Useful Scripture

2 Timothy 3:12-17

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

1 Timothy 4:8

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

The word value and profitable in these two passages of scripture come from the same Greek word meaning to have value. To have value, something must be useful or rare. There are many alive today, who value scripture, but only because of the "rareness" of it. By this I mean that they value scripture as being like a nice painting to be placed over their mantel. To take the words and put them in nice picture frames, because the words are a "rare" find. However, to be valuable means much more than just rarity. I believe in these two verses, we see that the value of Scripture comes from its usefulness in training us in righteousness and godliness. If we limit Scripture to only being nice words of encouragement to us, then we misuse it. The same scripture spoken of here, is also the one that cuts us deep. The same scripture spoken of here, is what the Holy Spirit uses to reveal sin in our lives. This scripture is useful! We read it far too often to get good feelings deep inside, but this is idol worship. The scripture has a purpose, and it is to a) reveal sin in our life and b) teach us how to live. Of course it is also the story of God's love and a sacrificing Savior, I am not trying to demean this. But the Savior was sacrificed, so that we could have the grace to practice righteousness--the righteousness that we learn from studying the Scriptures, which are the Word of God, Himself. Also, this Jesus said that anyone who listened or read the Word of God and did not do what it said is like a man who built his house on sand, and in the verses that precede this parable we find the illustration explained. There are two types of "Christians" that approach the throne of Judgement. There will be many who approach proud of what they have done, and Jesus will look upon them and say "I never knew you. Away with you, you workers of lawlessness." Lawlessness means to have no law, meaning to not do what Scripture says to do. To know it and not obey it. We have many today who find security in the fact that they go to church, read their Bibles everyday, serve at the soup kitchen, and this or that. A person can read their Bible everyday, and not do a single thing it says to do. A person can go to church every Sunday, and the words from the preacher have no effect on their life. There is no change. Even serving at the soup kitchen could be done only with the poor motives that someone will look on and think "how holy he/she must be." Jesus says that we have our reward, if we do things to be seen by men. Scripture is useful. We must read it, and be changed by it. We must study it, and apply it. We must be quick to quote it, in times of temptation, as Jesus our example did. To leave it on the shelf in our bedroom, or in the shelf of our heart and not use it, is a disgrace. Let us instead, spend daily time in it, and not only look for nice comforting words, but ask the Holy Spirit to cut and break us, by it, if necessary. Here is a prayer that I pray, every time I approach the word of God. I shouldn't say every time, but when I was a little boy, I did pray it every time. 

Father God,
As I read your word today, please give me understanding. Show me the places in which I fall short. Speak to me through Your word, today. Help me to read it, not selfishly or with poor motives, but to genuinely seek You in it. Change me by Your word, today, and give me the grace to do what it says. 
Amen.

May God's Word be useful and valuable in our lives!