You Have to Start Where You Are - February 2

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Abstain from every form of evil.

Reflect

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 complete, equipped for every good work.”

I want to get in better shape. But the truth is, I am where I am in my physical fitness journey and there are no shortcuts to where I want to be. If I want to get healthier, I have to start right where I’m at.

The same is true for spiritual fitness. If you want to get in better spiritual shape, you have to start right where you are. Maybe you are a brand-new believer and you just started going to church. It may seem like everyone there knows everything about the Bible, but you don’t know anything. When the pastor says turn to 2 Timothy, you have no idea which way to flip. That’s ok! You are just starting out and you have to start right where you are.

Or maybe you’ve been a believer for a long time, but you’ve never read the Bible for yourself and there’s a lot about your Christian faith that you just don’t know. It may seem as if other Christians know the Scriptures by heart and you feel like you should too by now. But it’s ok! It’s never too late to learn and grow but you have to start right where you are.

When we want to get in physical shape, we know that we have to start training our bodies. Walking, running, lifting weights—we have to do some form of working out.  Likewise, if we want to get in spiritual shape, we have to start training, too.

In today’s verses, the apostle Paul said that our most useful resource for spiritual training is Scripture. Paul said that Scripture is “breathed out by God”. That means that even though it was written down by men, it is God’s Word. The men who penned the books of the Bible were inspired by God to write what they wrote.

Similarly, the apostle Peter said that “no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). When we read Scripture, we aren’t just reading the words of godly men. We are reading God’s Word. If it is our goal to get to know God better, reading our Bibles is the place to start. Today’s verses say that God’s Word will teach us, discipline us, correct us, and train us in godliness so that we are prepared and equipped to do what God calls us to do.

When I compare myself to others who are in better physical shape than me, I have to remind myself that they didn’t get to where they are with wishful thinking. They’ve been diligent and disciplined in eating right and working out for months, maybe even years. They’ve been faithful to train their bodies.

Likewise, people who are in great spiritual shape have been faithful and disciplined in the study of Scripture. Just like there is no substitute for exercise, there is no substitute for reading your Bible. After a few months of faithfully engaging with Scripture, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve learned and how much you’ve grown. And by this time next year, you’ll look back and be amazed at how much closer you are to the Lord. Prepare to be amazed. But you have to start right where you are.

Respond

Lord, thank You for Your Word. I know that was written down for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11). But in order to benefit from it, I have to read it. Help me to be diligent and disciplined, regularly reading Your Word. Train me in Your way, Lord. Amen.

Reveal

Talk with a friend about today’s verse and your goal to be trained by God’s Word. Ask them to check in on you periodically to see how it’s going and what you’ve learned so far.