Many times my healthy minute posts are about your physical well being. But, today I'm going to focus on the spiritual well being. Our spiritual self needs just as much care as our physical self. We need to feed (read the Bible) and exercise (pray and study) and grow in grace (faith through troubles).
One of the more difficult things to manage as a Christian is doctrine. There are so many people out there that tell you what God wants from you, or what He demands of you, that Christians many times just take their word for it. God wants you to study- II Timothy 2:15- Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. That means that God wants you to search it out for yourself, not just take somebody's word for it.
The words "rightly dividing the word of truth" tell you that there are some divisions in the Word of God. You can read any passage of Scripture and get some practical knowledge or guidance from them, but you cannot apply them to your life doctrinally.
I'll give you an example: God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Now, if you try to apply that doctinally to you, you may find yourself avoiding anything that grows on trees. You may laugh, but there are Christians out there who do this with all sorts of verses! They say, "Well, God told Adam not to eat from the tree, so I'll avoid eating everything that grows on trees and that'll cover my bases. I'm obeying the Scriptures!" Wrong! You are applying something doctrinally to yourself that was never written for you.
Another example: Paul says that women shouldn't adorn themselves with gold or the plaiting of hair (I Timothy 2:9). Now, many Christians out there say that women shouldn't wear jewelry or braid their hair. They kind of leave off the part where Peter repeats that, but says "the putting on of apparel" (I Peter 3:3). If Peter doesn't want you wearing jewelry or braiding your hair literally, then he's against you wearing clothes. Wrong! You have to rightly divide. When what your wear, or what you look like, becomes more important that who you are in God's eyes then you are going against God. That's what Paul and Peter were trying to communicate.
So, how do we rightly divide? How do we study? How do we become spiritually fit?
First, we pray. We pray for God's wisdom and guidance before we ever approach the Word of God. We ask Him to show us what He wants us to see. Every Christian has a personal walk with God. He tells each of us what He expects from us personally. That may not be what He expects from your neighbor, or your pastor, or even your spouse. Ask for wisdom!
Next, we study. Get a concordance and search a word. Find every scripture that has that word in it. See what they all say. That's how you study. You will begin to see the big picture- how God has put everything together. How the pieces fit. A greater, defined understanding of each subject you search out.
Third, we see who God is speaking to and when He is speaking. The book of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews chapter 1 that it is written to the Jews in the last days. A Christian in the church age cannot apply anything in that book doctrinally to themselves! God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son- don't try that! God isn't speaking to a Christian in the church age! Rightly dividing means seeing if something is written to you, or if it's written to someone else- read the address before personally following the letter.
You can't pick up a letter at your neighbor's house addressed to him from his wife that says "I love you" and think that it was written from her to you! It's the same with God's Word.
And lastly, obey. God will show you what He wants from you. Some things may be easy; some things may be difficult. But, each time you accept the light that God gives you, He'll give you more. He'll draw you closer. And, you'll grow in spiritual fitness!
