Preaching Daily - August 17

Today's Reading...

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:12

Today's Devotional Insight...

Do We Use Scripture Properly?

In the times we live in, it seems that everyone has an opinion and everyone’s opinion is “correct.” Thoughts and views are being thrown around as facts and everyone has to be heard. Whether on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog post, people are speaking out, and as a result, others are listening. Views are being shaped by other’s opinions, while truth is slowly being muted out. We see more retweets of quotable pastoral references than actual scripture itself. As Christians, the issue within free speech does not lie in the act of sharing our opinion, the issue lies solely in who and what are we listening to and in whom and what we are speaking on.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “all Scripture is God-breathed, given by divine inspiration, and is profitable for instruction, for conviction of sin, for correction of error and restoration to obedience, for training in righteousness— learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately— behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work” (AMP).

God’s word is so important to our community, to our churches, and to our lives! When we dilute his message or skimp on his truths, we neglect to experience the trueness of His word. Let’s pull these verses apart and examine them as they demonstrate the purpose and outcome of Scripture:

“All Scripture is God-breathed,” meaning it was given by divine inspiration. God took every single word and rooted it in the minds of the authors of the Bible. As they penned the scriptures the Lord breathed life into them. Which is why we reference the Bible as “The Word of God.” If we ascribe perfection as one of God’s characteristics, then it is safe to assume that His word would be equally as perfect and able to be trusted. Therefore, scripture is true, valid, and perfect. For “[e]very word of God is flawless…[so] do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

“It is profitable…” Profitable denotes that the Word of God is advantageous, beneficial, rewarding, and valuable! For us, this means that every word we read will add to our lives. Whether it is a simple command or an insightful proverb, scripture is worthwhile to our existence.

(To read the full article, click here.)

Today’s Pastoral Resource...

Playback Media
Utilizing media in our services helps make a big impact on people's lives. Finding the right sermon slide, countdown, or motion background can be difficult sometimes. Playback Media exists to take that pressure away and provide you with church media that you can trust. They can also customize any media specifically for your church. Try them out free for one month.