From time to time, I will offer a meditation on specific portions of Scripture. If you believe the Bible to be the Word of God, I pray you will find these to be insightful and more importantly they will provoke you to a healthier relationship with God and with your fellow humans.  If this is not your belief, I hope you will still find these reflections to be insightful and a source of encouragement.  In any event, they are offered in the spirit of helping you to a place of personal health in all aspects of your life.

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 competent, equipped for every good work. – II Timothy 3:16-17

In the opening verses of the Gospel of John, we see Jesus Christ referred to as “the Word”. Everything was created through the Word, meaning that Jesus was there in the beginning of time (Genesis 1). The phrase “then God said” from the account of creation is the reference that Jesus, the Word of God, was there. This same Word has also breathed out the very Scripture that guides our daily lives. Some would point out that the Bible as we know it today was not in place when Jesus walked the earth. True, but then again, no thing as we know it today was in place before the beginning of time. But Jesus was! And He is, and He will be.

Scripture is profitable, it has value to us, it will increase our spiritual wealth. The principles, truths, and nuggets of wisdom contained throughout all the writings of the Holy Bible provide valuable guidance that can help us avoid costly mistakes and to recover from mistakes that we inevitably make anyway. We capture this value in our lives in four distinct ways:

Teaching – to cause to know something. The Word itself teaches us, His Spirit leading us into all truth (John 16:13). We also can teach each other from the Scriptures (reference “Iron Sharpens Iron, and vice versa”, my March 30, 2022, blog post).

Reproof – criticism for a fault. The Word points out to us the error of our ways, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Correction – bringing into conformity with a standard. We are called to be imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ, conformed to His image (I Corinthians 11:1). Knowing Him, as through His Word, is the path to correcting our character and ways to be more like His character and ways.

Training (in righteousness) – acquiring skill, knowledge, or experience. If we are ultimately going to act and react like Jesus Himself, it takes daily practice. Disciplining yourself is the key to right living.

So what? Why invest time and energy into understanding these Scriptures, the very Word of God? Because a life that has value is one being lived with purpose. Before you were born, God formed your days (Psalm 139:16) and prepared the good works that you are to walk in throughout your life (Ephesians 2:10). The Word of God provides understanding of purpose and the competence to capture its value.