November 15th
Today's Bible Reading
Fact Check
Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
It seems reasonable that when someone hears or reads something that they would want to check its credibility. They would want to ‘fact check” it. They would try to verify and validated its authenticity. You would think that someone would want to make sure its truth before they pronounce it true. But that is not always the case.
It should be no different within the spiritual dimension. Religious viewpoints and opinions need verification. Many people have differing and diverse opinions about religion and specifically Christianity. Some formulate options by group consensus, others because of cultural norms and still others because of personal preferences. Yet these are all transitional. These views can easily shift with society. They can change with the spiritual climate. They are unreliable. They are relative rhetoric. These self-actualized views are not the unchanging Biblical absolutes that stand the test of time and transitioning thoughts.
Paul and Silas encounter a group of inquisitive individuals in Berea. They received the gospel with eagerness. Intrigued by it, they set forth to evaluate its authenticity. They sought to verify its validity. They sought clarity. In their quest they didn’t rely on personal preferences, societal standards or group consensus, but they examined the scriptures, to see if these things were so. They went to the standard that they trusted, the word of God. Their firm belief in the credibility of God’s word compelled them to “fact check” what they heard. They examined the scriptures. They thoroughly searched through its pages. They daily compared what was spoken with what God had said. They placed what they had received alongside what God had revealed. What they were told they weighed on the scale of God’s truth. They assessed it according to God’s absolutes. If it agreed with what God’s word said, it was agreeable to them.
Here is great encouragement for us. Here is an example to follow. When confounded with life issues they compared it to the Lord’s instructions. We should, like them, receive what is said. Then we should hold it up against what God has said and hold on to only what agrees with His word. In our everchanging culture we must evaluate what we encounter by Scripture. We must, examine the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Oh, that all would respond to His word like they did. That everyone everywhere, especially believers, would be eager to hear it. That they would intently examining it. That they would go to great extremes to excavate its truth. And that they would immediately implement its instructions into their life and practices. The Bereans did, so should we.
Today pray that you would be like the Berean believers. Ask the Lord to help you always investigate your instruction by scripture. Ask the Lord to protect you from being drawn away from God’s word by vain speculations, personal agendas, and false interpretations that seek to seduce you into believing lies. Ask Him the help you always, in every situation, “fact check” what you recieve against what God says. Ask Him to help you be like the Bereans who received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
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