2 Timothy 3: 16-17, “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.”
What Bible verses have made an impact on your life? If you grew up in a Christian home, you probably went to Vacation Bible School as a child. That was where I memorized Psalm 23 when I was in third or fourth grade. When I can’t sleep at night, I often recite the 23rd Psalm to myself. To this day, there are various verses of truth in that chapter that I go back to. I wonder what verses our children learned in AWANA and at Owatonna Christian School (we used to live in Owatonna, MN), have carried them into their adult lives?
What verse has equipped you for what you needed to do this past week? Do you need to make a particular decision or have a project you are responsible for getting done? Ask God to point out a verse to give you the required wisdom to be “competent, equipped for every good work.” Since God speaks to us through His Word, do you realize that when you quote Scripture, you are, in a sense quoting God? The Phillips version of 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man’s life and training him in good living.”
Is your life taking a pivot? Is it in a resetting of direction? Your current circumstances are not necessarily permanent. As you read God’s Word ask Him to speak to you while reading it. Then be still. Don’t do all the talking. Let God talk to you and listen to what He has to say. I need to do this daily as my job, which I have had for these past sixteen years, is changing. I want to have competence in what is ahead of me. A verse that I pray every morning is Psalm 90:17, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our (my) hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” ESV. Then the New Living Translation states it this way, “And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our (my) efforts successful!”
A parallel verse is found in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” NIV. The NASB uses the word “adequacy” – “. . . but our adequacy is from God.” Need to have competence in a situation? Need to have adequacy in a circumstance? God is Jehovah Jireh, “the Lord will provide.” Moses told Joshua, who was to succeed him, in Deuteronomy 31:8, not to fear or be dismayed because the Lord would go before him, deliver them from their enemies, and never leave him. Joshua had felt he was inadequate and lacked competency in replacing Moses’s leadership. Moses was preparing Joshua and the people to rely on God, and not on people. “Do not be afraid or be discouraged” was Moses’s encouraging words to Joshua who was to succeed him in leading the people as Moses had commanded him. That verse I have written out on a card on my desk to remind myself of when I need to have inner confidence in being competent for the task.
What does “all” mean in 2 Tim. 3:16? All – every word. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” He was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. “It is not just the thoughts that are inspired. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and declared that every word proceeds out of the mouth of God, and is inspired by God. Every word is God breathed.” John Courson’s Application Commentary. Need competence for something coming or for today? Ask God to give you a word from Him. Listen – pause a moment in order to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you. He will bring to memory, or you will see Scripture verses leaping off the page as you read God’s Word, resetting the direction of your life and training you in good living. May God give you peace as He fills you with His presence, leading to having the competency that you need.
Listen to Casting Crowns (Lyric Video) Nobody 11/24/2018.