The Art of Believing
2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.
We all, to some extent, wear tinted glasses. In other words, we see things from our perspective, coloured by our life’s experience, our beliefs, and often distorted by our blind spots.
And that tendency to filter what we take in, what we allow ourselves to be influenced by, is more than mildly problematic when it comes to the truth. That’s why, in a big trial, both the prosecution and the defence are very careful in selecting jurors. They don’t want people passing judgement, whose tinted glasses could adversely impact the outcome. That’s obvious.
What’s not so obvious is the tendency of those of us who call ourselves “Christians” to filter what we read in the Bible. As author Stephen Covey puts it in his business best seller “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” it’s often said that seeing is believing. But actually, believing is seeing. What we believe – the tint in our glasses – influences what we see.
And that’s often how we read the Bible. Here’s an apt quote though, that I picked up from goodness knows where: When you read God’s word, don’t just read what you believe. Believe what you read. Amen, because …
2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.
Did you pick it? All Scripture is given by God. So when you read it, don’t just read what you believe. Believe what you read.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Ethan Crawshaw
Hi David, This is a fantastic idea that has been passed on to the greater team. Unfortunately, it is not a resource we ...
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Hi David,
This is a fantastic idea that has been passed on to the greater team. Unfortunately, it is not a resource we have at the moment. Hopefully, the deaf community will benefit from the text displayed in the video descriptions and on each post on the website.
David Byrnes
Dear CW, these talks are a blessing for the hearing community. Has consideration been given to adding a signed window ...
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Dear CW, these talks are a blessing for the hearing community. Has consideration been given to adding a signed window for the deaf? Blessings.