaps in a Bible study, or Sunday School class, with eagerness.  May we like the Bereans, take the time to "examine" the scriptures.  So that we'll grow, grow, grow.  Grow in knowledge, grow in faith, and grow in our relationship with Christ and with others.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 

Acts 17:10-12The Message (MSG)

Berea

^10-12 That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence.