August 30th - Acts 17:11

Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Every preacher longs to meet people like the Bereans. They were really open to the Christian message, but they didn’t simply accept everything that Paul and Silas had to say. They looked carefully at the Old Testament scriptures to make sure what they had been taught was right. Having been a preacher for many years, I can’t tell you how much I love it when people question what I’ve said. Although I will always seek to write and teach carefully, I’m far from perfect, and I need to be kept on my toes. I encourage you to get to grips with the Bible. If these daily notes help you to get into God’s word, that’s great, but don’t leave it there. I would always encourage you to do more digging. It is particularly valuable to get to grips with the whole Bible. Some parts are easy to understand and bring immediate encouragement. Others are harder work and you will need to spend much more time to understand their meaning. But it is all the word of God, and you will gain enormous blessing from getting to know it better. We are all different, and there isn’t one right way of studying the Bible. What matters is that, like the Bereans, we are open-minded and always eager to learn more. Question What are you doing to get to grips with the Bible? Prayer Lord God, thank you for the gift of the Bible. Help me to appreciate it more and more. Amen