Ingest and Digest

Scrubbing the bottom of the pot reminded me of why I bought the stainless cookware: the former non-stick pampered ones were twenty years old and did not work well with a glass-top stove. After unboxing the new set, I only glanced over the maintenance care—I knew how to care for pots. But weeks later, I noticed a discoloration on the copper-clad bottoms. Reading through the maintenance information again, I found nothing helpful. Then I saw amid useless “mumbo-jumbo” information—like an afterthought—that wiping lemon juice on the copper bands before using the cookware would prevent them from discoloring. That tidbit should have been a priority with the washing instructions.

God’s Word is not obscure but clear; He inspired men to pen and rightly place every word for all who read it to grasp His truths. Settling for skimming over the instructions, simply glancing here and there, now and then, for guidance will leave you lacking. You may miss a golden nugget or refreshing word by skipping through familiar verses, avoiding chapters with genealogies of names you can’t pronounce, or the hundreds of laws laid out in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Some information is better than none, but for the Word to equip and train you in righteousness, you must thoroughly read what God has to say and live it.

You may look forward to and benefit from Bible verses people post and glean helpful information from some of their insights into God’s Word. But you should never settle for that being your only source of learning God’s truths. Practice searching the Bible yourself, even if it is to explore further some of those same verses posted. As we continue learning, growing, and living rightly, we please and obey our Savior, who commissioned us to teach others to keep God’s commands and that Jesus saves and meets every need.

 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).